Extract A
With the global transition towards sustainable energy, manufacturers of advanced wind turbines and photovoltaic cells are under pressure to optimize their assembly lines. Industry analysts emphasize that long-term competitiveness in clean-tech manufacturing relies heavily on maximizing the volume of high-quality components produced by the workforce. While some firms advocate for longer operational shifts, others argue that sustainable improvements in output per staff-hour are driven by workflow reorganisations and targeted technical upskilling.
Extract A suggests that clean-tech manufacturers must focus on "maximizing the volume of high-quality components produced by the workforce".
Explain the term 'labour productivity' and analyse two distinct methods a manufacturing firm could use to increase its labour productivity.
156 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Economics 1.4 Production, costs and revenue, covering 1.4.1 Production and productivity, 1.4.2 Specialisation, division of labour and exchange, 1.4.3 The law of diminishing returns and returns to scale (A-level only), 1.4.4 Costs of production, 1.4.5 Economies and diseconomies of scale, 1.4.6 Marginal, average and total revenue, 1.4.7 Profit, and 1.4.8 Technological change (A-level only). Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.