Automation in Accounting Tasks Amidst SMEs: Finland vs. Germany
Vagul, Grete (2023)
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023092826537
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023092826537
Tiivistelmä
The goal of this thesis is to research and find the current differences in the automation of the accounting tasks of accounts payable and accounts receivable, amongst small and medium sized companies, in the countries of Finland and Germany. The main goal also includes the aspect of the comparative analysis of the results from both countries, which is introduced at the end of this thesis.
The automation of different accounting tasks is a developing field, which gives the different developers in different countries the right to interpret and implement it in their own way. This in turn creates gaps between the automation levels of accounting tasks in different countries or even in different accounting software. The main line of the automation though remains the same, save time and save money. The most popular way to do that, is through the usage of RPA which automates routine tasks such as data entry and through that optimizes the efficiency of the company.
This study was conducted using the qualitative approach through a survey that was implemented in the countries of Finland and Germany and a literature review through which the author acquired additional information. The survey was put in place to gather data from the firsthand users of different accounting software regarding the automation of accounts payable and accounts receivable. Based on the information collected, a comparative analysis was conducted.
The results of the data analysis indicate that from the accounting task automation present in the two countries, the automation in Finland is a bit more advanced than the automation present in the German software. The main findings show that the most automated parts of A/P and A/R in the German software often times mainly include the automation of data entry while the automation of A/P and A/R in the Finnish software exhibits the possibility of automated payment tracking and invoice processing. Naturally, in Finland the automation of A/P and A/R is made easier through the function of the e-invoice, which is currently not widely used in Germany, but is planned to be made mandatory, at least on a B2B level, on 1st of January 2026.
The automation of different accounting tasks is a developing field, which gives the different developers in different countries the right to interpret and implement it in their own way. This in turn creates gaps between the automation levels of accounting tasks in different countries or even in different accounting software. The main line of the automation though remains the same, save time and save money. The most popular way to do that, is through the usage of RPA which automates routine tasks such as data entry and through that optimizes the efficiency of the company.
This study was conducted using the qualitative approach through a survey that was implemented in the countries of Finland and Germany and a literature review through which the author acquired additional information. The survey was put in place to gather data from the firsthand users of different accounting software regarding the automation of accounts payable and accounts receivable. Based on the information collected, a comparative analysis was conducted.
The results of the data analysis indicate that from the accounting task automation present in the two countries, the automation in Finland is a bit more advanced than the automation present in the German software. The main findings show that the most automated parts of A/P and A/R in the German software often times mainly include the automation of data entry while the automation of A/P and A/R in the Finnish software exhibits the possibility of automated payment tracking and invoice processing. Naturally, in Finland the automation of A/P and A/R is made easier through the function of the e-invoice, which is currently not widely used in Germany, but is planned to be made mandatory, at least on a B2B level, on 1st of January 2026.