Question

Difficulty: HardDivision of Labor and Specialization

A large-scale garment factory in Aba reorganized its production line into specific tasks such as cutting, stitching, buttoning, and ironing. Following this restructuring, total output per worker increased significantly, but the firm soon noticed a decline in worker morale and flexibility when replacing absent staff. Which of the following factors best explains the primary operational limitation experienced by the enterprise as a direct consequence of intense division of labor?

  1. Increased occupational immobility and monotony among workersAnswer
  2. B
    The rapid onset of the law of diminishing returns due to excess variable inputs
  3. C
    A shift in production focus from export promotion to domestic market substitution
  4. D
    An rise in unit production cost caused by confusing fixed inputs with variable operational expenses

Answer

Increased occupational immobility and monotony among workers
The correct answer identifies that intense specialization forces workers into narrow, repetitive tasks, causing psychological boredom (monotony) and preventing them from acquiring multi-functional skills (occupational immobility). Consequently, the enterprise struggles when substituting workers across different production stages.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the firm's operational context
The factory divided production into specialized sub-tasks (cutting, stitching, buttoning, ironing).
This establishes a classic division of labor framework.
2
Identify the reported negative operational symptoms
Declining worker morale (boredom/monotony) and difficulty reassigning staff to cover absences (occupational immobility).
Specialization narrows a worker's skill set to a single repetitive operation.
3
Evaluate the economic limitation corresponding to these symptoms
Over-specialization creates monotony (reducing morale) and restricts multi-skilling (causing internal occupational immobility).
Workers perform isolated routine operations continuously without learning alternative production stages.

Key Concept

Disadvantages and Limitations of Division of Labor
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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