Taylor’s scientific management

The best method should be determined through method study before the time for doing the task is set. Otherwise, the time standard may be based on an inefficient or inconsistent method.

Mental revolution calls for both workers and management to change their attitudes, replace mistrust with cooperation, and work toward shared gains from greater efficiency.

Functional foremanship gives a worker instructions from several specialist foremen. Conflicting directions can therefore cause confusion; this is also why the system differs from Fayol’s unity of command.

The worker’s output, 72 units, exceeds the 70-unit standard, so the high rate applies. Wage = 72 units × ₹11 per unit = ₹792.

The factory should use simplification to remove unnecessary sizes and standardisation to set consistent quality standards. These techniques address the two problems described.

Taylor’s principle of developing each worker to their greatest efficiency includes scientific selection and training. Since the employee received no training, this principle was not fully applied.

Method study examines and improves the overall way a job or process is performed, including its sequence and flow. Motion study instead focuses on individual movements, such as unnecessary finger movements.

Taylor assigned management the responsibility of scientifically studying the work and developing the best standard method. Workers could then be instructed to follow that method rather than relying on guesswork or habit.

The worker’s output is below the 60-unit standard, so the stated low rate applies. Wage = 58 units × ₹9 per unit = ₹522.

A time standard based on an unusually fast worker may demand a pace that ordinary workers cannot reasonably sustain. Time study should use a representative performance level rather than an exceptional one.

In time study, standard output is calculated by dividing the total available time by the standard time per unit: \(450 \div 9 = 50\). Therefore, the standard output is 50 units. The option 45 units is incorrect because, at 9 minutes per unit, 450 minutes are sufficient to complete 50 units. Exam tip: for output questions, divide total available time by time required per unit.

Fatigue study examines how work conditions and rest periods affect fatigue. It can help reduce excessive fatigue and absenteeism while wage incentives encourage production.

Separating planning from execution allows specialised supervisors to plan the work and guide its execution. Taylor used this division of responsibilities to improve efficiency through specialisation.

Simplification reduces unnecessary product varieties. Fewer varieties can make purchasing and inventory management less complex, addressing the problem described.

C is correct. Fatigue study examines what causes workers to tire and helps determine suitable rest intervals. By contrast, time study sets a standard time, while motion study examines movements.

A is correct. Taylor’s principle of cooperation, not individualism, calls for management and workers to work together toward shared goals. A target alone does not ensure that cooperation.

A is correct. A changed method can change the time needed for a task, so the 12-minute standard should be reviewed against the new method. The new observed time is 8 minutes per unit, but that alone does not automatically establish a revised standard.

C is correct. Motion study examines the movements involved in a task so that unnecessary movements can be identified and reduced. Here, the focus is specifically on reducing workers’ trips to the machine.

B is correct. The differential system uses different piece rates for workers who meet or exceed the standard output and those who fall short. Without a clear standard output, there is no basis for applying those different rates.

A is correct. Standardising tools does not by itself create a uniform work method. If workers perform the same task differently, the company cannot consistently compare how the task is carried out or apply one standard method.

A is correct. Method study examines the way a task is performed to find a more efficient overall method. It can consider the process as a whole, including opportunities to remove unnecessary movements.

B is correct. Exceeding the quantity target does not make substandard work acceptable. Production should be assessed against the required quality standard as well as the output target.

A is correct. Serious distrust and conflict call for both a more cooperative relationship and a change in the attitudes of management and workers. These ideas are central to harmony, not discord, and mental revolution.

B is correct. A production target is not supported if workers cannot rely on their tools. Taylor’s approach calls for suitable standardised equipment and for machinery and tools to be kept in good working condition.

The instruction card clerk is one of the planning-department foremen, while the inspector is one of the production-department foremen. Thus, option B places both roles correctly.