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Key research themes
1. How does XBRL adoption impact the quality, transparency, and utility of financial reporting?
Research in this area investigates whether the implementation of XBRL improves the inherent qualities of financial reports, including accuracy, comparability, timeliness, transparency, and stakeholder usefulness. Such studies are critical because XBRL aims to transform financial reporting by shifting it from static paper or PDF formats to a dynamic, machine-readable language, potentially enhancing decision-making for regulators, investors, and businesses.
Key finding: This empirical analysis of 23 Indian companies from 2005 to 2020 found that XBRL adoption significantly improved financial reporting quality by enhancing timeliness, relevance, reliability, clarity, and comparability. The... Read more
Key finding: Based on literature reviews and interviews, this study verifies that the 'Core & More' reporting paradigm—compatible with XBRL initiatives—structurally improves corporate report transparency and stakeholder comprehension. It... Read more
Key finding: This conceptual analysis highlights how XBRL’s technical features, including semantic taxonomies and tag-based data structures, enable Enhanced Business Reporting to offer greater transparency and interaction. The paper... Read more
Key finding: A systematic review of 46 articles identifies a consistent but slowed growth of research on XBRL’s impact post-2014, emphasizing benefits such as increased accuracy, integrity, efficiency, and reduced information asymmetry.... Read more
Key finding: Through bibliometric analysis of 370 documents, this study reveals a broad scholarly interest focused on XBRL’s transformational potential for digital reporting. It confirms that research gravitates toward XBRL’s role in... Read more
2. What factors influence awareness, adoption, and perceived benefits of XBRL among stakeholders, particularly in developing or multi-cultural contexts?
This theme explores the degree of stakeholder (preparers, users, and regulators) awareness and understanding of XBRL, as well as perceived compatibility and challenges during adoption. Research focuses especially on emerging markets such as Malaysia, investigating how cultural, regulatory, and technological environments impact XBRL uptake. Understanding these factors is key to crafting effective strategies to promote XBRL implementation and maximize its benefits.
Key finding: This survey-based study shows a majority of Malaysian stakeholders were unaware of XBRL, with only about 3.1% fully understanding it and 18% grasping basic concepts. Nevertheless, 67.2% expressed interest in investigating... Read more
Key finding: Employing Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) models, this research finds that future Malaysian adopters recognize positive impacts of XBRL on financial reporting, audits, and... Read more
Key finding: This investigation corroborates limited stakeholder awareness and comprehension of XBRL in Malaysia’s multicultural environment. It situates XBRL as an emerging technology with potential to outpace traditional electronic... Read more
Key finding: Surveying the top 100 Malaysian public-listed companies reveals zero adoption of XBRL reporting despite regulatory encouragement. This underlines organizational, technical, and cultural challenges impeding adoption and serves... Read more
Key finding: This study confirms low awareness among Malaysian stakeholders, with a majority not understanding XBRL’s core aspects. However, a significant faction shows investigative intention, suggesting potential growth if supported by... Read more
3. What are effective technological and architectural approaches for storing, validating, and querying XBRL data to support decision making in financial reporting systems?
This theme addresses the technical challenges and innovations in managing XBRL data. It examines database architectures optimized for XBRL’s hierarchical and extensible structures, validation techniques for complex taxonomies, and flexible query languages that can effectively handle fuzzy or imprecise queries on XBRL datasets. Such technological foundations are essential for realizing XBRL’s promise of rapid accessibility and interoperability of business data.
Key finding: This article systematically compares storage models and validation approaches specific to XBRL, including Inline XBRL, advocating hybrid solutions that combine XML-native storage with relational techniques to optimize... Read more
Key finding: Describes 'Tamino,' a database system designed explicitly for XML data management, highlighting how its architecture overcomes limitations of traditional relational DBMSs in handling semi-structured XML—including XBRL—through... Read more
Key finding: Provides a comprehensive survey of XBRL technologies including taxonomies, metadata standards, and their integration for decision support systems. It details how XBRL mitigates interoperability issues across diverse... Read more
Key finding: Though not XBRL-specific, this paper introduces flexible query languages based on fuzzy set theory that can be adapted to query XBRL data, especially when user preferences or data precision are uncertain. The taxonomies... Read more
Key finding: Proposes a novel app-based system for financial reporting leveraging technological advances, including real-time data integration and customization, which could be aligned with XBRL infrastructures to enhance user-tailored... Read more