CAAA / SAP AG Technology and Accounting Education Seminar Series

Sponsored by 

Report on Seminar #6:  IFRS, XBRL, and Corporate Governance

The seminar was held at Brock University in the Pond Inlet - Mackenzie Chown (MC) – G Block, on September 26, 2008.  It was a great success as very positive feedback was received from the sixty attendees. The near-record number of participants was attributed to several specific factors: the Canadian transition to IFRS, recent SEC and OSC initiatives on XBRL, the excellent effort to promote the seminar in the regional and international accounting conferences and within the Canadian academic community, the records, background, and achievements of the speakers, and the valuable support by former Dean Dr. Martin Kusy, and by Dr. Barbara Sainty, Dean of the Faculty of Business at Brock University.   

Seminar Chair, Samir Trabelsi, wishes to thank everyone for their participation in the seminar, whether by involvement in panel sessions, or by attending the seminar itself. In addition, thank you to my colleagues in the Faculty of Business, and to Dr. Martin Kusy, and to Dr. Barbara Sainty whose financial contributions allowed us to run an excellent seminar that included breakfasts, breaks, meals, conference bags, programs, receptions and a welcoming dinner which was held Thursday night September 25, 2008 at the Keefer Mansion Inn in Welland.  

The seminar started officially on September 26, 2006 with remarks from Dr. Jack N. Lightstone, President and Vice-Chancellor – Brock University, Dr. Douglas Peebles - SAP Canada, and Dr. Samir Trabelsi, Seminar Chair.

There were nine panel sessions in which practitioners, regulators, standards-setters, and academics shared their views on the state of XBRL adoption and the transition to IFRS in Canada from a governance perspective. The presentations by guest speakers Mike Alles, Efrim Boritz, Roger Debreceny, Ian Hague, Michel Magnan, Cameron McInnis, Douglas Peebles, Samir Trabelsi, Gerald  Trites, Miklos Vasarhelyi, and Irene Wiecek, were excellent. Participants were satisfied with the materials provided to take away with them, and with the seminar venue. Here are the links for the conference video:

Quicktime Version:

http://beck.ac.brocku.ca/business/accounting/xbrl.mov

Windows Media Player Version:

http://beck.ac.brocku.ca/business/accounting/xbrl.wmv

The seminar concluded with closing remarks from the Brock University Associate Dean of Graduate Programs Donald A. Cyr as well as remarks from Samir Trabelsi, seminar chair, who urged CAAA members to take advantage of this great regional education series that the CAAA has created through the generosity of SAP AG.

Samir Trabelsi, Seminar Chair
Department of Accounting
Brock University
email: samir.trabelsi@brocku.ca