Recently been pondering adding an Accounting Analytics class to our program. Analytics strikes me as one of those topics we all talk about but does not have agreement on what it actually is. I'm not convinced anyone truly knows what constitutes analytics. So, what should be included in an upper-division (think senior level, possibly cross listed as a graduate course) class in accounting analytics.
I'd probably try to include some kind of modeling, including Monte Carlo Simulations and assessment of variability within models as important in such a class What say you?
1 - Statistics and probability (I think a lot of people working with figures and forecasting in particular lack knowledge on the principles behind such technics an example could be Simpson paradox).
2 - Data governance and management (How to determine the data and data structures that are relevent for a given business using causality principles).
3 - Modeling technics (statistical when business types support such technics and none statistical when business type offers better means)