Authors
Marton Sakal & Lazar Rakovic
Abstract
Spreadsheet programs are one of the widest-used types of modern-day programs, with a dominant, but not exclusive use in the business sphere. The experience of the past three decades has shown that errors in their utilization are constantly present, despite constant progress in the possibilities of electronic tables.
This article presents some of the errors in creating and using electronic tables that have caused serious financial consequences, and several development models aimed at minimizing such errors.
Sample
Spreadsheet development and use typically follows these six steps. This diagram is from Read & Batson (1999).
Electronic tables are a part of daily operations of a large number of companies, starting from tables of modest complexity used to keep record, through those of greater complexity such as advanced reports which are to provide support to the decision making process, to small information systems which are created in spreadsheet programs.
The paper presents some examples of errors (which were found in specialist literature) in creating/using electronic tables which had serious financial consequences. As a possible response to the requirement for error minimization some development models of electronic tables have been described.
Publication
2012, Strategic Management, Volume 17, Number 3, pages 29-35
