Abstract
Purpose – The current study aims to clarify the importance of big data analytics and its role in changing the accounting profession and the roles of accountants, in addition to testing the impact of big data analytics on improving financial reporting quality in the Saudi environment. 
 Design/ methodology/ approach – To achieve the study's goals and validate hypotheses, relevant previous literature and research are referred. Also, a field study is conducted by distributing a questionnaire of (154) individual academics, financial analysts, accountants, and experts in the field of analyzing big data in the Kingdom of Saudi in 2019. Data are analyzed by using the program of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 17.0). 
 Findings – The study concluded that although business organizations face several challenges when analyzing data, big data analytics has a significant role in achieving high competitiveness for institutions, improving the accounting information quality, providing appropriate information that helps in rationalizing decisions within the economic unit, and providing future information affecting stakeholder's decisions. The study also has proved that there is a statistically significant effect of big data analytics on improving the quality of accounting information, as big data analytics clearly affects the characteristics of the accounting information quality, positively affecting the quality of financial reports.
 Originality/ Value – Originality/ Value – The analytics of big data is one of the most important topics where it positively affects the improvement of accounting information quality, which reflects on financial reporting quality. Hence, academics and institutions should pay attention to this topic and follow their new ideas. The present study is one of the first studies that deal with this topic and examine the relationship between big data analytics and the characteristics of accounting information which positively affecting financial reporting quality.
Highlights
The world is witnessing what is called "the fourth industrial revolution" led by big data resulting from technological development and automation
According to (Krahel et al, 2015), previously, companies have been suffering from a decrease of data and information, but huge amounts of big data are available from many sources which increase the value and skill of accountants and accounting profession
The current study explores the importance of analyzing big data in improving the quality of accounting information, positively affecting the quality of financial reports
Summary
The world is witnessing what is called "the fourth industrial revolution" led by big data resulting from technological development and automation. 2.3 The Importance of Big Data Analytics According to studies of (Ace Cloud Hosting Editor, 2020; Rembert, 2020; Georde, et al, 2018; Appelbaum, et al, 2018; Sun, et al, 2018; Gashi and Saed, 2018, Janssen et al, 2017; Cao et al, 2015), big data analytics plays a significant role in providing a highly competitive advantage for institutions, creating the value, rationalizing decision- making, contributing to a comprehensive vision of the company, creating future strategic planning, adopting a developed strategy and roadmap for business organizations, improving information quality, real-time access, supporting integrated reporting more effectively, the data that use in reports will be more agile and accurate compared to data sets forecasted in the past, improving risk management, discovering opportunities to reduce costs, increasing companies' profits, providing better services to clients and optimizing customer relationships, increasing opportunities for innovations in developing processes and products, promoting business intelligence, helping in taking future decisions, as well as promoting the efficiency and accuracy of predictive analytics, its ability to illuminate previously unseen insights, predict future outcomes, and automate nonroutine financial tasks, increase the Efficiency of Acquisition. Big data analytics leads to improving the Qualitative characteristics of accounting information, and improving accounting information quality, which reflects positively on the quality of financial reports
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
