Accounting Information Systems as a strategic enabler: linking business intelligence to performance and sustainability in the Unicorn firms of Indonesia and Malaysia
Accounting Information Systems as a strategic enabler: linking business intelligence to performance and sustainability in the Unicorn firms of Indonesia and Malaysia

Summary/Abstract: In this study we examine how Accounting Information Systems (AIS) function as a strategic enabler in the relationship between Business Intelligence (BI) capabilities and sustainability performance (SP) among unicorn startups in Indonesia and Malaysia, with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration serving as a contextual amplifier. Grounded in the Resource-Based View (RBV), Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, and Dynamic Capabilities View (DCV), the research employs a quantitative cross-sectional design. Data were collected in 2024-2025 from 102 professionals across 12 Indonesian and Malaysian unicorn firms - including GoTo, Bukalapak, Traveloka, and Mekari - via a structured online questionnaire. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Results confirm that BI capabilities positively influence SP both directly and indirectly through AIS effectiveness, which fully mediates this relationship. Furthermore, ESG integration positively moderates the AIS-SP link. The findings demonstrate that digital sustainability in high-growth startups is not driven by technology alone but by the strategic orchestration of BI, AIS, and ESG. The study concludes with actionable recommendations for Indonesian policymakers and, critically, for Malaysian stakeholders seeking to accelerate their digital sustainability maturity by learning from Indonesia’s «natural policy laboratory.»

• Details
• Contents