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Intensive traffic often occurs in web‐enabled business processes hosted by travel industry and government portals. An extreme case for intensive traffic is flash crowd situations when the number of web users spike within a short time due to unexpected events caused by political unrest or extreme weather conditions. As a result, the servers hosting these business processes can no longer handle overwhelming service requests. To alleviate this problem, process engineers usually analyze audit trail data collected from the application server and reengineer their business processes to withstand unexpected surge in the visitors. However, such analysis can only reveal the performance of the application server from the internal perspective. This paper aims to investigate this issue.

This paper proposes an approach for analyzing key performance indicators of traffic intensive web‐enabled business processes from audit trail data, web server logs, and stress testing logs.

The key performance indicators identified in the study's approach can be used to understand the behavior of traffic intensive web‐enabled business processes and the underlying factors that affect the stability of the web server.

The proposed analysis also provides an internal as well as an external view of the performance. Moreover, the calculated key performance indicators can be used by the process engineers for locating potential bottlenecks, reengineering business processes, and implementing contingency measures for traffic intensive situations.

Finance, accountancy, auditing.

Supports information systems audit (ISA), auditing practises and controls, corporate governance and internal controls and financial management modules, business administration and MBA programmes.

The case study focuses on the implementation of ISA and information technology in the highly responsible task of executing financial audits The case emphasises on the fact that the advantages of ISA can only be reaped when they are amalgamated with an auditor's scrutiny, sharp eye, extensive knowledge of auditing systems and accounting principles and a rich experience of the auditing function. The suggested synergy also facilitates a reduction of around 60 per cent, in the cost of executing the audits and the man-hours required to complete the audit, as in the case of Jain Chowdhary & Company.

The case helps students to comprehend the relevance of audit trail. It emphasises on the importance of identifying the source of information and tracking raw data backward. It familiarises the students with the complexities involved in a real audit and emphasises on the role of logic, intelligence, diligence, patience and farsightedness while performing the auditing function. It is important for them to understand how White collar crimes take place in real business economy. This case, hence exposes students to these nuances and can make a student, from a non-commerce background, understand the key elements of efficient auditing. (Elaborate teaching objectives are appended in the teaching note.)

Teaching note.

A question is posed; have audit and control of information in a high security environment, such as law enforcement, improved or not in the transition from manual to electronic processes? This paper attempts to elucidate this question by a thorough examination of information collection, control of processing and audit in manual processes used by the Queensland Police Service, Australia, during the period 1940‐1980. It assesses those processes against current electronic systems essentially introduced to policing in the decades of the 1980s and 1990s. The results of this assessment show that electronic systems provide for faster communications with centrally controlled and updated information readily available for use by large number of users connected across significant geographical locations. It is clearly evident that the price paid for this is a lack of ability and/or reluctance to provide improved audit and control processes. Thus, the claim can be made that audit and control processes may be considered to have been downgraded in the electronic world where standard commercial systems are used.

In this paper, we propose a set of standard benchmarks for evaluating B2B supply chain information systems. The supply chain management systems that we focus on communicate between collaborating partners via the Internet using such languages as the extensible markup language. We divide the benchmarks into three distinct categories: benchmarks to study the performance of querying a partner's data, modifying a partner's data, transmitting large amounts of data between partners. We propose a model for estimating the data‐communication and computation times incurred by the B2B information system using the above benchmarks. In addition, we discuss an algorithm for equitable sharing of the costs of a virtual private network by the partners. We present numerical examples to describe an actual application of the above models.

Defines the rationale for developing a model of EDl risks and associated controls. Highlights how and which EDI controls will alleviate and/or eliminate the specified EDI risks. The findings of the seven case studies identified additional EDI risks and controls, which paved the way for a new mapping of relationships between risks and controls. Offers a further insight into the perceptions of and responses to security threats faced by organizations in adopting EDI.

The purpose of this article is to provide a selective and comprehensive literature review based on previous research within auditing and enterprise systems (ES). This is done to identify research gaps, propose directions for future research and guide researchers and practitioners on how to better synthesize these two areas. Interaction between ES and auditing is in need of more academic research and practical investigation, which may lead to the development of better solutions, guidelines and frameworks.

A total of 31 academic studies from 2000 to 2010 were included in this study. After reading these studies, different areas had been selected and were addressed in five categories: the future of audit in ES environment, modern audit tools and techniques, changes of auditors' role, differences in perceptions between financial auditors and IT auditors, ERP and compliance with regulations.

ES implementation results in audit process reengineering and increases the need of continuous monitoring of transactions. The presence of IT auditors becomes critical, while financial auditors are asked to enhance their skills in order to be able to conduct effective audit tests. Modern audit tools and techniques must be used so that internal control processes will be appropriate for an ES.

It is not an exhaustive list and some relevant publications might have been overlooked. Much literature has been scanned by reading the title only. In order to conduct a comprehensive review the topical focus was kept relatively narrow on auditing and ES.

Researchers and practitioners must take into consideration the interaction between ES and auditing in order to advance research in this area. Companies must understand the changes that occur in the audit procedure due to ES implementation, so that they will design efficient audit tests and auditors must enhance their knowledge in order to be able to conduct these tests effectively.

This study uncovers and classifies current research within auditing and ES (focusing mostly on ERP systems).

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive narrative account of supervisory conversations with doctoral students. They include providing knowledge and experience about the nature of qualitative and quantitative approaches and their respective histories and rigour requirements.

An introduction reveals the complexity, debates and dialectics that are engaged with during the doctoral supervisory process. Two design issues are discussed. One is research design; the other is supervisor method.

Rigour in interpretive research is distinctive, linked to its characteristics and the unique role of the researcher as an instrument of data collection, conscious of the need to give voice to respondents and preserve their authentic responses. The audit trail is a centrepiece for both rigour and the reflection, reflexivity necessary to address ongoing biases, decisions and dilemmas.

Supervisory conversations are dynamic but there is a core, a set of initial conditions and these relate to the ethics and integrity of the doctoral student and the supervisor.

The paper penetrates the social space where supervisors and doctoral students interact. Within the text, “advice” and seminal ideas are presented from literature and the supervisor's experience that will inform researchers and demonstrate a supervisor method.

The purpose of this paper is to explain the requirements of SEC Rule 613 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which requires national securities exchanges and FINRA jointly to develop a national market system plan (NMS Plan) that provides for the creation, implementation and maintenance of a consolidated order tracking system (“consolidated order trail” or “CAT”) as well as the creation of a central repository responsible for the receipt, consolidation, and retention of all order and quote information for NMS securities.

The paper discusses weaknesses of current, multiple order tracking systems; core features of the framework adopted by the SEC to create a CAT, including the creation of a central repository; key considerations for market participants, including data reporting methods and funding the creation, implementation and maintenance of the CAT; timing and phased implementation of the NMS Plan; security and order types covered by the CAT; persons required to report information to the central repository; reportable events and CAT data elements; timing and reporting to the central repository; ownership, governance and operation of the central repository; access to CAT data; parties required to comply with Rule 613e and the NMS Plan; and governance and operation of the NMS Plan.

Under the requirements of Rule 613, and through the NMS Plan that must be developed by the exchanges and FINRA, the CAT is intended to provide a comprehensive and uniform tracking mechanism for secondary market activity in all NMS securities.

The paper provides guidance by experienced financial services lawyers.

Technological advances (e.g. e‐commerce and the Internet) have changed business practices and the process of recording and storing business transactions. Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) will soon be built into accounting and reporting software which would allow on‐line real‐time preparation, publication, examination, and extraction of financial information. Thus, outside, independent auditors should use continuous, electronic auditing when most financial information exists only in electronic form under real‐time accounting systems. Continuous auditing and its implications for independent auditors, including internal control considerations and audit procedures, are described and analyzed.

The purpose of this paper is to facilitate blockchain innovation immersion in accountancy organizations by providing tools that allow organizations to manage the change. The paper approaches blockchain technology (BT) through the lens of organizational change management, with a specific focus at the organization level.

A hybrid systematic literature review of relevant literature is presented based on recent research papers published in highly ranked scientific journals that capture how accounting organizations might manage the changes induced by BT.

The findings of the review indicate that implementing BT requires some new modus operandi. From individual behavior to organizational structure, the advantages of blockchain must be emphasized in all accounting and auditing organizations. Managers should forge a plan that takes advantage of employees' skills, competencies and talent, implementing forward-looking company procedures and actively deciding how to navigate workplace dynamics, personalities and responsibilities.

The main limitations of the study refer to the infancy of the BT and require the development of knowledge through future studies to allow a more accurate outline of the overall picture and a detailed one of the BT phenomena with applicability to accounting and auditing. At this stage, it is not yet possible to fully envision the implications of BT on professional accounting and auditing organizations. However, there will be clients who adopt BTs, so firms should work with them to understand BT-based accounting and auditing applications. That is, accounting and auditing organizations should expand their skills and knowledge to anticipate and meet clients' needs.

In a constantly digitalizing world, the traditional accounting and educational environment is changing but not quickly enough to meet the requirements of a blockchain accounting system yet. For this reason, practical implications on the daily activities of the organizations and the restructuration of their internal architecture have been revealed in this paper.

The paper approaches blockchain using the lens of organizational change management with a specific focus on the accounting and audit organizations, and it proposes solutions to cope with the arising technological challenges. A challenge itself is the implementation of blockchain, especially when an entity is not ready for the process. Therefore, the SWOT analysis elaborated in this paper and focused on the accounting and auditing firms is an element of novelty and at the same time, a helpful tool highlighting the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of this technology, supporting organizations in assessing how ready they are for its adoption. The research on blockchain in accountancy organizations is still necessary for at least seven key areas which have been proposed and detailed at the end of the paper, bringing in this way clarity in regards to the most endorsed avenues for future research directions.