Northgate Stationery Ltd makes notebooks in several formats. At present, groups of workers complete all stages of each batch. The business tested an alternative system in which printing, cutting, binding and packing were assigned to separate workers. Table 1 shows the results of the six-week trial.
| Measure | Groups complete all stages | Separate workers specialise by stage |
|---|---|---|
| Notebooks completed per worker per shift | 75 | 102 |
| Production hours lost following worker absences | 5 hours | 28 hours |
| Orders dispatched by the agreed deadline | 94% | 82% |
| Different notebook formats produced | 8 | 4 |
| Average time needed to change to another format | 40 minutes | 2 hours 20 minutes |
Assess whether Northgate Stationery Ltd should introduce greater division of labour when making notebooks. Use evidence from Table 1 in your answer.
84 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Economics 1.2 Resource allocation, covering 1.2.1a Markets, 1.2.1b Allocation of resources, 1.2.1c Factor and product markets, 1.2.2a Primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, 1.2.2b Goods and services, 1.2.3a Specialisation and the division of labour, 1.2.3b How and why producers specialise, and 1.2.3c Costs and benefits of the division of labour. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.