Editor's Note: Your Questions Answered

As soon as the press release went out announcing our 2005 "10 Best Firms to Work For" survey, we heard from some of you who felt that our annual Best Firms ranking has too frequently favored the profession's strategy houses, while slighting the efforts of the profession's larger firms. In fact, strategy and midsize firms do dominate our 2005 ranking. However, our critics forget that former Big Five firms such as Accenture, Deloitte, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, and HR consultancies such as Hewitt Associates, Towers Perrin, and Watson Wyatt, have all been named Best Firms in the five years we have been publishing this list.
Still, while their cultures vary, the strengths of the best firms are indisputable. The reputation and training offered by strategy firms such as Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Booz Allen Hamilton, and McKinsey & Company are unmatched. And who wouldn't find the "fast track to partnership" mantra touted at DiamondCluster, Mercer Oliver Wyman, Pittiglio Rabin Todd & McGrath, and Sapient Corporation appealing?
The list may look similar, but we have made some changes. Our readers will also notice that this year we are straying from our practice of individually ranking the top 10 firms. Given the fact that the percentage difference between the first firm and the tenth firm has traditionally not been wide, we wanted to highlight that these are all top employers, worthy of distinction. In addition, readers wrongly assumed that a change in a company's rank meant that its employees were less satisfied — and this was not always the case. The lists throughout the feature contain the top 10 or the top 5 in a category, but they are alphabetized.
Some may also find it strange that there are two Mercers on the list. In the past, Mercer Management Consulting and Mercer Oliver Wyman were surveyed together and made the list as Mercer Management Consulting. The firms asked to be surveyed separately, given their different cultures, benefits, and specialties.
As most writers often grouse, there is never enough room in a magazine to say what needs to be said. Fortunately, the Web takes care of that problem. Log on to our Web site, www.consultingmag.com, and check out the Best Firms Data Center for more insights and findings from the 2005 survey. The Data Center also contains stories and charts from previous years.
As always, please keep the feedback and questions coming. They keep us on our toes.