Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT): Operations and Revenue Cycle

This paper discusses a case study for use in undergraduate accounting curricula. The case study presents students with an opportunity to apply their accounting information systems (AIS) knowledge in a real-world scenario by examining the provision of mass passenger transportation services in Singapore. The case offers students exposure to the services and utilities industry in a different cultural context compared to the USA. Specifically, it challenges students to (1) compare the revenue cycle of a merchandising firm with the revenue cycle of SMRT, (2) develop a context diagram of SMRT's revenue cycle, (3) verify revenue in the form of EZL transit card charges, (4) identify internal controls in the revenue cycle and related train operations that are supposed to, or should, exist, and (5) apply critical thinking to an accounting issue. This allows students to rise above a generic understanding of the revenue cycle, think critically about the interfaces between the revenue cycle and the train operations, understand how revenue data are generated in real-time, and determine how the physical view of train operations is mirrored in the logical view of its AIS. This case demonstrates that seemingly simple and comprehensible business operations can prove to be complex, and it provides students an opportunity to develop their understanding of AIS concepts at higher cognitive levels using the transportation services industry as a context.