Basic Principles of Financial Process Mining A Journey through Financial Data in Accounting Information Systems

Auditors and process managers often face a huge amount of financial entries in accounting information systems. For many reasons like auditing the internal control system a process-oriented view would be more helpful to understand how a set of transactions produced financial entries. For this reason we present an algorithm capable to mine financial entries and open items to reconstruct the process instances which produced the financial entries. In this way, auditors can trace how balance sheet items have been produced in the system. Traditional process mining techniques only reconstruct processes but pay no regard to the financial dimension. The paper wants to close this gap and integrate the process view with the accounting view

Suffolk University Undergraduate Academic Catalog, Sawyer Business School, 2017-2018

This catalog contains information for the undergraduate programs in the Sawyer Business School. The catalog is a PDF version of the Suffolk website, so many pages have repeated information and links in the document will not work. The catalog is keyword searchable by clicking ctrl+f. A-Z course descriptions are also included here as a separate PDF file listing all SBS course offerings. Please contact the Archives if you need assistance navigating this catalog or finding information on degree requirements or course descriptions.https://dc.suffolk.edu/cassbs-catalogs/1176/thumbnail.jp

Suffolk University Undergraduate Academic Catalog, Sawyer Business School, 2016-2017

This catalog contains information for the undergraduate programs in the Sawyer Business School. The catalog is a PDF version of the Suffolk website, so many pages have repeated information and links in the document will not work. The catalog is keyword searchable by clicking ctrl+f. A-Z course descriptions are also included here as a separate PDF file listing all SBS course offerings. Please contact the Archives if you need assistance navigating this catalog or finding information on degree requirements or course descriptions.https://dc.suffolk.edu/cassbs-catalogs/1173/thumbnail.jp

Considerations concerning cosumer behaviour theory

The consumer`s scale of preference, which is the starting point of the theory of consumer behaviour can be ilustrated very clearly by indifference curves. The point where budget line meets the highest possible indifference curve compatible with the consumer`s income and prices represents the state of equilibrum for the consumer. Consumer behaviuor theory gains still more practical importance if consumer preferences are subjected to detailed psychological and sociological analysis.indifference curve, marginal utility, budget line, consumer`s equilibrum, individual demand curve, Engel curve, market demand curve, psychological and social factors of consumer behaviuor

Drivers of sustainablity reporting quality among JSE listed firms in South Africa: a stakeholder perspective

This study contributes towards the ever-growing research field of sustainability reporting within the broader context of integrated reporting. Sustainability reporting is the integration of the environmental, social and economic aspects of an organisation in the communication with stakeholders. South Africa’s Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has taken a leading role in the drive for integrated reporting. The aim of the study was to determine the quality of sustainability reporting for the JSE listed firms post the introduction of listing requirements for integrated reporting. Reports of good quality enable stakeholders to make sound decisions from the reported information. The study was limited to sustainability reporting for JSE listed firms. The theoretical lens for the study is the stakeholder theory developed by Freeman (1984). The study analyses perceptions of sustainability practitioners on quality of sustainability reporting for JSE listed firms for the period of 2009 to 2017. In this study, the focus was to gain rich insights from sustainability practitioners involved in the sustainability reporting value chain of JSE listed firms. This included report preparers, report assurance providers, report users and other report critical reviewers. The recordings of the semistructured interviews undertaken in this study were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a descriptive analysis technique called Tesch’s coding. The researcher reviewed the information, probed and summarised the main themes that emerged from the qualitative research. The study shows that there are no explicit mandatory requirements for integrated reporting and sustainability reporting for JSE listed firms, contrary to the perception of some scholars and practitioners. The publication of integrated and sustainability reports is, however, now business best practice for firms on the JSE. Admittedly, this is partly because of King Codes recommendations of South Africa that promotes integrated reporting. Sustainability reporting has been improving over a nine-year period, but this cannot be solely attributed to the listing requirements. Basic interventions such as listing requirements for integrated reporting on the JSE and the shareholder compacts on South Africa’s State-owned companies, although not explicitly mandatory, have contributed in promoting integrated and sustainability reporting in South Africa. There are many drivers of sustainability reporting for JSE listed firms. These can be categorised as internal and external drivers. The internal drivers can also be regarded as critical success factors for sustainability reporting quality for JSE listed firms. The study revealed the dominance of the two drivers of sustainability reporting, namely stakeholder demands and the role of leadership in shaping sustainability reporting in the South African context. The combination of the two drivers on sustainability reporting for JSE listed firms confirms the assumptions of the stakeholder theory. In the process of determining the trends in reporting and the actual drivers for improved quality in reporting, the cross-cutting theme that emerged was that different organisations are in different stages of their reporting journey. There are early adopters and late adopters. Organisations that choose to be involved in integrated reporting and sustainability reporting experience a real journey of reporting, hence various organisations are at different stages depending when and how they commenced their reporting journey. The researcher coined that process “sustainability reporting life stages”. The study further found that there are many determinants for quality of sustainability reporting for JSE listed firms. The sustainability practitioners perceive quality from the view of the Global Reporting Initiative and Integrated Reporting Council frameworks, thus confirming the entrenchment of the two frameworks in the South African context. The best option assurance mechanism in the form of the Combined Assurance Model was observable in the better reporting sectors on the JSE and State-owned companies. The critical paths for sustainability reporting have been provided, indicating the need for sustainability leadership and stakeholder inclusiveness.Business ManagementD.B.L

Integrative Learning and Interdisciplinary Information Systems Curriculum Development in Accounting Analytics

This paper develops the structure for an integrative model information systems curriculum on Accounting Analytics, which affords students the opportunities to develop domain knowledge along with application of data analytics. As industry experiences rapid technological change, university curricula must remain current in order to be effective. Curriculum content is further advanced and established with input from industry organizations that employ graduates of the programs. The paper output includes a curriculum review of top accounting programs, course curriculum map, accounting data skills matrix, and professional opportunities. The curriculum review utilizes an empirical text analytics methodological approach to extract patterns and develop additional insights for the advancement of accounting information systems research. To minimize curricular disruption, existing courses can be utilized as core curriculum, enhancing key courses to complete undergraduate, graduate, or certificate programs. The Accounting Analytics customized curriculum provides students an opportunity to take advantage of the growing interdisciplinary field and student interest among accounting and analytical career paths. The integrative curriculum is developed to better prepare graduates with the critical knowledge, skills, and abilities to excel in this new-age workforce

Integrated reporting: A structured literature review

This paper reviews the field of integrated reporting () to develop insights into how research is developing, offer a critique of the research to date, and outline future research opportunities. We find that most published research presents normative arguments for and there is little research examining practice. Thus, we call for more research that critiques ’s rhetoric and practice. To frame future research we refer to parallels from intellectual capital research that identifies four distinct research stages to outline how research might emerge. Thus, this paper offers an insightful critique into an emerging accounting practice

The future of internal auditing: how technology is shaping the profession

openThis thesis explores the integration of technology into internal auditing methods to enhance effectiveness and efficiency. The first chapter provides an overview of internal auditing, including its origins, objectives, and theoretical frameworks. Emphasis is placed on maintaining independence, corporate governance, and risk management. The second chapter focuses on planning and daily operations, detailing the steps involved in the audit process and generating reports for improvement. The core of the thesis lies in the third chapter, which highlights the impact of technology, such as Data Analytics, Automation, Process Mining, and Artificial Intelligence. These technologies aim to simplify tasks and enable continuous auditing and monitoring. A vertical passage will be made in the fourth chapter with reference to current regulations in technological issues

Mine the right process – towards a method for selecting a suitable use case for process mining adoption

Process mining (PM) is a big data analytics technology assisting organizations in process optimization by creating insights from event log data available in existing information systems. Although research on PM utilization exists, literature on the adoption phase is scarce. Hence, organizations lack an understanding of how to determine suitable use cases. Accordingly, we followed a design science-based approach and systematically identified twenty criteria, e.g., process variants, processual weaknesses, and analytical skills, to select suitable use cases for PM adoption. The criteria were evaluated with Celonis and Munich Airport and guide PM vendors, organizations, and consultancies through the evaluation process. Hence, we contribute to the early steps of PM diffusion by assisting in determining its consequences and founding the adoption decision. Future research may consider the criteria as a research framework to investigate their effects on the adoption decision

Is sustainability performance comparable? : a study of GRI reports of mining organizations

The objective of this study is to analyze the measurability and interfirm comparability of sustainability performance through the qualitative content analysis of 12 sustainability reports of mining firms using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. The systematic comparison of information disclosed in 92 GRI indicators sheds light on the reasons underlying the impossibility of rigorously measuring and comparing the sustainability performance of firms from the same sector, which are supposed to be strictly following the same reporting guideline. These reasons include qualitative aspects of sustainability, lack of compliance with GRI protocols, indicator contingency, ambiguous or incomplete information, data heterogeneity, and report opacity. The study makes it possible to return to the very notion of sustainability, its meaning, and flexible application by organizations. The results are discussed from three different theoretical perspectives (functionalist, critical, and postmodern), each of which proposes possible and complementary explanations of the main findings