UTAR hosts BAFE for third time

The third UTAR International Conference on Business, Accounting, Finance and Economics (BAFE) 2015 was successfully held at UTAR Kampar Campus on 9 October 2015.

Participants at the BAFE 2015

Jointly organised by UTAR Faculty of Business and Finance (FBF); Centre for Accounting, Banking and Finance; Centre for Business and Management; and Centre for Economic Studies, the one-day conference was a valuable platform for over 90 participants for sharing thoughts on research findings and networking on aspects of business management, accounting, finance, and economics.

Prof Choong delivering his welcome address

The organising chairperson of BAFE 2015 and Dean of FBF, Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, expressed his gratitude to all parties for supporting the conference and added, “This year, our conference’s theme, ‘Sustainable Development in the Globalised Environment: Challenges and Opportunities’, encourages intellectual presentations of research findings from researchers, academicians, postgraduate, and undergraduate students who are currently engaging in the empirical studies of business, accounting, finance, and economic issues. The theme also serves as a platform for knowledge acquisition, transfer, sharing, and application among participating scholars in the areas of theoretical development, research analysis, and findings contribution.”

He added, “The main objective of this international conference is to provide an interactive platform for researchers from different institutions around the world to impart new research findings and ideas.”

Prof Chuah delivering his opening speech

In his address, UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik said, “It is heartening to see that since BAFE’s inaugural launch in 2013, the conference has gained momentum in becoming an avenue for an assembly of great minds to network, exchange research knowledge and ideas, and discuss on possible collaborations and further researches among local and international scholars.”

He added, “To date, BAFE has seen an impressive submission of over 200 papers from across the globe, each with a professional take on research ranging from the world financial problems to East and Southeast Asian economies. I strongly believe that BAFE 2015 will help to provide a very constructive platform for more interdisciplinary studies.” He also congratulated the organising committee for making the conference possible and extended a warm welcome to the participants.

Also present to grace the opening ceremony was Yong Yoon Kian representing Senator Dato’ Lee Chee Leong, Deputy Minister of Ministry of International Trade and Industry who extended his warm welcome to the speakers and participants. “It’s a privilege to welcome all of you here today as BAFE is a good platform for researchers like you to share and discuss your research projects. I hope that all of you will have a fruitful understanding and learn from the engaging dialogues as well as network with others,” he said in his opening address.

Prof Chuah presenting a token of appreciation to Yong while Prof Choong looks on

Touted as a key initiative in providing a significant opportunity for students, researchers, and academics to present their research findings, the successful BAFE 2015 held three concurrent sessions with the presentation of a total of 70 papers. The participants were from countries as far as Vietnam, Singapore, and Nigeria while the rest included UTAR lecturers, staff, postgraduate, and undergraduate students.

Prof Ariff delivering his keynote address

Senior Professor from Universiti Putra Malaysia Prof Dr Mohamed Ariff was the keynote speaker. Prof Ariff presented on the role of mutual funds and fees in creating wealth.

Among the topics presented at the BAFE 2015 were tourism and business management, technology and operational management, social development and phenomenon, accounting, applied economics, education marketing and consumer buying behaviour, human resource, educational management, taxation/accounting standards, financial market, as well as finance and stock market.

Adding to the highlights of the opening ceremony was the announcement of the winners of the BAFE 2015 Best Paper Award. The list of best paper awards are as follows:

Paper ID	Paper Title
BAFE004	The Influence of Informal Governance on the Relationship between Corporate Diversification and Firm Value: The Malaysian Evidence By Lee Kian Tek & Hooy Chee Wooi
BAFE071	Customer Perceived Value in Medical Tourism Industry in Malaysia By Yong, I.I.A., Yee, C.L., Azmawani, A.R., Yuhanis, A.A., & Shahwahid, M.O.
BAFE074	Modelling Stock Market Volatility and Causality: Empirical Evidence from Malaysia and Thailand By Abdul Hafizh Mohd Azam, Abu Hassan Shaari Md Nor, & Tamat Sarmidi

The third BAFE 2015 was proudly sponsored by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Takaful Ikhlas, Coway, Sage, Spritzer, Pustaka Prinsip Sdn Bhd and Klinik Rowland.

The winner of best paper award and sponsors posing with guest of honour Yong (fourth from left), Prof Chuah (fifth from left), keynote speaker and BAFE 2015 organising committee