Congress update

Abstract

Toward the end of October 1997 two important Accounting congresses took place in Paris, France. The first congress, the 8th World Congress of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER), was held from 23-25 October 1997 at the Paris School of Management. The IAAER is the world body that represents the interests of Accounting educators and researchers. The theme of the congress was "The Changing World of Accounting: Global and Regional Issues." Given the rapid social, political, technological and economic changes occurring in all parts of the world, it was felt that accounting educators should come together to share their views on how accounting education in their country and/ or part of the world is or should be responding to change. The congress was attended by approximately 700 delegates and nearly 200 papers, of varying quality, were presented in plenary, parallel and panel sessions and in a research forum. The incoming president of the IAAER, Prof Bel Needles from De Paul University, Chicago, said in his closing address that the shorter term goals of the Association are to pursue closer relations with the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC), to draft a discussion paper on ethics and to improve communication between Accounting educators world-wide through the use of technology.