Professor Jean Chen

Professor Chen is a Chair Professor in Accounting at the University of Kent. She obtained her PhD in Economics from Lancaster University, UK. She held a personal Chair in Accounting and Finance in the University of Surrey and the University of Southampton. She is a Fellow of Higher Education Academy UK (FHEA) and a Fellow of Chartered Public Accountant (Australia) (FCPA).
Jean has been internationally well-known as a world-scholar in the field of accounting and financial management in general and corporate governance in particular. This recognition has been reflected by serving as an editor, an editorial board member, delivering international conference keynote speeches and seminars, participating in advisory and review bodies. Jean has over 190 publications, including journal articles, monographs, book chapters, with international excellence (e.g. FT50, UTD, ABS4*), and peer-reviewed international conference papers. For example, Journal of Corporate Finance, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of World Business, Journal of Business Research, European Financial Management, European Accounting Review, British Accounting Review, etc.
Jean has substantial editorial-ship experience. She currently serves as an Associate Editor for Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Nankai Business Review International. She was the Screen Editor for Corporate Governance: An International Review (2014-2019), and currently sits on the editorial board for this journal. She also served on the editorial board for China Journal of Accounting Studies - (the journal of the Accounting Society of China) and Management and Organization Review (2016-2022).
Jean has extensive experience in securing external funding and leading international research, through EU funded projects, China and Macao major research funding bodies, as well as industry. She has significant PhD supervision experience and has supervised 24 PhD to completion as well as 10 DBA to completion.
Jean has significant managerial experience. Prior to joining the University of Kent, she had completed three Deanships of business schools: at the University of Southampton in the UK; Xian-Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU) in China; and the University of Macao. Her exemplary work includes leading several business schools from no accreditations to obtaining the TRIPLE CROWN (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA) accreditations. Moreover, Professor Chen has actively participated in international accreditation review and assessment activities, being a peer review team chair or a member to review many business schools in the world for AACSB, EFMD and AMBA&BGA, including those in Australia, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. She also served as the Vice-President and CEO of Surrey International Institute at the University of Surrey. 

Jean’s research interests cover accounting and financial management in general and more specifically in corporate governance, information disclosure, financial accounting, corporate finance, ESG.
Much of her work has multi-disciplinary nature combining accounting with finance and management. Theoretically, she uses agency theory, information asymmetry, capital structure theory, behaviourial finance theory (managerial power perspective, cognitive bias), impression management theory, organisational theory (TCE, legitimacy theory), respectively to build theoretical framework. Methodologically, she uses quantitative methods as well as case study to execute the research.

Her research has focused on:

• Empirical financial reporting (financial reporting quality) and information pricing (earnings management, audit pricing, investment efficiency)
• Information disclosure (strategic information disclosure, media coverage)
• Empirical corporate finance (capital structure, mutual funding behaviour and performance)
• Corporate governance (executive compensation, ownership, board structure, CSR, ESG and Sustainable Accounting and Finance)
• Impact of information technology on accounting and finance
• Entrepreneurship (strategy and innovation). 

Jean has taught numerous courses at UG and PG level, and DBA in the UK and overseas. Her main interests are in corporate governance, financial management, corporate finance, financial accounting. She has extensive experience in curriculum development and led several introduction of new programmes (including BSc, MSc, EMAB and DBVA) in the UK and overseas. She has published several textbooks in strategic financial management and corporate governance. Jean was an external examiner at Queen Mary, University of London, SOAS, University of London, Brunel University, Bangor University, Birmingham City University at UG, PG and MBA level. She is currently an examiner at UCL for its MBA programme.

Jean is willing to accept PhD students in the areas of Governance, Information Disclosure, Financial Accounting, Corporate Finance, CSR and ESG.

Past PhD and DBA supervision

• 24 PhD completions; 9 (on-going joint supervision with other institutions)
• 10 DBA 
• Mentored and Post-doctoral researchers

Recent topics of PhD supervision 

• Social connection and information technology in accounting research
• The impact of information technology on auditing
• Media coverage and auditing
• Do lead independent directors mitigate management opportunistic qualitative disclosure?
• Corporate power centralisation, geographic dispersion, and audit fees
• Information disclosure and audit quality
• Corporate strategic disclosure and investment efficiency
• Impact of CEO cultural background on corporate cash holdings

• Jean is the external examiner of MBA, UCL.
• She has actively participated business school international accreditations (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA) as a peer review panel chair/member to review many business schools in the world and a mentor for those business schools applying for the accreditations.
• She has also engaged activities of CPA (Australia) as a Fellow of CPA.
• She currently serves as the Vice-President of China (Macau)-Europe International Association.
• She has also served as an advisor on several public organisations, NGOs, and academic and professional associations internationally.
• She was elected by the UK Business Schools and held two senior roles as a Council Member and the Chair of Council's International Committee in the UK Royal Chartered Association of Business Schools (ABS) during 2014 and 2015.