division of labour Flashcards
definition of division of labour
division of labour occurs when workers specialize in very specific tasks
advantages
each worker specialises in tasks for which he or she is best suited
therefore he or she only has to be trained in one task
less time is wasted because a worker no longer has to move from one task to another
in manufacturing such an approach enables production line methods to employed and allows increased use of machinery
in turn this helps to increase productivity and to reduce average costs of production
this will help to address the problem of sacristy as there will be a greater supply of goods and services to meet unlimited
lowers cost of production
disadvantages
despite the above advantages, certain problems are associated with division of labour including
monotony and boredom for workers: this could result in a decrease in productivity
loss of skills: workers trained in one particular task have only limited skills. this could be a problem if they are made redundant
a strike by one group of workers could bring the entire production faclity to a standstill
there is a lack of variety because all gods produced on a production line are identical.
limits to division of labour
certain factors will limit the extent to which division of labour can be applied
the size of the market - if there is only a small market then it will be more difficulty to specialize
the type of the product like fashion products are likely to be unique not suitable for division of labour