Emeritus Professor
Emeritus Professor Roger Simnett
Business School
School of Accounting, Auditing and Taxation
Professor Roger Simnett
Professor of Accounting, Scientia Professor
School of Accounting - MEc, Monash | PhD, UNSW | FCPA
About Roger
Roger Simnett is currently the Macquarie Group Foundation Chair, and holds a half time appointment as Academic Director of the Centre for Social Impact, and Professor of Accounting at the UNSW Australia Business School. He was previously the Associate Dean of Research for the Australian School of Business from 2011-2014 and Head of the School of Accounting from 2006-2010. Roger's research interests cover a range of international auditing/assurance issues, aimed at improving audit/assurance quality and making policy recommendations, and his work covers both auditor decision-making and the economics of auditing and well as examining credibility-enhancing mechanisms for non-financial information.
He is recognised as a leading academic in auditing and his work has appeared in the leading academic and professional journals, including The Accounting Review, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, Abacus, Behavioral Research in Auditing and Contemporary Accounting Research. He is also currently serving on the editorial boards of a number of journals, including the main three specialist auditing journals: Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, International Journal of Auditing and Managerial Auditing Journal. Roger is heavily involved in standard-setting as a member of the Australian Auditing and Assurance Standards Board for two terms and was the first elected academic on the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board from 2002-2005.
He has recently held the appointments of Chairman of the Sustainability Expert Advisory Panel of the International Federation of Accountants, Co-chair of the task force producing an assurance standard on Carbon Emission disclosures for the IAASB and is currently a member of the International Integrated Reporting Committee’s assurance task force. Roger is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
Expertise
Roger is recognised as a leading international auditing researcher whose research interests cover a range of international auditing/assurance issues, aimed at improving audit/assurance quality and making policy recommendations. His current areas of interests include improving the measurement and assurability of corporate reporting, both financial and nonfinancial disclosures. Roger’s research has appeared in the leading journals, including The Accounting Review, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory and Contemporary Accounting Research. Roger’s contribution to academia and the profession has been widely recognised and he is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
Grants
- 2014-2018 BankWest Foundation R.Simnett, P.Flateau and J.Barraket. “Research Program Supporting Development and Growth in the Community Sector in Western Australia”.
- 2013-2015 ARC Discovery Grant. R. Simnett, E. Carson, N. Fargher and A. Vanstraelen, “Evaluating Regulation Initiatives Directed at Audit Firms to Improve Audit Quality”.
- 2012-2015 ARC Linkage Grant with CPA Australia and Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia: R. Simnett (CI), M. Balatbat, M. Cheng, Y.S. Phua and W. Green, “Enhancing Integrated Reporting: Implications for internal and external reporting and assurance”.
- 2011-2013 ARC Discovery Grant: R. Simnett and K. Trotman, “Evaluating and enhancing the composition and functioning of multidisciplinary greenhouse gas assurance engagement teams”.
- 2010-2012 ACCA-IAAER-IAASB Research Grant: “International Consistency and Convergence in the Application of International Auditing Standards: Evidence from Going Concern Modifications”.
- 2009-2012 ARC Linkage Grant with CPA Australia and Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia: R. Simnett and W. Green, “Improving the credibility of greenhouse gas emissions disclosures”.
- 2008-2010 ARC Discovery Grant: R. Simnett and E. Carson, “Consistency of going concern audit report modifications over time, audit firms and countries”.
- 2005-2006: Large ARC discovery grant, R. Simnett, 'Do converged international auditing standards result in converged international auditor behaviour?'
- 2002-2004: Large ARC discovery grant, W. F. Chua and R. Simnett 'Strategic Archetypes, Knowledge Management Practices and Knowledge Processes in the Provision of Assurance and Consulting Services'.
- 2001-2003: SPIRT grant, M. Briers, W. Birkett and R. Simnett 'Value Creation and Risk Management in Financial services in Asia-Pacific - Towards Best Practice in the 21st Century'.
- 1995-2005: Large ARC discovery grant, R. Simnett, P. Luckett and A. Wright 'Development of Industry Specialisation by Auditors'
- 1998-2000: Large ARC discovery grant, A. Craswell and R. Simnett 'The voluntary demand for external auditing in Australia'
- Roger also attracted many other forms of Research grants, including, recently, ARC Small research Grants, and KPMG/University of Illinois case research support.
Engagement
Media Releases
- UNSW Business School’s Professor Roger Simnett awarded Order of Australia
- Professor Simnett announced chair of Australian Auditing & Assurance Standards Board
- Accounting professor appointed editor of prestigious journal
- Business school academics fellows in PLuS alliance
- Roger Simnett and Kathleen Bentley-Goode recognised by the American Accounting Association
- Business School Researchers win $2 million in grants
- Australian Accounting Standards Board Academic Panel launched to improve standard setting
- UNSW Business School’s Audit Researchers still world number 1
- High honours for Australian School of Business Professors
- ASB accountants research integrated reporting
- Australian School of Business awarded over $2 million in ARC grants
- ASB PhD graduates in Auditing ranked No.1
- A new senior team at the Australian School of Business
- Top young business researchers gather for National Honours Colloquium 2011
UNSW Business School profile: https://www.business.unsw.edu.au/our-people/rogersimnett
Phone
+61 2 9385 5825
E-mail
Location
Room 3052, Quadrangle building – Ref E15
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
My Research Supervision
PhD continuing
- Adam S., Social Investments and Integrated Reporting (2012-current)
Supervisors: Professor R Simnett (primary supervisor) & Professor K. Trotman (co-supervisor) - Hoang H., Integrated Assurance(2013-current)
Supervisors: Professor R Simnett (primary supervisor) & Professor K. Trotman (co-supervisor) - Prasad A., Title to be determined (2012-current)
Supervisors: Professor R Simnett (joint supervisor) & A/Professor E Carson (joint supervisor) - Yang J., Title to be determined (2014-current)
Supervisors: Professor R Simnett (joint supervisor) & A/Professor E Carson (joint supervisor)
MCom / MPhil (Hons) continuing
- Fu D., Behind the Transparency Report: Examining the Influence of the Partner Remuneration Schemes on Audit Quality (current)
Supervisors: Professor R Simnett & Professor E Carson
My Teaching
Professor Simnett is proficient in teaching any aspect of an auditing or assurance, corporate governance or financial accounting related course. In both 1992 and 1995, he was nominated by the School of Accounting and the Faculty of Commerce and Economics for the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
Some highlights of Professor Simnett’s teaching include:
- Teaching evaluations consistently well above School and University average.
- Development of a number of new subjects, including in the area of assurance services and auditing, corporate governance, with recent involvement in the development of assurance of greenhouse gas reporting course.
- Course evaluations well above average. Last two years of course rating have scored an average score of 6 out of 6, for overall rating of presenter.
- Twice evaluated as outstanding instructor Australia-wide for Australian Graduate School of Management- EMBA, Introductory Accounting.
- Co-ordinating teaching and supervisory seminars for the School
- Text book co-author (with Grant Gay), of Auditing & Assurance Services, McGraw-Hill, with textbook being the leading seller in Australia, as well as writer of support teaching information, and a number of case studies.
- External PhD examiner for theses submitted at many institutions including: The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Griffith University; The University of Western Australia; Sydney University; University of Technology, Sydney; Edith Cowan University; University of Melbourne.