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The paper analyses the current process of government accounting development in Albania using an integrated diffusion‐contingency analytical framework. This framework synthesises elements of contingency theory with theories of diffusion of innovations to provide greater insight into the organisational processes of innovation. The paper observes that the level of innovativeness of the government organisation in Albania appears to be marginally positive and that, at present, developments in government accounting are being clarified as part of the implementation phase of the innovation process.

This study focused upon the role, function and scope of the financial management systems operating in the small business sector of the economy. The research sought to understand why in certain firms robust financial systems exist whereas in others they are seen to be weak. To this end the role of the accounting profession as it effects financial management systems was investigated. The study produced some interesting results. Bookkeeping systems adopted for financial accounting scored positively which may well be linked to the high preponderance of integrated computer systems adopted by firms. Management accounting systems did not score as well as financial accounting overall. Whilst smaller businesses were most likely to be dissatisfied with their management accounting systems, long established firms were as likely to be dissatisfied with their financial and management accounting systems than more recently established entities.

Within the past ten years Canada has experienced a renewed interest in its architectural past. Whether part of an international trend toward architectural conservation (witness European Architectural Heritage Year, 1976), or part of a general reappraisal of all things Canadian and the development of a sense of nationalism, or the realization, painful as it may be, that the character of the urban landscape is quickly losing its familiar character, this renewed interest in our architectural heritage has surfaced, and is manifesting its presence in many ways. To any who would doubt the existence of a Canadian architectural heritage, or would quarrel with its worth, one has only to turn to Alan Gowans' prefatory remarks to his Building Canada: An Architectural History of Canadian Life:

ONE CAN BE forgiven for worrying about the ‘Peter principle’ when taking up a post on the practising side of the profession after nine years teaching librarianship.

In the absence of any theoretical guidance, a solution to the question of what is the appropriate functional form for an import demand model can only be found empirically. Examines this question in the context of UK motor vehicle imports by applying a range of tests of functional form to two, alternatively specified, import demand models: the “traditional” price‐income model incorporating the popular but restrictive partial adjustment mechanism and a cost‐expenditure model that employs a less restrictive lag structure. Finds, principally that the commonly imposed linear or log‐linear functional forms cannot be rejected in relation to the price‐income specification, but there is some evidence that neither functional form may be appropriate in relation to the theoretically sounder cost‐expenditure model of import demand.

The Presidential Address to the Liverpool Engineering Society by Mr. Farthing (the salient points of which are reproduced in this issue) has particular bearing upon lubrication and especially on young lubrication engineers. Mr. Farthing stressed the very wide field open to young engineers and the difficulties associated with training in order to cover as wide a field as may be necessary. It is usually so important to gain a wide knowledge before one can specialise and this is certainly the case with lubrication engineers. One cannot begin to fully appreciate the intricacies of a lubrication system with all its accessory components lubricating and guarding, for example, a large motive power plant or rolling mill, until one has more than a mere working knowledge of the plant itself, the duties it must perform, how it performs them and the snags that arise which might be overcome by correct lubrication. In view of the fact that lubrication systems are just as important in a textile mill as in a power station or a large brick works, the almost impossible‐to‐achieve‐range of knowledge that would simplify the work of a lubrication engineer is very obvious. Fortunately, lubricating principles apply to most cases and knowing how to apply one's knowledge from basic principles is the key to success in this difficult profession.

Prior research has shown evidence of earnings management in financial reports of US and Australian firms changing chief executive officer (CEO). This paper examines whether corporate boards, with certain characteristics associated with strong corporate governance, are effective in controlling any earnings management in the financial reports of Australian firms that change CEOs. Since hiring, monitoring and replacing the CEO are key roles of the board of directors, research in this specific context is considered particularly appropriate. After controlling for contemporaneous and lagged profitability in the year of CEO change, we find evidence of negative unexpected accruals in our sub‐sample of firms where the CEO resigned. For this group, larger boards and a higher proportion of independent directors appear to limit observed negative earnings management. In the case of CEO retirements there is evidence of positive unexpected accruals in the period of CEO change. However, none of the board characteristics show any significant relationship with unexpected accruals. In the period after CEO change, we find no evidence of positive unexpected accruals for CEO resignations and none of the board characteristics show any significant relationship with unexpected accruals. For CEO retirements, our analysis indicates that a higher proportion of executive and affiliated director shareholding goes some way towards counteracting the observed positive unexpected accruals. When lagged unexpected accruals are included in the regression equation to control for accrual reversals, CEO duality significantly increases the already positive earnings management found in CEO retirements in the period following CEO change.

A BIBLIOGRAPHY may seem to many to be as dry as dust and I must admit to having subscribed to that view about some bibliographies in the past. This is one, for a number of reasons, about which I feel differently. For me, after nearly a quarter of a century's involvement in a particular area of librarianship, browsing through the pages is an evocative experience, like a meeting with friends. Some whose work is recorded here I never knew but reading about them and studying their writings over the years has produced an illusion of their being old and close companions; and there are those who were friends whose voices can still be heard in memory. Some authors cited I hope yet to meet because their views and ideas are challenging and awaken a sympathetic response or make me want to start an argument. Still others are former colleagues from whom I learnt much and whose example has been inspirational, and then there are those who are staunch friends, without whose support and co‐operation my professional existence would be very dull indeed.