Evolving Towards Data-Driven Management Accounting Decision-Support

Abstract

Digitalization radically changes corporate management, reporting, and the employees’ role in a management accounting department. While most large companies have already taken steps toward automated, digital, and recipient-oriented management accounting and reporting, medium-sized companies are lagging behind. This research aims to develop and evaluate a generic framework for data-driven management accounting decision support in medium-sized companies. To test the hypothesis that a data analytics framework can improve the efficiency and quality of management accounting decision support (MADS) in a medium-sized company, a framework was developed using design science research. The framework is built on the inputs from the literature review and a focus group with participants from the educational, finance and consulting fields.