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A large and robust empirical literature demonstrates that there is a strong relationship between the performance of a multinational enterprise (MNE) and its degree of multinationality. We develop a new metric to capture the return on foreign assets (ROFA), which we use as an alternative metric to return on total assets (ROTA) as a dependent variable representing performance. We find a significant S‐shaped relation between ROFA and the degree of multinationality across a large set of UK firms.

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

This article addresses the propriety of President George Bush's, 24th December, 1992 pre‐trial pardon of former Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger, an Iran/Contra defendant.

A relatively new chief executive has been impressed by the increased efficiency and profitability of firms, similar to his own, which have reorganized. Prior to the change, these firms suffered from slow growth, high fixed costs, and excessive bureaucracy—ills that still plague the executive's organization. He intends to make similar changes to his own company—quickly, to put his stamp on the organization and show a real gain in profits as soon as possible.

AT FIRST glance the leading article in NLW for June, entitled ‘Reform again’, suggested a stirring of the loins of that dormant beast local government reorganisation and not—as it turned out—the structure of the Library Association. Of the former some might exclaim, ‘Not that again!’ in the belief that the 1974 upheaval is too fresh and painful in the memory for objective consideration. But, for a number of reasons, a re‐appraisal of the situation is timely. First, although the polemics of victors may fashion a version of history for a few years, unsound principles do not remain dominant forever. Secondly, a number of district councils are renewing their efforts to reclaim some services, including libraries, lost to the English counties in 1974. And, even if they fail, it is probable that when there is a new government in a year or so (of whatever hue) the botched job emanating from the 1972 Local Government Act will be tidied up. Then, at the very least, the politicians will see to it that there is a major revision of boundaries, if only to recognise the existence of modern communications and living styles, both of which have a marked effect on that which politicians hold most dear— voting patterns. Therefore, in the profound hope that local government lunacy cannot continously triumph over commonsense, it can be assumed that at the next re‐organisation the nature of local government functions and their distribution will not be regarded as favours to be horse traded in the same way that some senior posts were allocated in 1974. (‘Our borough engineer for your librarian and public health inspector’…remember?)

The International Political Scene’ is a very general and somewhat vague heading, so let me start by explaining what it means in the context of my paper. Naturally, my perspective is the business viewpoint. I shall be looking at the international political environment in relation to business policy on public issues; and will discuss the more important sources of information on political developments and some of the problems of using this type of information. I say ‘discuss’ because I will be providing a commentary based on practice and experience, rather than a critical review. Also, I thought it prudent—in the interest of good relations—not to mention any proprietary services by name.

The product‐mix decision has received considerable attention in management accounting and economics literatures. However, many studies in these literatures are contradicting, inconclusive and lack rigorous analysis of this complex decision. They seek to develop weights for the products in the product mix based on one objective, to maximize the firm’s profit ability. But before developing these weights, the studies must first rank these products, Ranking is a complex endeavor since it is often driven by a multitude of hierarchical financial and non‐financial goals and objectives. Ranking is also difficult due to the use of complex concepts such as time, uncertainty, cost and interdependencies between accounting systems and manufacturing systems and among the products of the product mix. These concepts are inherently fuzzy and coextensively applied often with a confluence of variables operating simultaneously. This paper applies an advanced mathematical model to account for the product mix decision. The model combines the powers of fuzzy‐set theory (Zadeh, 1965) and the analytic hierarchy process (Saaty, 1978). The fuzzy‐analytic‐hierarchical process (FAHP), developed by de Korvin and Kleyle (1999), is sufficiently powerful to account for the ambiguous variables and the web of prioritized strategies and goals of cost leadership, product differentiation, financial objectives of earnings, cash flows and market share and non financial goals such as tradition and owners’ convictions and philosophies underlying the ranking of the products in the product mix. By way of example, the paper applies the FAHP model to rank order four products subject to these strategies and goals.