Difference between revisions of "Sustainable Need for Economies of Scale"

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==Description:==
'''Breadcrumbs:''' ''[[The Future of Ubiquitous computing in 2025]] --> Economical Driving Forces:  Economies of scale''
 
==Description==
Economies of scale characterizes a production process in which an increase in the number of units purchased causes a decrease in the average cost of each unit.
 
The Industrial Revolution created pressure for much larger plants that could capture the benefits of the economies of scale offered by the new technologies it had spawned. Cheap and abundant energy combined with good transporation networks and new production technologies to restructure capital-incentive industries. For the first time, companies combined intermediate processes into single plants and developed large-batch or continuous/process technologies to achieve low-cost volume production. (<i>Source: Transnational Management by Bartlett, Ghoshal, Birkinshaw</i>)
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Economies of scale is a term that is used to describe the reduction in cost-per-unit as more units are produced. Nowadays, more and more companies try to utilize the advantages of other countries in the whole world to enlarge their business scale and as a result reduce the cost of their products and services. This trend accelerates the steps of "Global Village" because economics of scale requires the company to extend its sight into all over the world. The entire world but not only one single country is its factory that it could get resources and materials in one country, produce the products in another country and finally deliver the products to any other country.
Economies of scale is a term that is used to describe the reduction in cost-per-unit as more units are produced. Nowadays, more and more companies try to utilize the advantages of other countries in the whole world to enlarge their business scale and as a result reduce the cost of their products and services. This trend accelerates the steps of "Global Village" because economics of scale requires the company to extend its sight into all over the world. The entire world but not only one single country is its factory that it could get resources and materials in one country, produce the products in another country and finally deliver the products to any other country.
-->


==Enablers:==
More information:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economies_of_scale Economies of scale in Wikipedia]
 
==Enablers==
<ol>
<li>[http://www.wto.org WTO] and falling trade barriers</li>
<li>Decreasing transport costs</li>
<li>Investment incentives attracting investors to low-cost-labour countries</li>
<li>Advanced communication technologies - easier management of a transnational corporation</li>
<li>Growing demand for products</li>
<li>Competition pressuring lower prices</li>
</ol>
 
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-      Different countries have their own characteristics such as cheaper labor cost, more abundant natural resources, higher technology and large amounts of experts. All companies want to facilitate these advantages to reduce the cost.
-      Different countries have their own characteristics such as cheaper labor cost, more abundant natural resources, higher technology and large amounts of experts. All companies want to facilitate these advantages to reduce the cost.


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-      Improvement of producing technology, process or equipment makes production more efficient and thereby reduce the cost per unit product.
-      Improvement of producing technology, process or equipment makes production more efficient and thereby reduce the cost per unit product.
-->
==Inhibitors==
<ol>
<li>Cultural differences/conflicts</li>
<li>Anti-globalization forces</li>
</ol>


==Inhibits:==
<!--
-      Culture differences make against communication.
-      Culture differences make against communication.


-      [[Reducing Tariff Wall]] improves the cost. Sometimes because of political issues, especially high tariff may hold back the economics of scale.
-      [[Reducing Tariff Wall]] improves the cost. Sometimes because of political issues, especially high tariff may hold back the economics of scale.


-      Economics of scope as an opposite term. Co-operations among different companies could also help lower the cost.
-      Economies of scope as an opposite term. Co-operations among different companies could also help lower the cost.
-->


==Paradigms:==
==Paradigms==
In such a business world full of intensive competition, every enterprise plans for achieving sustainable competitive advantage over, or reducing the edge of, its adversaries. In order to gain such advantage, a firm must provide comparable value to the customer but perform activities more efficiently than its rivals what means it must have cost leadership or at least its cost should be lower than most rivals. Utilizing economics of scale is an efficient way to achieve this goal thus finally gain stronger competition ability.
<!--
In such a business world full of intensive competition, every enterprise plans for achieving sustainable competitive advantage over, or reducing the edge of, its adversaries. In order to gain such advantage, a firm must provide comparable value to the customer but perform activities more efficiently than its rivals what means it must have cost leadership or at least its cost should be lower than most rivals. Utilizing economies of scale is an efficient way to achieve this goal thus finally gain stronger competition ability.
-->


==Experts:==
==Experts==
[http://www.indiana.edu/~econed/index.html Journal of Economic Education]
[http://www.wto.org WTO]


==Timing:==
==Timing==
This term has be brought forward for a long time and now is widely used. It should play an important role in the future.
19th century: Industrial revolution in Europe<br />
1914: Fordism -  Henry Ford's combination of highly efficient factories, highly paid workers, and low prices revolutionized manufacturing


==Web Resources:==
==Web Resources==
[http://economies.about.com/cs/economicsglossary/g/economies_of_s.htm Definition of Economies of scale]<br>
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economies_of_scale Definition of Economies of scale]<br>

Latest revision as of 09:09, 6 March 2007

Breadcrumbs: The Future of Ubiquitous computing in 2025 --> Economical Driving Forces: Economies of scale

Description

Economies of scale characterizes a production process in which an increase in the number of units purchased causes a decrease in the average cost of each unit.

The Industrial Revolution created pressure for much larger plants that could capture the benefits of the economies of scale offered by the new technologies it had spawned. Cheap and abundant energy combined with good transporation networks and new production technologies to restructure capital-incentive industries. For the first time, companies combined intermediate processes into single plants and developed large-batch or continuous/process technologies to achieve low-cost volume production. (Source: Transnational Management by Bartlett, Ghoshal, Birkinshaw)

More information: Economies of scale in Wikipedia

Enablers

  1. WTO and falling trade barriers
  2. Decreasing transport costs
  3. Investment incentives attracting investors to low-cost-labour countries
  4. Advanced communication technologies - easier management of a transnational corporation
  5. Growing demand for products
  6. Competition pressuring lower prices


Inhibitors

  1. Cultural differences/conflicts
  2. Anti-globalization forces


Paradigms

Experts

WTO

Timing

19th century: Industrial revolution in Europe
1914: Fordism - Henry Ford's combination of highly efficient factories, highly paid workers, and low prices revolutionized manufacturing

Web Resources

Definition of Economies of scale