Theory question 101
ProductionIn a carpentry workshop of three employees, one is responsible for cutting the wood, another for fixing and a third for polishing and spraying the furniture.
(a) Identify the term that describes the production process the workshop uses.
(b)(i) State five advantages of the production process identified in 1(a) to the workshop.
(ii) State four disadvantages of the production process identified in 1(a) to the workshop.
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(a) Division of labour (specialisation by process).
(b)(i) Any five: increased output; workers become more skilled through repetition; saves time (no moving from one task to another); short training period; lower cost per unit; better quality/finish; makes use of machines and tools easier; each worker does the task he is best at.
(ii) Any four: monotony and boredom; loss of craftsmanship (no worker can make the whole item); absence of one worker holds up the others (interdependence); workers lose interest or pride in the finished product; risk of unemployment if one skill is no longer needed; a fault at one stage affects the whole product.
Each worker doing one stage of the job is division of labour.