Abstract:
Financial institutions continue to increase spending on information system to advance
business transactions by systematizing present processes as businesses are changing
faster with globalization technology to meet the rapid changes in customer demand.
Financial institutions especially banks are considered high-profile target firms for
cybercrime and cyber threat. This has led the researcher to investigate the
effectiveness of Accounting Information System, cybersecurity awareness on
cybersecurity performance. The study is of key importance to the selected universal
banks in Effutu Municipality (Winneba) as well as other firms in the same sector. The
study designs of the study are exploratory and causal research methods. In addition,
quantitative method was applied in data collection and analyses. The study gathered
primary data through questionnaires and analyzed using Statistical Package of Social
Sciences (SPSS) and Smart PLS. The findings of this study indicate that Accounting
Information System used by the selected banks is effective in its operation which
provides quality service, quality information, and user satisfaction to enable
management in its decision making. Also, employees (staff) had a fair knowledge of
cybersecurity-related issues, and that effective Accounting Information System,
demographic characteristics, and level of cybersecurity awareness affects the firm's
cybersecurity performance. The study concludes that the ability of firms to acquire
information system that possesses the required information characteristics and recruit
staff with fair knowledge and understanding of cybersecurity influences reducing
cybercrime-related attacks on the firm's operations. The researcher recommends that
management of the banks should make sure any acquired Accounting Information
System possesses required information system characteristics. Also, management
should take online and system cyber threats as a priority and constantly organize
educative and training programs for its staff on cybersecurity-related issues and
finally, consider the demographic characteristics in their recruitment processes
especially level of education, working experience in a similar sector, and usage of
Accounting Information System when seeking for new staff.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Accounting,
School of Business, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies, in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Business Administration
(Accounting)
in the University of Education, Winneba
OCTOBER, 2021