Relevance of data mining for accounting: social implications

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to show that in a time of globality, companies operate in a business environment in which high speed dictates mutual interactions and, at the same time, requires a radically different approach to data collection, storage, and processing based on an integrated view of the data. Design/methodology/approach - The author believes that frauds in the corporate environment after the fall of the Berlin Wall have to be investigated through the similarity of models under which citizens are subjugated by means of financial machination by the ruling political and economic elites. Findings - The innovativeness of data mining techniques is reflected primarily in the radical turn away from the retrospective data access that used to be typical of decision support systems, toward prospective and proactive information delivery. Data mining is a technique offering undeniable benefits by improving the quality of life and making one's life easier, and bringing more order and responsibility into the behavior of institutions. But on the other hand, data mining poses numerous questions relating to privacy, legality and ethics. The trouble is that there is a permanent threat of using data mining applications beyond the limits of its original purposes. Practical implications - The New Economy, whose driving force is new information and communication technologies (ICTs), requires new accounting practice which directs the measuring system to a pattern which connects the value concept and the action that will generate future profit. Originality/value - The paper is a plea for proactive company actions aimed at strengthening control mechanisms and internal controls. The future will bring a growing demand for forensic accounting services.