Thursday, December 31, 2015

Oversight Panels of MACC


The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is a government agency in Malaysia that investigates and prosecutes corruption in the public and private sectors. The agency was originally modeled after top anti-corruption agencies, such as the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) of Hong Kong and New South Wales, Australia.  Since its establishment in 2009, the MACC has been steadily discharging its duties and responsibilities as the primary agency tasked with weeding out corruption in Malaysia. In order to ensure MACC’s independence, transparency and professionalism, five separate and independent oversight bodies were formed to monitor the functions of the MACC an act as a check-and-balance. Members of these panels represent the general public and include senior former government officials, politicians (both from the government and the opposition), professionals, academicians, lawyers and individuals of high standing in society.
There are currently five independent bodies that monitor the MACC to ensure its integrity and to protect citizens’ rights. The five bodies are namely: the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board, the Special Committee on Corruption, the Complaints Committee, the Operations Review Panel, and the Corruption Consultation and Prevention Panel.  The existence of these independent oversight committees is a reflection of the MACC’s impartiality and independence, compared with the ACA. The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) is greatly honoured that two of its research fellows/ associates are in these independent oversight bodies.  Professor Dr Normah Omar is member of the Operation Review Panel and Professor Dr Syed Noh Syed Ahmad is member of Corruption Consultation Panel. 


Sunday, December 27, 2015

Role of Universities in the Fight Against Corruption

This is an interesting excerpt from University World News titled A ‘whole-of-university’ approach: Role of Universities to fight corruption

It is important to highlight that, at university level, curricula typically lack components that would contribute to a non-tolerance of such conduct.  There are good reasons for higher education to take on these challenges.

  • First, on a global level, corruption is considered one of the major obstacles for meaningful democracy, economic wealth and human well-being.
  • Second, apart from direct costs, both petty and grand corruption erodes social trust and contributes to reinforcing dysfunctional norms in a society. As social trust is needed in most undertakings of collective action, this can in turn undermine the ability of states to collect taxes.
  • Third, societies governed by corrupt systems and unethical norms provide a breeding ground for economic crisis. Whatever the underlying causes of economic and financial crisis, many governments react by introducing austerity measures.


The combination of crisis and austerity is likely to amplify unemployment, poverty and inequality, which in turn – directly or indirectly – may lead to increased morbidity, mortality and human suffering.  Adding to that, austerity measures often strike particularly hard against those unconnected with the causes of the crisis, which may further lead to an erosion of both trust and legitimacy in our democratic institutions.

From the numerous interactions from which we infer our trust in others, it is clear that reaching out only to students of law and public policy will fail to have the desired effects. To name but a few: your banker is likely to be an economist; engineers are often central in public procurement; doctors, nurses and administrators alike are all points of contact in the health sector.


Thus, for universities to optimise their roles as drivers of change towards social capital, health and well-being, a ‘whole-of-university’ promotion is needed.  Recognising the university sector’s potential, as well as its responsibility to help shape the moral contours of society for the better, we ask institutions of higher education to:

    Endorse a cross-faculty approach to include components of ethics and anti-corruption in curricula.
  • Teach teachers to encourage and facilitate the incorporation of ethics issues within their classes.
  • Appreciate the opportunity to shape professional identities, which set the boundaries of future acceptable behaviour.
  • 'Talk the talk' and 'walk the walk' – that is, in addition to educating on ethical behaviour it is crucial that universities – as agents providing a public good – themselves act accordingly, ensuring impartiality in teaching, student assessment and research and that matters regarding awards of degrees, employment and promotions are based on transparent and objective criteria.
Through this initiative, higher education can play its part in the global fight against corruption.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20141113110707222

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Research Projects for 2016

On the second day of the Retreat, researchers presented their research proposals.  For each proposal, the outcome must include producing at least 2 Masters or 1 PhD students, four indexed publications, one of which must be in Q1/Q2, 1 innovative product with intellectual property, 1 international networking with research program and sourcing of grants of at least RM100,000.  The Islamic-based  Business Model  in Enhancing Good Governance and Wealth Creation research cluster presented five research projects on Islamic microfinance, iBiz Waqaf, social enterprise economics, Islamic philanthropy and shariah audit.  The Corporate Integrity, Ethics and Risk Management research cluster proposes four projects on anti-corruption in public sector, Public sector governance, corporate integrity system and risk management & governance.  The Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Fraud Mechanisms to Mitigate Financial Leakages research cluster  showcases four projects: FATF standards Implementation by designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBP), AML/CFT in financial institutions, Predicting Fraudulent and Non-Fraudulent Companies Using Multilayer Perceptron of ANN and Money Laundering typologies involving cases on indirect tax evasion and 
smuggling.  Meanwhile, the Methodologies in Financial Fraud Detection and Prevention research cluster showcases five projects, all involving the use of ICT and other computerized technologies to detect and predict the occurrences of financial fraud.  One research project led by Professor Dr Takiah specifically examines the behavioural aspects of fraud and fraudsters. 

Saturday, December 19, 2015

ARI Research Retreat

Members of the Accounting Research Institute (ARI) participated in a recent research retreat in Seremban Negeri Sembilan 0n 18-20 December 2015.  Premised on the research theme Islamic Financial Criminology, ARI develops four research clusters namely (i) Islamic-based  Business Model  in Enhancing Good Governance and Wealth Creation, (ii) Corporate Integrity, Ethics and Risk Management, (iii) Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Fraud Mechanisms to Mitigate Financial Leakages and (iv) Methodologies in Financial Fraud Detection and Prevention.  Within each research cluster, there are between 3-4 research projects.  ARI research niche Islamic Financial Criminology is aimed to support Malaysia's aspiration to become an Islamic Finance Hub by 2020.  ARI believes that a sustainable Islamic Finance Industry is built on three very important thrusts: Firstly the need to introduce new Islamic finance products which are beyond Islamic Banking.  ARI is focusing on i-Waqaf, Islamic microfinance, Social Enterprise Economics and Islamic Philanthropy.  Secondly, the need to place proper governance mechanism to the industry.  As such, ARI gives a lot of focus on research related to corporate integrity, shariah audit, risk management and anti-corruption mechanisms.  Thirdly to develop methodologies to mitigate financial leakages.  Methodologies such as the use of Big Data, Data Analytic, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Data Mining will be explored as possible research topics.
 

 

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

International Conference on Islamic Economics, Governance and Social Enterprise - Day 2

Day 2

Day 2 of IConIGS 2015 started with more participants presenting in parallel sessions.  After the morning break, Professor Rafiqul Islam Molla, Advisor to the Islamic International University Chittagong, Bangladesh presented a special paper on Social Enterprise Economics.  the voluntary sector or community sector (also non-profit sector or "not-for-profit" sector) is the duty of social activity undertaken by organizations that are not for-profit and non-governmental. This sector is also called the third sector in contrast to the public sector and the private sector. Civic sector or social sector are other terms for the sector, emphasizing its relationship to civil society.  Following Professor Molla's special address, there was a plenary session.  Moderated by Prof Dato' Dr Mustafa Mohamed Hanefah, the session was facilitated by two plenary speakers, namely Mr Md Khairuddin Hj Arshad, Chief Operating Officer of Bank Rakyat, Malaysia and Mr Zainal Abidin, Director of Social Enterprise Dompet Dhuafa, Indonesia.  Whilst Mr Khairuddin discusses the role of the financial sector in enhancing the  development of social enterprise; Mr Zainal Abidin shares his personal experiences in the setting up of social enterprise economics.  Later in the afternoon, participants were invited to participate in an Office Bearer meeting, to discuss the association's activities for the next two years. Participants were reminded that the Social Enterprise economics, together with micro-finance, non-profit organisations and the cooperatives constitute main components of the third sector.   Note that, in general, 

Monday, December 14, 2015

International Conference on Islamic Economics, Governance and Social Enterprise - Day 1

Day 1
A two-day International Conference on Islamic Economics, Governance and Social Enterprise (IConIGS) 2015 was successfully held on 14-15 December, 2015 in Melaka City, Malaysia.  The conference is jointly organized by the Accounting Research Institute (ARI) & Zakat Research Institute (IKaZ) of Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia; International Islamic University of Chittagong, Bangladesh;  Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim, Malang, Indonesia;  University of Riau, Indonesia; Malaysian Accountancy Research and Education Foundation and Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Malaysia.  The main aim of the conference is to bring together academics, practitioners and industrial experts to a common forum on the issue of social business, social enterprise, non-profit organizations and development of philanthropy. The conference provides an excellent opportunity for exchange of ideas and information among researchers, academicians, practitioners and students. The conference is expected to provide meaningful findings and recent updates on the issues of social business, social enterprise and non-profit organizations in general.  Following last year's conference decision in Chittagong, Bangladesh, an International Association of Social Enterprise Economics (IASEE) was established and registered in Malaysia.  IASEE was launched by Melaka State Exco, Y.B.  Datuk Wira Latiff bin Datuk Thamby Chik  after the official opening ceremony at the Avillon Hotel Melaka.  Prior to the opening event, representatives of the main organisers and sub-organisers gave short speeches about their universities and research centres.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

ACCA MaSRA Award 2015

A few ARI research fellows, headed by the Asia-Pacific Centre for Sustainability (APCeS) head, Associate Professor Dr Faizah Darus have been involved as assessors for the annual MaSRA award which is co-organized by the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA).  In the recent MaSRA Award event, Axiata Group Bhd was adjudged the overall champion in the ACCA Malaysia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ACCA MaSRA) for 2015.  
Axiata Group beat 50 other participants in the competition, which is in its 12th year. The competition is supported by TalentCorp and endorsed by Bursa Malaysia.  Out of the 51 organisations which took part, 20 were shortlisted with the final winners decided by a panel of judges led by Securities Commission Malaysia’s executive director of market development Goh Ching Yin.  Axiata’s report impressed the judges for the level of disclosure, which is seen to be robust and showed a good understanding of sustainability-related risks in their operations across various countries, which each have different sustainability reporting requirements.  Beyond reporting, the company also put in place policies and practices for not only its Malaysia operations but the group as a whole to ensure sustainable practices are adopted globally. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar presented the awards at a ceremony attended by 250 business leaders and guests.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

MIA Symposium with BOD

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) were extremely honoured to be invited to participate at a recent Corporate Board Leadership Symposium 2015 organised by the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA). Themed "Powering the Board to the Next Level”, the symposium focuses on understanding the challenges and opportunities facing boardrooms today. ARI director, Professor Dr Normah Omar, has been invited to talk and moderate a plenary session on "Recognising Red Flags in Financial Statements".  One of the most important skills the boards may lack is the ability to read complex financial statements and identify red flags and suspicious transactions. This session zeroes in on the most common red flags and vulnerable areas in financial statements and suggests strategies that the boards can cultivate and apply professional scepticism to defend their organisations against financial and reputational risks.  For the session on "Recognising Red Flags in Financial Statements", the MIA has invited two very prominent professionals as plenary speakers: Ms Aida Lim Abdullah and Mr William Teo.  The session has been very interactive.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

On Site Training

Besides the normal in-class professional training, the BPKP-STAR participants were also taken onsite.  On the third day of training, Senior Fellow at the Accounting Research Institute (ARI), Professor Dr Nafsiah and training coordinaror, Ms Azlina took the trainees to two government agencies:  The Inland Revenue Board Malaysia (IRBM) and The Accountant General's Department of Malaysia (AGDM). IRBM is a government body under the Ministry of Finance.  The agency collects all types of taxes in Malaysia.  It is accountable for the overall administration of direct taxes under the various revenue acts including Stamp Act 1949, Income Tax 1967, Real Proper Gains Tax Act 1976, Labuan Offshore Business Activities Tax Act 1990, Petroleum Act 1967 and Promotion of Investment Act 1986.  The Accountant General's Department is also known as the Government Treasury and is headed by the Accountant General whose authority is derived from the Finance Administration Act of 1997, Section 5 and Section 4 of the attendant Financial Regulations of the Act.  The Accountant General's Department ensures that a proper system of accounting is established in every government agency, supervises the receipt of public revenue and ensures the prompt accounting of all revenue to meet the expenditures of the various agencies.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

BPKP-STAR Seminar with Professionals

On the second day of the BPKP-STAR Program, the Accounting Research Institute (ARI) organizes a one-day seminar on "Corporate Governance and Integrity for Public Sector" for the participants.  ARI has invited three professionals/practitioners to address the audiences.  They were namely Mr Mohamed Rezeidi, Deputy Director of the Private Sector Unit of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM), Mr Westmoreland Ajom, Superintendent and head of the forensic accounting unit of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (SPRM) and Dr. Bello Lawal Danbatta, an  Islamic Finance Expert and Group’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Rifcon Consulting Group.  Basically, participants were exposed to various facets of the public sector services through the set up of these government agencies. Whilst IIM was set up to promote integrity culture within the public sector, SPRM was established to mitigate corruption in government department

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Academic Symposium UiTM Kelantan

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) congratulates Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Kelantan for successfully organising a one-day Academic Symposium for Social Science.  Themed "Embracing Research Culture: Seeing the Invisible, Transcending the Barriers", the symposium attracted more than fifty (50) full papers from academics and researchers from UiTM Kelantan.  The aim of the symposium was to obtain constructive comments from peers so that the papers could be further refined for possible publication in indexed journals.  In her keynote address delivered during the symposium, Professor Dr Normah Omar, Director of ARI advised participants to make research and publications as part of their academic culture.  Strategically, they should source for competitive research grants, work in groups and form synergistic collaborations with government agencies, public & private corporations and professional bodies.  To be relevant and resourceful, the university needs to identify its research niche and possible work on producing "practice solutions" for the industry and its local community.  During the parallel sessions, presentations were divided into various groups namely  "English as Second Language", "Business Management Productivity", "Sustainability Management & Governance", "Communication & Technology", "Students' Learning Experiences", "Knowledge Quality & Behaviour" and "Economics and Environmental Aspects".  Congratulations all for a job well done.

Monday, November 30, 2015

Welcome BPKP-STAR Program

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) welcomes participants of the Badan Pengawasan Keuangan dan Pembangunan - State Accountability Revitalization (BPKP-STAR) Program from Indonesia who will be undergoing a one-week short course for Best Graduates.  These graduates are mainly government officers who undertook Masters program in leading Indonesian universities and have passed their program with flying colours.  Most of the participants have obtained their maximum CGPA of 4.0.   STAR Program is a program initiated by the Government of Indonesia through cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in order to improve the government accountability in Indonesia. The program also hopes to improve the competency of public finance officers and government's internal auditors.  Through this short course with ARI and UiTM, participants hope to enhance their competency in public finance management and internal audit.  The one-week program will involve lectures, professional seminars, postgraduate colloquium, sharing sessions, polygraph simulation experience and site visits to selected government agencies in Malaysia - Inland Revenue Board, Ministry of Finance, Petronas and Accountants General Office.  The participants will also be taken to visit Kuala Lumpur city centre and will have the experience to explore Kuala Lumpur Tower and Petronas Twin Tower.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Social Responsibility Contribution to the Homeless

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) congratulates our fellow Professor Dr Nafsiah Mohammed for doing a great social responsibility contribution to the needy.  Prof Dr Nafsiah who is also currently the caretaker of the Rumah Amal Cahaya Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (Ractar), Subang Jaya, together with her students from the Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA and children from Ractar distributed foods to the homeless in Kuala Lumpur.  The "Feed the Poor & Homeless Sessions" is essentially an informal program initiated by a group of random Malaysians from all walks of life who come together every once in a while to Feed The Poor & Homeless in the back alleys of our very own city, Kuala Lumpur.  The program initially started with a small group of friends who wanted to do something and start the ball rolling so that more people would start their own feed the homeless sessions. Their aim was for more people to learn how to do it by joining them the first time so they could organize their own sessions in the future so more and more people would be aware of what they could do to help the less fortunate in the city, and together, make a difference.  Congratulations and well done Prof Nafsiah and her team.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

ARI-PBBM Training in Dubai, Jeddah, Madinah & Mecca


After a very successful training in 2014, the Malaysian Association of Statutory Bodies (Persatuan Badan-Badan Berkanun Malaysia or PBBM) invited the Accounting Research Institute (ARI) to co-organize another training program for its members to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.  The 2nd Training titled "Islamic Practices & Development  Training - IPDT- 2015" has attracted 25 participants from various statutory bodies in Malaysia.  Two ARI fellows , Associate Professors Dr Zuraidah and Dr Jamaliah have been appointed by PBBM to facilitate the two-week training program.  Included in the training programs, is among others, participation at an international conference in Dubai, visiting successful corporations in Saudi Arabia, interaction with successful Islamic Finance researchers and scholars, Sharing sessions and colloquiums by participants with government & research agencies as well as performing Umrah in Mecca. PBBM-ARI Training Collaboration has been very successful.  Since 2012, ARI-PBBM has successfully organized professional training programs and site visits to New Zealand (forest & water management, tourism and public sector organisations), UK (Oxford University, Cambridge University, local authorities), Amsterdam (environmental management) and Saudi Arabia (Islamic finance, Islamic management, Wakaf & Zakat management).  The focus of the training programs is through "hands-on" approaches where participants are exposed to real-life situations and they have the opportunities to participate in real-life solutions. IPDT 2015 runs from 23rd November to 7th December 2015.  Next year, another training program has been planned for Bangalore, India.  Participants will have the opportunity to visit IT Silicon Valley in Bangalore and learn about the traits of "out-sourcing" as a mushrooming industry in India.


Friday, November 27, 2015

NVivo Training at ARI

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) thanks Dr Yuliansyah, from Universitas Lampong, Indonesia for accepting our invitation to provide research training to our research fellows and postgraduate students on the use of NVivo. Dr Yuliansyah is a qualified NVivo trainer and has conducted many NVivo training in Indonesia, Malaysia and in other universities in the Asian region.  NVivo is a qualitative data analysis (QDA) computer software package produced by QSR International. It has been designed for qualitative researchers working with very rich text-based and/or multimedia information, where deep levels of analysis on small or large volumes of data are required. NVivo is used predominantly by academic, government, health and commercial researchers across a diverse range of fields, including social sciences such as anthropology, psychology, communication, sociology, as well as fields such as forensics, tourism, criminology and marketing.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

ARI Fellow at National Level Integrity Talk


The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) congratulates Dr Nor Balkish Zakaria for being invited by the Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM) as speaker and IIM's representative to give talk on Integrity to university and college students.

Recently Dr Balkish delivered a speech on integrity at the Politeknik Merlimau in Melaka to a cohort of newly registered students at the polytechnic.   Integrity is an important concept that must be embraced by the students.  Currently Dr Balkish is also a member of ARI-IIM collaborative research on Corporate Integrity at the Workplace as well as one of the experts in the development of the "Corporate Integrity Questionnaire for Malaysian Statutory Bodies".  Congratulations Dr Nor Balkish.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

60 Years of CPA Australia

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) congratulates CPA Australia for its 60th Anniversary.  The Malaysian CPA Australia office in Kuala Lumpur organized a "short and sweet" Hi-Tea networking event for members and CPA Council members. CPA Australia has been providing a lot of support to ARI and Universiti Teknologi MARA by providing research grants, sponsoring a Research Centre in Public Sector Accounting, participating in organising professional programs at the university as well as acting as co-organiser of numerous international conferences.  The Hi-Tea ceremony provides a useful platform for members to mingle and network with one another.  Congratulations CPA Australia.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Highlighting Islamic Financial Criminology as a Developing Research Area

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) congratulates the Asia Pacific Conference on Business and Social Sciences 2015 for organising a successful conference recently.  The main objective of Asia Pacific Conference on Business and Social Sciences (APCBSS) 2015 which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was to promote and publish relevant and current ideas that are important for global academics in particular and the businesses, societies and economies at large. Its objective also includes the dissemination of knowledge and networking with relevant stakeholders in order to inform and motivate them for strategic thinking and actions. While APCBSS 2015 aims to serve as a platform for the researchers, educators and learners of undergraduate and graduate business and social sciences from all over the world the participants from Australia, New Zealand and greater Asia are expected to bolster the conference audience.  Themed "Towards Research Excellence in Business and Social Sciences" the conference was organised in Partnership with The Journal of Developing Areas (The JDA, USA) with the aim of uncovering new areas of research and publications.  Professor Dr Normah Omar, who is the Director of Accounting Research Institute was invited by the conference to deliver a keynote address on "Islamic Financial Criminology" .

Thursday, November 19, 2015

ARI-CRMS Collaboration

Whilst in Bandung, members of the Accounting Research Institute (ARI) have been invited by the Center of Risk Management Studies (CRMS) Indonesia for a collaborative meeting.  CRMS Indonesia won prestigious award in Global Risk Awards 2014 category 'Risk Management Service Provider of the Year' on 27 February 2014 in London.  The event was attended by around 500 participants from 19 countries.  In its mission statement, CRMS stipulates that it is committed to education, international partnerships and driving forward the risk management agenda. The company’s vision is to facilitate the acceleration of risk management practices in Indonesia through knowledge, advancement and sharing initiatives.  Representing ARI and UiTM for the meeting were Professor Dr Normah Omar, Associate Professor Dr Azmi Abdul Hamid, Dr Norazida Mohamed and Dr Nor Balkish Zakaria.  A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) will be signed soon by both CRMS and UiTM to signify an international collaboration in providing training and certification in risk managment.  Our potential association with CRMS is made possible through personal introduction by Associate Professor Dr Azmi Abdul Hamid, Head of Industry Linkages of the Deputy Vice Chancellor office (Industry, Community, Alumni Network) of Universiti Teknologi MARA.  CRMS is the largest risk management training provider in Indonesia that has helped the development of risk management capabilities for practitioners and organizations in Indonesia.  

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

ARI's Expertise and Keynote Speakers

Whilst the Asian Academic Accounting Association conference is going on in Bandung, other fellows of the Accounting Research Institute (ARI) are also busy delivering keynote addresses elsewhere.   Professor Dr Nafsiah, who is an expert in public sector accounting was invited to give a talk at the Asia- America -Africa- Australia conference, also in Bandung Indonesia.with the theme "Evaluating and Improving Good Public Governance".  
The conference which was hosted by the Pasundan University, has attracted many researchers, postgraduate students and government officers from various universities and government agencies.  Back in Malaysia, ARI's two research fellows, Associate Professors Dr Roshayani and Dr Faizah are key trainers for treasury officers from public universities in Malaysia.  In view of the newly introduced Malaysian Private Entities Reporting Standard (MPERS), the duo have been tasked to provide awareness, through a three-day workshop to treasury officers from various public universities on this  new milestone for financial reporting of private entities in Malaysia.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Asian Academic Accounting Association Conference 2015

The 2015 yearly conference of the Asian Academic Accounting Association (AAAA or 4A)  took place in Bandung, Indonesia on 15-17 November 2015.  Hosted by Universitas Indonesia, the three-day event was well attended by almost 300 participants from twelve countries.  The 4A was launched in 1998 to serve as the potential professional organization for accounting academics in Asia and beyond.  It brings together colleagues from many countries to share their research as well as to discuss pedagogical and other issues of mutual interest. 4A mission is to  facilitate collaborations and programs to enhance accounting education and research.  Themed "Accounting Fraud, Corruption and Earnings Deception" the conference papers are accordingly grouped into various related panel sessions.  They are namely "Fraud and Deception",  "Financial Reporting Issues", "Corporate Governance Issues", "Accounting Education Issues", "Auditing Issues", "Earnings Management Issues", "Taxation Issues", "Capital Market Issues", "Accounting Information Issues", "Environmental Issues", "Government Accounting Issues" and "Other Contemporary & Disclosure Issues".  Professor Dr Normah Omar, Director of the Accounting Research Institute, Universiti Teknologi MARA has been invited to deliver a keynote sppech entitled "Accounting Fraud, Corruption and Earnings Deception".

 



Thursday, November 12, 2015

National Integrity Convention

Several researchers from the Accounting Research Institute (ARI) attended the one-day National Integrity Convention held at the Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM) today. "Corporate Integrity and Governance" is one of the four important research clusters carried out by ARI researchers for its HICoE research niche in Islamic Financial Criminology.  With the theme "Integrity: Current Challenges", the event's opening ceremony was graced by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan.  The annual convention is indeed an important platform for stakeholders to both ask questions and to find answers and solutions to some of the issues and challenges faced by organisations in promoting integrity at workplaces and in inculcating civil society. The National Integrity Convention 2015 highlights six key challenges:  (i) Public Service Delivery System, (ii) The Role of the Integrity and Governance Committee (PRECISION), (iii) Compliance With Rules and Regulations, (iv) Family Relations, (v) Social Media and (vi)  Public Administration.

Friday, November 6, 2015

Courtesy Visit to Agro Bank

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) thanks Agro Bank, particularly its three officers, Ms Ainul (Head, Corporate Communication); Mr Ahmad Shahril (Chief Transformation Officer) and Mr Zahid (Chief Operation Officer) for inviting ARI researchers today to discuss possible inter-institution collaboration.  Agrobank, formerly known as Bank Pertanian Malaysia, is an institution which provides holistic financial services and banking facilities such as savings activities, banking services, loan facilities, insurance coverage and advisory services. It is a Government-linked-Company (GLC) under the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MFI). Focusing on agriculture, the bank’s financing of the agricultural sector is driven by a policy set forth by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries.  Recently in Bahrain, the Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA) awarded agriculture-centred Malaysian-based Agrobank the 'Upcoming Islamic Bank 2015' accolade for upholding shariah-compliant banking and elevating Malaysia in its efforts to be established as a global Islamic financial hub. During the courtesy visit today, members of the meeting deliberated on some potential activities that can be carried out: Economic Transformation Programs for agricultural-based community (for example at Felda and Felcra settlement); Institution-based Executive MBA and Masterclass training programs for Agro Bank executives and officers.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Corporate Integrity Activity of UDA Holding

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) thanks UDA Holding for making the initiative to undergo the Corporate Integrity Assessment  - a collaboration between the Malaysian Institute of Integrity and ARI.  The assessment, using the Corporate Integrity Assessment Questionnaire (CIAQ) instrument was carried out early this year.  A preliminary result has been presented to UDA's Corporate Integrity Department in September.  Today, a formal presentation is made to the top management of UDA by ARI research team.  UDA should be commended for taking a proactive measure to establish a Corporate Integrity Department for the company. Its integrity infrastructure has included the appointment of an Integrity Officer, the implementation of a "No Gift" policy and a Whistleblowing policy for the company.  Also present at the event was UDA's Group Managing Director,  Datuk Ahmad Abu Bakar.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

APMAA Conference 2015 - Cultural Visit

The APMAA Conference 2015 ended on a high note with lots of memorable events for each of the participants.  Everyone will remember the Bali Conference 2015.  The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) thanks the six organising hosts for their splendid hospitality.  ARI researchers submitted 16 conference papers within its research niche "Islamic Financial Criminology".  Everyone was happy with the outcome of the conference.  Today, the Indonesian team is organising a cultural visit to interesting places of the Bali Island.
  First destination is UC SILVER in Batubulan and it is a legendary sterling silver company that has been started in 1989.  BALI CLASSIC CENTRE (BCC Bali Mini) is one of the tourism destinations, which describes about Bali as a whole and in detailPURA ULUN DANU BATUR is the second most important temple in Bali and the tour finishes at FURAMA BUMBU BALI RESTAURANT that proudly offers one of the fresh set selections of seafood which is locally caught in Jimbaran Bay - a famous seaside eating bay in Bali.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

APMAA Conference 2015 - Day 3

The conference so far has been amazing - great paper discussions, interesting plenary sessions, delicious foods, great hosts and friendly participants.  APMAA Conference 2015 continues with more parallel sessions on day 3.  The theme of this year's conference is indeed apt and timely.   Management accounting is not just used to feed management with relevant information for optimal decision making and control, more importantly, management accountants must rise to the current need for sustainable development.  In CIMA’s recent report Acting Under Pressure, findings affirmed that a transparent operating culture, support from management and compliance with both local and international regulations and norms, are necessary for effective business reputation. With the potential for unethical business practice, the reputational and operations costs of “being caught out” can be high around how ethics are played out and supported within organisations. Growing research around the topic shows that ethical practice makes a difference in supporting long term success of companies, particularly in relation to risk. From a public perception view point, politically and socially, it is seen as increasingly important, as events playing out globally in the last few years have shown backed by the rise of influence on wider society via social media and web channels.
 The interesting aspect of the conference is the practice of appointing paper discussants for each of the conference paper.  Authors and researchers are given a lot of opportunities to mingle and discuss their papers with renowned international professors.  At the end of the day, all researchers want to find suitable avenue to publish their papers in reputable journals, and as such feedback from conferences such as APMAA 2015 is indeed valuable.  Later in the afternoon, there were two more paper presentations - one by a management accounting practitioner and another from the Secretary General of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education Indonesia.  Just before the closing ceremony of APMAA conference 2015, special awards were given to two best paper winners.  Congratulations Nik Herda from Universiti Teknologi MARA for being the winner of Best Paper Award APMAA Conference 2015.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

APMAA Conference 2015 - Day 2

After a very successful first day with PhD Colloquium, APMAA Conference 2015 proceeded with its second day event at another site.  Udayana University,  the oldest public university in the province of Bali hosts the APMAA conference proper.  The opening ceremony of APMAA Conference 2015 was by itself a very grand event - with a special Balinese dance, cultural show and "hitting" of the gong to symbolize an auspicious occasion.  After the opening ceremony, APMAA conference starts with two plenary sessions that discuss the theme "The Role of Management Accounting Towards Sustainable Development". The morning session was held in the university Grand Ballroom.  In the afternoon, parallel sessions were held in ten different seminar rooms.  This year sees 120 conference papers being submitted by researchers from sixteen different countries.  In the evening, the six organizing universities hosted a welcome dinner for all participants at the Pramar Sanur Beach Hotel Bali.  Audiences were later entertained with Shadow show or more popularly known as "Wayang Kulit" and other Balinese dance.
Wayang kulit is the most popular form of shadow theatre in Indonesia.  It has been extremely important in the development of Javanese and Balinese theatre, as most of the other forms of classical theatre have derived their story materials, stylisation and many performing techniques directly from it.  During the dinner, Chairman of APMAA, Professor Susumu Ueno presented thank you "momentos" and certificates of appreciations to all hosts of APMAA Conference 2015. 

Monday, October 26, 2015

APMAA Conference 2015 - Day 1

The Asia-Pacific Management Accounting Association (APMAA) Conference 2015 started today with the Board of Directors meeting in the morning.  Forthcoming hosts for years 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 made their respective presentations to the board.  APMAA 2016-2019 will be respectively hosted by the National Taipei University, Taiwan; Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China; Osaka University, Japan and Qatar University, UAE.  Following the BOD meeting was the official opening of the PhD Colloquium of the APMAA Conference.  The opening ceremony of the PhD colloquium was graced by the Rector of Warmadewa University, Prof. dr. Dewa Putu Widjana, DAP&E., Sp.ParK and attended by conference participants, staff and students of six organizing universities - Universitas Warmadewa, Udayana University, Universitas Merdeka Malang, Tri Sakti University, Universitas Mercu Buana and Hasanuddin University.  There were various cultural shows being showcased by the host university.  The PhD colloquium started with a PhD Workshop on Research Method by three professors - Prof Dr Jan Alpenbergh,   the Dean for the Faculty of Accounting and Logistics, Linnaeus University, Vaxjo, Sweden, Prof Dr Normah Omar, Universiti Teknologi MARA and Prof Grahita Chandarain, University Merdeka Malang Indonesia.  
The PhD colloquium followed immediately after the workshop with 16 international PhD students and another special track for Indonesian students where presentations were in the Indonesian language. APMAA Conference 2015 made history with the highest number of PhD colloquium papers.  The event was carried out in the newly renovated "Pascasarjana Building " of Warmadewa University.  In the evening, Warmadewa University hosted a welcome conference dinner.  A Memorandum of Understanding was then signed by the six host universities with the Asia Pacific Management Accounting Association.  APMAA was represented by its 2015 President, Prof Dr Normah Omar