Sergeja Slapničar, Micheal Axelsen, Ivano Bongiovanni, David Stockdale
{"title":"A pathway model to five lines of accountability in cybersecurity governance","authors":"Sergeja Slapničar, Micheal Axelsen, Ivano Bongiovanni, David Stockdale","doi":"10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100642","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100642","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In an in-depth field study, we investigate cyber security governance configurations vis-à-vis the five lines of accountability (5 LoA) – that is, the Three Lines Model extended by the accountability of executive management and the board of directors (<span>IIA, 2020</span>). The aim is to explore the configurations adopted by organizations in governing cybersecurity, and why it would matter for cyber security whether the five lines of accountability are adopted. We define the type of the 5 LoA adoption by: (i) the segregation of the lines that spans from blended to segregated and (ii) the level of engagement of those in line roles that ranges from low to high. In this way, we identify four types of adoption of the 5 LoA: ‘no adoption, ‘ostensible’, ‘implicit’, and ‘explicit’ adoption. We theorize how the type of adoption of the 5 LoA is affected by the interplay of institutional forces and organizations’ need for efficiency and effectiveness, and develop a pathway model for organizations’ adoption of the 5 LoA. We find that organizations that adopt the 5 LoA with clear segregation between these lines (‘ostensible’ and ‘explicit’ adoption) are those subject to prudential regulation (coercive forces), whereas efficiency motives and mimetic forces drive organizations to seek fluidity and flexibility by ‘blending’ the segregated lines (‘implicit’ adoption) to ensure fast reactions to changing environment. Regardless of the segregation between lines and whether they are blended or not, we found that all organizations see scope to improve the level of engagement in the 5 LoA to improve the effectiveness of cyber security governance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47170,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","volume":"51 ","pages":"Article 100642"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49763491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prototyping and implementing Robotic Process Automation in accounting firms: Benefits, challenges and opportunities to audit automation","authors":"Arif Perdana , W. Eric Lee , Chu Mui Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100641","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100641","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Despite the advancements in technology, auditors still spend a significant amount of time performing repetitive and rule-based tasks. Our paper examines various audit scenarios within four accounting firms and discusses the potential for robotic process automation (RPA) to improve the efficiency and accuracy of these tasks. We propose and implement RPA-enabled solutions to make various procedures more efficient and effective. These anecdotes were based on our consultancy experiences with auditors from a group of Big 4 and mid-sized accounting firms. We present four practical business process scenarios and the prototyped RPA solutions. In each scenario, we explain our automation strategies and the duration of development. We also describe the implementation benefits and challenges, as well as analyze how we have helped the accounting firms automate their real-world audit tasks by providing the <em>as-is</em> and <em>to-be</em> Business Process Model and Notation that one can extend for future RPA development. Finally, we discuss the future challenges and opportunities regarding the broader implementation of RPA in accounting and audit tasks.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47170,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","volume":"51 ","pages":"Article 100641"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49741870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Valuing big data: An analysis of current regulations and proposal of frameworks","authors":"Albi Nani","doi":"10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100637","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100637","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The increasing prevalence of big data, large stores of data that enable businesses to generate previously inaccessible insights, has resulted in performance gains for the firms that harness its capabilities. However, the impact that big data has on a firm’s profitability and financial position is rarely captured in its financial statements due to big data’s status as an internally generated intangible asset. As per the current IFRS regulations, big data is not eligible for recognition.</p><p>We argue that the true impact of big data on a firm is not appropriately reflected in a firm’s financial statements. The IFRS as currently written does not allow firms to capitalize data assets, thus compromising the goal of financial statements: to provide relevant and reliable information.</p><p>Analysis of the current standards reveal gaps in measuring the future economic benefit and costs of big data, primarily attributable to the lack of clarity surrounding the unit of account used to measure big data. Furthermore, IAS 38′s dichotomization of research and development does not accurately represent the applicability of big data assets.</p><p>Therefore, we propose a conceptual framework for understanding the economic value of big data. These include the use of a database as a unit of account, costing methods derived from user-based metrics, and a renewed focus on the intention to apply data assets.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47170,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","volume":"51 ","pages":"Article 100637"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49742210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cybersecurity breaches and investors’ interest in the firm as an investment","authors":"Kristina C. Demek , Steven E. Kaplan","doi":"10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100616","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100616","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cybersecurity breaches pose a significant risk to firms. To combat these risks, many firms engage in strategic cybersecurity risk management initiatives. While these efforts may reduce the likelihood of a cybersecurity breach, they do not eliminate the risk of a breach. In the event of a cybersecurity breach, firms may issue an apology to investors. This study uses an experiment to examine whether a firm indicates cybersecurity risk management is a strategic initiative and whether a post-cybersecurity breach apology by the CEO impacts nonprofessional investors’ investment interest in the firm. Results show that, in response to a cybersecurity breach, the presence of a CEO apology positively impacts investors’ investment impression and their perceptions of CEO affective and CEO cognitive trust. We find that investors’ investment interest is lowest for a firm that previously indicates cybersecurity risk management is a strategic initiative and where the CEO does not issue an apology. The CEO apology, however, does not significantly impact investment amount, a secondary measure of investor interest. Results from this study have implications for managers, investors, and regulators.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47170,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100616"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49745509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A meta-analysis of factors affecting acceptance of information technology in auditing","authors":"Akram Afsay , Arash Tahriri , Zabihollah Rezaee","doi":"10.1016/j.accinf.2022.100608","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accinf.2022.100608","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Technology advancements provide opportunities for auditors to use new tools in the audit process. This study presents a synthesis of technology-related auditing research to identify factors affecting the use of technology in auditing. We analyze 88 studies in identifying 21 factors relevant to technology acceptance in auditing based on country of origin (developed or developing), user type (external or internal), type of technology (traditional or advanced), firm size (Big 4 or non-Big 4), and publication time (before and after 2013). Our results show that the most important factors in accepting technology from an individual perspective are facilitator conditions, perceived usefulness, and understanding of ease of use. Technology acceptance factors relevant to an organizational perspective are cost-benefit technology, competitive pressure, company readiness, and matching technology-task. Results suggest that perceived usefulness and subjective norm are more important in developed countries and Big 4 audit firms, while auditors in developing countries and non-Big 4 audit firms are more influenced by perceived ease of use, facilitating conditions, and organizational factors. Adopting traditional technologies is also more influenced by understanding the ease of use, subjective norms, and top management support than advanced technologies. This study contributes to the literature by assessing technology acceptance factors in auditing and thus provides policy, practice, and research implications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47170,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100608"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49764288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vikram Desai , Anthony C. Bucaro , Joung W. Kim , Rajendra Srivastava , Renu Desai
{"title":"Toward a better expert system for auditor going concern opinions using Bayesian network inflation factors","authors":"Vikram Desai , Anthony C. Bucaro , Joung W. Kim , Rajendra Srivastava , Renu Desai","doi":"10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100617","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100617","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We develop an analytical model intended as the first stage in the development of expert systems to improve auditor knowledge in, and assist in the decision process of, Going Concern Opinions (“GCOs”). Our approach is consistent with a design science approach to developing information systems, resulting in an initial artifact, the mathematical model, which can, through iterative design science and behavioral research, inform a technology-based expert system. Based on Bayesian networks, our model provides insights about auditors’ revision, or inflation, of the probability to issue a GCO based on the interrelationship that forms with the incremental existence of one, two, or three publicly observable financial statement risk factors – net operating loss, negative cash flows from operations, and negative working capital. We calculate the revised probabilities using empirical data of GCOs from 2004 to 2015. Results reveal that the incremental relationship (one, two, or three factors present) effectively models expert auditors’ decisions to issue a GCO, and suggests the existence of these measurable inflation factors that represent situational and auditor-specific factors. We also find that Non-Big Four auditors inflate these factors differently than Big Four auditors to arrive at a decision to issue a GCO.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47170,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100617"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49745410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chao Zhang , Weidong Zhu , Jun Dai , Yong Wu , Xulong Chen
{"title":"Ethical impact of artificial intelligence in managerial accounting","authors":"Chao Zhang , Weidong Zhu , Jun Dai , Yong Wu , Xulong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100619","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100619","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Recent advances in technology have accelerated digitalization and intelligence in modern business. Particularly, the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in managerial accounting is expected to accurately measure corporate performance, provide intelligent analyses, and predict the future of a company. However, along with the benefits, ethical concerns of using AI also arise, such as deprofessionalization, data breach, and isolation among accountants. This paper explores the ethical impact of AI in managerial accounting at both pre- and post-adoption stages. Based on 47 interviews conducted with companies, an AI system vendor, and regulators, we found that data security, privacy, and misuse; accountability; accessibility; benefits and challenges; and transparency and trust of AI are among the most common ethical risks in the development and use of AI in managerial accounting. Unique ethical impacts on four types of stakeholders: developers, managers in charge of AI adoption, managerial accountants, and regulators, were also discovered.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47170,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100619"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49758224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reviewing literature through multidimensional representations","authors":"Massimo Albanese","doi":"10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100622","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Reviewing literature is a demanding task that calls for effective tools. After examining literature review (LR) practices, this paper develops an innovative approach in representing literature. In particular, the paper introduces depictions based on a three-dimensional structure that enables the generation of unitary and highly informative literature representations, thereby improving the completeness and reducing the mismatch between field complexity and the traditional figures and tables of LRs. The viability of the designed solution is shown by replicating a published LR on a representative topic of the accounting information systems (AIS), namely a literature review on enterprise resource planning systems in SMEs. Its benefits arise from comparing the literature representation developed here with the original figures. The paper has methodological and practical implications. Indeed, it proposes a structured approach to improve the representation of multifaceted literature, but it can also be suitable for other types of analysis. The efficiency and efficacy benefits that emerged from the evaluation activity make the output of the paper useful both for researchers and academic research users. In the light of developments in AIS research, the article also comments on potential applications in this area by examining some recently published LRs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47170,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100622"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49745399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rodrigo Simon Bavaresco , Luan Carlos Nesi , Jorge Luis Victória Barbosa , Rodolfo Stoffel Antunes , Rodrigo da Rosa Righi , Cristiano André da Costa , Mariangela Vanzin , Daniel Dornelles , Saint Clair Junior , Clauter Gatti , Mateus Ferreira , Elton Silva , Carlos Moreira
{"title":"Machine learning-based automation of accounting services: An exploratory case study","authors":"Rodrigo Simon Bavaresco , Luan Carlos Nesi , Jorge Luis Victória Barbosa , Rodolfo Stoffel Antunes , Rodrigo da Rosa Righi , Cristiano André da Costa , Mariangela Vanzin , Daniel Dornelles , Saint Clair Junior , Clauter Gatti , Mateus Ferreira , Elton Silva , Carlos Moreira","doi":"10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100618","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100618","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Machine Learning (ML) applied to Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and chatbot interfaces can generate significant value for many business processes. However, these technologies generate the intended return only with a carefully planned deployment. Current literature only contains a small number of case studies about how the adoption of ML-based automation services impacts employees’ behavior. In particular, no case studies look into the automation of manual tasks related to accounting management. This article reports a study conducted to understand users’ perceptions of an ML-enabled service to automate repetitive management tasks. The service was developed in a partnership between Unisinos University and Dell Inc. The study was conducted with a group of ten highly skilled employees from Dell with expertise in accounting processes and with IT background that frequently would use the automation service. The group participated in a presentation about the service and its interface and voluntarily answered a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) questionnaire to evaluate the usability and ease of use. Results show that 10 out of 10 users agree that the service was easy to use. Also, 8 of them agree that its output is useful to reduce the manual labor required for statutory reconciliation. Furthermore, employees with an accounting management background were given access to the service, and three voluntarily answered an open-ended survey. In summary, employees agree that an automation service can reduce the time required to conduct management tasks but questioned the long-term usefulness and the ability to incorporate the process’s particularities. These results provided insights leading to ten lessons related to user experience, training and awareness, and service development.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47170,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100618"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49744942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sociomateriality and the metaphysics of accounting information systems: Revisiting agential realism","authors":"Ed Vosselman , Ivo De Loo","doi":"10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100609","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100609","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper is a response to Weber’s (2020) call for further debate on the (potential) contribution of agential realism for the understanding of the content and functioning of accounting information systems (AIS) (Weber, 2020). Contrary to Weber’s conclusions, we suggest that agential realism can make important contributions to AIS studies. In order to realize such contributions we have to acknowledge that agential realism is a metaphysical framework rather than a theory or epistemology. Its potential contributions should be set against the potential contributions stemming from the metaphysical framework that is dominant in AIS research: representationalism. In representationalism, for the purpose of creating a knowledge base for a distant ‘knower’ who acts on the basis of such knowledge, accounting information systems are assumed to represent or provide information about a reality that is ‘out there’. In agential realism, accounting is assumed to be performative in (re)configuring local and temporal boundaries between meaningful positions for humans and non-humans. Rather than putting the human subject (the knower) at the centre of the stage, an agential realist account of accounting foregrounds accounting practices in their interrelation with other practices. It acknowledges that accounting participates in the (re)configuring of a sociomaterial world.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47170,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100609"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49764290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}