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                                                                    Exhibit 99.1


Accenture to Reduce Global Workforce by 2 Percent and
Extend Innovative Flexleave Sabbatical Program to Europe and Asia

In Separate Action, Accenture Board Authorizes Stock Repurchase

NEW YORK, August 17, 2001 - Accenture (NYSE: ACN) today announced that it will
take additional steps to further improve operational efficiency, due in part to
the continuing slowdown in the global economy and the company's lowest attrition
rate in years.  As part of the actions, the company will reduce its staff by
approximately 1,500, or about 2 percent of the company's global workforce of
more than 75,000.  This will affect approximately 1,000 consulting personnel,
principally in the United States, and about 500 support positions worldwide,
mostly through job eliminations as a result of restructuring certain functions.

In addition, the company will extend its innovative FlexLeave sabbatical program
to consultants in Europe and Asia.

"With voluntary attrition rates in the low single digits in some parts of the
world and temporary excess capacity due to a shift in our business mix from
shorter-term consulting projects to a greater focus on longer-term business
transformation outsourcing, we are taking these actions after our normal annual
budget review and management plan to ensure that our staffing levels are better
balanced with client demand," said Joe W. Forehand, Accenture chairman and CEO.

"In addition," Forehand added, "the FlexLeave program, which we introduced in
the United States in June and in Canada, Australia and New Zealand in July, was
extremely well-received by our people.  As a result, we're going to expand this
innovative program to Europe and Asia.  This should give us additional
flexibility to manage our workforce even more effectively."

Consultants participating in FlexLeave receive 20 percent of their salaries and
continuation of their employer-provided benefits during their sabbaticals.  The
duration of the sabbaticals, available to consulting personnel at the senior-
manager level and below, range from six to 12 months.

The company said that while it would expense the majority of the costs
associated with these actions on its income statement in the fourth quarter
ending August 31, 2001, and would not take a restructuring charge, it continues
to be comfortable with analysts' consensus estimates for the fourth quarter of
fiscal year 2001 and for fiscal year 2002.

Accenture also announced that its Board of Directors has voted to authorize the
repurchase of up to $150 million worth of shares of its common stock from time
to time in the open market.  The timing and amount of any such repurchases will
be at the discretion of the company and will be based on market conditions and
other factors.
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Accenture said that the Board's decision to authorize the share repurchases
reflects the fact that it believes its shares are undervalued and represent an
attractive investment opportunity as a result of current market conditions.

Accenture will hold a conference call today at 9:00 a.m. ET to discuss this
announcement.  To participate, please dial 1 (913) 981-5507 approximately 15
minutes prior to the scheduled start of the call.  A replay of the call will be
available beginning later today at www.accenture.com, or by dialing 1 (719) 457-
0820 and entering the passcode 619116 from 12:00 p.m. ET today through Friday,
August 24.

About Accenture

Accenture is the world's leading provider of management and technology
consulting services and solutions, with more than 75,000 people in 46 countries
delivering a wide range of specialized capabilities and solutions to clients
across all industries. Accenture operates globally with one common brand and
business model designed to enable the company to serve its clients on a
consistent basis around the world. Under its strategy, Accenture is building a
network of businesses to meet the full range of any organization's needs --
consulting, technology, outsourcing, alliances and venture capital. The company
generated revenues before reimbursements of $9.75 billion for the fiscal year
ended August 31, 2000, and $8.67 billion for the nine months ended May 31, 2001.
Its home page is http://www.accenture.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, the accuracy of which is
necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general
economic conditions and the factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors"
in our registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

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Contacts

Roxanne Taylor
Accenture
Tel:+1 (917) 452 5106
roxanne.taylor@accenture.com

