Post-Enron and the dissolution of the 5th Horseman in the guise of Andersen, the others undertook to separate their 'consulting' activities (however they defined it) from their audit mainstay. All but Deloitte apparently achieved this. Deloitte started to go down that slippery slope but, after $100m exploratory spend, decided to keep its nursery intact. 

Which suggests, I think, that if there are choices like this to be made, they shouldn't be theirs to create.

These global firms need to be broken up and broken down.