SCIENTIFIC BUSINESS

Evening Star, Issue 16236, 4 October 1916, Page 4

SCIENTIFIC BUSINESS

DEVELOPMENT OF EFFICIENCY. A WORLD-WIDE MOVEMENT. THE SHELDON SYSTEM EXPLAINED. The fact that war has compelled British business man to adopt a thorough reorganisation and development of methods makes timely and interesting the visit to New Zealand of Mr Andrew Deer, governing director of the Sheldon Institute of Business Science, wv> is in Dunedin to meet representatives of trade, industry, and commerce and explain the purposes of a great instructional movement which is now -world-wide in its scop© and object. The main’’object of Mr Deer, who is an Australian, whose speech would betray on© into taking him for a live American, in visiting New Zealand, is to arouse business men generally to the necessity for studying their business from a scientific standpoint. The movement he represents (the headquarters for Australia are in Sydney) is organised throughout the English-speak-ing world, and is gaining ground rapidly and extensively. It is particularly well organised in England, where it has grown more rapidly indeed, effort for effort, than in the United States, where the movement originated. The institute is at present training at Home the prominent men in 16 organisations that are manufacturing munitions for the British Government. It has no fewer than 59 general business science circles in England and Scotland, 13 in South Africa, 10 in Australia, and a large number in Canada. The.” business science circle movement throughout the world has a membership of 80,000, and of these well on to 75 per cent, are men holding executive positions, men who realise the necessity for putting the finishing touches _ou their own efforts through applied science. To those who may Ye inclined to question the practical efficacy of the movement Mr Deer points out that Mr Sheldon, its founder, discovered as a result of his research that formulating the science of business is relatively a simple matter, science, alter alt, being only a matter of organised knowledge, or as' a business man has phrased it, “classified common sense.” Mr Deer intends to give a lecture to business men, under the auspices of representative commercial organisations, while in Dunedin. The movement will be outlined fully in this lecture. If sufficient encouragement- i<r given to the movement arrangements have been made to provide a special lecturer and organiser for New Zealand. 'This lecturer would be Mr Henderson, an EdinburjAi University man, a shrewd Scot, who has bad a wide American experience in connection with organising the matter of sßtenco and business for about nine years. It is purposed to foun a general business science circle in Dunedin, with the membership limited to 100. This circle would meet monthly for about 15 months, during which period''a series of lectures would ‘bo given, these covering the science of manbuilding in its two branches of mindbuilding and body-building, commercial logic, the science of character analysis, and business psychology. Directly general' business science, circles have been formed the natural sequel is to form staff circles, so that different institutions may establish their own circles w.thin their own organisation for the pur-1-cse of studying tile science of business as it relates to then- particular sphere of activity. There are many of these circles in England. ’.Die of instruction is very thorough; And it is progressive, keeping in line with changing needs and conditions. It has been revised four times in 15 years, which shows at ones that although the fundamental principles are fixed, the- methods of the institute are progressive. The studies throughout are founded upon what is called the Area science. The name Area is made up from the four initials of tho four channels of expression of the foursquare man—ability, reliability, endurance, action.

The movement is gaining a strong foothold m Australia, and promises to become national in ;ts scope. Phare aro four business science circles in. Brisbane, three ;n Sydney, .ind three in Melbourne. Tho movement already has its own magazine in Australia. Keen support is given the movement by the Victorian Minister of Agriculture (Mr Hegelthorn). by iMr C. “E. Bright (Deputy Postmaster-General, Victoria), by Dir Mullett (Commonwealth Government Printer), and by Mr Hector (the managing director of Burroughs, Wellcome, and Co.), and giany representative men, who already have a following of I,OCO. Mir Deer has spent a, number of years in America, where he was closely associated with Mr A. F. Shelton, the founder of the movement. He laid charge of tho world-organisation fer the Shelton School. After _ a short* stay in Dunedin Mr Dear will visit in turn Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland. He is a vivacious enthusiast, and should be a good lecturer on scientific business.