On behalf of Auburn University and the School of Accountancy at the Harbert College of Business, we would like to invite you to attend a two-day conference on Qualitative Research in Accounting with distinguished guests - Professors Yves Gendron, Université Laval, Melissa Graebner, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Christie Hayne, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This conference should be of interest too researchers who are interested in learning more about consuming or conducting qualitative accounting research and early- to mid-career researchers are particularly encouraged to attend.
The conference will be held on Friday and Saturday, April 17-18, 2026, at the Harbert College of Business. We will start at approx. 10:00 am on Friday and conclude around 3:30 pm on Saturday. Lunch will be provided both days and additional social gatherings in the evenings will be available to those who are interested. The conference will include the following components:
Professor Yves Gendron is committed to supporting qualitative research. Many of his qualitative research studies aim to better understand some fundamental aspects of the life of accounting professionals, including exploring the influence of accounting firms on the decisions of field auditors and the commercialization of the field of public accounting. He also has been involved in research examining corporate governance issues, such as studying the practices and perceived effectiveness of audit committees and compensation committees of Canadian public companies. His academic work has been published in a variety of journals, including Accounting, Organizations & Society, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Contemporary Accounting Research, European Accounting Review, Journal of Management Studies, and Organization Studies. Currently, Professor Gendron is Co-Editor in Chief of Critical Perspectives on Accounting, and an Editor at Contemporary Accounting Research and Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory. Read a full bio.
Melissa Graebner is the Robert C. Evans Endowed Professor of Business Administration at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Gies College of Business. She also serves as the Director of the Initiative for Qualitative Research in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (INQUIRE), is the former Area Chair of Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and International Business, and recently became an Associate Dean. Melissa is a pioneer in qualitative research methods, focusing on understanding complex social processes in strategic contexts. Her research has been recognized with honors such as Best Paper Awards from the Academy of Management Journal and Strategic Organization. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Management and the Strategic Management Society, and her work has appeared in numerous leading journals, including Strategic Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Academy of Management Annals. She is a former Co-Editor and current Consulting Editor for the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal and has held elected leadership positions in the Academy of Management and the Strategic Management Society.
Christie Hayne is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Christie’s qualitative research covers various managerial accounting and governance-related topics and has involved interviewing high-ranking executives, audit partners, and even white-collar criminals behind bars. One stream of Christie’s research program aims to understand whether and how management accounting and control systems function when organizations experience adversity such as crisis or fraudulent behavior. In another stream of her research aims to understand the organizational architecture and management of accounting firms. In this latter stream, Christie has examined how small firms leverage their membership in an accounting association and the challenges of such membership as well as how small firms navigate the recruitment of audit rookies and how larger firms manage their quality control systems. Because interviews have the capacity to unearth key insights on important and timely topics, Christie’s research also explores other contemporary issues including corporate governance evaluations, proxy advisor influence, tax lobbying, and the use of academic research in standard setting. Christie’s research has been published in a variety of journals such as The Accounting Review; Journal of Accounting Research; Contemporary Accounting Research; and Accounting, Organizations and Society. She currently serves on the editorial boards of Contemporary Accounting Research, Behavioral Research in Accounting, and Accounting Horizons.