Abstract Providing purpose oriented information appears to become an important part of the accountant's function in the future. With the increasing utilization of the computer in carrying out many of his past functions, this role may even be crucial to the accountant's professional survival. However, before the accountant can fulfill this role, methods of drawing information of different types from the available financial data must be developed. This article has provided some basic research for attacking this problem through the removal of the traditional assumption of a fixed time dimension in accounting reports. It was found that when this assumption was relaxed, quite different information was provided by identical financial data. It is not the intention of this article to suggest that the traditional method of reporting financial data be superseded by an alternative method. The purpose of this article is rather an attempt to uncover new avenues for possible improvements in financial reporting by emphasizing the varied types of information available from financial data and by showing the ever present characteristic of quantitative information to portray certain relation- ships while concealing others.

Abstract The complexity of today's business environment has motivated many researchers in mathematics and the management sciences to search for and experiment with devices and techniques designed to increase the effectiveness of decision making. This quest for new methodologies has been spurred on by the increased usage of electronic computers since the large data out-put of EDP systems is difficult to absorb and interpret with conventional methods. This research has been implemented by a number of important advances in the fields of applied mathematics and statistics. An important group of techniques have appeared recently utilizing mathematics and statistics as one approach to optimal or at least more effective problem solving. Many of the methods developed are of significant potential value to the accounting profession. And, likewise, many of today's accounting techniques could be successfully integrated with the emerging body of mathematical methods. Accounting educators have the opportunity presently to provide business with a new type of specialist versed both in accounting and mathematical methods.

Reviews the book "Auditing, Management Games, and Accounting Education," by Neil C. Churchill, Merton H. Miller and Robert M. Trueblood.