Big Data and Audit Technology: Research Agenda and Evolution

This essay examines the integration of big data and data analytics (BDA) into audit firm approaches. It references a study based on 22 interviews with experts in BDA development, implementation, and assessment in auditing. The analysis focuses on the evolution of audit technology, the role of big data in enhancing audit accuracy and efficiency, and the challenges and limitations faced by auditors in adopting BDA. The essay also evaluates the literature review style, content reliability, and the qualitative research methods employed by the authors, including semi-structured interviews and snowballing techniques. Ultimately, the essay concludes that researchers must address the limitations of their research and provide true and fair information to build credibility and trust.

Big data and audit
technology.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Main body........................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7

Introduction
Big data and data analysis helps the auditors in expanding the scope of their project ad in
making sure that they are able to analyse the big data effectively and efficiently with the help of
audit technology. It will help the auditors in streamlining the reporting process and also in
detecting any type of fraud that is taking place within the systems and the documentations of the
company (Ma, Shahbaz and Song., 2021). The system and technology are specially designed for
big data as it is an important aspect in the workings of the auditor. It helps the auditors in
analyzing the business risk at time and will help in conducting more accurate and relevant audit
which is beneficial for both auditors as well as companies. The given essay is about the invention
of big data analysis as well as the audit technology which can help the auditors in creating more
accurate audits which is relevant and will also make sure that the big data of companies are not a
problem.
Main body
The authors of the report which is George Salijeni, Anna Samsonova-Taddei and Stuart Turley
were providing the information about the workings of big data in the auditing as well as how the
audit technology is helping auditors in analyzing the big data effectively and efficiently. The
study provide information about the most recent evolution of audit technology. The name of the
audit technology is Big Data and Data Analytics which is most appropriate for audit firms. The
big data analysis and the audit technology helps the auditors in analysing the data of the
companies in a more critical and relevant manner and will make sure that they are able to assess
any risk associated with the documentation (Lokshina and Lanting., 2018). It reduces the chances
of fraud and will make sure that accuracy in the auditing process is highly maintained. It helps
the auditors in taking a deeper look at the operations and process of the company and not just a
sample. The technology makes it possible for the auditors to analyse the large amount of data of
many companies simultaneously and test 100% of the transaction taken place within the
organization instead of just a sample. It will help the auditor in performing advanced analytic in
order to critically analyse the operations of the company. The technology helps in restoring the
confidence and trust on the effectiveness of the auditors and their workings.
The evaluation of the authors literature review style and content depends upon three major
aspects which is the authority meaning who is the author, usefulness which means is the topic

used by the author is relevant or not for the study and third the reliability of content present in
the study is even reliable or not. In the case of study provided the authors which are George
Salijeni Anna Samsonova-Taddei and Stuart Turley have provide information about the big data
analysis and audit technology. It is a relevant topic for the study as it will help in understanding
the changes in the technology that have been made in the recent years and how the technology
related to the evolution of audit technology has graded upwards (Dahdouh and et. al., 2018) . It is
important for the organizations to restore the trust and confidence in the process of audit. Before
the technological development in the technological process of audit, the auditors were only
responsible to check a sample of data which will hep them in analysing the workings of the
company which creates a more risk of fraud. But with the help of technology the auditors will be
able to analyse big data within minimum time possible which will help them in analysis each and
every document of the company. Along with that the quality of information provided in the
report along with the correct and proper citation and references style makes the study authentic
and reliable.
The authors have used qualitative approach ti explore the issue continuously rising in the big
data analysis auditing. The authors have used semi- structured interviews which helped them in
analysing the issue and also use of wide range of documentary evidences made sure that the
research is having good quality of information (Schmidt, Church and Riley., 2020). The authors
has also used snowballing approach towards the research where with the help of this approach
they collected information through formal and informal interviews with the big five auditing
companies and its staff. It has helped the researchers in creating initial interviews and in
developing contacts and networks which can help them in collecting information. The authors
and researchers have taken various interviews I order to analyse the actual issue in Big data
analysis technology which helped them in also gaining information about the workings of the
organizations that actually use big data of large companies (Jiang, Fang and Wang., 2018). It is
important for the researchers to develop the questionnaire which can help them in collecting
qualitative data and can help them in gaining actual knowledge about the issue which can help
them in understanding the actual issues faced by the firms so that solutions can be provided. The
three types of interaction with Big Data Analysis: (i) responsibilities with respect to the
improvement of BDA methods within audit firms, (ii) implementation of BDA on audit

engagements and (iii) evaluation of the effect of BDA for standard setting and other regulatory
perspectives.
The authors have used qualitative data analysis tools which helped them in identify recurring
‘expressions’ and ‘narratives’ which can be said as the most commonly expressed view points
regarding implications of big data analsyis and its implications for auditing. In order to analyse
the actual information and separate it from the efforts of some people to latent the reconstructed
reality the authors used analytical approach led to the identification of three broad analytical
themes that will be subject of discussion in the following section of the paper, namely: (i) the
effect of BDA on the nature of relationship between auditors and their clients; (ii) the influence
of the technology on the execution of the various steps of the audit process and (iii) the common
challenges of embedding BDA in the conduct of the audit (Xie and Wu., 2021, June). These
steps in the individual approach helped the researchers in getting the actual knowledge and
information about the BDA and the issues related to the auditing processes of the companies
which enable them to use these tools effectively and efficiency. Even in the differences in the
view points of interview givers the authors and the researchers were able to arrange the actual
information and was also able to analyse the issues which has helped them in completing their
studies and also the research about the big data analysis.
There are several limitations that have been faced by the authors while conducting the research
and some of them are given below:
Implementation of the data collected method is one of the most impactful limitation for the
researchers. The approaches used by the researcher were always changed according to the
information they required or according to the answers of the interviewees so that correct
information can be gathered (Zhao., 2021). The methods of research have changes several times
so that valuable information can be received. Another limitation faced by the researchers was
that the interview taken by the researchers included some people who are providing latent or
reconstructed reality information which is not the actual reality. The researchers have to analyse
what can be the approaches through which they will be able to make sure that they are collecting
the actual issue of BDA rather than discussing on the desired reality of the BDA. Suggestions on
further research is to make sure that the authors are addressing the limitations of the research and
working on solutions rather than avoiding those limitations. It will help them in addressing the
unanswered aspects of the research problem as well.

Conclusion
From the above essay it is concluded that, in order to develop a research it is important
for the authors to make sure that they are covering all the aspects of the topics before hand so
that they do not have to face any problem in the middle of the research. It is the responsibility of
the researchers to make sure that they are providing true and fare information in their research or
study which is authentic and is actually beneficial. It will help the researchers in building their
credibility and will also make sure that they are creating a factor of trust and confidence with the
help of their work.

References
Books and journals
Dahdouh and et. al., 2018. Big data for online learning systems. Education and Information
Technologies, 23(6), pp.2783-2800.
Jiang, T., Fang, H. and Wang, H., 2018. Blockchain-based internet of vehicles: Distributed
network architecture and performance analysis. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 6(3),
pp.4640-4649.
Lokshina, I.V. and Lanting, C.J., 2018. Addressing ethical concerns of big data as a prerequisite
for a sustainable big data industry. International Journal of Interdisciplinary
Telecommunications and Networking (IJITN), 10(3), pp.33-54.
Ma, X., Shahbaz, M. and Song, M., 2021. Off-office audit of natural resource assets and water
pollution: a quasi-natural experiment in China. Journal of Enterprise Information
Management.
Schmidt, P.J., Church, K.S. and Riley, J., 2020. Clinging to Excel as a security blanket:
Investigating accountants' resistance to emerging data analytics technology. Journal of
Emerging Technologies in Accounting, 17(1), pp.33-39.
Xie, P. and Wu, Y., 2021, June. Audit Computer Information Management and Software
Development System in the Internet Era. In 2021 International Wireless
Communications and Mobile Computing (IWCMC) (pp. 1993-1996). IEEE.
Zhao, T., 2021. Research On The Relationship Among Over-investment, Audit Quality And
Corporate Risk Of Listed Companies Based On Big Data——Based on the Empirical
data of listed companies in China. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 253). EDP Sciences.