Examining how accounting is influenced by industry 4.0 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

The study aimed to examine how accounting is influenced by Industry 4.0 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Grounded in the interpretivism paradigm and a phenomenology research design, the study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of accounting firms’ response to the implementation of Industry 4.0. The target population were accountants in KwaZulu Natal. A sample size of 13 accounting executives participated and completed the study. Data for the study was collected through in-depth telephone interviews with the purposively selected participants who were accounting executives. The qualitative data from the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The study findings show the dearth of academic research on Industry 4.0 in the accounting sector in South Africa. The findings reflected that accounting firms have a history of being hesitant to adopt modern and innovative technologies and as a result, their practices are increasingly incompatible with the expectations of their clients who may prefer the flexibility and speed brought by Industry 4.0. The findings indicate further that Industry 4.0 is influencing how financial statements are prepared, presented, stored, and communicated to stakeholders. In addition, the study revealed that Industry 4.0 enabled financial information to be collected and processed in real-time which supports effective and efficient decision-making. The study found that resistance to change, lack of skilled staff and organisation's resources present a challenge to Industry 4.0 technology adoption. Findings showed that it's the responsibility of firm leadership to create the vision, plan and communicate to communicate the Industry 4.0 vision and goals to all stakeholders. The study found that cybersecurity breaches have severe economic and reputation implications for accounting firms. In addition, the findings revealed that management experience stress when dealing with the aftermath of a cybersecurity breach. The study recommends that accounting firms consider investing in cyber insurance policies to lessen the costs associated with cybersecurity breaches. Universities and other institutions of higher learning must consider introducing data analytics and advanced accounting systems in the accounting curriculum. The study further recommends that businesses periodically back up their data and have safeguards in place to secure client information. Findings from this study can inform policy, research, and practice in South Africa's accounting sector in terms of Industry 4.0 adoption.