Company: EY
Date: 2010-05-22
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: current

would collapse under any real pressure
Pros: They have a great set of tools and training; the opportunities to learn are substantial.  Management generally displays a good deal of integrity about their business and services.  Emphasis is on collaboration, not competition.
Cons: Culturally, people are very risk and conflict averse.  People are very reluctant to provide negative feedback or to deal with conflict, and it becomes a very difficult process to eke out concerns or negative feelings.  Instead, people respond very passively and avoid important issues.  Management is very slow to respond to personality problems, unless there is a clear-cut case of bias, discrimination, etc.  Otherwise they just shy away and hope the problem disappears, or delays decisions through committee.  Management has a very hard time articulating strategy on a broader basis - instead it is dealt with on a sale-by-sale basis and is done in a manner that resembles groping about in the dark.  Very few people can even articulate what is unique about E&Y vs. competition in a meaningful and compelling way - usually it is just  a recital of basic facts about the company.  Cost structure is too high and EY usually gets killed on rates vs competition...lots of dead wood in the partnership who are unprepared to deal with change...they tend to just defend old ways until biz underneath them evaporates and is gone.