The purpose of this research was to conduct a questionnaire survey of accountants in UK listed companies (FTSE All Share), external auditors, tax practitioners and representatives of the investment management and analyst communities to investigate their views on how the development of second-generation digital reporting in general, and XBRL in particular, could affect the future of the business reporting and analysis process.
Theresa Dunne
University of Dundee
Professor Christine Helliar
University of Dundee
Andrew Lymer
University of Birmingham
Rania Mousa
University of Birmingham
The study explored digital reporting using a questionnaire survey of stakeholder perceptions of the technology. Chapter 2 provides some context and background to the research and presents an overview of the digital reporting literature. In particular, the key studies exploring the use of Internet reporting in general are outlined. The chapter also provides an overview of XBRL and discusses the benefits and difficulties associated with the technology. This background is designed to provide some context for the empirical work described later in the report.
Chapter 3 outlines the research approach employed in the study. The research was facilitated by means of a questionnaire survey to a variety of corporate stakeholders. This questionnaire was designed to:
Chapter 4 outlines the results of the questionnaire survey. The perspectives of preparers, tax practitioners, users and auditors on digital reporting facilitate a more holistic understanding of the implications of the technology.
Chapter 5 draws on the evidence presented in the empirical chapters to highlight key findings and provide recommendations for practice.