MEMBERS

Northern Area Group Annual Conference 2023

Monday 4 - Tuesday 5 September 2023 University of Liverpool Management School

We are pleased to invite you to the  Northern Area Group Annual Conference 2023. The conference will be hosted by the Accounting and Finance group at the University of Liverpool Management School, University of Liverpool, on 4–5 of September 2023.

Keynote speakers

We are delighted to have two distinguished keynote speakers, Professor Kerstin Lopatta and Jeremy Nicholls.

Professor Lopatta is the Vice Chair of the EFRAG Sustainability Reporting Board and a renowned professor of Financial Accounting Auditing and Sustainability at the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Social Sciences, University of Hamburg. Her expertise in the field of sustainability reporting is widely recognized and respected.

Jeremy Nicholls is the assurance framework lead for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Impact Standards and an ambassador to the Capitals Coalition. He is an accomplished professional who has made significant contributions to financial accounting. He was previously a director and co-founder of Social Value International. He will be delivering a thought-provoking and insightful talk on: "Financial Accounting - Why does the purpose of accounting need to change?"

Call for Papers

We are delighted to invite submissions to the Annual Conference of the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA) Northern Area Group. 

The conference's overarching theme: “ The Role of Accounting and Finance in Achieving Sustainability”. It aims to bring together leading scholars in accounting and finance to share their research and ideas. We welcome the submission of original papers that explore this theme and related topics, including but not limited to:

  • ESG reporting and disclosure requirements: challenges and opportunities for firms and
    investors
  • The impact of ESG criteria on corporate financial performance and investment returns
  • The role of shareholder activism in promoting ESG practices among corporations
  • Sustainable finance and its implications for investment strategies
  • The influence of ESG factors on credit ratings and bond pricing
  • Gender diversity and its impact on corporate financial performance and investment returns
  • ESG risks and opportunities in emerging markets
  • The role of ESG in private equity and venture capital investment decisions
  • Evaluating the financial risks and opportunities of climate change mitigation and adaptation
  • The role of sustainable finance in supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy

Paper Submission (Closed)

Deadline (Extended): 9 July 2023

Submissions can range from an extended abstract, early working drafts to fully developed papers. Please submit your work via email to x.cai7@liverpool.ac.uk by 15 June 2023.

Papers will be selected via a single-blind review process, undertaken by the conference committee.

Editorial workshop

We are excited to announce that Professor Edward Lee, from the Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, will deliver an editorial workshop on publishing academic research in accounting and finance. He is currently a Joint Editor-in-Chief of Accounting and Business Research, and also holds editorial positions or board membership in several other academic journals, including those affiliated with the American Accounting Association (AAA), the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA), or the European Accounting Association (EAA). Professor Lee will share his experience and insights on the challenges related to publishing academic research. The session will also provide an opportunity to discuss the issues and perspectives of the editorial and review processes of high-quality journals.

This workshop on “Experiences and challenges of publishing accounting and finance research” will be particularly beneficial for early career researchers and PhD students in the relevant area who are looking to publish their work in academic journals.

Discussants

To ensure that all accepted papers receive individual feedback, we will be assigning a discussant to each paper. We believe that this feedback is an essential component of the conference experience, and we are committed to providing all authors with valuable insights that will help them advance their research.

Best Paper Awards

One of the highlights of the conference will be the award of the Best Paper Prize and its runner-up, which will be announced at the conference dinner.

The Best Paper Award is a recognition of the highest-quality research presented at the conference. The committee will carefully evaluate all papers based on criteria such as innovation, contribution to the field, and methodological rigor, among others. The runner-up will also be recognised for their exceptional work.

Registration

Opens 11 July 2023
Ends: 10 August 2023

PhD student: £120 
Academic member: £150 

All fees cover registration and catering for the two days. Registration is via the link: https://payments.liv.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/events-at-liverpool/management-school/british-accounting-and-finance-association-annual-conference-2023

To attend the conference, you need to be a registered BAFA member. If you are not already a member of BAFA, please sign up for membership at https://members.bafa.ac.uk/signup.

BAFA annual membership rates:

Academic staff: £30
Unsalaried PhD/MPhil student or retired academic: £15

Key Dates

- Deadline for submission: 9 July 2023

- Notification of acceptance: 16 July 2023

- Registration opens: 16 July 2023

- Registration ends: 16 August 2023

Travel and Accommodation

All accommodation to be organised by the participants at their own cost.

Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village: To secure the £85 B&B rate, delegates must specify their dates of stay and mention BAFA when booking. To make a reservation, delegates can call 0151-245-6700 and select option 2 for meetings and events. The phone lines are open between 09:00-17:00 Monday to Friday. Alternatively, delegates can email their request to hb737-re@accor.com with their contact details, and the hotel will call them back.

It's important to note that the BAFA room rate is only available until 4 August.

Further travel and joining instructions will be available in due course.

Conference organising committee

Our conference organising committee consists of the following esteemed academics:

Professor Charlie Cai, University of Liverpool Management School

Professor Jia Liu University of Portsmouth

Professor Chardin Wese, University of Liverpool Management School

Dr Sardar Ahmad, University of Liverpool Management School

For information regarding paper submission and the conference programme, please contact: Professor Charlie Cai