The marketing on Big 4 websites of Big Data Analytics in the external audit: Evidence and consequences

Michael Alles and Glen L. Gray

International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, 2024, vol. 54, issue C

Abstract: Leveraging ubiquitous digital data, advanced hardware, and sophisticated software, Big Data Analytics (BDA) enables unprecedented in-depth examination of business processes. This paper investigates how the Big 4 accounting firms promote their use of technology-enabled analytics in auditing practices on their official websites. We find that all the Big 4 market their audit analytics as offering operational insights that add value for clients. Historically, auditors have sought to share valuable perspectives gained during engagements beyond verifying that clients are in compliance with accounting principles. However, providing these value-adding insights is transitioning from a supplementary benefit to an essential selling point of audits. This behavior likely stems from BDA technology’s inherent duality–facilitating regulatory compliance and business intelligence. Incorporating artificial intelligence into audit firms’ technological arsenal will further enhance their ability to deliver client-valued insights. These developments necessitate further research into how the BDA application impacts auditor independence.

Keywords: Big data analytics; External auditing; Independence; Websites; Marketing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1467089524000307
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ijoais:v:54:y:2024:i:c:s1467089524000307

DOI: 10.1016/j.accinf.2024.100697

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Accounting Information Systems is currently edited by S.V. Grabski

More articles in International Journal of Accounting Information Systems from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().