Generative artificial intelligence augmenting SME financial management

IF 10.9 1区管理学 Q1 ENGINEERING, INDUSTRIAL

Technovation Pub Date : 2025-07-17 DOI:10.1016/j.technovation.2025.103313

Michael Metzger , Seán O'Reilly , Ciarán Mac an Bhaird

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study investigates the potential for entrepreneurs to leverage advances in technological innovation, specifically generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), to build management capability to mitigate business and financial risks. Drawing on theories of Technology Affordances and Constraints and the Resource-Based View (RBV) of the firm, recognising that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are inherently resource-constrained. We examine how AI-generated financial diagnostics can empower SMEs by generating accessible, real-time analysis and insights, thus bolstering the management function and increasing chances of survival and growth. Using a dataset of 1,150 UK SMEs spanning eight years of financial statements, we test a large language model (LLM) prediction assessment and analyse the potential for SMEs to utilise the technology, notwithstanding enterprise-specific constraints. We conclude that AI may be a very effective tool for smaller enterprises to augment the financial management function, although its efficacy hinges on organisational readiness, competence in interpreting data, and the will to act on automated red-flag alerts. These findings offer practical guidance for SMEs seeking to enhance their financial management processes in today's digital era.

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生成式人工智能增强中小企业财务管理

本研究调查了企业家利用技术创新进步的潜力，特别是生成式人工智能（AI），以建立管理能力，以减轻业务和财务风险。借鉴技术支持与约束理论和企业资源基础观（RBV），认识到中小企业（SMEs）本质上是资源受限的。我们研究了人工智能生成的金融诊断如何通过生成可访问的实时分析和见解来增强中小企业的能力，从而增强管理功能，增加生存和增长的机会。使用跨越8年财务报表的1150家英国中小企业的数据集，我们测试了一个大型语言模型（LLM）预测评估，并分析了中小企业利用该技术的潜力，尽管存在企业特定的限制。我们得出的结论是，人工智能可能是小型企业增强财务管理功能的一个非常有效的工具，尽管其有效性取决于组织的准备程度、解释数据的能力以及对自动红旗警报采取行动的意愿。这些发现为寻求在当今数字时代加强财务管理流程的中小企业提供了实用指导。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Technovation 管理科学-工程：工业

CiteScore

15.10

自引率

11.20%

发文量

208

审稿时长

91 days

期刊介绍： The interdisciplinary journal Technovation covers various aspects of technological innovation, exploring processes, products, and social impacts. It examines innovation in both process and product realms, including social innovations like regulatory frameworks and non-economic benefits. Topics range from emerging trends and capital for development to managing technology-intensive ventures and innovation in organizations of different sizes. It also discusses organizational structures, investment strategies for science and technology enterprises, and the roles of technological innovators. Additionally, it addresses technology transfer between developing countries and innovation across enterprise, political, and economic systems.