Automation technologies in accounting and auditing within public accounting firms

Automation technologies in accounting and auditing within public accounting firms During recent years new trends related to technology have developed at a rapid pace, accounting and auditing are the professions more vulnerable to the change. Even if the positivity or negativity of these developments, it is necessary to understand deeply the meaning of words as Internet of Things, big data, cloud accounting, robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain in order to better understand their effects within public accounting firms. It was observed an higher research activity for what concern the auditing field with respect of the accounting one, this study will so focus also to accounting profession so as to compare the evolution of both of the disciplines affected by these new technologies. With this study it is intended to investigate the effects of the application of these technologies on accounting and auditing field. In particular the purpose is to dig up the pros and cons of these automations within the professionals’ perceptions of the possible future developments. The research will be conducted through questionnaires and interviews with auditors and accountants of the greater public accounting firms with a focus on the quality rather than the quantity of the data gathered. The research questions that are the cornerstone of this study are: 1) How the cutting-edge technologies are affecting the accounting and auditing field and the relative professions? 2) What are the accountants and auditors’ stances compared to the automation technologies impact?