Visit to American University of Sarjah

While in Dubai, our team took the opportunity to visit an international private  university, American University of Sarjah (AUS).  Founded in 1997 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Sharjah, the  university was envisaged by His Highness as a leading educational institution in the Gulf region. The university offers 26 majors and 45 minors at the undergraduate level, and 13 master's degrees programs through four academic divisions, namely (1) College of Architecture, Art and Design, (2) College of Arts and Sciences, (3) College of Engineering and (4) School of Business Administration.  Consciously based upon American institutions of higher education, AUS is thoroughly grounded in Arab culture and is part of a larger process of the revitalization of intellectual life in the Middle East. 

We met up with scholars and researchers from the school of business administration, including a fellow Malaysian, Associate Professor Dr Norita Ahmad who is now a full time faculty member of the university.  We see a lot of potentials for the Accounting Research Institute to collaborate with scholars from the university - in terms of staff & student exchanges, research collaboration and  and joint publications. 

Successful International Visits to Dubai and Iran

The Accounting Research Institute thanks Professor Dato' Dr Mustaffa Zain and his team for their successful recent international visits to Dubai and Iran.  In Dubai, they attended the Global Academy of Training & Research (GATR) in collaboration with various National and International Universities and Publishers.  Themed "Contemporary Issues in Business And Social Sciences Research: A Dubai Initiative", ARI team managed to get their papers accepted for publication in several SCOPUS and ERA-indexed journals.  In Iran, the team visited two universities, namely Payam Noor University and Imam Reza University.  They were also invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Malaysian Embassy in Tehran.  The Education attache of the Iran Embassy in Malaysia will be organising memorandum of understanding between Universiti Teknologi MARA and Top 10 universities in Iran sometime in April 2017. Dato' Dr Mustaffa was heading the delegation comprising ARI fellows and associates and officers from several statutory bodies who are members of the Association of Malaysian Statutory Bodies (Persatuan Badan-Badan Berkanun Malaysia, PBBM).  The visit has received a  lot of attention from many Iran universities and other government agencies and there were reports of the visits that appeared in Iran's mainstream newspapers and television stations.  ARI also thank Dr Soheil Kaziman, our post-doctoral scholar who is from Iran.  He was responsible for arranging the logistics including places to visit and meetings with the right people in Iran.  Dr Soheil was a PhD student at the Faculty of Accountancy and stayed back to do his post-doctoral training at ARI.  Iran is also home to the Islamic Citation Centre (ISC).  In 2008, the 57 member countries of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) have approved the creation of an Islamic Citation Centre (ISC) to be based in Iran.  

Basically, the ISC will manage a Science Citation Index similar to that of Thomson Reuters Scientific, which will analyse research performance in Islamic countries with the aim of improving research output and impact. The index will rank Islamic countries' scientific publications, introduce quantitative and qualitative measures for journals, and produce analytical reports on the status of universities, research institutions and technology centres by looking at their research productivity, impact and excellence.  It is our aspiration that some of UiTM journals will be indexed with ISC.  Well done team, you have done us proud. 

Congratulations and Well Done Prof Dr Nafsiah Muhammad

The Accounting research Institute (ARI) acknowledges and thank Professor Dr Nafsiah Muhammad for a very successful recent networking visits to Indonesia.  There were three very important agendas during her visit:  First was the co-organisation of the first Comparative Asia-Africa Governmental Accounting

Conference (CAAGA) in Jakarta.  Themed "Comparison of Good Government Governance Between Asian and African Countries", Prof Dr Nafsiah was one of the keynote speakers.  At ARI, Prof Dr Nafsiah is currently heading the Public Sector Accounting Research Centre.

Second was the meeting with the Supervisory and Financial Development Board  or the Badan Pengawasan Keuangan dan Pembangunan (BPKP) to discuss BPKP-UiTM/ARI Training & research programs.  To date, BPKP has sent three cohorts of its STAR students and staff for on the job training in various government agencies in Malaysia. STAR, which stands for State Accountability Revitalization is an activity initiated by the government of the Republic of Indonesia to strengthen the financial accountability of the state.

 The STAR program aims towards improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the financial management function of the public sector through the strengthening of institutions or government institutions through the implementation of staff scholarships program for formal education at S1 (Bachelor) and S2 (Master) levels.   The discussions include among others the proposed plans for 2017.  Third was a site visit to BPKP training centre at Bogor. Professor Dr Nafsiah also discuss the possibility of organising a research and publication training workshops in Bogor for other STAR participants in Indonesia. The Accounting Research Institute and Universiti Teknologi MARA thank BPKP for a great hospitality provided for Professor Dr Nafsiah and her team during the visit.  Both agencies are now working towards the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement for future international collaborations. 

2nd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ISLAMIC ECONOMICS & FINANCE

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) of Universiti Teknologi MARA, in collaboration with the Philippine Association of Islamic Accountants (PAIA),  International Council of Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE), Southeast Asian Islamic Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (SAICCI) and Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA ) Cagayan de Oro - Misamis Oriental Chapter are co-organising the 2nd International Conference on Islamic Economics and Finance on February 16, 17 & 18, 2017 at the Manila Hotel, Philippines.

 Themed "Human Capital Development in the Islamic Finance Industry", the Conference will provide a platform for dialogue and discussions between policymakers, academics, researchers, graduate students, and practitioners to address the problems of poverty alleviation, inclusive economic growth, macroeconomic stability from the perspective of the Islamic Economics and Finance discipline, and developing human capital & thought leadership to support the development of Islamic finance. The Conference shall also address the role of Islamic financial institutions, capital markets, and the social sector in promoting strong growth, enhanced financial inclusion, and intermediation, reducing risks and vulnerability of the poor and more broadly contributing to financial stability and development. Scope and areas of interest for the conference include (i) ISLAMIC ECONOMICS, (ii) KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT NEXUS, (iii) ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES AND INCLUSIVE FINANCIAL SECTOR DEVELOPMENT, (iv) ISLAMIC FINANCE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, (v) INVESTING IN HUMAN CAPITAL.  Those interested to participate in the conference are encouraged to send their abstracts to the following individuals:  (1).   normah645@salam.uitm.edu.my; (2) hajizul50@gmail.com; or hajizul50@ymail.com; and (3) roshayani@salam.uitm.edu.my.

APMAA Conference 2016 - Another Successful International Collaboration

The Asia Pacific Management Accounting Association (APMAA) was formed in 2004 in Japan with the hope of providing a strategic platform where academia and practitioners can come together to discuss and promote management accounting as a strategic business tool.
 Since its inception with four founding member countries (Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore), APMAA is now supported by other country researchers from China, Indonesia, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Sweden, Canada, USA, Nigeria and Korea.  ARI director, Professor Dr Normah Omar was the APMAA President for the 2015 calendar year and now a Deputy Chairman of this association which is based and headquartered in Japan.  This year's conference is hosted by National Taipei University.

The next four years, it will be hosted respectively by Shanghai Jao Tong University (2017), Osaka University (2018), Qatar University (2019) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (2020).  In tandem with APMAA 's basic aim of providing a strategic platform to showcase and promote management accounting as a strategic business tool, the conference is arranged into various segmentsa.  On the first day is usually an annual business meeting among country representatives with APMAA Board of Directors.  It is during such session that issues are raised and decisions are made with respect activities to promote APMAA.  Country representatives will make suggestions on matters related to research and publication collaborations between members.  Future hosts of APMAA conferences will also make their presentations, proposing the what, where, why and how of future APMAA conference.  Following the business meeting is the PhD colloquium where PhD students present their PhD works and obtain feedback from international professors.

Welcome reception dinner cum networking session is also held. The next two days will be the conference proper.  A Gala dinner is held on the second day where appreciation speeches are given by previous, current and forthcoming years hosts.  The conference is divided into (i) keynote speeches by practitioners and renowned academics, (ii) Panel discussions (industry leaders and professors), parallel sessions where researchers present their papers.    The interesting aspect of the paper presentation is the appointment of discussants to review and discuss the papers.  Each paper is presented and discussed within a 30-minite time frame.  Selected papers will be published in APMAA journal - Asia Pacific Management Accountiing Journal (APMAJ). The final segment of the conference usually comprises site visit and factory tours.

ARI Co-Authorship Workshop With Researchers from Universitas Indonesia

Researchers from the Accounting Research Institute (ARI HICoE) of Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia and the Faculty of Economics and Business of University of Indonesia (UI) successfully conducted a one-day co-authorship workshop at the UI campus in Depok, which is about 25 kilometers from Jakarta city centre.  Role of Market Orientation in Sustainability of Microfinance Institutions; the case of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM); (2)   Performance Measurement, Accountability and Performance of Malaysian Local Authorities; (3)   Implementation of Accrual Accounting for Better Governance: Perspectives of Malaysian Public Sector Accountants; (4)  Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance: The Relevance of Audit Committee Characteristics in Monitoring Financial Performance of Public Listed Companies; (5) The Synergistic Outcome of Internal Capabilities and External Pressure on Environmental Performance: Evidence from ISO 14001 Companies; (6)  Relationships of Directors and Government Ownership on Voluntary Risk Disclosures: The Case of Shariah Compliant Companies in Malaysia;  (7)  Relationships of Directors and Government Ownership on Voluntary Risk Disclosures: The Case of Shariah Compliant Companies in Malaysia; (8)  Monitoring Firm Opportunistic Behavior: Evidence of Ownership Structure and Real Earnings Management among Distressed Firms;  (9)  Quality of Public Sector Financial Information: Malaysia and Indonesian Approaches in New Accrual Accounting Framework. 

The co-authorship program is part of an international collaboration between the two institutions.  Basically, the main aims of the workshop is firstly to match researchers from the two universities for the purpose of publishing research papers in similar specialisation.  Secondly through the workshop, the researchers further refine the papers and identify possible SCOPUS journals to publish their research output.  For today's event, ARI researchers contributed nine research papers to the workshop.  It has also been agreed that another co-authorship workshop will be organised in UiTM sometimes in November 2016: (1)

PBBM-UiTM Management and Leadership Training 2016

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI HICoE) of Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia and the Association of Statutory Bodies Malaysia (PBBM) have collaborated since 2012, to provide training on management and leadership to delegates that come from various Malaysian government agencies. The latest training program is held in  Australia and has started from the 14 September and will ends on 21 September 2016. Although the training period has yet to end, the journey has so far been fruitful. The delegates had a meeting with the management of Edith Cowan University for a sharing session before attending the Business Sustainability, Performance Management and Governance Symposium. Associate Professor Dr. Hadrian G Djajadikerta from the Faculty of Business of Edith Cowan University chaired the symposium. During the symposium, two representatives of ARI had presented their research papers. Associate professor Dr. Halil Paino had presented an empirical paper entitled “Modeling Dysfunctional Behavior” whilst Associate Professor Dr. Erlane K Ghani had presented a conceptual paper entitled “Integrated Reporting: A Strategic Approach to Governance’. Both papers have received commendable response from the participants of the symposium. Following the symposium, few agencies had expressed interest to collaborate with ARI. The Director of Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM), Professor Tunku Kamarulzaman Tunku Zainol Abidin had expressed interest in collaborating with ARI for new programs and incorporating integrated reporting in his organization. The Section Head of Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) Mr Azmil Haron had also requested further information on the papers for future reference and potential collaboration.  

The academics from Edith Cowan University had also provided similar intention for potential collaboration in terms of research. The delegates had the opportunity to visit the Malaysian consulate office. The delegates were very honored to meet the Consulate General, Mr Nazaruddin Ja’afar and the Education Consul, Mr Abdul Hadi Mustaffar. During the meeting, various issues were discussed in relation to the purpose of office as well as on leadership and strategic management. The delegates will be going to Sydney on the 17 September 2016. In Sydney, the delegates will attend a 1-day talk in Macquarie University where they will be given talks by two academics who are experts in leadership and strategic management. The delegates will also do a university visit at the University of Sydney and the Malaysian Consulate Office in Sydney before heading back to Malaysia. Whilst in Australia, the participants will also visit government agencies in Perth and Sydney.  Well done and congratulations ARI fellows and associates: Associate Professor Dr Halil Paino, Associate Professor Dr Erlane K. Ghani and Dr Saiyidi. 

ARI International Collaboration with PICPA and PAIA

The globalization agenda of the Accounting Research Institute (ARI) will reach another level when it collaborates with two professional organisations in the Republic of Philippines - the Philippines Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) and the Philippines Association of Islamic Accountants (PAIA) in July 2016.  ARI Director, Professor Dr Normah Omar and Deputy Director Associate Professor Dr Roshayani Arshad were recently invited to the "Joint Induction of Officers and New Members" at the Mallberry Suites Business Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao, Philippines.  During his visit to ARI early this year, Mr Amanoding Ismail, PAIA President indicated his interest to collaborate with ARI in training PAIA members in the areas of Islamic Finance and Financial Criminology.  During the induction event, two more professional associations were launched in the Philiipines - International Council of Islamic Finance Educators and ASEAN Federation of Islamic Accountants.  During the collaborative meetings in Cagayan de Oro City, it was decided that an international conference - International Conference on Islamic Economics and Finance with the theme :Human Capital Development in the Islamic Finance Industry will be held in Manila in February 2017.

ARI Conference and Training in Korea

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI HICoE) in collaboration with several national (Persatuan Badan-Badan Berkanun Malaysia - PBBM) and international agencies (Institute of Public Enterprise India, Chullalongkorn University Thailand, Rikkyo University Japan and Dongguk University, Korea are organising the 3rd International Conference on Governance and Strategic Management (ICGSM) on 12-13 April 2016.  With the theme "Sustainable Framework for Governance & Management Effectiveness" the conference will be held at the Dongguk University campus in Seoul, Korea. This international conference will provide an excellent opportunity for the 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 strategic management and corporate governance especially those concerning risk management, accountability and integrity of the key players in the capital market. 

It is essential to focus on improving innovation, strategic management and transforming institutions in order to meet the challenges of the coming decades. Governance, transparency, predictability and accountability are key elements to establishing long-term domestic legitimacy of board members and authorities.  Sustaining performance can only be reached by balancing economic efficiency and reasonable profits with public interests and investment needs. The proposed conference will address the issues and challenges that the business communities are facing in terms of governance, risk management, performance management, internal control and audit mechanism, corporate integrity and transparency, competitive environment, corruption and whistle-blowing.  In addition to the international conference, ARI and PBBM are also organising a field trip and site visits for statutory bodies officers to meet and discuss with their counterparts in Korea.  Today, the Malaysian group was hosted by the the Malaysian Embassy officers in Seoul Korea.  Tomorrow, other participants will join them for the conference.

International Research Collaboration with the Faculty of Economics, Universitas Riau (UNRI), 11-12 February 2016, Riau, Indonesia

Recently the Accounting Research Institute (ARI) has been invited by the Faculty of Economics, Universitas Riau, Indonesia to provide a research proposal and publication workshop. The workshop was a 2-day event, 11-12 February 2016 and was attended by 51 participants from UNRI and another four universities in Riau such as Universitas Islam Riau, Universitas Islam Negeri, Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Riau and Universitas Lancang Kuning. Prof. Dr Takiah Iskandar, ARI Distinguish Research Fellow and Assoc. Prof Dr Zuraidah Mohd Sanusi, ARI Senior Research Fellow have given two talks on “Selecting a right journal for your publications” and “What Makes A Good Journal Article? ” to the audience. The workshop was facilitated by three other lecturers, Assoc. Prof Dr Amrizah Kamaluddin, Lecturer of Faculty of Accountancy, UiTM Selangor, Dr Hatta Hj. Sapwan, Lecturer of Faculty of Accountancy, UiTM Perak and Dr Siti Haliza Asat, Lecturer of Faculty of Accountancy, UiTM Perak.

The objective of the collaboration is to boost the research output of the Accounting and Business lecturers in Riau Province at the international level. As stated by the Dean of Faculty of Economics, UNRI, Dr. Sri Indarti, SE., M. Si., this workshop is very timely in line with the objective of the Indonesia Ministry of Education to increase the number of journal publication in Scopus index. In order to meet this objective the Ministry Education as well as the university provides monetary incentives for the lecturers. The working committee of the workshop receives a strong support from the faculty management members, Dr Rita Anugerah, Head of the Research Development of Accountancy and Finance, and Prof. Dr Ria Nelly Sari, Senate Members of Faculty of Economics, and the top management of the Faculty of Economics of UNRI.  The Faculty organizes activities for research, conferences and publications involving the faculty members jointly with other universities. The Faculty of Economics of UNRI has demonstrated conceited efforts to increase the research output of the Faculty and to enhance the credibility of the academic staffs.  At the end of the workshop, about 20 research proposals and 25 draft papers for publications have been compiled. The Faculty of Economics of UNRI is also planning to submit 10 papers from this workshop for the upcoming conference in Perak, the International Conference on Accounting Research and Education (ICARE) 22-23 Aug 2016 being organized by the Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak. This conference is being chaired by Dr Hatta Hj Sapwan with the Faculty Economy, UNRI and ARI, UiTM as the conference partners.

ARI-Rangsit-Chullalongkorn University Research Collaboration

Universiti Teknologi MARA, Rangsit University and Chullalongkorn University are all institutional members of the Asia-Pacific Management Accounting Association (APMAA) which is based in Japan.  Two ARI researchers, Prof Dr Normah Omar and Associate Professor Dr Zuraidah Mohd Sanusi were invited by the Dean, Faculty of Accountancy, Chullalongkorn Business School Professor Dr Kanibhatti Nitirojntanad  to attend a research meeting.  The meeting which was held at the Chullalongkorn Business School, were also attended by Dr Nimnuan Visedsun and Dr Kathy Terdpaopong.  The group discussed an initial topic of "management accounting control system" which would be initially carried out by the three universities and hopefully, some initial findings can be presented at the forthcoming  APMAA Conference this October in Taipei Taiwan.  Further deliberation with other member countries of APMAA will be made in Taipei this year.  The group hopes to source international research funding.

ARI-Rangsit University International Collaboration on Accounting Research and Teaching

The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) has been invited by the Faculty of Accountancy, Rangsit University, Thailand to participate in its International Seminar on Accounting Research and Teaching. The seminar was held on Thursday, 18^th February 2016 at Rangsit University, Thailand and was attended by 57 accounting scholars from several universities in Thailand. Prof. Dr Normah Omar, ARI Director and Assoc.  Prof Dr Zuraidah Mohd Sanusi, ARI Senior Research Fellow have given three separate talks respectively on topics related to (i) “Teaching and Learning in a Competitive Environment”, (ii) “How to become a Research Excellent Unit?” and (iii) “Contemporary Accounting Research Topics” to the audience. Three other keynote speakers who were also invited were  Mr Daniel Pham,Van Hung from the Faculty of Management and Tourism & Sunway Hanoi University, Vietnam; Assist. Prof Dr Nimnual Visedsun, Dean of Faculty of Accountancy RSU and Asst. Prof. Dr. Wonlop Buachoom, Lecturer of Faculty of Accountancy RSU.

 The seminar basically aims to provide a platform to assist the scholars to develop their research and teaching skills, together with embracing the changing academic development. The focus of the seminar centred around three topics, teaching and learning in a competitive environment, formation of a research excellence unit and contemporary accounting research topics. ARI hopes that the participants are more exposed to current issues in accounting research and publication and the importance of research impact. This can be contributed by strong collaboration and publishing quality journals. Based on the feedback provided, the participants are glad with the opportunity to attend this seminar.  ARI is so proud to continuously working with our partner, Assist. Prof Dr Nimnual Visedsun, Dean of Faculty of Accountancy RSU and Asst. Prof Dr Kanitsorn Terdpaopong, Associate Dean of International Affairs, Faculty of Accountancy RSU since our MoU signing in 2012. Several activities had been initiated between both parties including student exchanges and joint collaborations on conferences, research and publications in enhancing the visibility of both Rangsit University and Universiti Teknologi MARA.  

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.

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.

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.  

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 detail, PURA 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.

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.

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. 

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

Dr Geeta Duppati's Visit to ARI

The Accounting Research Institute thanks Dr Geeta Duppati from Waikato University, Hamilton New Zealand for her one-day visit at ARI.  entrepreneurs in the economic sector. 

During her visit, she gave a lecture on Corporate Governance to our post graduate students.  In addition, she had research meeting and discussions with ARI fellows on topics related to corporate governance, state-owned enterprises and social businesses.  Dr Geeta also attended the Eid Mubarak do at the Menara Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah where she briefly met the vice chancellor.  Dr Geeta is planning to apply for an international grant to conduct an international study on financial inclusion of women SME in India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Ethiopia.  The project is a collaboration between University on Canberra (Australia), Waikato University, Universiti Teknologi MARA and Universitas Merdeka Malang, Indonesia.