Key Idea: In 5.2, IB wants you to know the main production methods, cellular manufacturing, economies and diseconomies of scale, and how businesses manage quality. This topic is about choosing the best way to produce efficiently and consistently.
🎨 Job production: **Job production —** one unique product at a time. **High skill —** more customisation. **Higher cost per unit —** slower output.
🏭 Flow production: **Flow production —** continuous standardised output. **Low skill per task —** more automation. **Lower cost per unit —** very high output.
📉 Costs falling: **Economies of scale —** fixed costs spread over more units. **Economies of scale —** bulk buying discounts. **Economies of scale —** specialist managers and machines.
📈 Costs rising: **Diseconomies —** communication problems. **Diseconomies —** coordination difficulties. **Diseconomies —** lower motivation and slower decisions.
🔍 QC: **Quality control —** defects found after production. **Simple —** but waste already happened.
🛡️ QA: **Quality assurance —** defects prevented during production. **Proactive —** less waste and more consistency.
In exam answers, do not just state the production method — explain why it suits the product, demand level, workforce and cost structure.
If the question involves changing production method, always discuss effects on flexibility, cost, quality and worker motivation.
Example: A strong answer: Batch production may suit the business because it allows some product variety while still keeping costs lower than job production, making it useful when demand is moderate and products are not fully standardised.
Important: Common triggers: compare job, batch and flow production, explain cellular manufacturing, analyse economies of scale, distinguish QC from QA, discuss why quality matters.
- Identify whether the question is about production method, scale or quality
- Use the correct operations term
- Explain the main advantage or drawback
- Apply it to the case business
- Show the effect on cost, flexibility, speed, quality or motivation