The lack of explicit consideration in positive accounting studies of managers and their social environment leads to a failure to analyse the social factors that influence managers′ accounting choices. Argues that based on a socio‐economic paradigm, consideration should be given to a socio‐economic consideration of the relationship between corporate social reporting and managers′ selection of accounting practices. Criticizes a purely economic approach to understanding and analysing motives managers may have in choosing accounting policy. Social responsibility reporting is suggested as a corporate social response to influences on managers and their choice of accounting policy. In analysing prior research which has empirically tested the relationship between social responsibility reporting and reported financial performance, a potential relationship between reported financial performance and accounting policy choice is identified and developed. This contributes to socio‐economic research by expanding positive accounting theory to include explicit social variables.

Reviews research on marketing attitudes, strategies and effectiveness of marketing tools in accounting firms in the USA, UK, Hong Kong and Australia, and compares the findings with a recent multiple case study of Australian accounting firms. The Australian study analysed firms′ use/non‐use of marketing plans, image development strategies and image perception, network/ referral strategies, promotional and client acquisition practices, and strategies for building and maintaining client confidence. The study identified some consistencies and differences in marketing strategies between small and medium firms, and within the small and medium firm groups. The finding that none of the firms in the study used systematic measures of marketing effectiveness was consistent with the majority of international studies examined. Synthesizes the research findings in relation to strategic services marketing, quality service management, and assessing marketing effectiveness, and raises future research methodological considerations.

Analyses studies on the marketing practices of Australian, UK and Hong Kong public accountants and reviews the standards of professional conduct in each of the countries. Classifies the methods used for marketing these services and associates them with the prevailing accounting ethical codes, thus providing a means of identifying similarities and differences in marketing services arising from those ethical codes. States that these methods also provide a basis for inter‐country comparison. Concludes that professional ethical standards have an impact on marketing strategies and this is not reflected clearly in the literature on the marketing of services.

The current study analyses the effect of an international diversification strategy measured by multi-nationality and country scope, and tests its relationship with economic performance in the context of Australian corporate activity. Evidence from previous US studies on the relationship between international diversification strategy and economic performance was inconclusive, which suggests that research should go further with empirical analysis than testing for a linear relationship and should test for curvilinear relationships resulting from transactions costs analysis. Guided by that evidence a Chow test was used in the current study to establish a cut-off point that divided the sample of Australian firms into two subgroups (low-to-moderate and high level international diversification) to determine whether a non-linear relationship existed between economic performance and international diversification. This approach followed a similar technique used by Hitt, Hosskisson and Kim, (1997) and was used in this study as a method for determining two subgroups. The sample was selected from the population of large firms in Australia over a three-year period covering 1993-1995. The results suggest there is a statistically significant non-linear relationship between economic performance and multi-nationality. The results suggest that Australian corporations may be sensitive to the effect of transaction and managerial processing costs on the relationship between multi-nationality and economic performance resulting in a non-linear relationship.

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