Accenture#Recent news

Accenture began as the business and technology consulting division of accounting firm Arthur Andersen in the early 1950s.{{cite news |title=Accenture To Add 500 Jobs in Chicago |url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/10/11/accenture-to-add-500-jobs-in-chicago/ |newspaper=WBBM-TV |date=11 October 2011 |access-date=10 December 2015}} The division conducted a feasibility study for General Electric to install a computer at Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky, which led to GE's installation of a UNIVAC I computer and printer, believed to be the first commercial use of a computer in the United States.{{cite news |title=GE's Appliance Park Still an IT Innovator |last1=Betts |first1=Mitch |url=http://www.computerworld.com/article/2590401/computer-hardware/ge-s-appliance-park-still-an-it-innovator.html |magazine=Computerworld |date=29 January 2001 |access-date=10 December 2015}}{{cite news |title=The Univac I: First in the field |last1=Betts |first1=Mitch |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s7vRlroiLwsC&q=the+univac+I%3A+first+in+the+field&pg=PT26 |magazine=Computerworld |date=2 July 1990 |access-date=10 December 2015}}

In 1989, Arthur Andersen and Andersen Consulting became separate units of Andersen Worldwide Société Coopérative (AWSC). Throughout the 1990s, tensions grew between the two units. Andersen Consulting was paying Arthur Andersen up to 15% of its profits each year (a provision of the 1989 split was that the more profitable unit – whether AA or AC, pay the other the 15 percent), while at the same time Arthur Andersen was competing with Andersen Consulting through its own newly established business consulting service line called Arthur Andersen Business Consulting. This dispute came to a head in 1998, when Andersen Consulting put the 15% transfer payment for that year and future years into escrow and issued a claim for breach of contract against AWSC and Arthur Andersen. In 2000, as a result of arbitration, Andersen Consulting broke all contractual ties with AWSC and Arthur Andersen. As part of the arbitration settlement, Andersen Consulting paid $1.2 billion to Arthur Andersen.{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Mitchell |date=8 August 2000 |title=Arbitrator's Ruling Goes Against Accounting Arm : Consultants Win Battle Of Andersen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/08/business/worldbusiness/08iht-consult.2.t.html |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York City |access-date=1 March 2014}}

On 1 January 2001, Andersen Consulting adopted the name, "Accenture". The word "Accenture" was derived from "Accent on the future". The name "Accenture" was submitted by Kim Petersen, a Danish employee from the company's Oslo, Norway office. Petersen hoped that the name would not be offensive in any country in which Accenture operates, because the word itself was meaningless.{{Cite book |last1=Kotler |first1=Philip |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bcmo-WZtOvQC |title=B2B Brand Management |last2=Pfoertsch |first2=Waldemar |date=2006-09-22 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-540-44729-0 |pages=291–292 |language=en}}

Accenture was incorporated in Bermuda in 2001. On 19 July 2001, Accenture's initial public offering (IPO) was priced at $14.50 per share, and the shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.{{cite news |title=Accenture IPO gains in first trades |url=https://money.cnn.com/2001/07/19/deals/accenture/index.htm |publisher=CNN Money |date=19 July 2001 |access-date=4 December 2015}} Because of the split from Andersen, Accenture avoided prosecution on June 16, 2002, when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission prosecuted Arthur Andersen for obstructing justice and accounting fraud.{{Cite book |last=Salinger |first=Lawrence M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0f7yTNb_V3QC&dq=%22Andersen+Consulting%22+%22Accenture%22+%22Enron%22&pg=PA57 |title=Encyclopedia of White-Collar & Corporate Crime |date=2005 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=978-0-7619-3004-4 |page=57 |language=en}}

On 26 May 2009, Accenture announced that its board of directors unanimously approved changing the company's place of incorporation from Bermuda to Ireland.{{cite web |url=http://newsroom.accenture.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4830 |title=Accenture Newsroom: Accenture Announces Proposed Change of Incorporation to Ireland |publisher=newsroom.accenture.com |date=26 May 2009 |access-date=6 August 2010}}

Accenture's business is organized into five segments:{{Cite web |title=About Our Company {{!}} Accenture |url=https://www.accenture.com/us-en/about/company-index |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=www.accenture.com |language=en-US}}

1. Strategy and Consulting
2. Technology
3. Operations
4. Accenture Song (formerly Interactive){{cite web |url=https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/2022/accenture-announces-accenture-interactives-evolution |title=Accenture Announces Accenture Song |publisher=Accenture |access-date=16 August 2024}}
5. Industry X

The company provides services to clients in various industries, including communications, media and technology, financial services, health and public service, consumer products, and resources.{{cite web |url=https://newsroom.accenture.com/fact-sheet/ |title=Fact sheet |publisher=Accenture |access-date=24 February 2020}}

File:Pierre-nanterme-accenture-by-bill-cramer.jpg

William D. Green became the CEO in September 2004.{{cite web|url=https://people.forbes.com/profile/william-d-green/713 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403033414/http://people.forbes.com/profile/william-d-green/713 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 3, 2009 |title=William D. Green Profile |work= Forbes |date= |accessdate=May 26, 2012}} Green was replaced by Pierre Nanterme in January 2011.{{cite news |title=Pierre Nanterme prendra les rênes d'Accenture en 2011 |author=Cyrille Chausson |url=http://www.lemagit.fr/economie/carriere/2010/10/21/pierre-nanterme-prendra-les-ecirc-nes-rsquo-accenture-2011/ |work=LeMagIT |date=21 October 2010 |access-date=30 June 2013}}{{cite news |title=New Financial Group Chief at Accenture |author=Matthew Monks |url=http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/175_226/new-fin-group-chief-at-accenture-1029053-1.html |work=American Banker |date=24 November 2010 |access-date=30 June 2013}} In January 2019, Nanterme stepped down from his position, citing health reasons. Chief Financial Officer David Rowland was named as the interim CEO.{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-accenture-ceo-death/accentures-former-ceo-nanterme-dies-idUSKCN1PP1QB?il=0 |title=Accenture's former CEO Nanterme dies |work=Reuters |date=31 January 2019 |access-date=31 January 2019}} Julie Sweet was appointed CEO in September 2019.{{cite web |date=July 11, 2019 |title=Accenture Appoints Julie Sweet Chief Executive Officer and Names David Rowland Executive Chairman, Effective Sept. 1, 2019 |url=https://accntu.re/2JtKwSN |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713152447/https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/accenture-appoints-julie-sweet-chief-executive-officer-and-names-david-rowland-executive-chairman-effective-sept-1-2019.htm |archive-date=Jul 13, 2019 |access-date=2019-07-17 |website=accntu.re |language=en}}

As of 2024, Accenture reported having approximately 774,000 employees.

The financial results were as follows:

In October 2002, the Congressional General Accounting Office (GAO) identified Accenture as one of four publicly traded federal contractors that were incorporated in a tax haven.[http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03194r.pdf Information on Federal Contractors That Are Incorporated Offshore]; United States General Accounting Office; 1 October 2002 The other three, unlike Accenture, were incorporated in the United States before they re-incorporated in a tax haven, thereby lowering their US taxes. Critics such as former CNN journalist Lou Dobbs,{{cite news|last=Dobbs|first=Lou|title=Exporting America|url=https://money.cnn.com/2004/03/09/commentary/dobbs/dobbs/index.htm|access-date=3 May 2011|publisher=CNN|date=9 March 2004}} reported Accenture's decision to incorporate in Bermuda was a US tax avoidance ploy, because they viewed Accenture as having been a US-based company.{{cite web|url=http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2004/accenture_06_01_04.html |title=Accenture|publisher=US House of Representatives|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503215542/http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2004/accenture_06_01_04.html|archive-date=3 May 2007}} The GAO itself did not characterize Accenture as having been a US-based company; it stated that "prior to incorporating in Bermuda, Accenture was operating as a series of related partnerships and corporations under the control of its partners through the mechanism of contracts with a Swiss coordinating entity."{{cite web|title=Information on Federal Contractors That Are Incorporated Offshore|url=https://www.gao.gov/assets/100/91572.html|website=gao.gov|publisher=General Accounting Office|access-date=4 December 2017|archive-date=22 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622165349/https://www.gao.gov/assets/100/91572.html|url-status=dead}}

Accenture engaged in an IT overhaul project for the British National Health Service (NHS) in 2003, making headlines when it withdrew from the contract in 2006 over disputes related to delays and cost overruns.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2006/sep/28/news.business|title=Accenture to quit NHS technology overhaul|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=18 July 2014|date=28 September 2006|last1=Bowers|first1=Simon}} The government of the United Kingdom ultimately abandoned the project five years later for the same reasons.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-pulls-the-plug-on-its-11bn-it-system-2330906.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920113851/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-pulls-the-plug-on-its-11bn-it-system-2330906.html |archive-date=2011-09-20 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=NHS pulls the plug on its £11bn IT system|work=The Independent|access-date=18 July 2014}}

In 2012, it was revealed Accenture was paying only 3.5% in tax in Ireland as opposed to the average rate of 24% it would pay if instead based in the UK.{{cite news |author=Simon Moore |title=Revenue's IT contractors accused of tax avoidance |url=https://www.contractoruk.com/news/0010817revenues_it_contractors_accused_tax_avoidance.html |date= 26 November 2012 |access-date=31 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127113917/https://www.contractoruk.com/news/0010817revenues_it_contractors_accused_tax_avoidance.html |archive-date=27 January 2021 |url-status=dead}}

In June 2018, Accenture was asked to recruit 7,500 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. Under the $297 million contract, Accenture had been charging the US Government nearly $40,000 per hire, which was more than the annual salary of the average officer.{{cite web |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/06/border-patrol-is-so-desperate-for-new-agents-its-spending-millions-to-help-recruits-finish-their-applications-1/ |title= Border Patrol Is So Desperate for New Agents, It's Spending Millions to Help Recruits Finish Their Applications |first=Noah | last=Lanard |date=14 June 2018 |access-date=19 June 2018}} According to a report published by the DHS Office of Inspector General in December 2018, Accenture had been paid $13.6M through the first ten months of the contract. They had hired two agents against a contract goal of 7,500 hires over 5 years. The report was issued as a 'management alert', indicating an issue requiring immediate attention, stating that "Accenture has already taken longer to deploy and delivered less capability than promised".{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/10/politics/cpb-hiring-accenture-contract-inspector-general/index.html |title= 'Serious' issues with $297 million CBP hiring contract, internal watchdog says |author =Geneva Sands |date=10 December 2018 |access-date=10 December 2018}} The contract was terminated in 2019.{{cite news |title=CBP terminates controversial $297 million Accenture contract amid continued staffing struggles |last1=Sands |first1=Geneva |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/05/politics/cbp-terminate-hiring-contract-accenture/index.html |work=CNN |date=5 April 2019 |access-date=14 September 2020}}

In February 2019, contractors from Accenture's Austin, Texas, location who performed content moderation tasks for Facebook wrote an open letter to Facebook describing poor working conditions and a "Big Brother environment" that included restricted work breaks and strict non-disclosure agreements.{{cite web| first1=Rob| last1=Price| access-date=21 June 2019| title=Facebook moderators are in revolt over 'inhumane' working conditions that they say erodes their 'sense of humanity'| url=https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-moderators-complain-big-brother-rules-accenture-austin-2019-2| website=Business Insider| date=15 February 2019}}{{cite news| access-date=21 June 2019| title=Inside Facebook, the second-class workers who do the hardest job are waging a quiet battle| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/05/08/inside-facebook-second-class-workers-who-do-hardest-job-are-waging-quiet-battle/|newspaper=The Washington Post| date=8 May 2019|first=Elizabeth|last=Dwoskin}}{{cite web|access-date=21 June 2019|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-25/facebook-grappling-with-employee-anger-over-moderator-conditions| first=Joshua| last=Brustein| date=25 February 2019|website=Bloomberg News| title=Facebook Grappling With Employee Anger Over Moderator Conditions}} A counselor in the Austin office stated that the content moderators could develop post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the work, which included evaluating videos and images containing graphic violence, hate speech, animal abuse, and child abuse.{{cite web| first1=Queenie| last1=Wong| access-date=21 June 2019| title=Murders and suicides: Here's who keeps them off your Facebook feed| url=https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-content-moderation-is-an-ugly-business-heres-who-does-it/| website=CNET|date=19 June 2019}} Accenture issued a statement saying the company offers opportunities for moderators to advance, increase their wages, and provide input "to help shape their experience."{{cite news |title=Inside Facebook, the second-class workers who do the hardest job are waging a quiet battle |last1=Dwoskin |first1=Elizabeth |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/05/08/inside-facebook-second-class-workers-who-do-hardest-job-are-waging-quiet-battle/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=8 May 2019 |access-date=14 September 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/25/18229714/cognizant-facebook-content-moderator-interviews-trauma-working-conditions-arizona |title=The Trauma Floor: The secret lives of Facebook moderators in America |publisher=The Verge |date=2019-02-25 |accessdate=2024-08-10}}

In February 2025, Vice News spoke to a former Accenture employee under condition of anonymity. His project on the WhatsApp team for Meta required him to sift through images and deciding whether or not they depicted child sexual abuse, which he coped with "through a lot of substance abuse". The former employee claimed to have witnessed multiple missed opportunities to protect children, and alleged that one colleague had previously been arrested for possessing child abuse materials. In a statement, Accenture said they are "committed to helping companies keep their platforms safe through services such as content, advertising and compliance reviews".{{cite news |last=Clifton |first=James |date=2025-02-13 |title=

The Worst Things I’ve Seen as a WhatsApp Moderator |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZLr6w7C-xY |work=Informer |publisher=Vice Media |access-date=2025-02-16}}

In February 2019, Accenture paid $200 million to Swiss authorities over tax claims related to transfer pricing arrangements.{{cite web |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/luxembourg-leaks/accenture-settles-lux-leaks-tax-claim-for-200m/ |title=Accenture settles Lux Leaks tax claim for $200m |publisher=International Consortium of Investigative Journalists |date=2019-02-26 |access-date=2024-08-10}}

In August 2021, Accenture confirmed a data breach due to a ransomware attack, which reportedly led to the theft of six terabytes of data.{{cite web |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/accenture-confirms-data-breach-after-august-ransomware-attack/ |title=Accenture confirms data breach after August ransomware attack |publisher=BleepingComputer |date=2021-10-15 |access-date=2024-08-10}}

In March 2023, Accenture announced plans to eliminate 19,000 jobs of the 738,000 employees over 18 months, citing reduced revenue forecasts.{{cite news |last1=Anghel |first1=Irina |last2=Boyle |first2=Matthew |title=Accenture Shares Jump After Plan to Slash 19,000 Jobs |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-23/accenture-to-cut-19-000-jobs-with-biggest-pullback-in-consulting?sref=CIpmV6x8 |access-date=23 March 2023 |work=Bloomberg.com |date=23 March 2023 |language=en}}

In February 2025, Accenture made significant changes to its diversity and inclusion policies, including discontinuing global employee representation goals and specific demographic-focused career development programs. The company also paused participation in external diversity benchmarking surveys and reevaluated their external partnerships.{{cite news |last1= Kissin |first1= Ellesheva |last2= Raval |first2= Anjli |date=2025-02-07 |title=Accenture ditches diversity and inclusion goals |url=https://www.ft.com/content/0c0c720f-4292-403b-b4e4-f3c83e58596b |work=Financial Times |location=London |publisher=FT Group |access-date=2025-02-16}} According to media analysis, this was to comply with President Trump's Executive Order to avoid losing billions of dollars of work with US Federal Agencies.{{cite web |last= |first= |date=7 February 2025 |title=Accenture to end DEI policies to comply with Trump |url=https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/workplace/accenture-to-end-dei-policies-to-comply-with-trump-20250207-p5lafy |publisher=Australian Financial Review |access-date=7 February 2025}}

• List of acquisitions by Accenture

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• {{Official website|https://www.accenture.com}}

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Category:Consulting firms established in 1989

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