Revista Contabilidade & Finanças (Dec 2023)

Adoption of business analytics in accounting

  • Leticia Araújo,
  • Ariel Behr,
  • Giovana Sordi Schiavi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/1808-057x20231771.en
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 34, no. 93

Abstract

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ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to analyze feasible business analytics (BA) adoption initiatives in accounting and their potential antecedents and effects, according to experts and early adopters. BA solutions help professionals explore data and gain insights for decision making. Although there is a clear relationship between BA and accounting, there is a gap between the theory and its adoption in practice. The research is relevant to academia and the market because it presents the main antecedents, effects, uses, techniques, and data sources, as well as the characteristics of the task, technology, and individual that impact the fit between BA and accounting. The main antecedents of adoption and good practices in early adopter projects using BA are highlighted, reducing the theory-practice gap and bringing new elements to promote its adoption among professionals and organizations. A qualitative-exploratory study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 20 professionals from different accounting areas. The results highlight the main BA usage initiatives: identifying improper transactions, analyzing larger volumes of data, and performing predictive analyses. Efficiency, quality, and improved decision making were the main effects of using BA. The feasibility of BA initiatives was analyzed using the task-technology fit (TTF) model and the antecedents of adoption were analyzed using the technology-organization-environment (TOE) model, identifying characteristics of the task, technology, and individual as well as technological, organizational, and environmental factors that increase the fit between BA and accounting. The study contributes to highlighting the barriers (regulation and data availability) that affect the adoption of BA and concludes that the purposes of use, the depth of adoption, and the effects differ according to the accounting area, as the main effects of the use of BA primarily impact the accounting area itself, followed by other stakeholders.

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