personal finance It is unfortunately not so. There are still too many goods and services that are but marginally effective. More and more shareholders, employees, and consumers become involved in industry and commerce and management finds itself unable to remain insulated from the interests of the community at large. The fact that so many able and thoughtfuT~})eople from the Commonwealth and Empire under the leadership of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh have spent time, and will be spending some more, on the human problems of industrial communities gives point to this particular subject. In North America it is also a question which is constantly under review. That the shape and character of society is changing and that industrialization is the most potent expression of man's material desires means that managements cannot stand aside from the community which supplies them with people and which absorbs their services. It is a truism that the growth of industry and commerce has brought with it both blessings and curses to the community; in parenthesis, it is to be hoped that countries on the verge of development will absorb with the minimum pain the lessons learnt the hard way by the countries that are today great industrial communities. As it is the community tliat supplies the working force for management to manage and, indeed, that supplies managers themselves, it is important to make a distinction between management for employees, discussed in a previous section, and'management for the community as a whole. The community is, today, vitally concerned with industry and commerce, the appearance and reputation of a local factory, the service in neighbourhood shops, the morale of those members of the community who are in local employ these are questions in which the community is interested. Management cannot ignore this interest. From a recruiting aspect alone it must aim to make itself an accepted part of the scene : it must be jealous of its reputation : it must be identified with the character and aspirations of the district in which it is located. Managers have also a very special duty to the community to ensure that business planning is constantly aware of the danger of economic breakdown which can inflict irreparable wounds. Britain is getting very used to the idea of full employment and it is well that this should be so, but it is more than a governmental responsibility to make sure that the thirties never happen again. The community itself has a vested interest in full employment. Drastic reorganization especially in areas where there is a single industry or an ostrichlike disregard of dwindling or changing markets can quickly bring about personal tragedy and upheaval. It is true that diversification of industry and the broadening of the base of the economy have done much to help the communities in the depressed areas as well as to eliminate the worst risks, but the threat is always just around the corner. Managements can never afford to be complacent and money must be spent in looking ahead. Financehome