Employers expect graduates to perform data analytics using both organizational and publicly available data. Interestingly, few teaching cases provide students with needed exposure to data analytics in managerial or governmental accounting. In this case, students assume the role of a managerial accountant employed at Municipal Consulting, LLC. Students assist the Police Commissioner in using a Balanced Scorecard approach to analyze how her department responds to crime patterns and to develop next year's budget. This case requires students to critique, analyze, and evaluate Internal Business Process Perspective Balanced Scorecard measures supported by publicly available data using data visualization software. The case includes instructions for both Tableau and Power BI. The case covers three skills: (1) extract, transform, and load data; (2) develop data visualization software experience; and (3) analyze data. The case is designed for senior level undergraduate and graduate courses in managerial, data analytics, and governmental accounting.

ABSTRACT Auditing Standard No. 5 requires that auditors integrate their evaluation of large issuers' internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) into their financial statement audit process, but the PCAOB warns that auditors may not adequately test related manual and systems internal controls. We use a multiple method approach to examine how auditors evaluate one important component of ICFR, the financial close process, and whether they evaluate it differently when conducting a SOX 404(b) integrated versus a financial statement audit. Interviewees relied heavily on walkthroughs, and tended to perform only cursory reviews of entity-level controls related to the financial close process. In addition, they often failed to test the link between the general ledger and supporting systems, including evaluating related access controls. Financial statement-only auditors were more likely to re-perform key controls than rely on cursory walkthroughs. Auditors performing integrated audits appeared to over-rely on ICFR findings when conducting financial statement audits. Data Availability: Interview data are available from the first author. PCAOB inspection reports are publicly available.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) inspection process identifies deficiencies related to how firms conduct audits. Our work extends prior research by examining the type of internal control audit deficiencies (entity-level or application-level). Internal control audit deficiencies of both types may increase the risk of material misstatement, so the PCAOB is concerned with whether audit firms are performing appropriate procedures to identify entity-level and application-level internal control audit deficiencies, including those involving information technology general controls (ITGCs). Using text analysis to examine audit deficiencies by internal control type and firm size, we find that PCAOB inspection reports identify significantly more application-level than entity-level control audit deficiencies. Application-level control deficiencies generally involve revenue, inventory, and accounts receivable accounts whereas entity-level deficiencies often involve lack of centralized controls or controls over period end financial reporting. The number of application-level deficiencies identified for both Big 4 and second-tier firms varied between inspection years 2010 and 2015. However, the number of entity-level deficiencies, including ITGCs for both Big 4 and second-tier firms, held nearly steady during the period. Our findings should be of interest to practicing accountants, regulators, and other users of PCAOB inspection reports.

This study advances our understanding of the current financial close process. Attention to the topic is warranted for four reasons. First, economic volatility and growth in restatements have increased pressure on companies to report performance timely, completely, and accurately to market participants. Second, recent regulations have increased the workload for accountants at period end thus negatively impacting the efficiency of the close process. Third, several SEC filings have contained control weaknesses related to the financial close process. Finally, academic research suggests that the time needed to complete the financial close process may serve as a proxy for a company's internal information environment quality. We draw upon prior research and conduct a field investigation with corporate financial officers from 22 different organizations to examine the role of four factors – need to meet expectations, collaboration among multiple participants, estimation process, and ability to incorporate new regulations – in the financial close process. Results suggest that researchers should examine further how the need to meet (or beat) expectations impacts management's actions and the effectiveness and efficiency of the financial close process. Future work could also explore how hidden profile task research and technology advances may improve the financial close process. Finally, research needs to examine how ex post estimate analysis may improve not only estimate quality but also the effectiveness and efficiency of the financial close process.

ABSTRACT U.S. adoption of eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL)-enabled technology has been slow. Prior experimental evidence suggests that even when XBRL-enabled technology is available, almost 50 percent of participants do not use it. This study informs AIS researchers on the state of XBRL-enabled technology by using an exclusive choice experimental design to examine (1) which reporting technology nonprofessional investors will choose to complete a financial analysis task (XBRL-enabled, portable document file, or spreadsheet), and (2) why they choose the specific technology. Findings indicate that 66 percent of nonprofessional investors chose XBRL-enabled technology, while 34 percent chose spreadsheets. Participants who chose the former perceived that it reduces the time to complete the task (i.e., increases task efficiency), while participants who chose the latter indicated their choice was driven by prior technology experience. Study results have implications for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), researchers examining nonprofessional investor behavior, user choice literature, and XBRL-enabled technology adoption.

U.S. adoption of search-facilitating technology has been slow and several constituencies question whether investors will choose to use the XBRL-formatted information the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is now requiring companies to provide. Unlike prior research, we use an exclusive choice experimental design to examine (1) which reporting technology nonprofessional investors will choose to complete a financial analysis task (XBRL-enabled, portable document file, or spreadsheet) and (2) why they choose the specific technology.

Proponents argue that financial statements created using eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) will provide more transparent data for users performing financial statement analysis. The more transparent data will simplify the analysis task and allow users to focus quicker on the financial information they perceive as important. However, U.S. adoption of XBRL-enabled technology has been slow and several standard setters and academics question whether investors will choose to use the XBRL-formatted information the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is now requiring companies to provide. Further, the extant choice literature documents several instances where technology created for a specific purpose was not chosen by the intended users. Therefore, our study examines (1) whether users of financial information (investors) will choose XBRL-enabled technology for financial statement analysis rather than more familiar technologies (i.e., portable document files (PDF) and spreadsheets (Excel)) and (2) why they choose the specific technology.

Despite significant attention given to effects of early exposure on acceptance and adoption of new systems, there continues to be ambiguity regarding its effectiveness beyond a threshold.For organizations concerned with optimal utilization of IT resources, a deeper understanding of ideal levels of early system exposure can result in greater realization of benefits through enhanced design of system training and mitigation of adverse effects of exposure on adoption.In this article, we propose that the relationship between system exposure and acceptance can demonstrate diminishing gains-as early exposure to a system increases beyond a reasonable level, its acceptance declines.Preliminary findings from an enterprise-wide system implementation suggest that exposure through prelaunch system trials results in diminishing system acceptance beyond an optimal point.We draw on learning and response-stimuli literature to interpret this early evidence.The article concludes with research propositions, recommendations, and implications for practice.

Despite rapid growth, e-commerce proponents argue that individuals are still reluctant to reveal confidential information such as credit card account numbers to unknown third parties. To reduce individual transmission and privacy risk concerns, several web sites employ encryption techniques while others include assurance seals.We examine the impact of encryption on Internet purchase intent (PI) in multiple vendor and product risk settings. One hundred twenty-one MBA subjects completed our online experiment. Results indicate that the presence of encryption increases the likelihood that participants make an online purchase. Further, subjects assign similar PI to encryption and assurance seal scenarios. Vendor risk moderates product risk. When the vendor was unknown, increases in product risk (i.e. higher product price) result in decreases in PI. However, when the vendor was known, increases in product risk result in increases in PI.

PurposeUsing Bonner's model, this paper aims to examine the effects of skill level and the two task complexity dimensions – clarity and quantity of information – on subjects' internal control risk assessments.Design/methodology/approachThe research expands the literature by isolating the individual components of task complexity and examining how skill interacts with either component in affecting decision making. It uses a 2×4 mixed factors laboratory experiment. This design allows the effects of task complexity and skill between and within subjects to be examined. The mixed factors design includes two levels (high and low) for each dimension of task complexity (clarity and quantity) on a between‐subjects basis, with four separate cases on a within‐subjects basis. Skill level is measured as the subject's task‐related knowledge. The subjects are senior‐level students in auditing courses at three Midwest universities.FindingsIt is found that subjects assess control risk too high, consistent with the conservatism principle. Skill level mediates this finding: high‐skill subjects make more accurate risk assessments; low‐skill subjects consistently assess control risk too high. Over repetitions of complex tasks, high‐skill subjects make more accurate assessments, while low‐skill subjects initially overstate, then improve. For repetitive simple tasks, both skill levels get worse, increasingly overstating their assessments. These findings support current practice, indicating that experienced auditors make complex risk assessments, where repetitive performance of complex tasks improves risk assessments. However, repetitive simple tasks may result in assessing control risk too high, resulting in excessive testing.Originality/valueConsistent with prior research, the results suggest task complexity and subject skill are important considerations in experimental research designs.

The past decade has witnessed a technological revolution fueled by the widespread use of the Internet, web technologies, and their applications. Within financial reporting, proponents of extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) argue that XBRL will revolutionize financial reporting since it allows corporate financial information to be aggregated, transmitted, and analyzed quicker and more accurately (Hoffman and Strand 2001; Hannon 2002; Bovee et al. 2005; Willis 2005; Cox 2006). The SEC recently mandated that publicly traded companies furnish financial information in XBRL format (Rummel 2008; SEC 2009a). Thus, the purpose of this project is to provide researchers with a framework for examining the process financial statement preparers use to create XBRL instance documents. Further, the paper (1) demonstrates how the framework may be used, (2) raises unanswered questions, and (3) suggests avenues for future research.

The theory of technology dominance [Arnold, V., and Sutton, S.G., 1998. The Theory of Technology Dominance. Advances in Accounting Behavioral Research. 1: 175–194.] predicts that mismatches between the skills of decision-aid users and the complexity of the tasks the decision aid is designed to assess will result in a lack of reliance on the decision aid and, ultimately, a potential for deskilling. The cognitive science literature on cognitive load suggests that varying the level of feedback provided to decision-aid users might moderate the risks that result from under-reliance. The current study presented participants, who were divided between two levels of skills, with decision aids in which the level of feedback was varied. These aids were used to solve cases of differing complexity. The results show that individuals with a high level of skill in understanding internal controls deskilled when they were assigned to non-complex cases. Further, this study found that with complex cases, a lower level of feedback was helpful and with non-complex cases, a higher level of feedback was helpful.

This paper evaluates the implications of the proposed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule (33-8496) which encourages companies to file reports in the eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) format. We examine the impact of the proposed rule in three domains: (1) the role of XBRL in financial reporting, (2) concerns with XBRL taxonomies, and (3) the impact of XBRL on the SEC's filing program. The paper adopts a descriptive approach to generate normative and prescriptive propositions with implications for research that will guide preparers, users, and regulators of XBRL-tagged information.

Prior studies in accounting examining the effect of expert system use on procedural knowledge acquisition have reported that providing feedback in the form of rules, text explanation, or examples had no incremental effect on procedural knowledge acquisition. This finding is contrary to literature in psychology regarding the impact of feedback on knowledge acquisition. One of the reasons that the accounting literature may not show that feedback impacts knowledge acquisition relates to task complexity. Simple tasks require little processing on the part of the decision-maker and may not lead to learning effects even when feedback is provided. On the other hand, feedback coupled with complex tasks that require increased processing may help the decision-maker learn more about task completion causing knowledge acquisition to occur. This study extends previous research by examining whether task complexity and the type of feedback provided by an expert system affect the acquisition of procedural knowledge. This issue is important since procedural knowledge acquisition may differ between certain combinations of tasks and expert system types. This study manipulates both task complexity and the type of feedback provided by an expert system. The findings indicate that task complexity plays a major role in the acquisition of procedural knowledge for expert system users. Subjects in the expert system groups who evaluated the complex cases acquired a significantly greater amount of procedural knowledge than subjects who evaluated the simple cases. As predicted, there was no difference in amount of procedural knowledge acquired between subjects in the control groups regardless whether the task was simple or complex. Results also qualify findings of previous research in noting that acquisition of procedural knowledge only significantly differed between expert system users and the control group when the task was complex. These findings indicate that, of the two components, feedback and task complexity, task complexity plays the more important role in affecting procedural knowledge acquisition.