Production, productivity, efficiency

Question 1

What is job production?

Answer 1

Making tailor made products to suit customer tastes

Question 2

What is batch production?

Answer 2

A method of production that involves completing one operation at a time on all units before preforming the next (i.e. bakery bread)

Question 3

What is flow production?

Answer 3

A method of production where there is a large-scale production of a standard product, continiously

Question 4

What is cell production?

Answer 4

A method of production that involves producing ‘a product family’ (a group of produces that requires a sequence of similar operations in a small, self-contained unit (a cell) within a factory

Question 5

How to calculate productivity?

Answer 5

total output/ total input (no of workers)

Question 6

What is the definition of productivty?

Answer 6

The output per unit of input per time period (usually worker)

Question 7

factors influencing productivity

Answer 7

-education of workers
-level of employee motivation
-quality of machinery

Question 8

what is cell production?

Answer 8

organising workers into small groups or cells that can produce a range of different products more quickly then job production

Question 9

pros and cons of job production

Answer 9

+charge high price due to customisation
+motivation levels
-cost per unit high=high skill and low production rate
-labour costs

Question 10

pros and cons of batch production

Answer 10

+speedier than job production
+customisation
-costly as specialist machinary

Question 11

pros and cons of flow production

Answer 11

+unit labour costs very low
+huge volumes=huge demand in mass to be met
-initial costs of machinery
-no tailoring to suit needs

Question 12

Pros and cons of cell production

Answer 12

+pool of ideas
+high skilled to suit needs
-costs high as labour intensive
-production volumes low

Question 13

Link between productivity and competitiveness

Answer 13

• high levels of productivity lead to lower unit costs= labour costs fall as workers work faster producing one unit=lower prices can be charged while maintaining same profit margin

Question 14

what is efficency?

Answer 14

measures the extent to which the resources used in a process generates output without wastage

Question 15

Factors influencing efficiency

Answer 15

-outsourcing=skilled workers= few mistakes
-relocating
-downsizing
-delayering
-lean production
-invest in new tech=few breakdowns

Question 16

What is labour intensive production

Answer 16

production relying on human input with little use of automation
-high labour costs=firms might move to cheap labour places
+tailoring

Question 17

What is capital intensive production?

Answer 17

uses high levels of automation, reducing role of humans
+initial costs high=machinery
-running costs low
-little flexibity in product variations