THOUGHTS ON BUSINESS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 174, 14 July 1908, Page 4

THOUGHTS ON BUSINESS.

One of the first principles of organisation is that when a rule is established it should remain in force until it is altered or cancelled by the authority which instituted it. Too often in business employees take it upon themselves to alter or abandon a rule without the knowledge of the person who made it—and sometimes trouble is the result. A manager establishes a system by which certain papers were to receive the approval of one of the men la-fore being sent to a branch ollice. It did not seem especially necessary, but he made the rule to give this man the information as to what wns going on. The rule was observed for a while, then there came exceptions, and finally it was almost a dead letter. An important case came up, and the man who had been appointed to approve the papers had not seen this one. and. not having the information it would have given him, took an action which caused the loss of a valuable account. When an investigation was made it was found that certain ones, not seeing the need of the rule, had taken occasion to slight it because their own part of the work was known to them to be correct. If a rule is not right, or is not necessary, the fact should lie made known to the management, and the rule should be changed. ' Hut while it is in force it should be observed—especially 'when those in authority are depending on the rule to produce certain effects.