The Impact Of Information Technology On Performance: The Mediating Role Of Management Accounting Systems

Abstract

Kertas kerja ini melaporkan hasil kajian yang menerangkan hubungan antara kecanggihan Teknologi Maklumat (IT) dan prestasi firma yang bersaiz kecil dan sederhana (SMEs), dengan memasukkan ke dalam model kajian, keupayaan sistem perakaunan pengurusan untuk menghasilkan maklumat perakaunan pengurusan (kapasiti MAS). Bagi menguji hubungan tersebut, data telah dikumpul daripada 310 firma menggunakan kaedah soal selidik. Hasil ujian menunjukkan bahawa kecanggihan IT merupakan penentu kepada kapasiti MAS, sementara kapasiti MAS pula akan menentukan prestasi firma. Dalam kata lain, kapasiti MAS memainkan peranan sebagai penghubung antara kecanggihan IT dengan prestasi firma. Interpretasi hasil ujian ini ialah firma yang menggunakan IT yang lebih canggih akan dapat menghasilkan maklumat perakaunan pengurusan yang mencukupi dan seterusnya dapat meningkatkan prestasi firma. Kata kunci: Teknologi Maklumat, sistem maklumat, sistem perakaunan pengurusan, sistem maklumat perakaunan, industri kecil dan sederhana This paper reports the results of a study which offers an explanation for the relationship between Information Technology (IT) sophistication and performance of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), by incorporating into the model of the capability of management accounting systems to generate management accounting information (MAS capacity). To assess the relationship, data were collected from 310 (25% response rate) SMEs by way of questionnaire surveys. The results indicate that IT sophistication is a determinant of MAS capacity, which, in turn, is a determinant of firm performance. In other words, MAS capacity plays a mediating role in the relationship between IT sophistication and firm performance. An interpretation of the results is that those firms that employed sophisticated IT can generate sufficient management accounting information and thereby improve performance. Key words: Information Technology, information systems, management accounting system, accounting information systems, small and medium enterprises