Taking the world of accounting and business into the future
George Addair is quoted as saying, “Everything you’ve ever wanted is sitting on the other side of fear.” And, Maryam Firoozi did not let fear stop her from pursuing her learning dreams—on the other side of the world.
Born and raised in Iran, Firoozi had lofty ambitions and made great academic achievements early on. She ranked in the top one per cent on Iran’s National University Entrance Exam and subsequently earned a bachelor’s, then a master’s degree in Accounting with high distinction. Firoozi worked her way up the ladder from entry-level corporate accounting in the financial industry to more sophisticated financial reporting for senior management and boards of directors. She became highly proficient at preparing, reading, and analyzing financial reports, and after some time, became quite interested in how the information on financial reports was being used. She was lured into academia, wanting to learn more about corporate governance and how senior executives and board directors used these reports to direct the company’s corporate decisions.
Firoozi knew she wanted to explore outside of her home country to further her knowledge in business and accounting beyond Iran. She looked to North America and was accepted into Concordia University’s PhD in Business Administration (Accountancy). She had made it to the other side of the world, excited at the learning opportunities presented to her, and an arsenal of knowledge and experience under her belt. It is a testament to Firoozi’s intelligence, strength of character, and her fearlessness to venture out into the world and immerse in a new culture, a new language — and do it with her level of success.
“I’ve always been encouraged by my family to pursue higher learning and this quote by a famous tenth-century Persian poet sums it up nicely for me, ‘Rest not a moment from learning.’”
She is creating a very relevant and leading-edge research program. Her program is multidisciplinary and multifaceted, with research connecting accounting with management studies and information technology. She has many active projects in the areas of corporate governance, and corporate disclosure, including disclosure on social media.
Accountability in the 21st century
Firoozi is exploring a very exciting and novel area in accounting research; examining the influence of social media on stakeholders and corporate communication.
“Social media websites are a new channel of communication for managers to communicate to their shareholders and customers, so it’s important that they do it effectively.”
Before the advent of social media, managers were using very formal means of communication, such as conference calls or letters to shareholders. Social media provides a less formal way of communicating, and as well, speaks to a broader audience of stakeholders, including customers, investors, even potential investors. Firoozi is interested in discovering if and how corporations and their executives are changing the way they communicate to their stakeholders via social media, specifically executives’ personal social media accounts. (Are they saying different things? Are they behaving differently?) Moreover, she is interested in the cost/benefit analysis of using social media to communicate to stakeholders to determine if it can help or hinder accountability, their reputation and the firm’s value.
Towards responsible digitalization
Firoozi is exploring another new area focused on how digitalization is changing corporate reporting and corporate governance. She is eager to understand how corporations handle the new risks that come with automation and relying on the Internet. Her current project in this area is focused on understanding how corporations report on cyber risk, cybersecurity, and their efforts to protect stakeholders’ data. She is looking forward to extending this research area by exploring other reporting and governance challenges associated with automation and digitalization. She is hoping to help with a responsible digital transformation through her ongoing research in this area.
From across the globe to pursue her dreams of higher learning, Firoozi continues to prove her potency here in Canada as she brings her wisdom and ardour to business research…and will “rest not a moment from learning.”