Book Description

Between the covers of this book may be found an admirable synopsis of the problems of industrial management in practically every field. Of course a small volume such as this could not go very deeply into any of these subjects. A volume might well be devoted to each chapter. Especially is this assertion true of those chapters which deal with industrial democracy, industrial unrest, good suggestion systems, and the fallacy of panaceas. To the efficient industrial manager, the book is a handy reference for frequent review. It calls to his attention numerous problems demanding solution in his own plant. It is a sort of yardstick by which he can test whether satisfactory progress has been made. For the manager who is not yet awake to modern industrial conditions many of the pages will strike as shrill a note as that coming from the factory whistle. If this note awakens the manager to the necessity of improvement in his plant, a complete perusal of the book will be well worthwhile. In discussing hours of work, Mr. Clark says: "No problem, except wages, is more commonly a bone of contention between the management and workers than the hours of work. The time a man has to himself away from his job is one of his most precious possessions, when he is not keenly interested in his work. And it is, I believe, a more serious indictment against industrial conditions and management methods than is commonly supposed that the debate on this question should be so serious and, commonly, acrimonious. It is unquestioned that certain types of work are so arduous that short hours are essential. And it is not to the interest of the employer or of the employee that the work should be continued beyond a reasonable period. The worker tends to lose his health or resilience, and he has no proper opportunity to participate in social, recreational, and educational activities. The employer, on the other hand, buys the work of a decreasingly efficient man." --Manufacturing Industries, Volume 1