The need to use available resources and raw
materials to their best advantage, ultimately
ensuring profitability and financial performance
Social Factors/ Social Sustainability
The need to take human factors into account, both
internally (e.g workers) and externally (e.g local
communities), when making Business decisions
Ecological Factors/ Ecological Sustainability
The need to take ecological
factors in account when
making a Business decision
(especially about the nature
and ecosystems)
Triple Bottom Line
The need to take economic, social and ecological
factors into account when making Business decisions
Production Methods (5.2)
Job (Customized) Production
Production of a special product
made to a specific order
Advantages
Mark-up is High
Clients get exactly what they want
Likely to Motivate skilled workers
Flexible Production method
Disadvantages
Expensive, requires skilled workers, and non-standardized
materials
Time Consuming
Possibility of Product Fail
Very Labour Intensive and reliant on
skilled workerrs
Batch Production
Production of a group of identical products
Advantages
Can achieve economies of scale
Allows Customers more choice = More Market Share
Useful for trialling Products
Help Deal with unexpected orders
Disadvantages
Lose Production Time as machines are recalibrated "Down Time"
Need to hold large stock of work
Sizes of batches are dependent on the capacity of machinery allocated to them
Mass Production
Production of High Volume of Identical,
standardized products. Flow production
Advantages
Once set up needs little Maintenance
Cater to large orders, achieving economies of scale
Labour Costs are Low
Business can respond to an increase of orders very quickly
Disadvantages
Set-up costs are high
Breakdowns are costly
Business is dependent on a steady demand from a large segment of the market
System is inflexible
Process can be demotivating for workers doing robotic activities
Cellular Production
Is a form of mass production in
which that flow is broken up by
teams of working who are
responsible for certain parts of
the line
Lean Production and Quality Management (HL) (5.3)
Lean Production
An Approach that focuses on cutting all types of
waste in the production process
Waste
Time
Transportation
Products
Space
Inventory
Energy
Talents
Methods
Continuous Improvement (Kaizen)
A method of lean production
based on Continuous
improvement
Just In Time (JIT)
A method of stock control which means avoiding holding
stock by being able to get supplies only when necessary
and to produce just when ordered
Kanban
A system of Messages (Written or Electronic) to help manage
production flows and JIT Delivery
Andon
A system of signals and alerts informing workers of a
problem that requires immediate attention
Just In Case (JIC)
Holding reserve of both raw materials and finished products
in case of a sudden increase in demand
Quality Control and Quality Assurance
Can Lead to:
Increased Sales
Repeat Customers (Brand Loyalty)
Reduced Cost
Premium Pricing
Cradle-to-Cradle Design and Manufacturing
A recent approach to design and manufacturing
based on principles of sustainable
development, especially recycling
Quality Circle
A formal group of volunteers (Employees from different
departments and from all levels of hierarchy) who meet regularly
to discuss and suggest ways of improving quality in their
organization
Benchmarking
A tool for Businesses to compare themselves to their competitors in
order to identify how they can improve their own operations and
practices
Total Quality Management (TQM)
An approach to quality enhancement that permeates the whole
organization (as a wide framework, TQM can include quality
circles and benchmarking as well as Kaizen, Kanban, and Andon)
Benefits to meeting National and International Standards
Enable exports (Market Development Abroad
Give a competitive Edge
Save on the cost of withdrawing products
Act as an insurance
Bring better Profit Margins
Location (5.4)
Factors in Locating a Business
Costs
Land
Labour
Transport
Competition
Type of Land
Markets
Familiarity with the Area
Labour Pool
Infrastructure
Suppliers
Government
Laws
Taxes
National, Regional or International
Pull Factors
Improved Communications
Dismantling of Trade Barriers
Deregulation of the World's
Financial Markets
Increasing Size of
Multinational Companies
Push Factors
Reduce Costs
Increase Market Share
Use Extension Strategies
Use Defensive Strategies
Outsourcing
The practice of employing another
Business to perform some
peripheral activities
Offshoring
The practice of
subcontracting overseas,
i.e outsourcing outside
the home country
In-housing/Insourcing
The practice of performing
peripheral activities internally,
within the company
Reshoring
The practice of bringing back
Business functions to the
home country
Production Planning (HL) (5.5)
Supply Chain
The system of connected organizations,
information, resources, and operations
that a Business needs to produce goods
and provide services to its customers
Stock Control
Buffer Stock
The minimum amount of stock that should be held
Reorder Level
The level at which stock has to be ordered
Reorder Quantity
The amount of stock that is reordered
Lead Time
The amount of time it takes between ordering new stock and receiving it