THE ROLE OF ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN FIRMS’ PERFORMANCE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

This paper investigates the influence of accounting information systems (AIS) on firms’ performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they help enhance employees’ performance and the external auditing process. This paper is qualitative in nature using the inductive approach. In-depth primary data were gathered through semi-structured interviews conducted in the year 2020. Due to the pandemic, the interviews with ten auditors were done online through the Zoom software application. The empirical findings of this paper show a positive impact of AIS on firms’ performance and a more significant influence on employees’ performance and the auditing process. AIS reduces costs and human errors, eases operations, speeds up work tasks, and increases employees’ productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings also show that there is no direct impact on firms’ overall cash flow/revenues. This paper increases our understanding of how AIS can influence and improve firms’ performance and the significance of implementation factors such as training. It provides practical guidelines for regulators and managers to utilize accounting information systems to perform better.