1.

0 Background
1.1 Introduction
In this era, the role of management accountant has been changed dramatically. First of all,
the scope of management accountant has transferred from historically data record to more real-
time reporting and future predictive. However, studies show that no matter how well the
enterprise system been improved, the management accountants are not efficiency enough as they
treat the system as just a powerful calculator tool. As a position that is required to provide not
only valuable but also relevant information to the enterprise, management accounting has the
responsibility to utilize more of the functions of the system for example descriptive, predictive
and big data analytics. Hence, this paper will includes a few aspects of the research objectives
such as the benefit of big data analysis, the impact of big data analytics on enterprise system,
importance of implementing big data analytics in an enterprise, how an enterprise can gain
competitive advantage from big data analytics, and the skill and knowledge required by the
enterprise to correctly utilize the data.[ CITATION Den17 \l 1033 ]

1.2 Problem Statement

There are a couple of problems that we found regarding our research topic including the
cost to implement software and technology to collect big data is too huge for many small and
medium organizations in Malaysia, causing them to lose the competitive advantage in the
industry. Then, if a company does not fully implement the technology of system to collect big
data, it may cause a huge trouble when doing decision making. Moreover, if the users of big data
do not contain enough knowledge, it may cause them more time and effort to make a decision as
the database is too massive. Lastly, many organizations do not aware of the importance of big
data analytics, hence they may not stay relevant with the steps of other competitors in their
industry.
 1.3 Research Questions
1. What is big data analysis?
2. How does the big data effect a system of an organization whether the organization implement
big data analysis?
3. How organizations can enroll big data analytic in order to improve the business as well as
providing competitive edge?
4. What are the skills required by users when implementing a big data analysis in his or her
company?
5. How does the big data analysis impact on business enterprise system?
6. What are the differences between small data and big data and what is the importance for
companies to implement big data analysis?

1.4 Research Objectives

1. Analyze how a company will be affected when it utilizes the big data in its organization or
when it does not.
2. Analyze the challenges that will be faced by companies when implementing big data analysis.
3. Analyze the enrolment method of big data analytic in the organizations.
4. Analyze the skills and knowledge that a user of big data analysis required in order not to lead
to any false decision.
5. Analyze the use of big data analysis in companies.

1.5 Organization of Sections

The characteristic of Big Data can be expressed by examining the benefits and challenges
of big data, important of implementing, in which discuss about how efficient big data using in
making prediction, also discuss about the skills required by leader and users, and the impact on
enterprise system by using big data in an organization. According to, there are five organization
domains for big data to create value, as well as manufacturing, administration, health care, public
sector, and retail which are based on the size of the potential. These potential organizations with
huge amount of data are required big data solution along with them. Besides, the ‘Conclusions
and future research’ section draws the inference in this paper.
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
What are the differences between big data and traditional data? The term of big data is
defined as the massive amount of data available in a particular subject. In this competitive
market, all enterprise requires to collect all the disorganized data and analyze them into valuable
information such as trends, patterns and human behavior. While doing all these, enterprise will
also attempt to lower the cost of these activities. This section reviews the benefits and
importance of big data analyzing, in addition the challenge and impact of big data analytics and
how should enterprise accurately utilizing these data to make a decision. [ CITATION Jia14 \l
1033 ]

2.2 Benefits of Big Data Analytics toward Business

For organization implement big data analysis in the business, it is expressly accessible at
lower cost points. Data can be taken by the organizations to ensure information technology to
sustain precise, to definite business experimentation for decision makers and sometimes,
determining the customer’s sensitivity to output, business structure and rebirth. By using big data
analysis (new trends), it may get firms out of a tight spot to allow decisions in the real time.
These developments have the potential to revolutionize the transformation creativity, marketing,
and research. Certain organizations, such as eBay, Google, and Amazon, have reviewed as the
commander in advance and examined the terms of the restricted expression to determine
conditions that can increase sales revenue and user reciprocity. Besides, finance adoption is a
powerful experimenter, such as key personnel, who have been emending the methods of their
segment credit card customers. The companies are using big data to rigorously test the ability to
use customer cards to collect transaction data from the customers to advise customer data and to
gather information to analyze new occasions. Furthermore, the reengineering processes probably
utilized within the firms to combine big data analytics to take advantage of big data and leverage
its strengths. Due to the impact of data analytics on infrastructure components, companies must
immediately focus on this issue and gain competitive edge in the future (Alsghaier1, 2017).
 2.2.1 Challenges of Big Data Analytics
The high dimensions and large sample sizes are distinguished by big data. The three
distinct challenges are presented by these two characteristics. Firstly, a large number of samples
in big data are usually aggregated from multiple sources at different points in time using different
techniques. The second is the combination of high dimension and large sample size will cause
problems such as algorithm instability and high computational cost. Finally, the false
correlations, accidental homogeneity and noise accumulation will be caused by high dimension.
This may lead the issues of statistical biases, experimental variations, heterogeneity, and needed
companies for taking advantage of more adaptable and robust procedures. (Jianqing Fan1, 2014)
To deal with these challenges, we should understand various computational method,
computational complexity and information security in analyzing big data. (D. P. Acharjya, 2016)

2.3 The Importance of Implementing Big Data Analysis

Big data provide managers the opportunity to attain information that is relevant and real-
time updated in order to make accurate decision. The more detailed the data the more great the
prediction can be, a best prediction can always lead to best decision. When a company has a
complete enterprise system to structure all the data collected, management accountants are able
to utilize these data to analyze a prediction contrary to a particular case. These data includes
external data such as tweets, email, videos and websites that can give a richer analysis for
enterprise to make proper prediction and decision.[ CITATION Hib17 \l 1033 ] When decision
makers are using these data to analyze the situation and action that should be made, it will also
bring a revolutionary transformation to these people in their point of view of marketing,
management and invention. As different data categories will contribute different information to
them, it will require them to analyze all the data together to make a most suitable decision,
during the time they will gain more experience of analyzing different situations appear in the
competitive market. For example, according to Paul McDonald, senior executive director for
Robert Half, finance and accounting departments must learn how to identify, analyze. This
proves that the management accountant of any enterprise must have the skill first to analyze all
the data and information in order to avoid leading to any wrong decision.[ CITATION yKr15 \l
1033 ]
 2.4 Enrolment of Big Data Analytics in the Organizations to Improve Enterprise
Business and Make Competitive Edge
The organizations can enrol the big data analytic to improve the business by utilizing
Hadoop. Hadoop is an open source software platform which can handle large data sets in a
distributed computing environment. They refer to some big data-related concepts, the rules for
building large data sets in a business environment as well as providing three architectural layers
and point out some graphical tools to be regarded as the unstructured data, indicating how the
business can be improved by popular organizations [ CITATION Ban151 \l 17417 ]. For
example, Google, Twitter and Facebook use cloud-environment to handle big data.
On social media, many companies benefit from gathering data from comments. The
answer to very simple question that is crucial adjusting the business is revealed by companies
[ CITATION Cha15 \l 17417 ]. These organizations can easily use big data analysis and IT
techniques to communicate and distribute the information between various corporations as well
as the business can be enhanced by gathering data from the customers. For example, a
collaborative and reactive approach is developed by IBM to help Italian retirees who need
services like healthcare, which rely on sensors distributed at home to measure calories, O2
levels, humidity, water and electricity as the responsible service will be alerted based on the
abnormal situation. They concentrate on business-oriented databases that are used to extract
business goals as choosing databases to provide important industry topics that measure big data
concerns and the certain companies are categorized into objective groups according to big data
can be showed[ CITATION Hua16 \l 17417 ]. Microsoft and IBM are great illustrative of using
big data analytics to enhance the business. The powerful features are demonstrated by Microsoft
in the field of cloud computing activities comparing to IBM. The method of gathering different
data from users’ profiles and utilizing it to raise the income is used by Twitter and Facebook.
 2.5 Business Analytics Implementation Process

For a company to successfully utilize the big data analytics it has to be aware, understand
and familiarize with the implementation process of it. The prime step in this process would be to
define the objectives of business analytics of a particular company. An overall view of the
requirements is unavailable with the absence of vivid focus in a company. When the objectives
are set according to its greatest importance, it is easier to recognize them as the resources are
accessible especially in a small and medium business that may lack resources in the beginning
stage. [ CITATION yKr15 \l 1033 ]
Next step would be to define the organizational structure. According to Gartner, for a
company to execute business analytics, it is advisable to incorporate both centralized &
decentralized groups. The centralized approach ensures consistency whereas the decentralized
approach is a lot more flexible when it comes to handling company data. [ CITATION yKr15 \l
1033 ]
Creating cross-functional teams is vital. This is due to the best of both worlds of a
management accountant who is well-versed in not only financial activities but also interpreting
data to make decisions. The IT function allows users to personalize the database features
according to suitability of the business. [ CITATION yKr15 \l 1033 ]
Preparing the business analytics framework and plan is a very important step as well.
This step allows the analysis on the necessity of the objectives to be simplified. Business
analytics enables the correct data to meet the analysis objectives without an inaccurate decision
making process. The formal processes for developing business analytics models are supervision,
approval, data privacy and internal control [ CITATION yKr15 \l 1033 ]
Choosing a business analytics software and training would be the following step. Both
the IT and accounting department have to work hand in-hand to make sure the software is up to
the need of business analytics and suits the infrastructures available. There are many cheap and
convenient software for smaller companies as well. However, the focus should not only be on
implementing the software but also on providing an understandable training for the users in
company to add value to the business. [ CITATION yKr15 \l 1033 ]
 Implementing and testing the system is required too as planning alone does not ensure
achievement of company objectives. For this purpose, a project manager to lead a team is
assigned. A review by management accountants is necessary to make sure accurate outcome is
received. These systems should be implemented slowly step-by-step for an efficient execution
and make improvements where necessary. [ CITATION yKr15 \l 1033 ]
Last but not least, evaluation and revision is required. As time passes, evolution of
business model & technology requires development to the system on a time-to-time basis to keep
updated with the current status. Hence, a yearly review of new software options and data sources
is advisable. [ CITATION yKr15 \l 1033 ]

2.6 How Big Data Analysis impact on enterprise system

Big data and business analytics now affect almost every aspect of major company
decisions, strategic analysis and also forecasting[ CITATION Den17 \l 2052 ]. Big data is much
larger but is similar to data mining and business intelligence [ CITATION Lee16 \l 1033 ]. To
maintain the competitive advantage, businesses will create the way by buy, extract and analyze
the millions of data elements from external and internal sources[ CITATION Den17 \l 1033 ].
Big data and business analytics are presence everywhere for any businesses that want to maintain
the competitive and it is also no longer territory of a few of initial innovators and also adopters.
Big data is difficult to analyze and process by using most database management system and
software programs because big data is known as a large or unstructured set of data. The entire of
big data can be derived from traditional trading systems as well as new unstructured sources such
as social media, sensor recording or others. There are four characteristics to describe the big data,
which are the immense volume, high velocity, broad variety and uncertain veracity[ CITATION
Den17 \l 1033 ]. By traditional way, a business and accounting data recorded transaction,
statement of profit and loss, statement of financial position. These data are forecast, sequence
and also familiar with the business. This data is compared with big data. The appeared of big
data will change the task of management accountants. Companies that use big data will invest a
lot of resources to collect, process and ultimately to analyze it so they can expect deeper insights
and knowledge as a result[ CITATION Den17 \l 2052 ]. The data that is complete, precise, valid,
accurate, relevant, consistent and timely is known as a high quality data. The high quality data is
an important business resource for a business that shown by research and the assets also had a
huge impact on the performance of a business. There are also had poor quality data in any type
and any sources that will appear negative impact on the management accountant’s work such as
making wrong decisions. The result of the most appropriate analytical method for applying high
quality is known as valuable analysis and prediction [ CITATION Den17 \l 2052 ].

2.7 Summary

Big data analytics can bring a huge change to an enterprise especially when the enterprise
follows the right method to implement it. The process may generate a couple of challenges for
the enterprise to face with when the system is not mature yet. However, it is a good decision to
implement big data analytics in the daily work of the enterprise as it will guarantee the enterprise
not to lose any competitive advantage and maintain relevant with the current market information.
At this point, leaders and managers should put in more effort to utilize the big data and analyze
the information in order to keep growing their business and their competitive strength compare
with other competitors.
3.0 Discussion

3.1 Role of Management Accounting

Role of Management Accountant

The management accountants perform a series of job to ensure the financial security of
the company, dealing with all financial issues and handling the overall management and strategy
of the business. They have to analyze the accounts and prepares reports such as standard costs,
budgets, variance analysis and interpretation, cash and money flow analysis, liquidity
management, performance evaluation and accountability accounting to control.

Moreover, the cost and financial accounts’ framework are developed by the management
accountant and they produce a report for day-to-day financial and operational decisions. They
need to install and manipulate the management accounting system efficiently as they gather and
clarify the internal accounting information.

Furthermore, the management accountants provide management with the necessary

information to make short-term decisions such as optimal product mix, manufacturing or buying,
leasing or purchasing, product pricing, discontinued products, and long-term decisions such as
capital budgeting, investment valuation and project financing. They also perform staff duties and
have jurisdiction over the accountant and other employees in the office. For instance, they
educate the managers on the requirement to control information and how they are used. They
eliminate the relevant information from the irrelevant information to report it to the management
clearly and interested external parties.
 3.2 Managers Implications

Management accountants play an inarguably vital role in businesses everywhere

especially in this era of global technology advancement and constant innovation. There are
certain areas that management accountants cover in order to bring impact to a particular business
mainly by contributing to stakeholders. These areas are interrelated to one another which
revolves around ethical focus, shared information, trust and rewards. Management accounting
practice with the right approach and performance gauge helps to empower employees under
making decisions. A considerate incentive as a reward for their performance would be a great
motivation.

The employee in an organization adds value when the manager portrays good values and
ethics as a work culture. It may lead to a value synergy effect when both management accountant
and subordinate practice a relationship that works together. This is because the commitment
shown by treating employees as valuable assets instead of tools can create an environment under
management accounting practice more filled with appreciation and the need to improve with the
organizations growth in mind. Hence, when big data analysis is brought in and introduced to the
organization, employees would be keen to develop their skills in this area once the management
accountant communicates the importance and competitive advantage that big data analysis
provides. In conjunction, as big data analysis is mastered wholesomely by the entire workforce
of an organization with the effective guidance of management accountants, a better
understanding of stakeholders is perceived. Therefore, by analysing the data it shows ways to
increase stakeholders’ satisfaction.
 3.3 Future Research

Big data is expected to be utilized only when they are analyzed into useful information.
Hence, the development of techniques which required to analyze the data is important. We found
that the development of powerful computers is a welfare to carry out these techniques leading to
an automated system. By using a high-performance data processing techniques, converting all
these data into information is not a difficult work anymore. Moreover, the big data may be
reduced to only include some of the important information that at a particular point of view of a
subject, and this led to the development of reduction techniques. Moreover, quick processing
while also achieving a high performance of the data, and storing it efficiently is another issue for
enterprise. Additionally, the machine learning concept and tools are gaining popularity among
investigator to facilitate meaningful results from these concepts. The focus point of the research
is on data processing, algorithm implementation, and optimization. Huge change is required for
the machine learning tools recently in order to adopt it for data utilization. Each tool will have
their pros and limitations, more smart tools can be developed for dealing with problems intrinsic
to big data. The smart tools to be developed must have ability and provision to handle the
imbalance data, uncertainty and inconsistency, and missing values.

4.0 Conclusion

The unique moments in the history of data analysis has created by the availability of big data,
lower cost commercial hardware, and new information management and analysis
software[ CITATION Saf18 \l 1033 ]. In this paper we will discuss about the problem statement
of big data and also listed down the research question and research objective about the big data
when process in a company. The convergence of these trends means that we have the first time in
history to quickly and economically analyze the amazing data sets needed[ CITATION Saf18 \l
1033 ]. Overall with the paper, we recognize that a big data is benefit for a company also a
challenge of a company. Although the big data is convenience for business, it impacts the process
in business so when using big data, we need to confirm it is suitable for the business. The
business needs to train the skill of employee to make sure the big data processing smoothly. The
era of big data is here, if business and technology professionals continue to work together and
deliver on promises, these are truly revolutionary times.