Culture, as a set of deeply-rooted norms and values, shapes the behaviour of economic agents and is shown to affect financial decision making in many respects. While the role of culture has received considerable attention in other fields of business research, the impact of culture on finance has only recently received attention.

This seminar will discuss the role that culture plays in financial decision making and outcomes.

Bart Frijns (Auckland University of Technology, Finance Professor) will start by discussing the three channels through which culture has been demonstrated to affect financial decision making: 1. cultural values; 2. cultural distance; and 3. cultural diversity.

Olga Dodd (Auckland University of Technology, Senior Lecturer, Finance) will discuss some recent research that demonstrates the role of cultural diversity on corporate boards and its impact on firms.

Finally, Mary-Jane Daly (Onepath Life (NZ Limited) will provide an industry perspective on the impact of culture on finance.