'The success of any manufacturing business will depend on the productivity of its workforce.' Discuss the extent to which you agree with this view.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] Clear understanding of manufacturing business
2. [1] Clear understanding of productivity
3. [1] Clear understanding of workforce
4. [1] Reference to the success of a (manufacturing) business
5. [1] Reference to the role of the workforce
6. [1] Productivity - a measure of the efficiency of the workforce, measured by output per worker per time period.
7. [1] The workforce needs, of course, to be motivated and/or incentivised to be productive.
8. [1] The success of the manufacturing sector relies on the production of components or finished products by its workforce.
9. [1] If productivity increases, assuming labour costs are unchanged then labour cost per unit falls.
10. [1] Improved productivity and lower costs therefore, a business can either enjoy higher profit or can possibly reduce price and increase demand/sales.
11. [1] Increased profit can allow further investment in the business which can lead to more improvements to working practices/methods or quality of the product made.
12. [1] Any business relies on its workforce do work to a high standard (either of quality or speed) if objectives are to be met.
13. [1] A candidate should make a judgement as to the extent that the success of any manufacturing business will depend on the productivity of its workforce.
14. [1] These judgements may be made at any point as well as in a concluding section.
15. [1] The context is a manufacturing business.
16. [1] Can depend on what the business manufactures; high value items lower price might give the impression of lower quality.
17. [1] Increased investment from profits is likely to lead to more success in this case.
18. [1] Is worker productivity the only or most important factor determining success?
19. [1] Other factors such as level of capital investment or quality of product or general management quality may be more critical.
20. [1] However, a lot depends on the product involved and whether a manufacturer is labour or capital-intensive.
21. [1] If employees are encouraged to produce more items, quality might suffer, and the success of the business might be damaged due to poor quality items.
22. [1] Alternatively, high rates of production might lead to more wastage and therefore increase the unit costs.
23. [1] The quality of the output is as important, if not more important, than the actual number produced.
24. [1] Business success can depend heavily on the reputation the business has with its customers.
25. [1] Accept any other valid response.