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Reports a study aimed at using fuzzy ratings to examine the relationship of satisfaction to the fit between career path preferences and perceived career path opportunities among 53 senior engineer managers and 96 trainee engineers. Satisfaction was related to the perceived fit between preference and opportunities. Senior respondents′ actual career paths (managerial, technical, or those waiting for promotion into one or other path) were not well matched to their preferences, with those in paths that were less well matched being less satisfied. Despite a strong recognition of the importance of technical excellence in organizations, the managerial career path was perceived as providing the major opportunity for promotion. Outlines possible ways of dealing with the inherent conflict between managerial and technical roles; including recommendations for job evaluation systems, job redesign, and incentive payments to keep up with technical skills.

E‐Teaching as the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education is of growing importance for educational theory and practice. Many universities and other higher education institutions use ICT to support teaching. However, there are contradicting opinions about the value and outcome of e‐teaching. This paper starts with a review of the literature on e‐teaching and uses this as a basis for distilling success factors for e‐teaching. It then discusses the case study of an e‐voting system used for giving student feedback and marking student presentations. The case study is critically discussed in the light of the success factors developed earlier. The conclusion is that e‐teaching, in order to be successful, should be embedded in the organisational and individual teaching philosophy.

An alternative method of utility analysis based on tenure, rather than dollar value performance, is presented. The standard deviation of employees' tenure with an organisation becomes the individual differences parameter, rather than SDy, and mean dollar value performance (Y) provides the scaling onto dollars. Results suggest that the new model produces utility estimates that are not significantly different from the classic Brogden‐Cronbach‐Gleser model.

THIS number will appear at the beginning of the Leeds Conference. Although there is no evidence that the attendance will surpass the record attendance registered at the Birmingham Conference, there is every reason to believe that the attendance at Leeds will be very large. The year is one of importance in the history of the city, for it has marked the 300th anniversary of its charter. We hope that some of the festival spirit will survive into the week of the Conference. As a contributor has suggested on another page, we hope that all librarians who attend will do so with the determination to make the Conference one of the friendliest possible character. It has occasionally been pointed out that as the Association grows older it is liable to become more stilted and formal; that institutions and people become standardized and less dynamic. This, if it were true, would be a great pity.