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While many inconsistencies can be found in Marx's theory if one chooses a view of reality in which time is absent, these inconsistencies disappear if the view is taken that time is an essential component of that theory. The debate is thus between the simultaneist and the temporalist camp. This article sides with the temporalist approach but at the same time it argues that both sides have focused mainly on quantitative and formal logic aspects. This is the limit of the debate. The debate should move on from being only a critique and counter-critique of each other applying only formal logic to the issue of consistency to showing how and whether the different postulates (a time-less versus a time-full reality) and the interpretations deriving from them are an instance of a wider theory of radical social change. From this angle, simultaneism implies equilibrium and thus a view of the economy tending toward its equilibrated reproduction. Capitalism is thus theorized as an inherently rational system and any attempt to supersede it is irrational. This is simultaneism's social content. Temporalism, if immersed in a dialectical context, reaches the opposite conclusions: the economy is in a constant state of nonequilibrium and tends cyclically toward its own supersession. Capitalism is inherently irrational and any attempt to supersede it is rational. Simultaneist authors should now show how their approach to the issue of consistency fits into a broader theory furthering the liberation of Labor.

To choose a dialectical view of temporalism is thus to take sides for Labor.

ONE of the highlights of British production in recent years has been the enormous advances made in aircraft design and production and the consequent lead given us in the market for commercial airliners. This has been achieved despite the fact that up to 75 per cent of the total cost of an airliner may be spent on labour.

With the increasing use of automatic and NC machine tools the adoption of flexible, multi‐skilled operators has also increased. However, the variety of machining capacity and manpower skills frequently identifiable in industrial studies presents a problem which has no general analytical solution. This work carried out in collaboration with a leading manufacturing company examines the capabilities of various combinations of setters, operators and setter/operators in the context of given machine capacity and product mix constraints. A description of the problem situation is followed by an account of the model's development, subsequent application and validation against actual performance. In addition to providing a useful analysis of the general characteristics of the groups considered, specific information relating to the likely effects of changes in manpower parameters was provided to assist management in the review of its manufacturing system design. Generally, this work demonstrates that although there are a number of attendant difficulties, a practical approach to computer modelling is becoming increasingly relevant as shop‐floor sophistication increases.

IN recent issues we have had contributionsion the future of Work Study as seen by Council members of the Institute of Industrial Technicians, the Society of Industrial Engineers and the Work Study Society.

TODAY, as a result of so‐called technical advance, few individuals remain. Save, perhaps, in the arts, few jobs are completed by one man; the accent is on team work with each member doing part of a job.

Fast‐paced, hyper‐competitive environments require organizations to use flexible resources and delegate decision making. This paper aims to examine the synergistic effects of operators' involvement in decision making (IIDM) and equipment reliability across operations on mix flexibility when speed is emphasized. A theoretical framework integrating strategic decision making and operations management theories is proposed to uncover the dynamics of such relationships.

Both objective and subjective data were collected at the individual level from different sources in a single organization. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the framework.

Results show that: an emphasis on speed and experience interact to predict IIDM; and IIDM and machine reliability have compensatory effects in predicting mix flexibility, i.e. greater operator IIDM results in a more varied output mix, but this effect wanes as machine reliability increases.

The use of a single research facility permitted extensive data collection and strengthened internal validity, but it also limited the generalizability of the results. Assuaging this concern is the fact that the results support well‐established theories.

Labor flexibility should be construed in terms of job enlargement and enrichment. For organizations, the study highlights the importance of a well‐trained workforce to support and exploit technological capabilities. It also sets parameters over which decision making is most effective.

SUITABILITY of materials and their usage can be a profitable source of investigation for the methods engineer. And an important function too, for it implies not only an examination of the most suitable material in relation to the product to be processed, but also, methods of storage, inspection, and the economic utilisation of that material at all stages. Any of these aspects involves a major investigation if the firm is interested in discovering untapped sources of economy. It is one of the avenues not often explored by work study, but there is no valid reason why it should remain a sort of no‐man's‐land.

Managers’ perceptions of flexibility in manufacturing were investigated in a research case study conducted at six Swedish companies within the engineering industry. The goal of the study was to establish which factors managers considered to be important for manufacturing flexibility and how companies and managers perceived flexibility. The size of the company, the complexity of the products and the level of technology used in production were factors found to be important for issues concerning manufacturing flexibility. The findings have implications for both managers and researchers. Managers should be aware of the lack of conformity in the perception of flexibility within companies and its possible consequences. Gives researchers suggestions based on this study, for further research in manufacturing flexibility.

MUCH has been written about industrial engineering, especially in regard to American practice, but a good deal of confusion still exists about the whole subject.

This project aims to address the problems facing a small printing company during the printing of sample boards. The company was unable to meet their projected yearly demand of 200,000 boards. During the study, the team found that the company's maximum output was 143,400 from two printing machines and thus faced the need to acquire new capital. The goal of this project is, therefore, to create a sustainable process that increased the client's competitive advantage in the printing industry.

By applying Six Sigma and Lean principles, the team identified the current situation that the printing company's operations were in as well as determining the maximum possible output. The team identified methods to increase production output while finding the optimum annual labor costs per unit for possible future situations.

Approximately 30 percent of the workers' activities were found to be non‐value added and there are numerous machine delays that decreased productivity. The project also investigated the optimal number of employees that are needed to staff additional machines, should the company wish to expand its operations.

This project is unique in that it looked at a printing process with a fixed cycle time. This project is useful for any company that is restrained by cycle time and needs to find the most cost‐efficient way to expand their resources.