Dr Homaira Semeen

Profile

Roles: 

• Member of the Department of Accounting and Financial Management

Biography:

Dr Homaira Semeen is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Accounting at the Queen Mary University of London. She joined the School of Business and Management in 2021. Homaira holds a PhD in Accounting and a Master of Business Research degree from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia. She was awarded an Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship in 2016-19 for pursuing her PhD, and her thesis was nominated by her examiners for QUT outstanding thesis award in 2019.

Homaira's research broadly considers the relations between accounting and social fairness. With a specific focus on social sustainability, she uses critical theory to study the role of accounting in constructing socially (in)equitable workplaces and stakeholder (dis)empowerment. Her research brings a broad perspective on accounting, reporting and ethical certification auditing that goes beyond common understandings and opens doors to new insights and cross-cultural comparisons.

Homaira is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. While pursuing higher research degrees, she taught a range of courses in Accounting and Finance discipline in several top-ranked universities in Australia, including the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology. Previously, she held a full-time academic position at Jahangirnagar University in Bangladesh.

Teaching

Undergraduate:

• BUS239: Management Accounting for Decision Making
• BUS140: Introduction to Management Accounting

Homaira is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.

Research

Research Interests:

• Critical and interdisciplinary research in accounting
• Management control and human rights
• Accounting for (in)equality and social fairness

Research Group Membership

• Member of the Centre for Research in Equality and Diversity (CRED).
• Member of the Accounting & Accountability Research Group (AARG).
• Member of the Centre on Labour and Global Production (CLGP)

Publications

Refereed journal articles

• Islam, M.A., Haque, S., Henderson, S., Jones, M.J.and Semeen, H. (2021), Corporate disclosures on curbing bribery and the UK Bribery Act 2010: evidence from UK companies, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 34(8), pp. 1851-1882. doi: 10.1108/AAAJ-05-2019-4017.
• Semeen, H., & Islam, M. A. (2020) Social Impact disclosure and symbolic power: Evidence from UK fair trade organizations. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 79. doi: 1016/j.cpa.2020.102182.
• Semeen, H., Islam, M. A. & Quayle, A. (2017). Accounting and accountability practices of Fairtrade International (FLO). Social and Environmental Accountability Journal, 36(3), pp. 170-187. doi: 1080/0969160X.2016.1246376.
• Islam, S., Semeen, H., & Farah, N. (2013). The effects of Financial Ratios on Bankruptcy. Independent Business Review. 6(2). pp. 52-67.

Book contribution

• Semeen, H., & Islam, M. A. (2017). Interviews as an instrument to explore the management's motivation for corporate social and environmental reporting: a global context. In Lauesen, L., and Crowther, D., Handbook of Research in Corporate Social Responsibility. Edward Elgar Ltd. doi: 10.4337/9781784710927.

Thesis

• Semeen, Homaira (2019). Accounting for fair trade: evidence from producer organisations in fair trade supply chains. PhD Thesis, Queensland University of Technology.
• Semeen, Homaira (2016). An examination of Fairtrade impact disclosure practices. Masters by Research Thesis, Queensland University of Technology.

Conference presentations

• Semeen, H. & Islam, M. A (2023, Jul 24-26). Accounting for ‘fair wage’ and bending the rule: evidence from fair trade producer organisation. Paper presented at the Centre for Social and Environmental Research (CSEAR UK) Conference 2023, University of St Andrews, Scotland.
• Semeen, H. & Islam, M. A (2023, Jul 24-26). Accounting for ‘fair wage’ and bending the rule: evidence from fair trade producer organisation. Paper presented at the Conferencia Critical Perspectives on Accounting (CPA) 2023, Universidad Nacional, Bogotá, Colombia.
• Semeen, H. & Islam, M. A (2023, Jul 24-26). Accounting for ‘fair wage’ and bending the rule: evidence from fair trade producer organisation. Paper presented at the European Accounting Association (EAA) Conference 2023, Aalto University, Finland.
• Semeen, H. & Quayle, A (2021, Jul 7-8). Accounting Control and misrecognition of worker exploitation: A case of compliant clothing factories. Paper presented at the 13th Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Accounting (IPA) Conference 2021, University of Innsbruck, Austria
• Semeen, H. & Quayle, A (2019, Dec 12-13). Accounting Control and Forced Labour: A counter-intuitive case of compliant clothing factories. Paper presented at the Australian-Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research (A-CSEAR) Conference 2019, UNSW Business School, Sydney, Australia.
• Semeen, H. (2019, July 6-9). Management Control System in Fair Trade Supply Chains. Three Minute Thesis Presented at the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand (AFAANZ) Conference, Management Accounting Special Interest Group, Brisbane, Australia.
• Semeen, H. (2018, December 5-7). Accounting for fair trade: A tool to ensure 'fair price'?. Paper presented at the Australian-Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research (A-CSEAR) Conference 2018, Monash Business School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
• Semeen, H., & Islam, M. A. (2018, May 31-June 2). Social Impact disclosure as a motion of legitimation in the Fair Trade. Paper presented at the European Accounting Association Annual Congress, Milan, Italy.
• Semeen, H. (2016, December 7). Accounting for Ethical Trade: A study on Fair Trade Supply Chains. Research Proposal presented in Australian-Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research (A-CSEAR) Conference 2016, University of South Australia, Adelaide.
• Semeen, H., & Islam, M. A. (2014, November 24-25). Accounting and accountability practices of Fairtrade International (FLO). Paper presented at the 29th International Business Research Conference, Sydney.

Supervision

Dr Homaira Semeen welcomes PhD applicants interested in interdisciplinary research on management control, reporting and auditing that focuses on human rights and wider social sustainability issues.