Financial Accounting and Data Analytics

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is aimed to explore, analyze, and generate knowledge concerning the role of big data and business analytics on financial accounting, following an interdisciplinary approach. In the current context of business process automation and digitalization, there is little discussion concerning the role of business analytics and big data technologies and tools in addressing the challenges and obstacles that firms face regarding business processes digitalization. Multiple facets of this area of discussion are awaiting empirical evidence and academic insights, such as the better orientation of financial accounting in business process management, the development of specific dynamic capabilities, the corporate governance of data, or regulatory challenges, which translate into effects on corporate financial reporting quality.

The primary aim of this Special Issue is to provide a comprehensive platform for researchers, academics, and practitioners to investigate and discuss various aspects of the relationship between financial accounting and big data, with the purpose of highlighting effects of business analytics on corporate financial reporting quality.

The scope of this Special Issue encompasses a broad range of topics within the nexus of data analytics and financial accounting, which are relevant for the formulation of a theoretical framework and the identification of potential challenges and opportunities, through conceptual (theoretical) opinions (frameworks), empirical studies, case studies, or other qualitative studies. Submissions are encouraged to address, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Conceptual underpinning and theoretical framework related to the nexus between financial accounting and big data analytics.
• Applications of big data on the financial accounting department in areas such as accounts receivable and accounts payable management, continuous auditing, risk management, internal controls over financial reporting, fraud detection and prevention, accounting estimation, data reconciliation and analysis, data governance, etc.
• Trends, challenges, and opportunities of data analytics implementation across accounting and financial reporting processes, with a focus on the impact on financial reporting quality.
• Standard-setting concerns related to the use of data analytics in financial accounting, such as the assessment of the alignment of financial reporting standards with the use of data analytics on fair value measurement, asset depreciation or impairment, etc.
• Business process management and maturity model design and implementation, in terms of financial accounting processes, with a focus on the role of big data analytics on processes transformation and financial reporting quality.
• Enablers (drivers), obstacles, costs, and benefits of using data analytics on financial accounting, including from a dynamic capabilities assessment perspective.
• Perceptions related to changes in accounting professions, from the perspective of gaps identified in accountants’ professional competencies that are required for data analytics.
• Applications of big data technologies, tools, and algorithms in financial accounting, with a focus on the effect on financial reporting quality.
• Exploratory studies on already existing data analytics solutions focusing on financial accounting process flows.
• Implications of big data in financial accounting for policymakers.

Dr. Valentin Burcă
Prof. Dr. Ovidiu Constantin Bunget
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Risk and Financial Management is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.