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The sibling rivalry Since 1989, Arthur Andersen has played the sturdier sibling to the sleeker, sexier Andersen Consulting. But now, Arthur Andersen must stand on its own. The firm is embroiled in confrontation with Andersen Consulting - its fully fleshed-out sibling. The roots of the split go back to 1952, when Andersen accountants first helped General Electric install an electrical system. Arthur Andersen's consulting group continued to grow, until, in 1989, the firm was split into two units - Arthur Andersen and Andersen Consulting, which would do consulting, especially computer consulting. The birth of Arthur Andersen Business Consulting However, Arthur Andersen soon found that Andersen Consulting was passing up smaller-niche consulting projects, and mobilized its own business consulting units to take advantage of them. Arthur Andersen became more and more adept at consulting - much to the displeasure of Andersen Consulting. In the 1990s, AC's profits had swollen and gone beyond those of Arthur Andersen. While Andersen Consulting is the world's biggest consulting firm (with 1998 revenues of $8.3 billion), Arthur Andersen's consulting operations have lagged far behind. In December 1997, Andersen Consulting filed for arbitration, intending to split off from Arthur Andersen. Arthur Andersen has rejoined that Andersen Consulting, under the partnership agreement, must pay $10 billion in penalty fees and a royalty fee for the continued use of the Andersen name. Andersen Consulting claims that, by developing consulting capabilities, Arthur Andersen has voided the 1989 agreement. An online future In 1999, Arthur Andensen has a very healthy size of 70,000+ employees and revenues of more than $6 billion. (These figures still make it smaller than Andersen Consulting - for the time being.) The firm currently offers its services to clients in a wide variety of industries, including energy, real estate, health care, and entertainment. It has established numerous business alliances, notably with software providers like Microsoft, Lawson Software, Oracle, SAP, Baan, and Peoplesoft. A KPMG merger? In March 1999, Arthur Andersen sought to increase its presence even further by merging its Canadian operations with those of KPMG. Shortly thereafter however, the merger, which would have created the largest professional services firm in Canada, was called off, reportedly due to resistance on the part of KPMG's international parent firm. The two did not rule out the possibility of a future deal. A space for knowledge In 1998, Arthur Andersen introduced KnowledgeSpace, a gateway to online business information, tools, and resources designed to make the Internet more efficient and productive for business users. Online subscribers receive access to formerly proprietary diagnostic tools, insights from Arthur Andersen's "Global Best Practices" knowledge base, and many other business performance enhancement tools. KnowledgeSpace positions Arthur Andersen among the most effective online consulting providers, according to industry expert International Data Corporation.
To apply to Arthur Andersen contact the Director of Recruiting in the office of interest to you. For a listing of office locations, see the firm's web site under "Worldwide locations" at www.arthurandersen.com/offices. Typically, Arthur Andersen gives one (sometimes two) screening interviews on campus to school-based applicants. The firm does two interview rounds on campus for MBAs. The interviews are either with managers, who have been with the firm for five years, or junior partners, who have been there at least seven. Explains one insider: "The interview process is pretty standard, but they run you through the wringer pretty well. You have a first screening interview, which is on campus, or, if you come in somewhere besides on-campus recruiting, with an HR person." Those lucky enough to snare a callback interview should know they'll "last all day." Says an insider, "You will have three interviews at a minimum, and you will interview with managers on up." The firm reportedly does not make offers quickly; turnaround time is "a week, minimum." Sometimes, "there's another callback interview with a partner, if they're not sure." Insiders say that while junior consultants are involved in the process, "partners have the final say. If you have to pick who to impress, pick a partner." Arthur Andersen tends to shun hard quant questions, insiders say, preferring to give behavioral interviews to its prospective consultants. Reports one contact: "There are no guesstimates or case interviews, but they will grill you pretty hard about your understanding of the job and why you want to do it." While Arthur Andersen, like most large companies, has distinct hiring cycles, "the needs lately have happened at random. In some markets, Arthur perceives they are leaving a lot of money on the table, so they are eager to expand the size of the office." MBAs say the firm is assiduously recruiting them for its business consulting practice -"just don't screw up and call them Andersen Consulting by accident."
Thank goodness for Brooks! "We keep Brooks Brothers in business," says one informant. "There is very much a dress code in business. But three years ago they finally started doing business casual Fridays." Another insider mentions that "for the summer in some offices, they've made it a business casual summer. Of course, this screws everyone up, because most of us only have one or two outfits to wear." Foodies One significant anti-perk at one office - "there's no brown bagging (lunches). It is deemed "unprofessional." A contact at another office confirms that "brown bagging is discouraged," but adds "this is because we are supposed to go out of the office with each other" - a much more pleasant situation than hunching over one's desk! While "your supervisor will pay for quite a few of your lunches if you are working at the client," at the home office "most people - if they have to pay - go to fast food places." This means that "your paid lunch expenses can be rather high." No bad blood The Arthur Andersen/Andersen Consulting split is the topic of some conversation at Arthur Andersen, though less than you might expect. "Certainly all the people at the senior level, the managers, were watching [the long, slow, painful descent toward arbitration] with interest, and everyone else was talking about it a bit." "We knew it could cost the partners a lot of money," comments one insider. "Basically, they would lose about $100,000 a year, which I think for them is nothing much. At our meetings, the [split] would be discussed, and we would get voice mails on recent developments. We knew the partners were concerned, but to be honest, after a while, the rest of us were sick of the topic." One contact credits firm management with "being very classy about the whole situation. We see articles in the Wall Street Journal and I think we come off very well." "There is no bad blood between Arthur Andersen consultants and Andersen consultants," says one insider. "All that stuff is at the partner level." The changing consulting firm The firm is "very old school, which also means that advocacy of minority and female leadership is kept to a minimum." "As a huge firm governed by a smallish elite of profit-sharing partners, AA can be slow to adapt to prevalent trends in the marketplace," advises one contact. "There is definitely a strong sense of hierarchy. While we pick up on trends and sell them on the revenue generating side, on the operations side it seems we seldom practice what we preach." On the road "The travel can be brutal," says an Arthur Andersen insider. "In the interviews they'll tell you three days a week, or four max, but that's just [not true]. Consultants at every level are very much virtual. If you're thinking of taking a job [at Arthur Andersen], don?t even bother to get your own apartment. Just keep your stuff at your partner's and save what you'd pay in rent - you're going to be living out of a suitcase. From what I've seen, people often fly out Sunday night and don?t leave the client site until Friday at 5 - and that's if you?re staffed at a city with airport connections." Good starting point Despite the gripes, say insiders, "Arthur Andersen is a great place to get a start on your career. You acquire great skills, both technical and interpersonal, and a great name on your resume." "The firm invests a lot in training and education," says another insider, "which means that they value us, and it's something you can take away with you."
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