Expressions of Interest - Hosting the AAPAE Conference

The AAPAE is currently fielding expressions of interest (EOI) for institutions interested in hosting its 2022 Annual Conference!

Hosting the AAPAE Conference provides an excellent opportunity to organise a conference in one’s own institution that foregrounds a special focus, and to do so with a recognised brand, ongoing pool of conference-attendees, a publicity system and helpful support from experienced past-conference attendees.

Hosting a conference of any sort is a lot of work – but when it is done through the AAPAE there are many benefits and supports for the conveners and the host organisation.

Key choices

The host institution and the conference convenor (in consultation with the AAPAE) make the key decisions about:

• The Conference Theme (Title)
• Major streams in the conference
• Keynote speakers (usually three)

The conference thus provides a terrific opportunity to bring together researchers and keynotes with an interest in the host institution’s specific fields of inquiry.

The conference allows the institution to showcase its research strengths, profiling your institution and the work of its academics and professionals through a long-standing professional association.

The conference offers a cost-effective way for the institution’s academics, including Research & Higher Degree Candidates and Early Career Researchers, to present and discuss their work, in an atmosphere of collegiality and encouragement.

Special issue/Edited Collection

The edited collection of papers from the conference appears in a special issue of the AAPAE’s associated journal, an Emerald publication, Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations, available in print and online (ERA2010/ABDC ‘B’-ranked. Scimago: Q2/Q3.) The guest editor/s of the special issue are almost always drawn from the conference convenors, often including at least one Early Career Researcher. The process and timeline leading to the publication is streamlined over years of experience, and the AAPAE can, if the guest editor/s wish, help provide access to peer reviewers through their extensive networks.

Guest editing the ‘Special Edition’ of REIO provides an excellent opportunity for professional experience and publication.

Cost and support

The AAPAE provides detailed guidelines for hosting the conference, drawing on years of experience concerning administrative, logistical and budgetary issues. If you would like to look over these guidelines, please contact us at the below email.

As part of the process, the AAPAE appoints a dedicated member of its Executive Committee to liaise with the convenor. This member is normally a past conference convenor, with experience to draw upon.

At the request of the conference convenor, the AAPAE can offer an advance to the conference budget of up to $5,000, to allow payment of initial costs. Historically, AAPAE Conferences ‘break even’ or result in a small/medium profit (around $500-$4,000) that is split evenly between the AAPAE and the host institution.

• Conducting a conference with a recognised brand, an on-going pool of conference-attendees, with established publicity infrastructure (a listserv with around 500 subscribers; a website; a bi-annual newsletter) and ongoing support from the AAPAE.

• With the convenor, the AAPAE organises the reviewing and judgement tasks for the ‘Best PhD Candidate papers’ presented at the Conference, with first prize attracting AUD $500 and second prize AUD $250, fully sponsored by the AAPAE.

Career development

Very often individuals seeking to advance their careers (in universities and similar institutions) meet all types of benchmarks – in teaching and research, for example – but can have gaps in those areas associated with service to a professional organisation and the scholarly community generally.

Hosting an AAPAE conference offers precisely such an opportunity, and allows it to be fulfilled with the support of an experienced association.

Summary

For a research centre or university group, hosting the AAPAE Conference offers the opportunities:

• To host a local conference on a theme directly related to their research focus and specialities;
• To invite national and international keynotes to present on or around the Conference theme, and to fund their visit through the Conference Budget;
• To give local PhD students and ECRs a supportive and cost-effective environment to present their research – including the opportunity to submit their paper for the PhD Award, and to submit to the special issue;
• To give the convenor, perhaps with partners or colleagues, an opportunity to edit the Special Issue – a valuable publication opportunity

The success and benefits of the 2016 AAPAE conference hosted by the School of Management in the University of South Australia, Adelaide, can be attributed to several factors: presentations of wide-ranging ethical issues from national and international academics and doctoral scholars; opportunity for participants to hear well-known keynote speakers at the conference and also at the Hawke lecture; opportunity to network in an ambience of collegiality and camaraderie; and opportunity to guest edit and publish in the special issue of REIO; and of course, showcasing the commitment of our school and university to the importance of ethics.

– Sunil Savur (convenor of the 2016 conference):

Convening and hosting the AAPAE 2017 Annual Conference was an excellent professional development opportunity. As a small, research-based institute in a large metropolitan university, we were able to reach out and involve people from across the university and the city, thereby increasing our profile across a range of stakeholders. The AAPAE were extremely supportive throughout.

– Bligh Grant (convenor of the 2017 conference):

Interested?

If you are interested in putting forward an Expression of Interest in hosting the 2022 Conference (or other future conference), or would like further information, then please contact the AAPAE on [email protected]