Final answer:
A manager updating the director about the patient tray-line activities is demonstrating the informational role. This role involves the processing and sharing of information within the organization.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a manager updates the director about activities occurring on the patient tray-line, this is a demonstration of the informational role of management. In the informational role, managers act as communicators and information processors within the organization. They collect information about operations, such as daily activities on the patient tray-line, and distribute this information to others in the organization who need it, including directors and other decision-makers.
In the scenario where all resources used in the production of a product increase by 20%, accompanied by a corresponding 20% increase in total output, the firm is evidently undergoing economies of scale.
This phenomenon signifies that the proportional rise in output surpasses the increase in resource input, leading to enhanced operational efficiency and diminished average costs per unit of production. Economies of scale often manifest as a result of improved resource utilization, streamlined processes, and potential reductions in per-unit fixed costs.
This contrasts with diseconomies of scale, where expanded production might lead to heightened average costs. The situation described suggests that the firm is effectively capitalizing on its scale of operations, reaping benefits from economies of scale and thereby reinforcing its competitive position through enhanced cost-effectiveness in the production process.