Miklos A. Vasarhelyi

Continuous monitoring of business process controls: A pilot implementation of a continuous auditing system at Siemens ☆

In this paper we report on the approach we have developed and the lessons we have learned in an implementation of the monitoring and control layer for continuous monitoring of business process controls (CMBPC) in the US internal IT audit department of Siemens Corporation. The architecture developed by us implements a completely independent CMBPC system running on top of Siemens’ own enterprise information system which has read-only interaction with the application tier of the enterprise system. Among our key conclusions is that “formalizability” of audit procedures and audit judgment is grossly underestimated. Additionally, while cost savings and expedience force the implementation to closely follow the existing and approved internal audit program, a certain level of reengineering of audit processes is inevitable due to the necessity to separate formalizable and non-formalizable parts of the program. Our study identifies the management of audit alarms and the prevention of the alarm floods as critical tasks in the CMBPC implementation process. We develop an approach to solving these problems utilizing the hierarchical structure of alarms and the role-based approach to assigning alarm destinations. We also discuss the content of the audit trail of CMBPC.

Continuous Online Auditing: A Program of Research

The progressive computerization of business processes and widespread availability of computer networking make it possible to dramatically increase the frequency of periodic audits by redesigning the auditing architecture around Continuous Online Auditing (COA). Continuous auditing is viewed here as a type of auditing that produces audit results simultaneously with, or a short period of time after, the occurrence of relevant events. It is arguable that continuous auditing can be implemented only as an online system, i.e., a system that is permanently connected through computer networking to both auditees and auditors. This article proposes a research agenda for the emerging field of COA. First, the history, institutional background, feasibility of and some experiences in COA are briefly reviewed. Thereafter, a number of research issues relating to the architecture of COA, factors affecting the use of COA, and the major consequences of COA are presented. Finally, a selected number of research issues are hig...

Putting Continuous Auditing Theory into Practice: Lessons from Two Pilot Implementations

ABSTRACT: In the almost twenty years since Vasarhelyi and Halper (1991) reported on their pioneering implementation of what has come to be known as Continuous Auditing (CA), the concept has increasingly moved from theory into practice. A 2006 survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that half of all responding firms use some sort of CA techniques, and the majority of the rest plan to do so in the near future. CA not only has an increasing impact on auditing practice, but is also one of the rare instances in which such a significant change was led by the researchers. In this paper we survey the state of CA after two decades of research into continuous auditing theory and practice, and draw out the lessons learned by us in recent pilot CA projects at two major firms, to examine where this unique partnership between academics and auditors will take CA in the future.

Does the Year 2000 XBRL Taxonomy Accommodate Current Business Financial‐Reporting Practice?

XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) is an application of XML (eXtensible Markup Language) intended for use in digital business reporting. Observers predict XBRL will provide benefits to f...

Innovation and practice of continuous auditing

The traditional audit paradigm is outdated in the real time economy. Innovation of the traditional audit process is necessary to support real time assurance. Practitioners and academics are exploring continuous auditing as a potential successor to the traditional audit paradigm. Using technology and automation, continuous auditing methodology enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of the audit process to support real time assurance. This paper defines how continuous auditing methodology introduces innovation to practice in seven dimensions and proposes a four-stage paradigm to advance future research. In addition, we formulate a set of methodological propositions concerning the future of assurance for practitioners and academic researchers.

Underlying principles of the electronization of business: a research agenda

Abstract This paper discusses the underlying principles of the electronization of business and its impact on accounting information systems (AIS). The concept of electronization of business processes and the consequent deconstruction of the value chain in the new economy is introduced. A bitable society requires an entirely new set of processes and players, where traditional companies will either perish or incorporate substantive changes in the way they conduct business. The general effects of electronization of business lead to the introduction of 8 emerging business issues and 13 research opportunities. The paper concludes that the phenomenon of electronization is a heterogeneous one, with firms and industries developing features at different paces. This heterogeneity presents yet another challenge to developing new and relevant accounting standards that drive the processes found in state-of-the-art systems.

Learning Patterns, Decision Approach, and Value of Information

This paper reports on research designed to provide insights into the relationships between different information structures, decision approaches of decision makers and learning patterns. The motivation for the study arose from the work done previously by Mock [16]. This section of this paper summarizes the research findings from [16], and develops a motivation for investigating the additional decision-information variables. Some research findings regarding these variables are then summarized, followed by a discussion of the results of this study.

The acceptance and adoption of continuous auditing by internal auditors: A micro analysis

The umbrella of “advanced technology” covers a range of techniques widely used in the U.S. to provide strategic advantage in a very competitive business environment. There is an enormous amount of information contained within current-generation information systems, some of which is processed on a real-time basis. More importantly, the same holds true for actual business transactions. Having accurate and reliable information is vital and advantageous to businesses, especially in the wake of the recent recession. Therefore, the need for ongoing, timely assurance of information utilizing continuous auditing (CA) and continuous control monitoring (CM) methodologies is becoming more apparent. To that end, we have conducted interviews with 22 internal audit managers and 16 internal audit staff members at 9 leading internal audit organizations to examine the status of technology adoption, to evaluate the development of continuous auditing, and to assess the use of continuous control monitoring. We found that several companies in our study were already involved in some form of continuous auditing or control monitoring while others are attempting to adopt more advanced audit technologies. We also made a large number of surprising observations on managerial, technology training and absorption, and other issues. According to our audit maturity model, all of the companies were classified between the “traditional audit” stage and the “emerging stage,” not having yet reached the “continuous audit” stage. This paper,11This paper is one output of a research program undertaken between the Continuous Auditing and Research Laboratory (CARLAB) at Rutgers Business School and KPMG, whose aim was to obtain a 360-degree view of the state of the art of CA, encompassing its use by both external and internal auditors. The authors are appreciative for the comments received in many presentations and in particular to Prof. Alexander Kogans suggestions. to our knowledge, is the first to study CA technology adoption in a micro level by an interview approach.

Consequences of XBRL Standardization on Financial Statement Data

ABSTRACT: XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) has become an important element of the financial reporting landscape. This paper provides a discussion of the effects of XBRL on the usefulness of financial data. Using the theoretical framework of the technology acceptance model (TAM), we examine XBRLs potential to improve the usefulness of reported financial information. As XBRL gains wider acceptance, we examine five axes along which XBRL standardization will propagate: current data, disclosure format, historical data, data fidelity and assurance, and third-party data. We also call attention to new research opportunities that may arise as XBRL and related technologies mature.

AIS in an Age of Big Data

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses the accounting Information systems impact on the Big Data and mentions several topics including the examining the dashboards, less usage of eXtensible Business Reporting Language and the information system complexity analysis.