ABSTRACT
McQuaide and Company was an old-established Scottish engineering firm. The company carried on a large business in heavy fabrications. In order to provide for the design, production and sale of technically advanced and fairly intricate products, a new department had been set up in the company. The products made by the department were utterly different from those to which McQuaide's was accustomed. Most of the components required for the new department's products were made in other departments of McQuaide's factory. The new department had to produce the designs for the products, to control progress through the factory, to buy in stock and parts, and run a separate assembly shop. In the recent past the department had been meeting fairly serious difficulties in sales and production.
