operations 1 Flashcards
- advantages of job production
products are usually high quality
products can be made to meet the needs of individual customers workers often get more satisfaction from working on something until it is finished
- disadvantages of job production
costs of production will be high
labour costs may be high because job production often requires skilled labour
- advantages of batch production
the needs of different customers can be met by making batches of different goods
batches are made to be specific orders from customers and this may reduce costs because the goods do not meed storing
it may be possible to use specialist machines and to automate production so that costs are saved
- disadvantages of batch production
it takes time to switch production from a batch of one product to a different batch. machinery may need to be re-set this adds to the cpsts of production and reduces output
it may be necessary to keep stocks of materials and components to be able to switch production when required. Holding stock is cash flow problem- the materials have been paid for but revenue is not being earned. there are storge costs
- advantages of flow production
large amounts can be made
machinery can be used. helping to keep costs low
variations in design can be programmed into computer-controlled machines
- disadvantages of flow production
Goods are mass-produced and may not be of good quality, although this is not always true
it is very expensive to set up a production line large stocks of materials may have to be kept to keep the production line supplied and this may be expensive if the production stops at any point on the assembly line there may be a complete shutdown of production jobs on an assembly line can be repetitive and boring
- advantages of technology in the production process
costs are reduced as the number of workers required is reduced. Goods and services can be produced faster. increasing the productivity of workers. fewer workers may be needed. the average costs of production will fall and this will help the business keep the prices down and compete
machines can be more accurate than human workers. improving quality and reducing waste- again helping costs
production can be more flexible because the computers can be programmed to produce a variety of products
the machinery is never absent from work
machines can work 24/7
machines can do dangerous and boring jobs that human workers may be reluctant to do
new technology can lead to new products creating demand
- disadvantages of technology in the production process
workers may be redundent when the new technology is introduced and this may result in redundancy payments, adding to the short term costs of the business
new skilled workers may need to be recruited often. these types of workers are in high demand and the business may have to pay them high salaries ] workers may need training to work with the new technology which adds to the businesses costs machines can break down and this will disrupt production it can be expensive to buy and finance the purchase of technology customers sometimes do not like technology as with automated telephone systems where systems store data about people there are sequirity issues
- advantages of quality control
it can helo to prevent faulty goods and services from being sold
its not disruptive to production workers continue producing inspectors do the checking as with any quality system the business may benefit from an improved reputation and this may increase salaries
- disadvantages of quality control
it does not prevent waste of resources when products are faulty
the process of inspecting the good or service costs money it does not encourage all the workers to be responsible for the quality
- advantages of quality assurance
there may be less wastage and this will reduce production costs
workers may feel valued because they have been given a responsibility for quality and this may motivate them to work harder and better. as a result, output may increase and quality improve as with any quality system the business may benefit from an improved reputation for quality and this may increase sales
- disadvantages of quality assurence
it may disrupt production because workers are stopping to check the quality of what they have produced. this may slow down production and raise costs
it may cost the business a lot of money to train a worker to be able to assess the quality of the work that they have done workers may worry about the extra responsiblity of having to check their own quality. they may need resist the introduction of quality assurance methods for this reason
- how might praise work as a method of motivation
a quiet word of praise can make workers feel good because they know that their effort has been noticed and appreciated.
publically praising a worker can raise the self-esteem of that work as well as present an example to others of what the firm expects
