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Earth to PricewaterhouseClusters
Great excitement at PricewaterhouseCoopers this morning, which has decided to organise its firms into three different groups. A merger, TS thinks it's called, though as is usual with these things, what exactly is merging is beyond even the most sophisticated Kremlinologists on TS' books.
The amusement is that it is calling the new structures 'clusters'.
All a little bit Star Trek, isn't it? Ian Powell is to head up the 'Central Cluster', a grouping that comprises the UK and India, among others.
Now, apart from Greenwich being the theoretical 'centre' of time zones, does the term 'central cluster' have any relation to the geography of the grouping? TS doesn't think so.
One thing PwC does need to sort out is its communication of the 'merger' (perhaps 'clusterisation' would be a better term).
A press release sent out to the media this morning was embargo'd until 9am, but the firm still doesn't seem to have issued the statement on its website.
One for the global press office, or the 'General Cluster', perhaps, to have a look into?
CODA man tops CIA's most wanted list... sort of
TS found itself lunch at the Criterion in Piccadilly with a wanted man recently. And the afternoon with biz-software giants Coda had started so well.
Discussing the rigmarole that is business travel, Coda's marketing director Dave Turner mentioned that his journeys had become somewhat more...fraught...shall we say, since he discovered the CIA had a man with the same name at the top of its wanted list.
As he tucked into his steak and chips as if it could be his last opportunity before moving onto porridge, Turner said that he was now regularly stopped at airports during passport control or check-in.
TS wondered out loud if it could be anything to do with the suspicious goatee keeping his chin warm, which always looks tempting to tug to see if it's real.
And you thought British gambling execs and their auditors had it tough travelling across the pond! Still, no strip-searches yet but there's always time, hey Dave?
When I grow up, I want to be an auditor
TS ran into an old friend that hadn't been seen since university and found out about some truly worrying career aspirations...
After the usual who's doing what, who failed, who succeeded, who ran off, did something completely different and who's changed appearance quite substantially, said chum pulled out their wallet.
TS was treated to a vast array of pictures, and the proud parent raved that their children were going to follow in their footsteps bragging how much cleverer/stronger/ more creative etc the little cherubs were compared to everyone else's.
It was then TS got told that the Institute of Internal Auditors had gone one better. The uber-competitive body have compiled a video of members' children from all over the world, all raving about how they want to be an internal auditor when they grow up. One 14 year-old bouncing a basketball tells us that he can't wait 'to go pro.' Professional internal auditor that is.
Maybe a swift (Sar)box around the ears is needed for some of these wayward young things.
Going for Gold
If it isn't hockey players or massive firms signing up to be official partners, TS has found yet another accountancy link to the Olympics...
Gemma Spofforth set a British and European record in the final of the women's 100 backstroke earlier this week, but she just missed out on a top three place by a whisker. She happens to be the daughter of Mark Spofforth of Spofforths Chartered Accountants in West Sussex. 'Fourth is no place to finish in a final,' Gemma said. 'It's a horrible feeling being so close to a medal.' Of course in the accountancy trade, a Big Four spot is the ultimate goal. But then you start wandering into dangerous territory when official protests start getting lodged about who's the best, eh PwC and Deloitte? Clearly, the competition for the gold will continue to be pretty fierce and TS can't wait to watch the action unfold.... PS, well done Gemma!
