Reviews the book "Lake Wobegon Days," by Garrison Keillor.

Reviews the book "Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms," by John Downes and Jordan E. Goodman.

Reviews the book "The Accounting Wars," by Mark Stevens.

Authoritarianism has been the most widely studied personality variable in management accounting research. One important line of research has been the role of authoritarianism as a moderating variable in studies which examine the effectiveness of budgetary participation. Results from these studies have been equivocal. In this paper it is argued that the lack of consensus in this research may be a consequence of examining the personality of only one member of the group involved in the participative process, usually the subordinate. It is claimed that Improved understanding of the influence of authoritarianism on subordinate attitudes to the job and budgets can be expected if both subordinate and superior authoritarianism are considered together. The results indicate that budgetary participation is important in its own right and the homogeneous authoritarian dyads are positively associated with subordinate outcomes. Moreover, participation is more strongly associated with subordinate job satisfaction and budgetary .attitudes in the homogeneous than in the heterogeneous dyad.

[Authoritarianism has been the most widely studied personality variable in management accounting research. One important line of research has been the role of authoritarianism as a moderating variable in studies which examine the effectiveness of budgetary participation. Results from these studies have been equivocal. In this paper it is argued that the lack of consensus in this research may be a consequence of examining the personality of only one member of the group involved in the participative process, usually the subordinate. It is claimed that improved understanding of the influence of authoritarianism on subordinate attitudes to the job and budgets can be expected if both subordinate and superior authoritarianism are considered together. The results indicate that budgetary participation is important in its own right and the homogeneous authoritarian dyads are positively associated with subordinate outcomes. Moreover, participation is more strongly associated with subordinate job satisfaction and budgetary attitudes in the homogeneous than in the heterogeneous dyad.]

[Rising hospital costs are of increasing concern to government and industry. The growth and financial success of for-profit hospitals (FPs) in an industry that was once solely populated by nonprofit hospitals (NPs) have suggested that FP business practices may be a more cost-effective way to manage health care services. However, studies using accounting and other operating data yield conflicting and ambiguous conclusions that do not resolve questions about relative performance of FPs vs. NPs. A comparison of FP and NP financial statements suggests that current financial reporting methods can be misleading, or at best of little help, in assessing the performance and cost structure of the two types of hospitals. The key problem is that financial statements prepared according to present standards do not provide sufficient information for accurate comparative analysis of FPs and NPs. Additional data about volume and output mix and about the financial impact of differences in legal status are needed to make hospital financial statements relevant and useful for understanding and containing health care costs.]

Rising hospital costs are of increasing concern to government and industry. The growth and financial success of for-profit hospitals (FPs) in an industry that was once solely populated by nonprofit hospitals (NPs) have suggested that FP business practices may be a more cost-effective way to manage health care services, However, studies using accounting and other operating data yield conflicting and ambiguous conclusions that do not resolve questions about relative performance of FPs vs. NPs. A comparison of FP and NP financial statements suggests that current financial reporting methods can be misleading, or at best of little help, in assessing the performance and cost structure of the two types of hospitals. The key problem is that financial statements prepared according to present standards do not provide sufficient information for accurate comparative analysis of FPs and NPs. Additional data about volume and output mix and about the financial impact of differences in legal status are needed to make hospital financial statements relevant and useful for understanding and containing health care costs.

This paper examines the effect of structural decentralization, perceived environmental uncertainty, and organizational interdependence on Management Accounting Systems [MAS] design. MAS design was defined in terms of the perceived usefulness of several information characteristics which may be associated with an MAS. These characteristics were scope, timeliness, level of aggregation, and information which assists integration. In addition to examining the direct effects of contextual variables, the study sought to determine how the independent variables interacted. Hypotheses were generated for both direct and indirect effects of contextual variables and were tested using data collected from 68 managers. The findings indicated that: 1) Decentralization was associated with a preference for aggregated and integrated information; perceived environmental uncertainty with broad scope and timely information; organizational interdependence with broad scope, aggregated, and integrated information. 2) The effects of perceived environmental uncertainty and organizational interdependence were, in part, indirect through their association with decentralization.

[This paper examines the effect of structural decentralization, perceived environmental uncertainty, and organizational interdependence on Management Accounting Systems [MAS] design. MAS design was defined in terms of the perceived usefulness of several information characteristics which may be associated with an MAS. These characteristics were scope, timeliness, level of aggregation, and information which assists integration. In addition to examining the direct effects of contextual variables, the study sought to determine how the independent variables interacted. Hypotheses were generated for both direct and indirect effects of contextual variables and were tested using data collected from 68 managers. The findings indicated that: 1) Decentralization was associated with a preference for aggregated and integrated information; perceived environmental uncertainty with broad scope and timely information; organizational interdependence with broad scope, aggregated, and integrated information. 2) The effects of perceived environmental uncertainty and organizational interdependence were, in part, indirect through their association with decentralization.]

Reviews the book "Managing Foreign Exchange Exposure," by Donald H. Drury and Vihang R. Errunza.