Data Analytics & Emerging Technologies

Big Data / Data Analytics - Research 

Thought Leadership, Funding Specific Research Projects 

 

Anomalies 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): Addressing Anomalies in Audit Data Analytics 

  • Research team is Efrim Boritz, Greg Shields and Adam Vitalis.  

  • Objective: To investigate how auditors assess which anomalies to investigate in an audit data analytics context. 

  • Design of research instrument is in progress. We are planning to run the data with MAcc students in February 2023.

 

Information Integrity 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): Information Integrity Control Guidelines. 

  • Project team is Efrim Boritz and Malik Datardina, Auvenir. 

  • The objectives are to: 1) define information integrity and to identify information integrity risks and controls for mitigating those risks; 2) define assurance practices for information integrity services; 3) interview or survey audit team members about their views on information integrity risks, controls and assurance practices. 

  • The Framework for Information Integrity Controls was published by CPA Canada in April 2019. In addition, Efrim Boritz assisted the AICPA to develop a guideline on data integrity assurance. 

  • Links: 

 

Emerging Technology Adoption 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): A Framework for Predicting Emerging Technology Adoption Research team: Theo Stratopoulos and Victor Wang. 

  • The objective of this study is to develop a framework for predicting technology diffusion and expected duration of competitive advantage for the average adopting firm. 

  • Accepted at the International Journal of Accounting Information Systems.

 

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): “JIS Workshop on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Research: Views from RPA Industry Leaders and Researchers.”  

  • Research Team: Efrim Boritz and Theophanis C. Stratopoulos. 

  • Journal of Information Systems Forthcoming, no. Spring (2022).

 

IT BUDGETS 1 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): Does Industry Classification Matter: Evidence from IT Budgets 

  • Research team: Duane Kennedy, Byron Song, and Theo Stratopoulos 

  • The objective is to discover if the industry classification and/or the level of aggregation within a selected classification matter. Empirical studies tend to control for industry structure using proxies from one of the common industry classifications (e.g., SIC, Fama-French, NAICS) and select a level of aggregation within this classification (e.g., SIC2 or SIC3). Given these choices are not justified, one could assume that they do not seem to matter. 

  • The paper was presented at the CAAA Annual Meeting in June 2020.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA 1 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): Content Commercialization on Social Media Platforms: Exploring the Viewership of Paid Q&A. 

  • Research Team: Jonathan Hua Ye (SAF), Xueping Yang (Auckland University), Xinwei Wang (Auckland), and Theo Stratopoulos. 

  • The objective of this study is to enlighten content providers and platform organizations on how to facilitate individual users to commercialize content for profits. 

  • This paper was presented at the AAA AIS Midyear Meeting in San Antonio, TX, January 2019. 

  • The paper was published in the Journal of Management Information Systems.

Big Data / Data Analytics – Education and Knowledge Transfer 

Disseminating Best Practices, Sharing Material (Workshops / Conferences) 

Developing Courses, Workshops, Cases and Other Teaching Material 

 

Data Analytics and Visualization – Business Analytics Stream 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): Under Theo Stratopoulos’ leadership UWCISA sponsored the development and implementation of a Business Analytics stream within the accounting program at the University of Waterloo. For information about this stream please visit the links below. 

  • Links: 

 

Data Analytics and Visualization – Data Analytics Process for Accounting Students 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): Theo Stratopoulos and Dan Rogozynski have prepared “An Introduction to the Standard Data Analytics Process for Accounting Students” The paper leverages a tax case to teach accounting students the standard data analytics process. The paper is being prepared for re-submission to the Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting

 

ISACA Toronto Chapter Data Analytics Competition 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): Business Dashboard Competition. The award is sponsored by ISACA's Toronto Chapter. We ran the competition as described at the link below. This initiative is being led by Theo Stratopoulos. 

  • UWCISA: Interactive Business Dashboard Competition

 

UWCISA Predictive Analytics Competition 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): Predictive Analytics Competition  

  • A new competition among second year SAF students with focus on predictive analytics. This initiative is being led by Theo Stratopoulos. 

  • Out of over 400 students (organized in over 80 teams) from the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF), 25 second year students, organized into 7 teams, were individually selected to compete in the first UWCISA predictive analytics competition. Each team developed predictive models to help a liquor retailer that operates almost 80 stores across USA, determine whether it should pursue a pricing promotion. Each team leveraged years of data ranging from purchases and sales to weather information, using analytics techniques such as regression modelling and time-series forecasting. 

  • The top teams presented their analysis, and their recommendation, to a panel of distinguished judges. The panel consisted of Derek Bodkin, VP Insurance New Business at Canada Life, M. Jameel Hussain, Chief Financial Officer at Marina Homes Inc. Judy M Pin, Business Analysis Consultant, and Neil Shay, CEO (Chief Executive Officer) & General Manager of Caradoc Townsend Mutual Insurance Company. 

 

CPAO – Online Data Analytics Workshop 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): Online Data Analytics Workshop 

  • 2-hour hands-on introduction to analytics open to all students registered with CPA Ontario 

  • Presented by Louise Hayes January 27, 2022 

 

CPAO – “Using Data Analytics Within the Organization: A 'Low-Hanging Fruit' Approach” 

  • Activities during current fiscal period (cumulative): “Using Data Analytics Within the Organization: A 'Low-Hanging Fruit' Approach” 

  • Digital Financial Information. 

  • Presented by Theo Stratopoulos on March 11, 2022, at the Schulich Centre

 

Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning