On Data Reliability Assessment in Accounting Information Systems.

Author List: Krishnan, Ramayya; Peters, James; Padman, Rema; Kaplan, David;
Information Systems Research, 2005, Volume 16, Issue 3, Page 307-326.
The need to ensure reliability of data in information systems has long been recognized. However, recent accounting scandals and the subsequent requirements enacted in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have made data reliability assessment of critical importance to organizations, particularly for accounting data. Using the accounting functions of management information systems as a context, this paper develops an interdisciplinary approach to data reliability assessment. Our work builds on the literature in accounting and auditing, where reliability assessment has been a topic of study for a number of years. While formal probabilistic approaches have been developed in this literature, they are rarely used in practice. The research reported in this paper attempts to strike a balance between the informal, heuristic-based approaches used by auditors and formal, probabilistic reliability assessment methods. We develop a formal, process-oriented ontology of an accounting information system that defines its components and semantic constraints. We use the ontology to specify data reliability assessment requirements and develop mathematical-model-based decision support methods to implement these requirements. We provide preliminary empirical evidence that the use of our approach improves the efficiency and effectiveness of reliability assessments. Finally, given the recent trend toward specifying information systems using executable business process models (e.g., business process execution language), we discuss opportunities for integrating our process-oriented data reliability assessment approach--developed in the accounting context--in other IS application contexts.
Keywords: accounting information systems; internal control; mathematical modeling; workflow and process management
Algorithm:

List of Topics

#77 0.137 information systems paper use design case important used context provide presented authors concepts order number various underlying implementation framework nature
#86 0.137 methods information systems approach using method requirements used use developed effective develop determining research determine assessment useful series critical existing
#124 0.107 validity reliability measure constructs construct study research measures used scale development nomological scales instrument measurement researchers developed validation discriminant results
#204 0.093 goals goal research setting achieve accounting behavior multiple meet make constraints differing ability particularly association set single conflicting promotes and/or
#6 0.088 data used develop multiple approaches collection based research classes aspect single literature profiles means crowd collected trend accuracy databases accurate
#167 0.085 workflow tools set paper management specification command support formal implemented scenarios associated sequence large derived taxonomies called given systematic specifications
#157 0.070 evaluation effectiveness assessment evaluating paper objectives terms process assessing criteria evaluations methodology provides impact literature potential important evaluated identifying multiple
#191 0.063 model models process analysis paper management support used environment decision provides based develop use using help literature mathematical presented formulation
#184 0.062 modeling models model business research paradigm components using representation extension logical set existing way aspects issues current integrated languages traditional
#280 0.058 control controls formal systems mechanisms modes clan informal used internal literature outsourced outcome theory configuration attempts evolution authority complementary little