Social network analysis in accounting information systems research

This paper introduces social network analysis as an alternative research method for conducting accounting information systems related research. With advances in information and communication technologies, transaction data are being recorded in electronic form, resulting in a variety of research opportunities to examine dyadic interactions. A network consists of a set of nodes connected by ties. Social network research focuses on how outcomes are influenced not just by the attributes of the nodes (e.g. individuals), but also by the ties connecting nodes to each other. The nodes are typically conceptualized as actors, such as individuals, teams, or organizations. A unique network structure is created to reflect each different type of tie, such as trust, advice, collocation, or organizational affiliation. Social network analysis can be used for research examining individual, dyadic or network levels of analyses, and is a powerful tool for conducting multi-method research. Given the vast amounts of trace electronic data collected via accounting information systems, this paper reviews how social network analysis not only opens new research avenues for accounting information systems researchers, but identifies opportunities for the field of accounting information systems to inform social network research by identifying new network structures and dynamics leveraging transactional data.     

A contingency framework for the design of accounting information systems

Most of the research to date concerning the design of an accounting information system has taken a rather narrow and inflexible view of accounting information. The primary intent of this paper is to provide a broader and more adaptive framework for designing such systems. A contigency approach, which takes into account the environment, organizational attributes, and managerial decision making styles, is advocated. In this context, several hypotheses are offered concerning the requisites of an accounting information system.     

Value added: A comparative study

This article reports on an investigation into the relationship between corporate value added and its macroeconomic counterparts. The first part demonstrates the effect on macroaccounting identities of conflicting value systems and differing perceptions of wealth creation. Subsequently, these issues are reconsidered in the context of corporate value added measurement. The comparative method is employed to test whether or not current practice is consistent with a model of social consolidation whereby reporting firms, regardless of their location, would disclose their contribution to societal value added.     

Addressing business needs: A creative module for teaching data macros in an accounting information systems course

Although database technology has advanced considerably, Accounting Information Systems (AIS) courses in business schools generally include only the basic aspects of databases, such as creating tables, queries, forms, reports and relationships between tables. One advanced topic that can be covered to enrich such courses is “triggered events.” Triggered events are useful in implementing accounting processes, such as data validation, control and exception reporting in databases. To date, teaching triggered events required enterprise-level database systems, thereby making it difficult to replicate in an introductory class. However, data macro features introduced in the 2010 version of Microsoft Access can now be used to teach such concepts in an easy-to-use interface. The proposed module in data macros helps students gain the ability to implement validity control and exception-reporting in databases. In addition, the module helps accounting students realize the importance of databases in meeting certain accounting needs. The effectiveness of the proposed module was assessed by an exercise and a survey.     

Optimal warranty arrangements for the design of accounting information systems

This paper investigates optimal price/warranty arrangements for the design of accounting information systems (AISs) when the user of the system has alternative sources of information. A mathematical model is developed that focuses on two systems design scenarios commonly encountered in practice: (1) enhancement and (2) replacement. In an enhancement scenario the AIS user hires the AIS designer to enhance the value of the current AIS by incorporating additional features into the original system. Systems replacement, on the other hand, implies that the designer produces a new system that makes the original system obsolete. Under a replacement system, a simple limited warranty implements the user's optimal decision rule so that no losses occur due to unobservability of the user's decision. For the enhanced AIS design however, the user's action may depend upon the signal from the user's preexisting AIS. Therefore, when the user's decision is not observable, the designer does not know if the user's decision is a result of the systems enhancement or a result of the original system. Due to incomplete contracts, a more complex and costly warranty arrangement is required. Hence, losses occur under enhancement AIS although quality can be maintained with a limited warranty. Since it is difficult to assess the quality of the information system prior to purchase, the potential for a market failure exists where high-quality systems are driven from the market by low quality systems. These findings show that a market failure can be prevented in the design of information systems through contractual warranty arrangements. These warranty arrangements, however, must be tailored to the specific design task.     

管理会计的核心价值:信息变成利润

在银行业务处理实现了信息化的今天，各家银行日益感觉到管理信息化的落后严重制约了银行的发展。过去，银行通过不断更新自己的金融产品来扩大市场份额；今天，在经济全球化的大环境下，很少有哪家银行拥有别人没有的产品。尽管金融机构的规模和资产不断扩大，但其盈利能力逐渐下降，竞争也变得愈加激烈。随着对新经济模式认识的深入，银行逐渐认识到，     

Management accounting systems, task uncertainty and managerial performance: A research note

This study examines the interactive effects of management accounting systems (MAS) design and task uncertainty on managerial performance. MAS design was defined in terms of the extent to which managers use broad scope MAS information. The responses of 42 managers, drawn from a cross-section of Australian manufacturing companies, to a questionnaire survey were analysed by using a multiple regression technique. The results showed that under a high task uncertainty situation, the extent of use of broad scope MAS information led to effective managerial decisions and hence to improved managerial performance. On the other hand, under low task uncertainty situations, the extent of use of broad scope MAS information led to information overload which was dysfunctional to managerial performance.     

A fundamentalist perspective on accounting and implications for accounting research

This paper presents a framework for addressing normative accounting issues for reporting to shareholders. The framework is an alternative to the emerging Conceptual Framework of the International Accounting Standards Board and the Financial Accounting Standards Board. The framework can be broadly characterized as a utilitarian approach to accounting standard setting. It has two main features. First, accounting is linked to valuation models under which shareholders use accounting information to values their stakes. Second, the desirable characteristics of accounting information are inferred from the demand of investors and analysts who use the information in practice. This stands in contrast to the “qualitative characteristics” in the Boards’ Framework which are embraced largely on the basis of their aesthetic appeal. These features lead to a set of broad accounting principles that resolve “recognition” and “measurement” issues at the core of the Boards’ Conceptual Framework and also the central issue of a balance sheet approach versus an income statement approach. The framework in the paper also frames the research questions for researchers interested in accounting policy.     

Human information processing research in accounting: The state of the art

Accountant's interest in decision making is resulting in a growing body of research based upon theories and models from the psychology of information processing. This paper presents a classification of information processing variables which have been studied by psychologists which serves as a framework for organizing information processing research in accounting. It then reviews and evaluates the existing accounting literature based upon three research approaches: the lens model, probabilistic judgment, and cognitive style. Finally, directions for future research in this area are suggested.     

Performance in first year university accounting: Quantifying the advantage of secondary school accounting

Considerable research has been conducted into the relation between students' level of previous accounting knowledge and their subsequent performance in first year university-level accounting. This study considers variables for academic performance and previous accounting knowledge in an attempt to quantify the advantage that high school accounting gives students entering tertiary business courses. The results indicate that for students entering tertiary courses with similar academic ability, i.e., obtained the same entrance score, the first year tertiary accounting result obtained by a student who studied accounting previously is between one and two grades higher than that of a student who did not study accounting at high school.     

Human information processing research in accounting: The state of the art in 1982

Awareness of the importance of human information processing research to accounting issues has increased dramatically since 1977. As a result, this literature has expanded in volume and addresses a larger spectrum of accounting problems. Further, it incorporates a wider variety of theories and methodologies. This paper draws upon the framework provided by Libby and Lewis (1977) to synthesize and evaluate accounting research conducted since 1977 using the lens model, probablistic judgment, predecisional behavior, and cognitive style approaches. In addition, the impact of the research on practice and some directions for future research are discussed.     

Agency research in managerial accounting: A second look

This paper surveys the recent agency literature, emphasizing its managerial accounting implications. The paper first describes and compares three branches of the agency literature. Attention is paid to the assumptions, focus, contributions and criticisms of each branch. Empirical tests of implications of the agency model are reviewed. Recent theoretical agency papers with managerial accounting implications are then discussed. The last section of the paper discusses possible directions in future research which may increase the insights which the agency paradigm can bring to managerial accounting research.     

Management accounting texts in New Zealand: the need for a paradigm shift

This paper questions the dominance in textbooks of a management accounting grounded largely in neo-classical economics and scientific management. In New Zealand the most popular textbook used in introductory management accounting courses is Horngren and Foster's Cost Accounting - a Managerial Emphasis.The current seventh edition of the text, although extensively used, is not regarded as adequate for the purpose by many New Zealand educators. The text is seen as being rootd firmly in the traditional understandings of the role of management accounting which are subject to increasing challenge. Other popular texts which are influencing the content of management accounting courses also are reviewed. We conclude that, despite much criticism over many years, modern textbooks have failed to evolve; change is overdue.     

A comparison of value relevance of accounting information in different segments of the Chinese stock market

This paper investigates the difference in the value relevance between the accounting information prepared and audited under the Chinese GAAP for A-share investors and under the international accounting standards (IAS) for B-share investors in the Chinese stock market. The study reports three primary findings. First, accounting information influences the pricing process in both the A-share market and the B-share market. Second, the accounting information in the B-share market is more value relevant than that in the A-share market, as expected. Finally, the value relevance level of accounting information in the A-share market was low in earlier years, peaked in 1996, and then decreased due to changes in the disclosure environment. However, the value-relevance level of accounting information in the B-share market had no substantial changes. Using a constant sample, control variables on firm features, and measures of traders' behavior, we obtain robust results. These findings have implications for policymakers on recent moves toward replacing local GAAP with the IAS.     

The information value of interim accounting disclosures: evidence from mandatory monthly revenue reports

Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting - Using data from Taiwan, where listed firms are required to disclose monthly revenues, this paper examines the information value of mandatory interim...     

The case for strategic management accounting: The role of accounting information for strategy in competitive markets

A review of two economic theories is utilized to provide theoretical support for the greater possible involvement by accountants in what has been called strategic management accounting. One of these theories is concerned with the underlying characteristics of enterprise products. It suggests that there is a need for accountants to consider the cost structure of not only their own firm but of all enterprises in the relevant market and of potential entrants. It also suggests that costs can not be considered in isolation from demand factors. The second theory to be reviewed is concerned with whether a firm's cost structure permits its market strategy to be sustainable in the face of potential entry. This theory again emphasizes the intertwining of demand and cost factors and the need to consider these factors simultaneously. The use of this theory allows a new perspective to be taken to cost behaviour which is especially suited to high technology manufacturing.