Call for Papers: Life After the Financial Crisis

Posted by on June 8, 2009

The Annual Conference of the American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI) Held in Partnership with The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia
April 14-16, 2010

Conference Theme:
Life After the Financial Crisis

Call for Competitive Presentations & Special Sessions

The meltdown in the real estate and financial markets in 2008 and 2009, coupled with a growing shift by companies to individually managed retirement accounts, rising levels of consumer debt, and increasingly complex financial products in the marketplace, has once again brought the role of consumer protection and education to the forefront of research and policy decisions. Papers, posters, and special session submissions are now being accepted for the 2010 ACCI annual conference.

The goal of the conference is to provide researchers, consumer policy specialists, educators, and related professionals with the theoretical and practical knowledge of how consumers obtain, process, and utilize information in an increasingly complex marketplace following the financial crisis. The interdisciplinary nature of the conference topics is meant to be inviting to researchers and educators from diverse fields such as consumer economics, personal finance, economics, psychology, sociology, business administration, small business management, consumer policy, retailing, marketing, education, human development, family studies, and related fields.  Presenters may submit empirical studies or conceptual work. Submissions that are theoretically grounded and also contain significant implications for consumer welfare are especially appropriate.

The 2010 annual meeting of the American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI) will be held in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. ACCI is the leading consumer policy research and education organization consisting of a worldwide community of researchers, educators, consumer policy specialists, and related professionals dedicated to enhancing consumer well-being. ACCI promotes the consumer interest by encouraging, producing and communicating policy-relevant research.  The Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank has a tradition of engagement through its economic research, consumer and community affairs functions, and public outreach.

The 2010 conference will focus on consumer issues relevant to the financial crisis. Hence, submissions (papers, posters, and special sessions) addressing this important topic are especially encouraged. Submissions on other topics relevant to consumer finance, consumer choice and decision making, and consumer and public policy issues are always welcome.

Submissions

Refereed Submissions Due October 15, 2009

ACCI is accepting submissions for paper presentations, poster presentations, and special sessions.  Those who are willing to be flexible in the format of their presentation (paper or poster) will have a higher probability of selection.  When submitting the work, please indicate on the required cover page if the submission should be considered as
•        a paper only
•        a poster only or
•        either a paper or poster.

All refereed (paper and poster) submissions require:

1.        a completed cover page which can be found at http://www.consumerinterests.org/conference
2.        a completed paper or abstract conforming to details below
3.        a completed awards application, if desired, which can be found at http://www.consumerinterests.org/awards
4.        submission by October 15, 2009.

Paper Presentations. Completed papers or detailed abstracts are required. Detailed abstracts should include approximately 1,000 to 2,000 words (excluding references, tables, and graphs). Papers and abstracts are blind peer reviewed. At a minimum, papers and abstracts should include

•        a clear purpose statement
•        a description of data
•        a detailed methodology review
•        presentation of findings
•        a brief discussion identifying the practice management and policy implications of the work.

Submission to Journal of Consumer Affairs.  Dual submission to The Journal of Consumer Affairs is encouraged; for more information about submitting articles to JCA, visit http://www.consumerinterests.org/i4a/pages/Index.cfm?pageid=3311.

Posters. A one-page abstract describing the purpose of each poster is requested. Posters will be highlighted during the meeting at which time authors must be present to discuss their work with conference attendees. The printed program will list the poster titles, authors, and affiliations. Poster authors may publish an abstract in the proceedings.

There is no standard for minimum size or shape of the actual poster. However, ACCI recommends

•        a maximum poster space of 4 feet high by 8 feet long
•        a frame of approximately 1” around the perimeter.

Helpful information on developing a poster is available at

•        http://faculty.washington.edu/scporter/INQUAposters.html
•        http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/posteradvice.htm

Special Session Proposals Due November 1, 2009

ACCI special sessions provide an opportunity to focus on specific topics of interest and importance to consumer researchers, to showcase creative programs or successful teaching methodologies, or to provide a roundtable discussion of “ideas that work” with your colleagues. The sessions are appropriate when competitive paper or poster submissions would be unlikely to generate a cohesive session on the topic.

Special sessions of relevance to the conference theme are encouraged. Special sessions can include a panel presentation, showcase, or roundtable. It is imperative that all proposed session participants be contacted prior to submitting the session proposal.

Special session proposals should include the following:

•        session title
•        session leader
•        list of the speakers, speaker affiliation and speaker titles
•        a 750- to 1000-word abstract of each speaker’s presentation or remarks
•        submission by November 1, 2009.

How to Submit

All authors and special session leaders will be asked to submit their proposals online.  Details and instructions will be available on the ACCI Website no later than August 1, 2009.  Go to http://www.consumerinterests.org for updated information.

Acceptance Notification

Authors will be notified by January 6, 2010 as to the status of their submission.  It is very important that all accepted papers be presented.  Authors of accepted papers will be given approximately 15-20 minutes at the meeting for presentation and receive brief moderator discussion.  Authors and presenters are expected to register and pay for attendance at the Annual Conference.  Registration information will be available in August 2009 at http://www.consumerinterests.org.

Publication in Consumer Interest Annual

ACCI strongly encourages the formal publication of accepted papers, posters and special sessions in the Consumer Interests Annual.  However, publication is optional.  Publication in CIA does not exclude submission to another journal after the conference; in fact, presenting at ACCI should provide valuable insights to authors in ways to improve papers for future publication.

The presentation may be published as:

•        a full paper or poster presentation, to be published in the online publication Consumer Interests Annual.  Dual submission to The Journal of Consumer Affairs is encouraged; for more information about submitting articles to JCA, visit http://www.consumerinterests.org/i4a/pages/Index.cfm?pageid=3311.
•        an extended abstract with full citations to be published in Consumer Interests Annual.

Awards

ACCI offers several awards for outstanding papers and posters.  Authors are encouraged to nominate their work for one of the awards described below.

Paper Awards require that a full paper, not an abstract, be submitted.   The following award is available.  More awards may be made available and authors are encouraged to visit the ACCI Web site (http://www.consumerinterests.org) for updated information.

The Applied Consumer Economics Award is given for a paper that addresses practical and everyday problems that consumers face. Competitive papers for the ACE Award must have three components: (1) identification of an important consumer problem or issue, (2) articulation of practical solutions to the problem, and (3) strong, convincing communication of the implications of the findings that have immediate usefulness to consumers, consumer professionals, or policy makers. An award of $200 is provided by ACCI. Papers previously published cannot be considered for this award.

Poster Awards are offered because posters are an increasingly valuable part of the ACCI meeting. In 2010 ACCI will hold a judged poster competition with cash awards of $200, $150, and $100 for the top 3 places. Criteria for the awards will include both the quality of the research and its presentation.

For More Information or Questions
conference@consumerinterests.org
http://www.consumerinterests.org