Bachelor of Business MA515 Assignment: Big Data in Accounting

This report examines the integration of big data within management accounting systems, specifically focusing on its application within Harvey Norman and Qantas. The analysis explores how big data enhances key processes such as cost systems, budgeting, and performance management, ultimately contributing to improved decision-making and value creation. The study highlights how these companies leverage data from various sources to refine their operational efficiency, manage resources, and gain a competitive advantage. It also discusses the role of big data in improving accuracy, reducing costs, and increasing shareholder value, emphasizing the importance of data analysis in contemporary financial management. The report references academic sources to support its findings.

Question 4
Management accounting system uses some major processes that are costing system, budgeting
system and performance system (Quattrone, 2016). This system helps the companies to create
value and to manage resources and this can be understood by applying it on Harvey Norman and
Qantas.
In Harvey Norman, performance management system contributes in managing the actual
performance of each and every individual in the organization with the estimated or expected
performance. This contributes towards enhancing the Harvey Norman competitive advantage.
Further cost system and budget system processes are implied to control the cost of variables that
help the company to improve its operational efficiency and profit. So both of these systems can
be improved using big data. Performance measurement system requires data of customer’s
feedback to set the target for the employees. On other side cost and budget system also requires
information from various sources such as suppliers, customer price preference and profit margin
of the company. So by using big data the value and accuracy of these system and process can be
improved and this will eventually help in creating more value for the company (Rezaee and
Wang, 2019).
In Qantas, management accounting system that is followed in the company is e-budgeting as this
helps the company to reduce the paper transaction. Further, managing cost in airline industry is
the most important thing so Qantas use cost management accounting to ensure low fares and
high productivity level (Serban and Herciu, 2019). In these processes and system at current
situation the role of big data has increased. Because estimate cost data is required about customer
choice; about class that is business class or economic class, most preferred services by the
customers etc. This information can be gathered through digital platform and managers analyses
this information in order to take long term decision. Thus, that thing the big data use can
improve the decision making ability that contribute in increasing the shareholder value and
management of company resources (Langfield et al. 2017).
Both these companies can improve its management accounting system by using big data as in
managing resources, management accountant provide information to managers about variances
in cost and budget, customer complaints and feedbacks and all this information are part of big

data and company create value by reducing cost and improving efficiency with big data use so
both of these companies can use big data to improve its management accounting system.

References
Langfield-Smith, K., Smith, D., Andon, P., Hilton, R. and Thorne, H., (2017). Management
accounting: Information for creating and managing value. McGraw-Hill Education Australia.
Quattrone, P., (2016). Management accounting goes digital: Will the move make it
wiser?. Management Accounting Research, 31, pp.118-122.
Rezaee, Z. and Wang, J., (2019). Relevance of big data to forensic accounting practice and
education. Managerial Auditing Journal, 34(3), pp.268-288.
Șerban, R.A. and Herciu, M., (2019). Performance Management Systems–Proposing and Testing
a Conceptual Model. Studies in Business and Economics, 14(1), pp.231-244.