TURNING UP THE HEAT

摘要

Back in 2002, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) concluded that there was no need, at the time, to launch an investigation into the audit and accountancy market. The Big Four firms sighed with relief, despite concerns about reduced competition following the collapse of Andersen over the Enron affair, especially at the larger, listed companies end of the market. The issue, they hoped, had been put firmly on the back burner. But the OFT maintained it would keep the market under review, and did not pass up the opportunity to present evidence to the House of Lords economic affairs committee, which published its report a month ago.