DIVISION OF LABOUR

MEANING

“It is the separation of a work process into a number of tasks, with each task performed by a separate person or group of persons”.

“Specializations and division of labour is the technique of breaking down the production into large number of specialized tasks”.

ADVANTAGES OF SPECIALISATION / DIVISION OF LABOUR

To the business:

- Specialist workers become quicker at producing goods.
- Production becomes cheaper per good because of this.
- Production levels are increased.
- Each worker can concentrate on what they are good at and build up their expertise.

- Production levels are increased.

To the worker:

- Higher pay for specialized work.
- Improved skills at that job.

To the business:

- Specialist workers become quicker at producing goods.
- Production becomes cheaper per good because of this.
- Production levels are increased.
- Each worker can concentrate on what they are good at and build up their expertise.

To the worker:

- Higher pay for specialized work.
- Improved skills at that job.

DISADVANTAGES OF SPECIALISATION / DIVISION OF LABOUR

To the business:

- Greater cost of training workers.
- Quality may suffer if workers become bored by the lack of variety in their jobs.

To the worker:

- Boredom as they do the same job.
- Their quality and skills may suffer.
- May eventually be replaced by machinery.

Q1)      A Describe how there is a division of labour in: (a) A school (b) McDonalds

Q2)      Why may a worker on a till in a supermarket suffer with boredom? What will then be the problems for the business?