Accounting and Finance PhD Symposium

Prato, Italy

May 2009

Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th May, 2009

Call for Papers

The 2nd Accounting and Finance PhD Symposium held by Monash University, the University of Leeds and the Amsterdam Business School builds on its tremendous success in 2008.  The Symposium is exclusively focused on mentoring doctoral students who have either successfully completed their probationary candidature or the student’s research is advanced enough to constitute a concrete research proposal with some preliminary results. Ideal participants are typically, but not exclusively, one year away from completing their theses. 

Objectives

The objectives of the Symposium are to:

• Provide a conducive forum for PhD candidates in accounting and finance to present their research results
• Provide a basis to refine PhD chapters for examination and possible publication
• Discuss the results of ongoing PhD studies in order to support future work
• Expose students to constructive criticism
• Serve as an international networking opportunity with other students at a similar stage of the participant’s career
• Compare PhD programs of various countries
  

This Symposium offers students the opportunity to present their work to an international audience outside their usual University environment.  Up to 36 PhD students will be able to participate in the Symposium that will be conducted over 2 days. Prominent professors and researchers in the fields of accounting and finance will attend the Symposium. They will study the papers and comment on the content of the thesis (paper) as well as the presentation. Students will be granted 20 minutes for their presentation, focusing on what the main theme of the thesis (paper) is, what has been achieved and how the work should continue. Another 15 minutes is reserved for discussion and feedback from professors and other participants.

Scope

We seek original theoretical and empirical papers in the fields of accounting and finance, with an emphasis on results that contribute to solving the many still open research problems that are of significant impact to the fields of accounting and finance. Topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Accounting information and capital markets
• Asset pricing
• Alternative investments
• Auditing
• Banking and financial institutions
• Behavioural accounting and finance research
• Capital structure and dividend policy
• Corporate governance
• Funds management
• Introduction of IFRS and global accounting
• Market microstructure

Submissions

The submission should highlight the novel ideas and, if appropriate, the results of the author’s PhD dissertation. Each submission will be reviewed by three members of the PhD Symposium program committee. The main evaluation criteria are:

• Maturity of the dissertation research;
• Quality of the research;
• The potential for impact, and;
• Relevance to the accounting and finance disciplines.

Acceptance decisions will be based on a 4 page (includes a separate title page) extended abstract submission. Full-paper submissions are strictly limited to a maximum of 30 pages and only electronic submissions will be considered. When submitting your file in PDF format, please provide the following information: Title, name of author, complete address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address, Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) classification codes (http://www.aeaweb.org/journal/jel_class_system.html), and up to 6 keywords.

Electronic Submission Deadline:

30th January, 2009. 
All submissions should be sent to the following email: PRATO.FinPhD@buseco.monash.edu.au

Abstract Submission Instructions

Please prepare your extended abstract using Times or Times New Roman font. The extended abstracts should clearly state the objectives, results and conclusions of the study and should NOT exceed 4 pages (includes a separate title page, Times New Roman 11 point size, margins 2 cm on all sides and single space). 

1. Title Page (Separate Page)
   Title:
   Use bold 16 point font, capitalise only the first word and proper names.
   Authors:
   Use bold 12 point font, with number superscripts to associate names with institutions/affiliations.
   Corresponding author’s address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address:
   Use italic 10 point font.
   Institutions/Affiliations: 
   Use italic 10 point font. 
2. Body of Extended Abstract (maximum 3 pages)
   Use normal 11 point font, maximum 3 pages, which includes the following headings:
   - Abstract
   - Introduction
   - Literature Review & Hypotheses
   - Method
   - Results and Discussion
   - Conclusion
   References:
   List all authors, year of publication, full unabbreviated journal name, volume, and inclusive pages.
   

Participation Fee

For accepted students to the program, the fee is €220. This fee covers registration, symposium documents, and shared accommodation. Information about online credit card payment will be provided to you on notification of acceptance of paper.

Note:
Do not send the submission fee with your application

Important Dates

*An Information pack including information on accommodation and on Prato will be sent with notification of acceptance.

For further information, please contact:

Debra Mordech
Email: PRATO.FinPhD@buseco.monash.edu.au
Tel: +61 3 990 32822
Fax: +61 3 990 32422