Productivity of Labour. The Infinitive

Lesson 4.

Productivity

Another term that is widely used in economic discussions is productivity. Productivity is the total output of goods and services in a given period of time divided by work hours (output per work hour). An increase in productivity means that the same amount of labour input is now able to produce more goods and services. The higher productivity is, the lower costs are in producing goods and services, and the lower prices can be. Therefore business people are eager to increase productivity.

Productivity is one of the major ingredients of capitalist growth. The word capitalism is based on the word capital. Capital refers to machinery and materials that are used on farms and in business to help workers produce more. At the beginning of the twentieth century in the United States, 1 out of 3 workers was needed to produce enough food to feed everyone and create some surplus for world use. Today less than 1 out of 20 workers can produce far greater quantities of food that contribute a much larger share of world production. What made the difference? The answer is that the use of tractors, chemical fertilizer, combines, silos, and other machines and materials (capital) raised farmer's productivity.

The increase in farm productivity was the basis for economic growth in the United States for years. The next revolution in productivity occurred in the manufacturing industry.' The use of machines made mass production possible (that is, production of thousands of items such as shoes and cars by just a few workers). Again, it was capital that made such gains possible.

Now that we are in a third type of economy, a service economy, productivity is again an issue because service firms are so labour intensive. Machinery, not labour, increases productivity. Productivity of farming and, manufacturing have slowed so that annual increases in productivity are low in the United States. However, productivity is still increasing in those countries that are just now introducing machinery into their farms and factories.

**Task V. Answer the questions on the text.

1) What is labour productivity?

2) In what way does productivity influence costs in producing goods and services?

3) Why are business people eager to increase productivity?

4) What does capital refer to?

5) What raises productivity of labour?

*Task VI. Translate into English:

Загальний випуск продукції, кількість вкладеної праці, нижчі витрати на виробництво товарів та послуг, основні складові частини, зростання капіталу, створити надлишок, велика частка світового виробництва, робити вклад у світове виробництво, промисловість, хімічні добрива, підвищувати продуктивність праці, запроваджувати машини.

Task VII. Read the following sentences paying attention to the use of Participle:

1) Having increased the productivity of labour the enterprise made a lot of profit.

2) If invested the capital the company will develop quickly.

3) The population of the country protested against the policy led by the government because of decreased standards of living.

4) The free enterprise systems are “price-directed systems”.

5) Productivity is the total output of goods and services in a given period of time divided by work hours.

6) We can observe the quickly developing economy in China now.

7). We must change our country from petrolium-exporting to oil-producing one.

**Task VIII. Give the English translation to the following:

1). Добре освічені робітники виконують свою роботу більш ефективно, ніж неосвічені.

2). Використовуючи свої ресурси ефективно, підприємство підвищує продуктивність праці та зберігає свій капітал.

3). Якщо поєднати їх ефективно, фактори виробництва підвищують продуктивність праці.

4). Розвинена Генрі Фордом, збірна лінія модернізувала процес збору автомобілів.

5). Роботи, написані Смітом, мали велике значення для розвитку економічної теорії.

6). Будуючи графіки попиту та пропозиції, ми бачимо залежність ціни від кількості товару.

7). Спричинена світовою кризою та внутрішньою політикою, економічна ситуація в Україні дуже складна.

8). Підписавши угоду, компанії домовилися про співпрацю у торгівлі.

***Task IX. Speak about labour productivity in some Sumy enterprises. How can we raise it?

Контрольні питання

* Другий рівень – середній. Знати слова та словосполучення з теми та вміти використовувати в реченнях; знати основні поняття та правила.

** Третій рівень – достатній. Знати основні визначення, поняття та правила. Вміти використовувати їх в зв’язному мовленні. Відповідати на питання.

*** Четвертий рівень – високий. Визначати проблемні питання. Вміти логічно та вільно висловлюватися в межах вивчених тем.

*Task I.Learn the new vocabulary:

Quality - якість

Equipment - обладнання

Principal - головний

Skilled – кваліфікований

To combine - поєднувати

Relatively - відносно

To acquire -набувати

To hire –винаймати

*Task II. Translate the following word-combinations

To be affected by machinery, labour forces, skilled workers, to acquire the capital,to hire labour forces, division of labour, to be an expert in particular task, to break complex tasks into series of small ones, to be retrained, to be fired, a well- educated worker, to motivate the workers to do the job, relatively low productivity, combining the factors of production, to rest with management, to acquire the necessary capital

**Task III. Read and translate the text:

What determines our productivity?

Our nation's productivity is directly affected by each of the following:

- The quality of our labour force,

- The quality of our machinery and other capital equipment,

- The effectiveness with which we use our resources,

- A business conditions.

The Quality of Our Labour Force. Among the principal ingredients of productivity are the education and training of workers. Well-educated and skilled workers perform their tasks more efficiently than those who are unskilled or poorly educated. It follows that labour productivity can be increased by:

-Improving the quality of education and training programs;

-Increasing opportunities for people to receive education and training that suits their needs.

Using Our Resources Effectively. The factors of production can be combined in any number of ways, some more efficient than others. When they are combined efficiently, productivity will be relatively high. When they are combined inefficiently, productivity will be relatively low. Deci­sions about combining the factors of production rest with management. In the production process, for example, it is management's responsi­bility to acquire the necessary capital (in the form of machinery, tools and equipment). Similarly, management must hire and train the firm's labour force and motivate the workers to do the job. In other words, man­agers must employ both capital and labour to maximize productivity.

How do managers achieve this goal? One way was developed by Henry Ford who introduced a new way to manufacture his Model T Ford back in 1913. Prior to that time, workers and their tools moved from station to station to complete their tasks in building each automobile. One slow worker slowed everyone else. Ford introduced an assembly line that brought the car to the worker on a conveyor belt. As a result, each worker had to complete his task before the car passed his work station. If a worker could not finish his task in that time, the task was modified or he was retrained or fired.

To use machinery efficiently, producers must also use division of labour — the practice of breaking down large, complex tasks into a series of small ones so that each worker can become an expert in his particular task.

**Task IV. Give the corresponding words and word-combinations in English:

Робоча сила, ефективність праці, умови бізнесу, основні складові частини, освічені і кваліфіковані робітники, виконувати свої завдання ефективніше, відносно висока продуктивність, набувати капітал, поєднувати ефективно, винаймати та навчати персонал, досягати мети, запровадити новий спосіб виробництва, розподіл праці.

**Task V. Answer the questions on the text “ Productivity.”

1.What is the definition of the term productivity of labour?

2.What does an increase in productivity mean?

3.Why are business people eager to increase productivity?

4.What does capital refer to?

5.What are the factors to raise productivity?

6. What are the types of economies?

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