The 2025 Asia-Pacific Management Accounting Research Symposium (AMARS), hosted by the Corporate Business Sustainability Center (CBS), National Chengchi University, was held grandly on July 10–11 at the Luo Jia-Lun International Conference Hall, Daxian Library, National Chengchi University. This year’s symposium adopted the theme “Field Research on Sustainability and Management Accounting”, bringing together management accounting scholars from eight countries—including Japan, Canada, the United States, Australia, Singapore, Austria, South Korea, and Taiwan—to jointly explore the latest trends and international frontiers in ESG sustainability and management accounting.
AMARS was jointly founded in 2015 by Chair Professor Wu An-Ni of National Chengchi University, Professor Jae Yong Shin of Seoul National University, and Professor Steve Wu of Western University (Canada), with the aim of advancing academic research in management accounting across the Asia-Pacific region. The first symposium was hosted in 2016 by **Chair Professor Wu An-Ni. Since then, the symposium has been held annually on a rotating basis in different countries, including Seoul National University (South Korea), Kobe University (Japan), Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (China), and universities in Melbourne (Australia). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the symposium was suspended from 2020 to 2023. Following its resumption in 2024, AMARS returned to its place of origin—National Chengchi University—in 2025, marking a moment of special significance.
The symposium specially invited Vice President Tsai Wei-Chi of National Chengchi University, Dean Huang Chia-Chi of the College of Commerce, and Chair Yu Hung-Chao of the Department of Accounting to deliver opening remarks. **Chair Professor Wu An-Ni also introduced the symposium program and jointly welcomed the distinguished international scholars.
In his remarks, Tsai Wei-Chi welcomed participants to what is often referred to as “Taiwan’s most beautiful library,” noting that sustainability is a critically important dimension for both National Chengchi University and the international management accounting community, and wishing all participants an enriching and enjoyable symposium experience.
Huang Chia-Chi expressed particular appreciation for Professor Wu An-Ni for integrating sustainability and management accounting research and making significant contributions to NCCU’s sustainability solutions. He also emphasized that the symposium theme serves as a reminder that sustainability research should not be confined to theory alone, but must involve deep engagement with society and communities.
Yu Hung-Chao remarked that he was delighted to see AMARS return to NCCU, and humorously noted that “thankfully, the end of the world did not arrive,” allowing everyone to gather in person—an observation that further underscored the growing importance of sustainability as a discussion topic.
Wu An-Ni thanked Director Tan Dan-Chi of the Corporate Business Sustainability Center for leading the team in organizing the symposium, introduced each participating scholar, and concluded by joyfully presenting specially designed commemorative umbrellas for the event, filling the venue with laughter and a warm atmosphere.
The symposium featured Professor Naomi Soderstrom of the University of Melbourne as the keynote speaker, who shared insights on future directions in sustainability management accounting research. In addition, two high-level international panel discussions were held:
Panel I: Field Research on Sustainable Management and Development
Panelists included Professor Hua-Xiang Yin of Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), Professor Jee-Eun Shin of the University of Toronto (Canada), and Mr. Hsu Chia-Ming, Founder and CEO of Chilwee International (Taiwan), who shared valuable experiences and outcomes from applying the “NCCU ESG Solutions.”
Panel II: Field Research in Management Accounting
This panel featured scholars from leading institutions, including Professor Isabella Grabner of Vienna University of Economics and Business, Professor Wei Cai of Columbia University (United States), and Professor Steve Wu of Western University (Canada). In addition, representative scholars from Australia, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan presented their latest field research findings in sustainability management accounting, covering topics such as sustainability impacts, management control in social enterprises, employee identification systems, and quantitative field research methodologies. The symposium also arranged visits to the Daxian Library of National Chengchi University, renowned as “Taiwan’s most beautiful library,” and the National Palace Museum, promoting international and cultural exchange.
The symposium was hosted by the Corporate Business Sustainability Center, National Chengchi University, with co-organization by the Integrated Strategy and Value Management Research Center, the Department of Accounting, and the Taiwan Strategic Cost Management Association. The event received financial support from AICPA, CIMA, the Ministry of Education, and the National Science and Technology Council.
Through this event, AMARS once again demonstrated its importance as a key exchange platform for sustainability and management accounting research in the Asia-Pacific region. Looking ahead, the symposium is expected to continue rotating among countries across the Asia-Pacific, fostering greater collaboration among international and regional management accounting scholars, and injecting new momentum and directions into the development of sustainability and management accounting.