IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/acctfi/v65y2025i3p2649-2664.html

Current State of Accountants' Knowledge of Digital Technologies: Evidence From Australia and New Zealand

Author

Listed:
  • Richard Busulwa
  • Jacqueline Birt
  • Adrian Gepp
  • Grainne Oates

Abstract

Using survey research, we investigate accountants' self‐rated knowledge of a variety of digital technologies (DTs). We find that accountants' self‐rated knowledge of established DTs is almost in line with IES2 requirements, but their self‐rated knowledge of emerging DTs is significantly below IES2 requirements. Of greater concern, we find that for both established and emerging DTs, accountants' self‐rated knowledge of key DTs anticipated to have a profound impact on accounting practice is quite weak. These findings are consistent for accountants across accounting functions, career levels and practice settings. We discuss the implications of these findings for policy, curricula design and practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Busulwa & Jacqueline Birt & Adrian Gepp & Grainne Oates, 2025. "Current State of Accountants' Knowledge of Digital Technologies: Evidence From Australia and New Zealand," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 65(3), pages 2649-2664, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:acctfi:v:65:y:2025:i:3:p:2649-2664
    DOI: 10.1111/acfi.70010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.70010
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/acfi.70010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:eme:marpps:10222529200500006 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Moll, Jodie & Yigitbasioglu, Ogan, 2019. "The role of internet-related technologies in shaping the work of accountants: New directions for accounting research," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(6).
    3. Lyn Daff, 2021. "Employers’ perspectives of accounting graduates and their world of work: software use and ICT competencies," Accounting Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(5), pages 495-524, September.
    4. Binh Bui & Brenda Porter, 2010. "The Expectation-Performance Gap in Accounting Education: An Exploratory Study," Accounting Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(1-2), pages 23-50.
    5. Janvrin, Diane J. & Weidenmier Watson, Marcia, 2017. "“Big Data”: A new twist to accounting," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 3-8.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Francis Aboagye‐Otchere & Cletus Agyenim‐Boateng & Abdulai Enusah & Theodora Ekua Aryee, 2021. "A Review of Big Data Research in Accounting," Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 268-283, October.
    2. Jochen Fähndrich, 2023. "A literature review on the impact of digitalisation on management control," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 9-65, March.
    3. Khan, Muhammad Kaleem & Farwa, Umm E & Zulfiqar, Salman & Li, Shanshan & Haq, Inzamam Ul, 2025. "The plight of digitalization: Technostress and accountants’ professional identity," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    4. Tiron-Tudor, Adriana & Labaditis (Cordos), Andreea & Deliu, Delia, 2025. "Future-Ready Digital Skills in the AI Era: Bridging Market Demands and Student Expectations in the Accounting Profession," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    5. Khaldoon Al-Htaybat & Larissa von Alberti-Alhtaybat & Zaidoon Alhatabat, 2018. "Educating digital natives for the future: accounting educators’ evaluation of the accounting curriculum," Accounting Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(4), pages 333-357, July.
    6. Alice Francesca Sproviero, 2020. "Integrated reporting and the epistemic authority of Big Data: An exploratory study from the banking industry," FINANCIAL REPORTING, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2020(2), pages 99-124.
    7. Grégory Jemine & François-Régis Puyou & Florence Bouvet, 2024. "Technological innovation and the co-production of accounting services in small accounting firms," Post-Print hal-04325739, HAL.
    8. Yuk Ming Tang & Ka Yin Chau, 2025. "Blockchain evolution and management theoretical (BEMT) model based on integrated semantic similarity and co-citation analysis for next generation service industry," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 475-494, June.
    9. Bernadette Smith & William Maguire & Helen Haijuan Han, 2018. "Generic skills in accounting: perspectives of Chinese postgraduate students," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 58(2), pages 535-559, June.
    10. Pantazi Marius, 2021. "In order to thrive, first we need to fix accounting and management Then, we must report what matters," Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, Sciendo, vol. 15(1), pages 723-736, December.
    11. Strike Mbulawa, 2021. "Domestic Demand Or Trade Led Growth Hypothesis For Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) Countries? A Search For A New Development Paradigm," Annals of University of Craiova - Economic Sciences Series, University of Craiova, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 1(49), pages 55-72, August.
    12. Mohamed Saeudy & Ali Meftah Gerged & Khaldoon Albitar, 2022. "Accounting Perspectives on The Business Value of Big Data During and Beyond The COVID-19 Pandemic," Accounting and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 21(2), pages 174-199, June.
    13. Xiaoqian Zhu & Huidong Wu & Yanpeng Chang & Jianping Li, 2025. "Accounting fraud detection through textual risk disclosures in annual reports: From the perspective of SEC guidelines," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 65(2), pages 1837-1862, June.
    14. Adriana Tiron-Tudor & Delia Deliu, 2021. "Big Data’s Disruptive Effect on Job Profiles: Management Accountants’ Case Study," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-26, August.
    15. Broccardo, Laura & Tenucci, Andrea & Agarwal, Reeti & Alshibani, Safiya Mukhtar, 2024. "Steering digitalization and management control maturity in small and medium enterprises (SMEs)," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    16. Dan Marius COMAN & Mihaela Monica RADU, 2021. "Big Data €“ An Useful Technology For Economists," Contemporary Economy Journal, Constantin Brancoveanu University, vol. 6(3), pages 140-148.
    17. Ye, Wang & Wong, Wing-Keung & Arnone, Gioia & Nassani, Abdelmohsen A. & Haffar, Mohamed & Faiz, Muhammad Fauzinudin, 2023. "Crypto currency and green investment impact on global environment: A time series analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 155-169.
    18. Plant, Kato & Barac, Karin & Sarens, Gerrit, 2019. "Preparing work-ready graduates – skills development lessons learnt from internal audit practice," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 33-47.
    19. Ani STOYKOVA, 2024. "AI in Accounting: Insights from a Bibliometric Analysis," CECCAR Business Review, Body of Expert and Licensed Accountants of Romania (CECCAR), vol. 5(8), pages 56-71, August.
    20. Filippo Vitolla, 2025. "Governare la complessit?: il ruolo dei sistemi di controllo tra sostenibilit?, innovazione e inclusione," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2025(2), pages 5-11.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:acctfi:v:65:y:2025:i:3:p:2649-2664. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aaanzea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.