Purpose: The accelerated process of digitalization is a challenge, and at the same time an opportunity to apply modern and practical solutions in audit engagements. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the application of big data and data analytics as one of the most advanced disruptive technologies in public sector auditing. Methodology: Qualitative and quantitative research was made on big data and data analytics as technologies that can modernize public sector auditing in Republic of North Macedonia. A survey method was used to identify the perception and attitude of the public sector auditors who are part of the State Audit Office and the internal auditors in public sector departments. The processing of the collected data was done through several statistical methods and tests, using SPSS software. Findings: In general, our research shows the positive attitude and perception of public sector auditors in the Macedonian practice for modernization and automation through the application of advanced data analytics tools in current and future audit engagements. Originality/Value: To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the only one that explores the potential of big data and data analytics technologies in Macedonian practice and presents early results that provide a good basis for further in-depth research.
Research Question: Is there a gap in research preferences on disruptive technologies between academia and practitioners? Motivation: Disruptive technologies in accounting represent a new evolutionary phase of accounting impacted by emerging technologies that are part of industrial revolution 4.0. The relevance of emerging technologies, their potential, and the opportunities they offer for the accounting profession attract both academia and professionals with accelerated research efforts. Academia and scientific researchers must research and provide an appropriate theoretical basis to help practitioners better adapt and increase their awareness and trust in technology. Idea: This paper provides early quantitative research data on publication trends related to most disruptive technologies in accounting such as big data, data analytics, cloud, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. Data: The data were collected through detailed analysis and research of websites and publishing platforms on Big Four accounting firms, professional accounting associations, and institutes, and selected high-ranking journals for the period from 2016 to 2020. Tools: The research was conducted using bibliometric analysis to identify how many articles were published by individual parties. Findings: The results highlight that there are no significant discrepancies or different views of academia and practitioners. It is a positive result indicating that academia and scientific researchers exploit in the same direction as practitioners, thus providing support for adaptation and alignment to technology trends. Contribution: The significance of the results of such research is important for obtaining directions in which the academy should research in the future but also for the regulators as well.
Non-financial reporting, as a relatively new concept, has been intensively developed in the last few decades, primarily voluntarily, as a need to provide stakeholders with an insight into business-related issues that are of broader social importance. It is becoming necessary and increasingly important for all participants in today's socio-economic environment. This paper presents qualitative and quantitative research on the disclosure of non-financial information on social responsibility in 40 listed companies from selected Balkan countries for the period from 2019 to 2021, to determine whether and how EU membership affects the scope of non-financial reporting. The results of the conducted statistical tests indicate that companies from EU countries disclose in more detail and for more segments compared to companies from non-EU countries. The transposition of the directive into law, i.e. mandatory non-financial reporting is one of the key factors for the disclosure of companies' ESG activities.
Audit market concentration has been thoroughly researched both globally and regionally. According to previous studies, the audit market is often dominated by the Big Four at the EU level, while in the region, the concentration is lower, indicating that it has oligopolistic features. This paper analyzes and measures the concentration of the audit market in Republic of North Macedonia, through Herfindahl-Hirschman index - HHI and concentration ratio - CR4, based on three independent variables: audit-related revenue, number of clients and number of employees. The research covers the period from 2014 to 2021 and it is concluded that at the beginning of the analyzed period (2014-2017), according to audit-related revenue, the audit market in Republic of North Macedonia had the characteristics of an oligopoly, but today it is nonconcentrated market and ranges from perfect competition to oligopoly. In terms of the number of employees and the number of clients, the results from our research show that audit market in Republic of North Macedonia is not concentrated.
Disruptive technologies in accounting represent a new evolutionary phase of accounting impacted by emerging technologies that are part of industrial revolution 4.0. The relevance of emerging technologies, their potential and the opportunities they offer for the accounting profession attract both academia and professionals with accelerated research efforts. Academia and scientific researchers must research and provide an appropriate theoretical basis to help practitioners better adapt and increase their awareness and trust in technology. This paper provides early quantitative research data on publication trends related to most disruptive technologies in accounting such as big data, data analytics, cloud, artificial intelligence and blockchain. We identified these five emerging technologies through literature review and elaborated in detail how they can change and advance the accounting profession. The research was conducted using bibliometric analysis to examine the level of coverage of each of the technologies in the period from 2016 to 2020 by analyzing the published articles by the Big Four accounting firms, professional accounting associations and institutions and high-ranking academic journals. The purpose of the research was to identify a potential gap in research preferences related to selected technologies between academia and development professionals and experts in the field. The findings highlight that there are no significant discrepancies or different views of academia and practitioners. It is a positive result indicating that academia and scientific researchers exploit in the same direction as practitioners, thus providing support for adaptation and alignment to technology trends.
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