List of top consulting firms 2012

Following is a list of the top consulting firms around the world with such details as ranking, company name, website url, headquarters, year founded, approximate number of employees, male to female ratio, and other statistics. Being a top consulting firm do not means always prestige and do not bring quality and values automatically, but clients and job seekers of the consulting profession may be interested by these statistics.

Purpose: To summarize and provide beneficial statistical information about the consulting industry and provide quick access gateway to a list of the top consulting companies and websites.
Serving: Researchers, students, professionals, job seekers in the consulting industry and all who seek information about top consulting companies.

 

Disclaimer: We are not claiming any rights, responsibilites or ownership pertaining to creating, developing, designing, or programming any of the websites listed on this page. All websites listed on this page are publically available for viewing on the internet.

Rankings: Any ranking information regarding the listings above have been made by 3rd parties, organizations which make their ranking info available on public viewable pages free of charge. For this particular listing we have gathered inforamtion from various sources on the internet, including, cnn.com, vault.com, fortune.com and linkedin.com.

The 2011 Best Firms to Work For (according to Consulting Magazine):

 

The Best Consulting Firms to Work For 2011

1. Bain & Company
2. The Boston Consulting Group
3. North Highland
4. Point B
5. Deloitte Consulting
6. Slalom Consulting
7. McKinsey & Company
8. PwC
9. Booz Allen Hamilton
10. Huron Consulting Group
11. Ernst & Young
12. Accenture
13. Crowe Horwath
14. Monitor
15. A.T. Kearney

The Best Small Consulting Firms to Work For 2011

1. Stroud Consulting
2. Impact Advisors
3. Cask
4. Vynamic
5. Infinitive
6. Fitzgerald Analytics
7. Lenati
8. Jabian Consulting
9. PeopleFirm
10. HiSoft (formerly Nouveon)
11. Plus Consulting
12. Meridian Compensation Partners
13. Marakon
14. SEI
15. IBB Consulting Group

 

 

 

Rank	Consulting Firms	HQ	Industry	Type	# of employees	Year founded	Med age	Male	Fe- male
1	McKinsey & Company	Greater New York City Area	Management Consulting	Partnership	15000	1926	29	67%	33%
2	The Boston Consulting Group, Inc	Greater Boston Area	Management Consulting	Partnership	6000	1963	28	67%	33%
3	Bain & Company	Greater Boston Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	10000	1973	28	65%	35%
4	Booz & Company	Washington DC Metro Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	22000	1914	32	64%	36%
5	Deloitte Consulting LLP	Greater New York City Area	Financial Services	Partnership	168000	-	29	61%	39%
6	Monitor Group	Greater Boston Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	1500	1983	29	63%	37%
7	PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP	Greater New York City Area	Accounting	Partnership	17500	-	29	59%	41%
8	Mercer LLC	Greater New York City Area	Human Resources	Public	18000	1937	34	51%	49%
9	Ernst & Young LLP	Greater New York City Area	Accounting	Partnership	144000	-	29	59%	41%
10	Oliver Wyman	Greater New York City Area	Management Consulting	Public	1001	-	30	70%	30%
11	Accenture	Greater Chicago Area	Management Consulting	Public	177000	1989	30	67%	33%
12	IBM Global Business Services	Greater New York City Area	Information Technology and Services	Public	300000	1911	34	76%	24%
13	KPMG LLP	Amsterdam Area, Netherlands	Accounting	Partnership	137000	-	30	60%	40%
14	Towers Watson	Greater Philadelphia Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	6400	1934	34	52%	48%
15	AlixPartners, LLP	Greater Detroit Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	900	1981	35	77%	23%
16	A.T. Kearney	Greater Chicago Area	Management Consulting	Partnership	2700	1926	30	68%	32%
17	Braxton Consulting	Eurpe & Latin America	Management Consulting	Privately Held	250	1996	31	54%	46%
18	The Parthenon Group	Greater Boston Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	200	1999	28	62%	38%
19	Towers Watson	-	Financial Services	Public	14000	-	34	53%	47%
20	L.E.K. Consulting	London, UK	Management Consulting	Partnership	900	1983	28	70%	30%
21	FTI Consulting, Inc.	Washington DC Metro Area	Management Consulting	Public	3500	1982	32	71%	29%
22	Alvarez & Marsal	Greater New York City Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	1600	1983	33	73%	27%
23	NERA Economic Consulting	Greater New York City Area	Management Consulting	Public	600	1961	27	61%	39%
24	Capgemini	Paris Area, France	Information Technology and Services	Privately Held	91000	1967	32	77%	23%
25	Navigant Consulting, Inc.	Greater Chicago Area	Management Consulting	Public	2500	1983	32	62%	38%
26	Huron Consulting Group	Greater Chicago Area	Management Consulting	Public	2000	2002	30	61%	39%
27	Hewitt Associates	Greater Chicago Area	Outsourcing/Offshoring	Public	25000	1940	32	55%	45%
28	Roland Berger Strategy Consultants	-	Management Consulting	Partnership	2100	1967	28	72%	28%
29	ZS Associates	Greater Chicago Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	1400	1983	27	72%	28%
30	CRA International, Inc.	Greater Boston Area	Management Consulting	Public	800	1965	33	65%	35%
31	Arthur D. Little	Paris Area, France	Management Consulting	Privately Held	1000	-	30	75%	25%
32	Kurt Salmon Associates	Greater Atlanta Area	Management Consulting	Public	700	1935	33	63%	37%
33	LECG	San Francisco Bay Area	Management Consulting	Public	1200	1988	34	69%	31%
34	Gallup Consulting	District of Columbia	Management Consulting	Privately Held	2000	-	27	60%	40%
35	Aon Consulting Worldwide	Greater Chicago Area	Management Consulting	Public	6300	1983	36	52%	48%
36	BraxtonTechnology	Europe, Asia & Latin America	Technology Consulting & Services	Privately Held	219	2005	26	74%	26%
37	Cornerstone Research	San Francisco Bay Area	Legal Services	Privately Held	201	1989	27	61%	39%
38	Corporate Executive Board	Washington DC Metro Area	Management Consulting	Public	2000	1979	28	50%	50%
39	Hay Group	Greater Philadelphia Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	2600	1943	32	47%	53%
40	Analysis Group, Inc.	Greater Boston Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	500	1981	30	62%	38%
41	Milliman, Inc	Greater Seattle Area	Insurance	Privately Held	2000	1947	35	62%	38%
42	Zolfo Cooper	Greater New York City Area	Financial Services	Privately Held	75	-	31	67%	33%
43	Mars & Co	-	-	-	-	1979	-	-	-
44	The Advisory Board Company	Washington DC Metro Area	Hospital & Health Care	Public	1000	1979	28	43%	57%
45	Putnam Associates	Greater Boston Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	50	1988	26	64%	36%
46	First Manhattan Consulting Group	Greater New York City Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	51	1980	26	76%	24%
47	IMS Health Incorporated	Greater Philadelphia Area	Pharmaceuticals	Public	10000	1954	34	57%	43%
48	Buck Consultants	Greater New York City Area	Human Resources	Public	1900	1916	38	55%	45%
49	Giuliani Partners LLC	Greater New York City Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	11	2002	45	79%	21%
50	Archstone Consulting	Greater New York City Area	Management Consulting	Privately Held	250	2003	34	63%	37%

 

Social Ties Driving Internationalization for SMEs from Azores Islands, Portugal

Social Ties Driving Internationalization for SMEs from Azores Islands, Portugal

A recent study of a small fish exporter from the Azores Islands, an autonomous Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic, some 900 miles from the European mainland, offers useful insights on the key drivers of internationalization for companies based on small islands. It illustrates the critical role of social ties in guiding and supporting island-based SMEs towards successful internationalization. Often challenged by „isolation‟ and distance from the core economies, and by dis-economies of scale and high transportation cost, these SMEs from small islands tend to exhibit relatively low international involvement. The resultant economic weakness associated with such islands often fuels emigration.  In the case of the small fish exporter from the Azores Islands investigated by Camara and Simeos (2008), this meant access to major emigrant communities in Canada (British Columbia and Quebec) and the United States (California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island) among others. There is evidence, however, that some island-based SMEs leverage the network of family and social ties existing between those remaining on the islands and those that emigrated to compete in international markets.
Source: Camara and Simeos (2008)

Growth Motives.

Growth Motives.

Growth opportunities associated with international markets were identified as a key driver of firm internationalization in several recent studies. Orser et al. (2008), for example, reports say that after allowing for the impacts of firm size and sector, Canadian legal firms whose owners had expressed growth intentions were more than twice as likely to export, than those whose owners did not indicate growth ambitions. Firms‟ overseas venturing decision also seems to be motivated by a need for business growth, profits, an increased market size, a stronger market position, and to reduce dependence on a single or smaller number of markets. The possibility of growth in other markets and increased profit opportunities from international expansion were highlighted as key stimuli for exporting among the Australian, British, Spanish, Swedish, and US firms investigated in recent studies.

Online Game Regulation in China

Online Game Regulation in China
Online Game Content
On May 14, 2004, theChina MOC issued the Notice Regarding the Strengthening of Online Game Censorship . This notice mandates the establishment of a new committee under the MOC that will screen the content of imported online games. In addition, all imported and domestic online games are required to be filed with the MOC. We have submitted the relevant filing documents to the MOC for the filing of all the games in operation.
On July 12, 2005, the MOC and the China MIIT promulgated the Opinions on the Development and Administration of Online Game reflecting the PRC government’s intent to foster and control the development of the online game industry in China. In addition, the MOC will censor online games that “threaten state security,” “disturb the social order,” or contain “obscenity” or “violence.”
On November 13, 2009, the MOC issued its Notice Regarding Improving and Strengthening the Administration of Online Game Content (or the Online Game Content Notice) . This notice calls for online game operators to improve and innovate their game models. Emphasis is placed specifically on the following: (1) mitigating the pre-dominance of the “upgrade by monster fighting” model, (2) imposing more severe restraints on the “player kill” model ( i.e. , where one player’s character attempts to kill another player’s character), (3) restricting in-game marriages among game players, and (4) improving the enforcement of the legal requirements for the registration of minors and game time-limits.
The Online Game Content Notice also requires online game operators to set up committees to carry out the self-censorship of game content. The person responsible for such self-censorship must receive training from the MOC or its local department/counterpart. The MOC also intends to introduce a training and evaluation system for the persons in charge of research and development and operations at online game companies. This system is expected to be launched in two years’ time.
According to the Online Game Content Notice, the MOC intends to formulate technical standards and norms for game development, in order to provide technological support for original domestic games. The development and operation of “thoughtful and educational” online games is also to be encouraged.
The MOC is planning to expedite the establishment of an online game industry association, to play a role in the self-regulation system.
Online Games Publishing and Cultural Products
On December 30, 1997, GAPP issued the Rules for the Administration of Electronic Publications , or Electronic Publication Rules , which took effect on January 1, 1998. These rules were replaced by new Electronic Publication Rules promulgated on February 21, 2008, which took effect on April 15, 2008. The Electronic Publication Rules regulate the production, publishing and importation of electronic publication in the PRC and outline a licensing system for business operations involving electronic publishing. Under the Electronic Publication Rules and other regulations issued by GAPP, online games are classified as a kind of electronic production and publishing of online games is required to be done by licensed electronic publishing entities with standard publication codes. Under the Electronic Publication Rules , if a PRC company is contractually authorized to publish foreign electronic publications, it must obtain the approval of, and register the copyright license contract with, GAPP. The online games we currently offer are published by third parties who hold electronic publishing licenses. The term of our agreements with the publishers in connection with the publication of our online games, namely, TLBB, BO and BH2, will expire on December 5, 2010, December 20, 2010 and February 22, 2012, respectively. Our existing online games in operation have been filed with GAPP as electronic publications.
GAPP and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Tentative Measures for Internet Publication Administration , or Internet Publication Measures , on June 27, 2002, which took effect on August 1, 2002 and imposed a license requirement for any company that intends to engage in Internet publishing, defined as any act by an Internet information service provider to select, edit and process content or programs and to make such content or programs publicly available on the Internet. Since the provision of online games is deemed an Internet publication activity, an online game operator needs to obtain an Internet publishing license in order to directly make its online games publicly available in the PRC. We are in the process of applying for such license with GAPP.
On May 10, 2003, the MOC issued the Provisional Regulations for the Administration of Online Culture , which took effect on July 1, 2003, as amended on July 1, 2004 (or the Online Culture Regulations). This regulation applies to entities engaging in activities related to “online cultural products,” including music and video files, network games, animation features and audiovisual products, performed plays and artwork converted for dissemination via the Internet. Pursuant to this legislation, commercial entities are required to apply to the relevant local branch of the MOC for an Online Culture Operating Permit if they engage in any of the following types of activities:
• the production, duplication, importation, wholesale, retail, leasing or broadcasting of online cultural products;
• the dissemination of online cultural products on the Internet or transmission thereof to computers, fixed-line or mobile phones, radios, television sets or gaming consoles for the purpose of browsing, reading, using or downloading such products; or
• the exhibition or holding of contests related to online cultural products.
In January 2008, the MOC issued an Online Culture Operating Permit to Gamease , authorizing Gamease to operate online games. In addition, according to the Online Culture Regulations , domestically developed online games are required to be filed with the MOC within 60 days after release in the PRC. Accordingly, we have filed with MOC application to register our in-house developed online game, TLBB.
On July 1, 2009, GAPP issued the Notice on Strengthening the Approval and Administration of Imported Online Games , which took effect on the same date of promulgation. Pursuant to this notice, GAPP is the only competent approval authority authorized by the State Council for imported online games authorized by offshore copyright owners. Any enterprise which engages in online game publication and operation service within China must obtain the examination and approval of GAPP and relevant Internet publication service license. Moreover, the activities which involve the showing, exhibiting, trading and promoting of offshore online game production held in China shall also obtain the examination and approval of GAPP according to this notice.
On September 7, 2009, the State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform has issued the Notice on Interpretation of the State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform on Several Provisions relating to Animation, Online Game and Comprehensive Law Enforcement in Culture Market in the ‘Three Provisions’ jointly promulgated by MOC, SARFT and GAPP, which took effect on the same date of promulgation. According to this notice, GAPP shall be responsible for the examination and approval of the online games to be uploaded on the Internet, and after the upload on the Internet, the online games shall be completely administrated by MOC. The notice further clarifies that GAPP shall be responsible for the examination and approval of the game publications which are authorized by offshore copyright owners to be uploaded on the Internet, and the other imported online games shall be examined and approved by MOC.
On September 28, 2009, GAPP, National Copyright Administration, and National Office of Combating Pornography and Illegal Publications jointly published the Further Strengthening of the Administration of Pre-examination and Approval of Online Games and the Examination and Approval of Imported Online Games which took effect on the same date of promulgation. This notice restates that foreign investors are not permitted to invest in online game operating businesses in China via wholly-owned, equity joint venture or cooperative joint venture investments and expressly prohibits foreign investors from gaining control over or participating in domestic online game operators through establishing other joint venture companies, or contractual or technical arrangements. According to this notice, where new versions, expansion packs or new content shall be updated for online games which have been approved by GAPP, the operation entity shall undertake the same procedures for the examination and approval by GAPP of such new versions, expansion packs or new content.
On November 13, 2009, MOC issued the Circular on Improving and Strengthening the Administration of Content in Online Games . This circular emphasizes that a correct culture value tendency shall be maintained to enhance the culture implication in online games, and modes of the games which mainly comprise of upgrading by killing the beasts, the PK system and marriage system in the game shall be further restricted, as well as to protect minor game players by guiding them in registration and limiting their gaming time through technical measures.
The Braxton Asia Team (www.braxton-asia.com).

Tax Plan for China

Tax Plan for China

The China’s Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation have a plan to reduce the incidence of individual income tax on low to middle incomes for the next year.

There is a lot of concerns at the widening income gap between the wealthy and the low to middle income earners in the country, despite previous efforts to reduce it through the income tax system by increasing the tax threshold.

Nowadays the individual income tax system for a Chinese resident is based upon an initial monthly income threshold before tax payments are due of CHY2,000 (USD300), followed by nine progressive tax rates between an initial 5% for a total monthly taxable income of CHY2,001 to CHY2,500, and 10% for between CHY2,501 to CHY4,000, up to a marginal rate of 45% for monthly income levels above CHY12,000.

It is therefore now reported that the proposed income tax reform will attempt to benefit lower-paid employees in particular, not only by raising the initial tax threshold, but also by reducing the number of tax rate tiers and, thereby, increasing substantially the income levels at which the first two tiers occur.

Braxton Asia may help you on this and other tax planning issues.

Media Marketing Online expands operations in Asia Pacific with a company in Hong Kong

Media Marketing Online expands operations in Asia Pacific with a company in Hong Kong

We are excited to say that we have expanded our operations in the Asia Pacific region. Through our new regional company in Hong Kong, our local team will support MMO’s customers – advertisers, agencies, publishers and bloggers – in connecting with the growing number of consumers across the region that are accessing blogs, news and mobile web sites.
Outside of Europe and Latin America, Asia is the MMO’s largest markets today. We’ve seen iPhone usage explode in advanced markets such as Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Our team in Hong Kong is already starting to work closely with customers throughout the region to open new online magazines and to break down the barriers to doing business on mobile. Our goal is to develop the global magazine online marketplace and make mobile work for advertisers who want to engage with a targeted audience of consumers and for mobile publishers who need to effectively monetize their business. In addition, our localized sites for English, Bahasa or Chinese delivers the rich functionality, detailed targeting options, scalable ad units and robust self-serve capabilities the Asia Pacific market needs.
We are looking forward to the challenge of continuing to grow Media Marketing Online’s leadership position in online magazine and mobile advertising in Asia Pacific.
For more information, visit www.media-marketing-online.com

European Union Direct Taxes

Permanent Establishment is a vital concept in international taxation. While for direct taxes, it is mainly defined by the OECD Model Convention, the European VAT Directive and its implementing Regulation provide an EU-wide approach for VAT.
Difficulties arise as terminology and definitions in indirect and direct tax diverge. Moreover, countries have implemented and interpreted the EU and OECD rules in a different way, impacting on issues like cross-border reorganisations, transfer pricing, taxation of dividends and interest and royalties, tax residence, temporary and permanent transfer of assets, place of supply and VAT liability.
In both direct and indirect tax, the concept of Permanent Establishment has undergone very recent changes: The 2010 changes to the OECD Model Convention and Commentary, and in particular the new Art. 7, will be adopted in national law, as speakers from the Netherlands and Germany will report. The effect of the new definition on treaties with other countries will also be considered.
Some of this topic is addressed in the new book "European Union Direct Taxes", by the International Tax Professor Salvador Trinxet Llorca.
In indirect tax, the current more important issue is the practical consequences of the adoption of the Regulation implementing the EU VAT Directive in January 2011.