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An International Meeting of American Accounting
Association
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XBRL: The Effects of Search-Facilitated Technology on Nonprofessionals' Search Strategy and Financial Statement Analysis |
Ann C. Dzuranin
University of South Florida
Abstract: Recently the SEC adopted a ruling to establish a program related to eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL). The adoption of the voluntary filing program could well be the first step toward mandatory XBRL filing. Even if the SEC mandates XBRL, it will only be useful if the financial statement users are able to access this information and make better decisions as a result. This paper addresses this issue. Will investors make better decisions using the search-facilitated technology than they currently make using standard financial statement formats? The implication of XBRL reporting is that by providing a better way to search, better decisions will result. This paper reports the results of an experiment that examines how the search tool impacts search strategy of nonprofessional investors and in turn the quality of decisions made.