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2.
2.3 Making operationaldecisions
2.3.1 The purpose of business operations/Production processes
3.
Key elements tothis topic
The purpose
of business
operations
Production
processes
4.
What is thepurpose of
business operations?
The purpose of business operations
is to turn raw materials into goods
and services that can be sold.
There are different types of
processes that can be used to
produce goods and services.
5.
Different types ofproduction
processes
All involve transforming inputs such
as labour, raw materials and energy
into outputs.
Types of productionprocesses
Job
production
Batch
production
Flow
production
9.
Job production
A methodof production
whereby a product is
produced that meets specific
customer requirements.
10.
Context corner…
Mollie’s Creativecakes is
owned by Lancashire based
Mollie Robbins. Mollie designs
and makes high quality cakes
to meet individual customer
requirements. Mollie’s
greatest creation was her life
size Shetland pony cake that
was made for an animal
charity.
11.
Explain two reasonswhy Mollie’s Creative Cakes uses job
production as its method of production
Job production in action…
12.
Benefits of jobproduction
Products are usually high quality
Products are made to the
specific requirements of the
customer
Higher prices can be charged
Greater job satisfaction for
workers, as they are usually
involved in all stages of the
production process
A business may find it easier to
differentiate itself from rivals
13.
Drawbacks of jobproduction
Unit costs are higher than
using other methods of
production
Labour-intensive
processes, therefore this
method is less suited to
the use of machinery
Requires skilled
employees, who may
demand higher wages
and/or on going training
14.
Batch production
This involvesmaking a group of identical
items together. Each batch goes through
one stage of the production process
together as a group, before moving onto
the next stage. The products produced by
batch production will be similar but have
some variation, for example different
style, different size or different colour.
15.
Bakeries are onetype of business
that use batch production. Bakers
will prepare one type of roll, for
example white rolls, before
baking and moving onto the next
type of roll.
Batch production in action…
In pairs, think of at least two
benefits and two drawbacks
to a business of using batch
production.
16.
Advantages and disadvantagesof batch
production
Advantages
• A variety of products can be
manufactured to satisfy
customer needs
• Lower unit costs compared to
job production, as more than
one product is produced at once
• Use of specialist machinery and
skills can increase output and
productivity, making the process
more efficient than job
production
Disadvantages
• Potentially de-motivating for
staff as tasks are more repetitive
compared to job production
• Need to keep stocks of raw
materials, which will impact on
cash flow
• Time lost switching between
batches, as machinery may need
to be reset, resulting in a
reduction in efficiency and
productivity
17.
Flow production
The continuousmovement
of items through the
production process. Flow
production uses production
lines to manufacture
products.
18.
Seabrook Crisps
Watch theclip and draw a flow diagram to
outline the production process used at
Seabrooks
19.
Seabrook – flowdiagram
Potatoes
selected
Washed
Peeled Fried
Air dried
Crinkle sliced Flavour added
Separated and
weighed
Bagged,
stacked and
boxed
20.
Benefits of usingflow production
Businesses can produce on a larger scale
Uses less labour than other production methods
Workers can specialise and become more efficient
Production lines can operate 24/7 if necessary
Consistent, standard quality
Lower unit costs than other production methods
21.
Drawbacks of usingflow production
Production can be inflexible, due to the use of machinery
Jobs are repetitive for staff and can lower motivation
Initial purchase and set up costs can be high
Breakdowns can result in downtime/inefficiencies
Less skilled workers required; may result in low staff retention
Products may be too similar to rivals, resulting in businesses competing on price
22.
Give me 5!
Youhave 5 minutes to list as many
different products as you can that you
believe would be produced by
job, batch and flow production
Explain why this production method is
appropriate to each of the products identified
23.
Assessing your understanding
JobBatch Flow
Unit costs are at their lowest
Staff motivation levels are usually at the highest
Breakdowns of machinery will cause major disruption to production
One group of identical products is made, followed by a different group
Machinery may need to be changed every time a new product is made
Low unit costs means that lower prices can be charged to customers
Large groups of standard products can be produced quickly
High prices can be charged to reflect the uniqueness of the product
Businesses will need to spend large amounts to initially purchase
expensive machinery
Identify the type of production process each of the following statements relate to:
24.
Productivity:
•All businesses wanttheir production operation to
be as efficient as possible. In order to do this, they
will aim to maximise their productivity.
•Productivity can be defined as the amount
produced (output) for a given number of
employees (input) i.e. it compares the number of
workers with the output that they are producing.
Clearly businesses want this to be as high as
possible!
25.
Let’s look atan example:
Two window cleaner businesses have recorded the number of houses that they
have cleaned the windows for in one day. Which business has the highest labour
productivity during that day, assuming the house sizes are the same?
• Window Cleaning Business B has cleaned the most houses in the day – 60 in
total
• However, Window Cleaning Business A has the highest labour productivity, as
each member of staff on average has cleaned 8 houses’ windows, compared to 6
houses per worker for Business B
Window Cleaning
Business A
Window Cleaning
Business B
Number of houses
cleaned
40 60
Number of staff 5 10
26.
Why does thismatter? Let’s take a look…
Window Cleaning
Business A
Window Cleaning
Business B
Number of houses cleaned 40 60
Number of staff 5 10
Average number of houses
cleaned by each member of staff
8 6
• As can be seen, Business A is more efficient, as even though the workers did not clean as
many houses in total, each member of staff cleaned on average, 8 compared to 6 in Business
B
• This means that the fixed costs of the wages of each staff member would be spread across
more units or houses, lowering unit costs…
• which means that the business could enjoy a larger profit margin on each house that the
workers clean, if it decided to charge the same price as Business B.
• However, if the market is very competitive, it is likely that these cost savings will be
passed onto customers in the form of lower prices. If Business A is able to charge lower
prices compared to Business B, then it is likely to attract more customers, as long as the
quality of the service was the same!
27.
How could abusiness improve its
productivity levels?
Remember, productivity relates to
how much output each employee
produces and is linked to efficiency
and lowering unit costs.
Production relates to the total
quantity produced.
So, how could a business increase
its level of productivity?
In pairs, you have 60 seconds to come
up with as many ideas as you can.
28.
Ideas…
Recruit the correctstaff in the first place
Appropriately train staff to carry out their job as efficiently as possible
Motivate the staff suitably with financial and non-financial methods
Invest in up-to-date machinery to help employees work faster
Replace workers with machinery
Review working practices to ensure staff work as efficiently as possible
29.
Be the BusinessAdvisor
Peter Hall & Son manufacture high
quality furniture by hand. The use of
machinery would enable the
business to increase its output.
Should the owners of the business
consider moving from job
production to flow production?
Justify your decision
Remember to contextualise
your answer!
Feedback: some ideas…
Reasonsto keep the current
job production methods
• Traditionally used this method since the
business started in 1972
• Customer expectations; the business has
loyal customers and has built a reputation
based upon producing hand made products
• Unique products differentiate the business
from rivals in the very competitive furniture
market
• Staff are highly skilled; they are likely to
enjoy the job and therefore staff retention
will be high
• Higher prices can be charged for high
quality, unique furniture which will help to
pay for the high quality raw materials e.g.
wood that is used in the production process
and for higher labour costs
Reasons to change to flow
production methods
• The business would become more
efficient, as it could produce more
furniture in the same amount of time
• Average unit costs of production would
fall, meaning that the business could lower
its prices to customers or it could keep a
larger profit margin on each item sold
• Peter Hall and Son operate in a highly
competitive market and therefore being
able to reduce prices may increase
demand for its products
• The use of machinery would mean a
consistent quality could be maintained on
each piece of furniture produced
32.
For each ofthe products shown explain:
1. The production process being used
2. Two advantages of this production process
3. Two disadvantages of this production process
Recap of Production Processes