Manufacturing
Making or finishing a raw material into a finished good
Define Natural Resources
Materials occurring naturally in the earth or atmosphere (water, air, minerals, fish stocks, timber)
3 SECTORS THAT BENEFIT FROM CARIB. NATURAL RESOURCES:
Producers of metal goods
Restaurants and food shops
Food processing
Drinks manufacturing
Metal refining & smithing
Production vs Productivity
PRODUCTION is th process of using raw materials to produce goods or services
PRODUCTIVITY is the measure of output produced from a given input level
HOW TO CALCULATE PRODUCTIVITY
Quantity of output/quantity of input
3 WAYS ON HOW TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY
Organising work more efficiently
Using more productive resources
Using automation and computerisation
Using approaches that motivate staff to work harder
Automation
Technology applied to producing goods without human input
Computerization
Using a computer to perform tasks previously done by people
Define factors of Production
Resources needed by businesses to produce goods and services
Land (Factor of Production)
Refers to all natural resources on earth
Labour (Factor of Production)
Physical and mental contributions of employees
Capital (Factor of Production)
Man-made items used in production like machines, tools, and buildings
Enterprise (Factor of Production)
Brings factors together to produce goods for profit while taking risks
3 importances of productivity
Improving labour supply
Human Resource Development
Importance of Positive work ethic
Use of capital to increase productivity
Land use and declining productivity in the region
Labour supply
The number of hours that the labour force is prepared to work at given wage rates.
2 strategies for improving labour supply
Wage incentives
Labour productivity
3 Ways to increase production and productivity, and their effects
Employees work longer - Production rises while productivity may have no impact
Employees work harder - Production rises while productivity has some increase
Employees work smarter - Production and Productivity rises
What is Human Resource Development?
Involves enhancing the employee motivation and efficiency, to improve employee contribution.
Appraisal
A formal evaluation of an employee’s performance over a particular period.
Appraisal Interview
Meeting to set improvement goals and assess past achievements
Development
Individual improvement in a work context, involving employees identifying ways they want to learn and develop new skills and capabilities
3 METHODS OF ACHIEVING IMPROVED TARGETS AT A NATION-BUILDING LEVEL (COUNTRY-WIDE)
An improved education system
Improving the health system
Improving working conditions
3 WAYS FIRMS CAN IMPROVE HUMAN RESOURCES QUALITY:
Training and education courses for employees
Health initiatives like insurance
Improved working conditions
Work Ethic
A belief in the importance of work and that hard work is fulfilling
ROLE OF CAPITAL IN PRODUCTION
Capital provides the necessary resources to facilitate the transformation of inputs into outputs.
Capital
It typically refers to the machinery, tools and buildings that a business uses to produce other goods.
3 Types of Capital & their definitions
FIXED - Refers to durable capital equipment that can be used repeatedly in the production process, example: tractors.
WORKING - Reference to capital needed to pay for the day-to-day operations of the business, example: inventories.
VENTURE - Refers to money that is provided by investors to start up businesses.
4 METHODS OF PRODUCTION & their definitions
JOB - Involves a one-off job, these are more expensive to plan, prepare and implement than mass production methods.
BATCH - work being passed from one stage to another, and each production stage is highly planned.
FLOW - Products or services moving through a line of production, where they repeatedly undergo the same sequence of operations.
LEAN - A systematic approach that aims to minimize waste while maximizing efficiency productivity and quality.
4 TYPES OF PRODUCTION, THEIR GROUP & their meanings
Extractive (PRIMARY) - Any form of industry that removes resources supplied naturally.
Construction (SECONDARY) - Refers to the process of creating physical structures
Manufacturing (SECONDARY) - Concerned with making finished products from raw materials and semi-manufactured goods
Services (TERTIARY) - Provides direct services to people
4 LEVELS OF PRODUCTION & MEANINGS
SUBSISTENCE
This level is only sufficient to meet the basic needs of the local population
DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION
Provide sufficient goods to meet the needs of people within a given territory or country
SURPLUS
As industries become more efficient, surpluses of products start to develop, and some members of society can organize production into small factories and plantation agriculture.
EXPORT
With better organization and production and a more intensive use of capital, it becomes possible to export goods and services.
ECONOMIES OF SCALE
Advantages that a larger business has over a smaller one in terms of being able to produce a larger output at a lower unit cost.
3 Advantages of a large firm (economies of scale)
Technical, Commercial, Financial, Marketing, IT, Management, Risk-Spreading
DISECONOMIES OF SCALE
Result in increasing output or sales but only at the expense of higher unit costs.
REASONS AND PROBLEMS FOR DISECONOMIES OF SCALE
REASONS FOR DISECONOMIES OF SCALE
A firm has become too large to manage effectively
The scale of production is greater than the demand for goods.
PROBLEMS
ineffective communication, staff inertia, losing touch with customers, etc.
Cottage Industry
Industry taking place in people's homes
4 KEY FEATURES OF A COTTAGE INDUSTRY
Home based, mainly manual, small scale, uses local raw materials
MSME
Micro (1-5 employees), Small (6-15), and Medium Enterprises (16-50)
3 functions of a small business
Creating employment, providing services, catering for niche markets
3 Advantages of a small business
GENERATE EMPLOYMENT AND INCOMES
INCREASE COMPETITION FOR LARGER FIRMS
INTRODUCE NEW PRODUCTS AND IDEAS
3 Disadvantages of a small business
The business lacks expertise in certain areas
Owners found it difficult to source finance
Ability to service customers
No benefit from cost advantages
Access to research and development facilities
Less well known
Types of growth & meanings
Internal- investing in new products or selling more of the customer’s existing products
External- business takeover, merger, or creation of a joint venture
Types of internal growth
opening other outlets
employing more workers
increasing capital
establishing e-commerce
franchising and outsourcing
Types of external growth
Joint ventures, mergers, takeovers/acquisitions
Effects of growth
Increased labour
Increased capital
Increased use of tech
Potential for export
Linkage Industry
A linkage industry is one that is connected to another industry because it provides supplies for it, or is a market for its finished product.
Backward linkage
When an industry depends on the output from an industry which is at an earlier stage of production.
Forward linkage
When one industry or firm supplies another industry or firm further up the supply chain.
Define the term ‘key sectors of the economy’
Refers to industries that have both strong forward and backward linkages.