Dr Sepideh Parsa
| Name | Dr Sepideh Parsa |
|---|---|
| Job title | Associate Professor in Accounting |
| Research institute | |
| Primary appointment | Accounting, Finance & Economics |
| Email address | s.parsa@mdx.ac.uk |
| ORCID | https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4135-2865 |
| Contact category | Academic staff |
Biography
Biography Dr Sepideh Parsa is an Associate Professor in Accounting at Middlesex University Business School, Co-Lead of the Business Ethics, Accountability and Governance (BEAG) Research Cluster, and Programme Leader for the MSc International Financial Management. She joined Middlesex as a fully funded doctoral researcher and completed her PhD in Accounting and Finance, specialising in social accounting. Her expertise spans corporate accountability, labour rights and modern slavery reporting, corporate governance and sustainability. Her research connects academic scholarship with policy and practice, including contributions to international sustainability reporting standards, local authority responses to modern slavery, and parliamentary written evidence.
Teaching Sepideh’s teaching focuses on Corporate Governance and Sustainability and Corporate Accountability, alongside research methods and dissertation supervision at postgraduate level. She brings contemporary research and business cases into the classroom, encouraging students to critically examine corporate conduct, debate competing perspectives and develop evidence-based evaluations. As Programme Leader for the MSc International Financial Management, she leads programme development and enhancement, supporting students’ academic progression and professional development. She also supervises doctoral researchers and has served as an external PhD examiner and examination chair at universities across the UK.
Supervision
| Doctoral Researcher | Award | Status | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minh Nhat Linh Nguyen | PhD | Research Project final stages | Supervisor | Sep 2022 - Present |
Education and qualifications
Grants
Prizes and Awards
Evidence to public body
Sepideh has been appointed by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), GRI’s independent standard setting body, to serve on the GRI Labor Project Advisory Group to revise and develop the Labor related GRI topic standards.
Dr Sepideh Parsa submitted research-informed written evidence on the modern slavery provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Bill 2026. Drawing on her research into labour rights, corporate accountability and modern slavery governance, the submission addressed protections for people affected by modern slavery. The evidence was accepted and formally published by the House of Commons Public Bill Committee and circulated to committee members.
As Principal Investigator and academic lead, Dr Parsa led the development of a research-informed training framework for local authorities as modern slavery first responders in England and Wales. Drawing on interviews with local authorities and consultation with civil society organisations, practitioners and lived-experience contributors, the framework identifies training needs across awareness, frontline practice, specialist response and leadership accountability. It was developed to support local authorities in strengthening their capacity to identify and respond to modern slavery.
Dr Parsa co-authored a report with Dr Andrea Werner for the Institute of Business Ethics examining how corporate codes of ethics can strengthen organisational responses to modern slavery. The report connects research on labour rights and corporate accountability with practical considerations for businesses seeking to embed responsibility for modern slavery within their ethical commitments and governance arrangements.
Research outputs
A training framework for local authorities as modern slavery first responders in England and Wales
Parsa, S., Fais, E., Lazzarino, R., Ozarow, D. and Hettiarachchi, C. 2026. A training framework for local authorities as modern slavery first responders in England and Wales. London, UK Middlesex University. https://doi.org/10.60528/33x727“No poverty” (SDG 1), “Zero hunger” (SDG 2) and HRM
Roper, I., Parsa, S. and Hettiarachchi, C. 2025. “No poverty” (SDG 1), “Zero hunger” (SDG 2) and HRM. in: Aust-Gronarz, I., Cooke, F. and Semeijn, J. (ed.) The Elgar Companion to Human Resource Management and the Sustainable Development Goals Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 16-29Raising the bar: how corporate codes of ethics can strengthen responses to modern slavery
Parsa, S. and Werner, A. 2025. Raising the bar: how corporate codes of ethics can strengthen responses to modern slavery. Institute of Business Ethics.The development of a preliminary training framework for local authorities as modern slavery first responders in England and Wales
Parsa, S., Ozarow, D., Lazzarino, R., Fais, E., Hettiarachchi, C. and Fookes, J. 2025. The development of a preliminary training framework for local authorities as modern slavery first responders in England and Wales. London, UK Middlesex University London. https://doi.org/10.60528/2409qqBenevolent authoritarianism, paternalism and religious humanitarianism in Sri Lanka: a dependent or autonomous HR?
Hettiarachchi, C., Parsa, S. and Roper, I. 2024. Benevolent authoritarianism, paternalism and religious humanitarianism in Sri Lanka: a dependent or autonomous HR? The International Journal of Human Resource Management. 35 (20), pp. 3475-3495. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2024.2421343Soft law regulation and labour rights reporting: a deficit in moral legitimacy?
Parsa, S., Roper, I., Maurer, I. and Muller-Camen, M. 2025. Soft law regulation and labour rights reporting: a deficit in moral legitimacy? Accounting Forum. 49 (1), pp. 20-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/01559982.2023.2250030Addressing challenges to labour rights reporting on global value chains: social governance mechanisms as a way forward
Parsa, S. and Werner, A. 2023. Addressing challenges to labour rights reporting on global value chains: social governance mechanisms as a way forward. in: Kacanski, S., Kabderian Dreyer, J. and Sund, K. (ed.) Measuring Sustainability and CSR: From Reporting to Decision-Making Cham, Switzerland. Springer. pp. 95-106Transparency and disclosure in supply chains: modern slavery and worker voice
Parsa, S., Roper, I. and Hettiarachchi, C. 2022. Transparency and disclosure in supply chains: modern slavery and worker voice. Middlesex University. https://doi.org/10.57685/EPRINTS.MDX.AC.UK.00034618Corporate social responsibility reporting in China: political, social and corporate influences
Parsa, S., Narisa Tianjin, D., Ataur, B., Teng, L. and Guliang, T. 2021. Corporate social responsibility reporting in China: political, social and corporate influences. Accounting and Business Research. 51 (1), pp. 36-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/00014788.2020.1780110Corporate governance and HRM
Parsa, S. 2019. Corporate governance and HRM. in: Prouska, R., Roper, I. and Chatrakul Na Ayudhya, U. (ed.) Critical issues in human resource management: contemporary perspectives London Macmillan International Higher Education | Red Globe Press. pp. 9-27Have labour practices and human rights disclosures enhanced corporate accountability? The case of the GRI framework
Parsa, S., Roper, I., Muller-Camen, M. and Szigetvari, E. 2018. Have labour practices and human rights disclosures enhanced corporate accountability? The case of the GRI framework. Accounting Forum. 42 (1), pp. 47-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accfor.2018.01.001How do Chinese businesses view corporate social responsibility?
Parsa, S., Tang, G. and Dai, N. 2016. How do Chinese businesses view corporate social responsibility? London ICAEW.Reporting on sustainability and HRM: a comparative study of sustainability reporting practices by the world’s largest companies
Ehnert, I., Parsa, S., Roper, I., Wagner, M. and Muller-Camen, M. 2016. Reporting on sustainability and HRM: a comparative study of sustainability reporting practices by the world’s largest companies. The International Journal of Human Resource Management. 27 (1), pp. 88-108. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2015.1024157Is there an expectations gap in the roles of independent directors? An explorative study of listed Chinese companies
Li, P., Parsa, S., Tang, G. and Xiao, J. 2012. Is there an expectations gap in the roles of independent directors? An explorative study of listed Chinese companies. British Journal of Management. 23 (2), pp. 206-222. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2010.00727.xThe social audit of labour standards: what can it tell us about employer motivation to disclose?
Roper, I., Parsa, S. and Muller-Camen, M. 2011. The social audit of labour standards: what can it tell us about employer motivation to disclose? Across Boundaries: An Interdisciplinary Conference on the Global Challenges Facing Workers and Employment Research. BJIR 50th Anniversary Conference. London School of Economics 12 - 13 Dec 2011Non-financial information disclosure and communication in large UK companies.
Parsa, S. 2001. Non-financial information disclosure and communication in large UK companies. PhD thesis Middlesex University Business SchoolCapital markets: reactions to social information announcements
Parsa, S. and Deng, X. 2008. Capital markets: reactions to social information announcements. International Journal of Accounting and Finance. 1 (1), pp. 107-120. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJAF.2008.020239Disclosure of governance information by small and medium-sized companies
Parsa, S., Chong, G. and Isimoya, E. 2007. Disclosure of governance information by small and medium-sized companies. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society. 7 (5), pp. 635-648. https://doi.org/10.1108/14720700710827211Governance and social information disclosure - evidence from the UK
Parsa, S., Kouhy, R. and Tzovas, C. 2007. Governance and social information disclosure - evidence from the UK. International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics. 3 (3), pp. 205-222. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJBGE.2007.014313Social reporting by companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market
Parsa, S. and Kouhy, R. 2007. Social reporting by companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market. Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9402-8Disclosure of social information by small/medium-sized companies.
Parsa, S. 2003. Disclosure of social information by small/medium-sized companies. Global Business & Economics Review. Anthol, pp. 90-104.Corporate performance analysis and military production in South Africa
Batcholar, P., Dunne, J. and Parsa, S. 2000. Corporate performance analysis and military production in South Africa. Defence and peace economics. 11 (4), pp. 615-641. https://doi.org/10.1080/104307100084049705672
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