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There has been no shortage of rosy visions for the future of Africa or its regions. Almost without exception, these visions have been dashed by reality. The question therefore arises: “To what extent or under what conditions is visioning an ideal future a worthy exercise?” or “Under what conditions is it useful and when is it limiting?” In anticipating the future in general, and seeking a better future for Africa in particular, might foresight tools built on another (non‐visionary) basis provide better fruit? This paper aims to address this issue.

The paper considers this question as it applies to scenario planning in particular, by investigating recent, contrasting case studies of scenario‐building activities in Africa (Tanzania and South Africa).

The paper determines the appropriate uses and limits of “visionary” scenario planning, and suggests a contrasting “adaptive” basis for scenario work.

It is argued that maintaining the purpose‐platform distinction between these two modes is fundamental to getting full value out of scenario work in general, and in the African context in particular. The contrasting case studies explain how and why the adaptive‐normative distinction is important; how different purposes each demand different use of the scenario process tools that currently exist, and show why failure to fit scenario approaches to purpose greatly diminishes the efficacy of the method for either purpose.

Each of these London West End clubs whose libraries I have been visiting is an association of men with interests of a special kind, mainly political, professional or artistic. The libraries, therefore, have this peculiar interest: they reflect the more serious tastes and avocations of the upper crust of London society. Most possess literary treasures or curiosities not, or rarely, to be found elsewhere. The difference between them and other libraries might be likened to the difference between a public park and a private garden. They are very personal.

The case, briefly reported in the last issue of BFJ, an appeal to a Milk and Dairies Tribunal arising out of a local authority's refusal to grant a licence to a milk distributor because he failed to comply with a requirement that he should provide protective curtains to his milk floats, was a rare and in many ways, an interesting event. The Tribunal in this case was set up under reg. 16(2) (f), Milk (Special Designation) Regulations, 1963, constituted in accordance with Part I, clause 2 (2), Schedule 4 of the Regulations. Part II outlines procedure for such tribunals. The Tribunal is similar to that authorized by S.30, Food and Drugs Act, 1955, which deals with the registration of dairymen, dairy farms and farmers, and the Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations, 1959. Part II, Schedule 2 of the Act provided for reference to a tribunal of appeals against refusal or cancellation of registration by the Ministry, but of producers only. A local authority's power to refuse to register or cancellation contained in Part I, Schedule 2 provided for no such reference and related to instances where “public health is or is likely to be endangered by any act or default” of such a person, who was given the right of appeal against refusal to register, etc., to a magistrates' court. No such limitation exists in respect of the revoking, suspending, refusal to renew a licence under the Milk (Special Designation) Regulations, 1963; an appeal against same lies to the Minister, who must refer the matter to a tribunal, if the person so requests. This occurred in the case under discussion.

This study aims to empirically investigate the relationship between enterprise risk management (ERM) and information technology (IT) security within the financial sector.

Risk officers of financial institutions licensed by the Central Bank of Ghana constituted the sample frame. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit data from the respondents. The structural equation modeling method was employed to analyze the hypothesized model.

The results revealed that ERM has a strong positive substantial effect on IT security within financial institutions. However, organizational culture failed to moderate the relationship between ERM and IT security.

A well-managed risk helps to eliminate ineffective, archaic and redundant technology as the originator of rising perils and organizational concerns in today's corporate financial institutions since ERM established a substantially strong positive correlation among the variables.

ERM studies in the African context are rare. This paper adds to contemporary literature by providing a new perspective toward the understanding of the relationship between ERM and IT security, especially in the financial industry.

WE hope that all London librarians will give full consideration to the project of the London Branch of the Library Association to provide a union catalogue of the non‐fiction Stocks of Metropolitan libraries. They are to be asked if they will co‐operate in the scheme by providing cards of their Stock of uniform size, or by making some contribution (a more difficult matter this) to the cost of the catlogue. Such a catalogue kept at the Central Library for Students, combined with the telephone and general goodwill, would bring about a co‐ordination of libraties on a voluntary basis with results in good as yet scarcely realized. The idea is not novel; it was rejected a score of years ago as visionary or impractable. It may have been visionary then; it is not so now. Modern librarians simply must get together if they wish to avoid being made to do so.

The aim of the current article is to investigate satisfaction of the staff of Estonian university libraries with the organization of work by analyzing characteristics, aspects and dimensions of the work, such as self-realization and skills realization opportunities, task complexity, task interdependence and fair division of tasks.

The data used in this paper is based on a review of relevant literature to provide an overview of the concept of work organization, and the results of the original online survey created by the paper’s authors, conducted among Estonian university libraries. The results are interpreted on the basis of direction in the literature, and the authors’ opinions, based on our long-term working experience in Estonian academic libraries.

Although a number of Estonian university librarians were mostly satisfied with the division of labor within their departments, the respondents feel that duties in the library as a whole should be reorganized and workloads should be divided more equally. Almost half of the respondents have performed (in addition to their main job) duties that are not included in their job descriptions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no research has been previously carried out in the Estonian library context into work organization and coordination. Based on the current study, it can be concluded that the biggest challenge for university libraries in Estonia is to fixate clearly job descriptions and work procedures, divide job duties fairly and guarantee balanced work load. Additional duties should be accompanied with additional remuneration.

The aim of the current article is to clarify satisfaction of the staff of Estonian university libraries with the division of labor, work organization and coordination, existence of intra‐organizational career opportunities as well as with the fairness of salaries in view of the qualifications and responsibilities of university librarians in Estonia.

The data used in this paper are based on reviewing and summarizing of relevant literature to provide an overview of the concepts of performance and efficiency in general and in the context of the library as well as on results of the original study, created by the paper's authors, held in 2011/2012 in Estonian university libraries to determine the attitude of the libraries' staff towards division of labor and performance appraisal.

Although a number of Estonian university librarians were mostly satisfied with the division of labor within their departments, the respondents feel that duties in the library as a whole should be reorganized and workloads should be divided more equally. Librarians are relatively pessimistic about career opportunities within their libraries. The fact is that in Estonia, the predominantly women's jobs, such as teachers, librarians and nurses, are low‐paid. Therefore, as expected, the employees of university libraries are not satisfied with their salaries. However, librarians are capable and willing to work more and/or more intensively than they are currently allowed if that would bring about an increase in their salaries.

The majority of the literature in library science has focused – and rightfully so – on the user: what do users and patrons want and/or need, how do they use it, how can librarians best provide it to them, do the users feel themselves comfortable in library building etc., etc. Also, a fairly large number of studies have focused on finding relations between librarians' job satisfaction and performance output, but, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no research has been previously carried out in the Estonian library context to determine employees' attitudes towards their division of labor and coordination as well as librarians' intra‐organizational career opportunities and fairness of the salary.

Visiting the libraries of the British Commonwealth offices in London, as I have been doing—going from Australia to Canada, then to South Africa and India—is an impressive reminder of the magnitude of what used to be known as the British Empire, and of the power which it still exerts over the mind and spirit of mankind. Four continents are represented, and the libraries show how each has been impregnated with the ideals emanating from this small island in the fifth. Asia, Africa, Australia, America—the progress of civilisation in all has been directed or guided in large measure by British influence. The British Empire as a political fact has ceased to be, but Britain still reigns over an ideological empire, worldwide and imperishable.