Specialisation Flashcards
Define Unit Cost
Average cost to produce a unit of output
Staff Turnover
The amount of employees that leave a company and need replacing in a set amount of time
Specialisation
When an individual, firm, region or country concentrates on the production of a limited range of goods and services
Division of Labour
Specialisation of workers on specific tasks in the production process
Productivity Equation
Output Produced / Total Inputs Used
What is productivity
Effectiveness of productive effort
What is productive effort measured in
The terms of the rate of output per unit of input
What does increased productivity lead to
1) Higher output and higher quality
2) Higher living standards
3) More efficient use of resources
What are the advantages of the division of labour in organising production
1) Workers become more skilled through repetition of task
2) Productivity of workers rises so output increases
3) Time is saved by workers focusing on a narrow range of tasks
4) Workers are easier and cheaper to train
5) More cost effective to develop specialist tools
What is the benefit to firms from the division of labour
Greater quantity and higher quality of output
Benefit for workers from division of labour
Higher skills levels and potentially higher wages
Define Alienation
A sociological term that describes how workers feel after the division of labour as simplified and reduced tasks can lead to boredom and causes quality and morale to drop
What benefit does specialisation have to the economy
Higher Growth + Living Standards
What does economic growth lead to
Leads to higher living standards
Define regional unemployment
When an industry is an area shuts down
What are the 2 methods of trading
Barter and Money
What are the Functions of Money
Medium of Exchange - Accepted in exchange for goods and services
Measure of Value - To judge the value of a good or service
Define store of value
Value is maintained and can be kept for a long time
What happens without store of value
Value isn’t kept and leads to negative equity
Define negative equity
When a house or flat is worth less than the mortgage taken out on it
Why is the method of deferred payment system bad
It allows debt to be created
Formula for Unit Cost
Total Production Costs in Period / Total Output in Period
Define Method of Deferred Payment
A function of money that allows a system of making payments at a later date
Define Standard of Deferred Payment
A function of money that in a given market, is the accepted way to settle a debt