2004 ABO Conference
Chicago, IL
Report by Rich Houston, Conference Chair

The 2004 ABO Research Conference took place on October 15–16, 2004 in Chicago, IL. The conference was very well attended—about 80 members were present.

Computer Panel: Frank Hodge (University of Washington), Stephanie Bryant (University of South Florida), and Ed O'Donnell (Arizona State University)

There were two panel discussions. On Friday, Moderator Ed O'Donnell (Arizona State University), Stephanie Bryant (University of South Florida), and Frank Hodge (University of Washington) spoke about The Pros and Cons of Computer-Administered Experiments. In response to many requests, each of the speakers has agreed to make their powerpoint materials available on the ABO Website at: (http://business.baylor.edu/ Charles_Davis/abo/pros_cons.htm)

On Saturday, Rich Houston (University of Alabama) moderated the editor's panel, which consisted of Vicky Arnold (Advances in Accounting Behavioral Research); Steve Kaplan (Behavioral Research in Accounting); Joan Luft (Journal of Management Accounting Research); and Dan Stone and Brad Tuttle (Journal of Information Systems). This session provided many interesting insights into the editorial process, and we thank all the editors for attending as well as their continued hard work.

Editor Panel: Dan Stone and Brad Tuttle (Journal of Information Systems), Joan Luft (Journal of Management Accounting Research), Steve Kaplan (Behavioral Research in Accounting) and Vicky Arnold (Advances in Accounting Behavioral Research)

ABO Dissertation Award Winners: Brooke Elliott (University of Illinois) and Jane Kennedy (University of Washington)

At the Friday luncheon, the section honored Professor Kenneth Merchant (University of Southern California) by giving him the 2003 ABO Notable Lifetime Contribution Award in Behavioral Accounting Literature. Professor Brooke Elliott (University of Illinois) also received the 2004 ABO Outstanding Dissertation Award. Brooke's dissertation, entitled "Emphasis and Information Display of Non-GAAP Earnings Measures: Effects on Professional and Non-Professional Investor Judgments and Decisions," was completed at the University of Washington under the supervision of Jane Kennedy.

In addition, there were eight paper sessions and a research forum, all of which were well-received and well-attended. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped to make this conference a great success. Next year's Research Conference will be in Atlanta, GA—the exact date and place will be announced later.