Technology and accounting convergence: factors influencing cloud accounting information systems adoption by accountants in the era of accounting 4.0

Abstract

Many organisations are widely adopting cloud computing to boost their efficiency and reap various benefits. The recent advancement in accounting, termed “Accounting 4.0”, seeks to use the benefits of the “Cloud Accounting Information System (CAIS).” The CAIS enables better collaboration among various stakeholders in business, including proprietors, accountants, auditors, and clients. However, accountants, especially those in developing countries like India, have not fully utilized CAIS, and there is a lack of studies on the key factors (individual, organizational, and environmental) that influence their intentions to adopt it. This research proposed a conceptual model integrating two well-known models, the “Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE)” model and the “Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)”, to understand what drives accountants to adopt CAIS. The “Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM)” techniques were used to test and validate the proposed framework. The results indicate that security concerns, organizational readiness, competitive advantages, and government support are the major factors influencing accountants' behavioral intentions to use CAIS. This study offers a multi-level (individual–organisational–environmental) approach that has rarely been examined in prior research, making it one of the first empirical studies to integrate the TAM and the TOE frameworks to understand accountants' intention to adopt CAIS in a developing-country context. The study results can help accounting firms and other stakeholders encourage and support CAIS adoption among accountants, especially in developing countries.