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Set in September 1992, this exercise provides teams of students the opportunity to negotiate terms of a merger between AT&T and McCaw Cellular. AT&T, one of the largest U.S. corporations, was the dominant competitor in long-distance telephone communications in the United States. McCaw was the largest competitor in the rapidly growing cellular-telephone communications industry. Prior to the negotiations, AT&T had no position in cellular communications. This case and its companion (F-1143) are designed to allow students to be assigned roles to play. The case may pursue some or all of the following teaching objectives: exercising valuation skills, practicing strategic analysis, exercising bargaining skills, and illustrating practical aspects of mergers and acquisitions.

THINGS have travelled full circle. There was a time when the Swedes were busy learning from our enterprise and experiences, especially in the fields of industry and commerce; now the position is somewhat reversed and we are eager to profit from them in such diverse fields as social welfare, labour relations, modern design generally, and what is more relevant here, librarianship. Sweden has also much to offer from its cultural life through its novelists, poets, artists and musicians, many of whom deserve wider audiences both here and in other countries.

This study adds to the literature on the audit expectations gap (AEG) by examining the extent to which lower levels of user cognisance of the role, objectives, and limitations of an audit are associated with unreasonable audit expectations and perceptions. Cognisance is proxied by respondents' demographic characteristics including profession, work experience, university qualification, age, and gender. Respondents include 130 Singaporean auditors, prepares, and users of audited financial reports. Results indicate that the AEG prevails where respondents have relatively little business work experience, and no university qualifications. This supports the premise that lower levels of cognisance of the audit function are associated with the AEG The study also argues that in obtaining results consistent with prior AEG studies set in other countries, the AEG is not affected or constrained by political, legal, social, or economic factors. The study recommends that the accounting professions continue to address the AEG by further educating the public on the role and limitations of an audit, extending the auditor's current responsibilities to match users' expectations, and ensuring the existence and monitoring of audit quality.

Frameworks for understanding victim harm and vulnerability have become central to priority-setting and resource allocation for decision-makers in the police and government in the UK. This paper aims to look at the meaning of vulnerability in the context of fraud.

The research took a mixed methods approach, including analysis of national crime data (n = 61,902), qualitative data collected from interviews with practitioners (n = 107) and a survey of strategic lead officers in the police (n = 32).

There was a lack of clarity across practitioners and organisations in their understanding of vulnerability and the way it informed the police response to fraud, and a lack of resources and capability for identifying it.

The authors invite reconsideration of the approach to fraud victims which have for too long been forgotten by response and support agencies.

We need to standardise and agree the definition of “vulnerability”; rethink eligibility levels; and refocus police on fraud victims taking vulnerability as a meaningful criterion in deciding who to support.

There is very little research on vulnerability and fraud victims; this paper, based on original research, fills this gap.

The paper provides an overview of research published in the innovation and operations management (IOM) literature on 15 methods for cost management in new product development, and it provides a comparison to an earlier review of the management accounting (MA) literature (Wouters & Morales, 2014).

This structured literature search covers papers published in 23 journals in IOM in the period 1990–2014.

The search yielded a sample of 208 unique papers with 275 results (one paper could refer to multiple cost management methods). The top 3 methods are modular design, component commonality, and product platforms, with 115 results (42%) together. In the MA literature, these three methods accounted for 29%, but target costing was the most researched cost management method by far (26%). Simulation is the most frequently used research method in the IOM literature, whereas this was averagely used in the MA literature; qualitative studies were the most frequently used research method in the MA literature, whereas this was averagely used in the IOM literature. We found a lot of papers presenting practical approaches or decision models as a further development of a particular cost management method, which is a clear difference from the MA literature.

This review focused on the same cost management methods, and future research could also consider other cost management methods which are likely to be more important in the IOM literature compared to the MA literature. Future research could also investigate innovative cost management practices in more detail through longitudinal case studies.

This review of research on methods for cost management published outside the MA literature provides an overview for MA researchers. It highlights key differences between both literatures in their research of the same cost management methods.

Activity‐Based Costing (ABC) is a relatively new accounting system that has received a substantial amount of publicity and is heavily marketed by consulting firms. In light of this, we surveyed companies in 1999 to evaluate the adoption of ABC in Hong Kong. We set out to investigate factors that might lead to its adoption and also surveyed whether companies are satisfied with the new system. Our findings reveal a low adoption rate of ABC. There is directional support for companies with diverse product lines and those facing intense competition using activity‐based costing. Companies that have adopted ABC report high satisfaction with the new system. Overall, activity‐based costing has made limited inroads in Hong Kong. The reasons for this are not readily apparent.

IN THESE recessionary times it is encouraging to be able to record some library expansion. After several years of anticipation (by turns eager and nervous, according to the state of rumour at both the national and local levels in the higher education world), the City University Business School moved into imposing new premises on the uppermost floors of the emerging Barbican Arts Centre.

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

I welcome the opportunity to write in the Millennium edition of the Pacific Accounting Review. The opportunity to write a non‐referred article is an added bonus. This allows me to write a more speculative and less technical piece than I normally seek (or am forced) to write. Additionally, my choice of title allows self‐quotation without all the usual embarrassment. The article first reviews the take up of strategic management accounting (SMA). It then discusses briefly an argument for extending the scope of SMA.