Deal Doctors: Data Analytics Use in the Financial Due Diligence

Abstract

Based on a case study of a Big Four accounting firm in Sweden, this paper explores how calculative culture shapes the use of data analytics (DA) tools in financial due diligence. It finds that DA use patterns can be traced back to interrelated practices (e.g., reconciliations) and norms (e.g., auditability) of data and model use. By bringing together the concepts of calculative culture and heavy-/lightweight IT, it provides an accounting-based explanation for the (non-) use of DA among accounting professionals. Furthermore, it offers new insights into why many areas of accounting have remained Excel strongholds.