25. Speak on the production and market.

LESSON 4. The Division of labour

Grammar Presentation: Сложное подлежащее

Grammar Revision: Страдательный залог. Модальные глаголы. Степени сравнения прилагательных.

THE DIVISION OF LABOUR

In a developed country the production process is split into a very large number of individual operations and each operation is the special task of one worker. The principle of the division of labour is now carried to remarkable lengths and the production of relatively simple things may be broken down into hundreds of separate operations.

To illustrate the increased productivity of specialization, Adam Smith provided the classical example of pinmaking. One worker is said to make at best few dozen imperfect pins a day. But when pinmaking is broken down into a number of simple repetitive operations, a few workers can turn out hundred of thousands of perfect pins per day.

Perhaps the epitome of specialization is the modern automobile assembly line, where cars move down a conveyor belt and workers, or even robots, perform highly specialized functions. A worker might concentrate on putting left tires on Hondas. The result of such specialization is the enormous increase in labor productivity in many manufacturing industries.

Specialization leads to such great increases in productivity because a person who spends time performing one relatively simple task becomes extremely proficient at that particular operation.

One of the most important advantages of the division of labour is that it makes possible a much greater use of machinery. When a complex process has been broken down into a series of separate, simple processes it is possible to devise machinery to carry out each individual operation.

Modern technology allied to the extensive use of the division of labour has made possible enormous increases in the output of goods and services. It has transformed the living standards of millions of people, made possible a great reduction of working hours, and, by providing for more leisure, has given people the opportunity to lead fuller and richer lives.

But the division of labour has a number of disadvantages. One of them is that there is no opportunity for the worker to exercise initiative, judgment, manual skills, or responsibility. The wide use of machinery has led to a marked decline in the degree of craftsmanship.

The loss of job satisfaction particularly in manufacturing industries is likely to be raising some serious social problems. There are attempts to reverse recent trends by enlarging the role and responsibility of workers. Some factories have tried to abolish the assembly line so that teams of workers are responsible for assembling the entire product. Each team is free to decide how the various tasks will be allocated and the speed with which the job is carried out. Within each team the jobs may be rotated so as to increase the element of variety in the work.

Specialization and division of labour produce a further serious problem – interdependence. They make us dependent on everyone else. If we produce only one of a thousand different items, we depend on other people to produce the other 999 items.

Is our affluence worth the perils of alienation and fragility? Should we sacrifice the last few percent of our income to attain a more secure but still specialized existence? Should we turn back the clock to simpler and poorer life? However we answer these questions, we should recognize one crucial fact: turning back the clock to an earlier, less specialized way of life is sure to reduce our real high standard of living inevitably.