My question is about an explanation for a wrong answer on a Becker BEC practice problem. I didn't choose the answer, but the explanation didn't make sense to me. Here's the problem:
Fabro, Inc. produced 1,500 units of Product RX-6 last week. The inputs to the production process were as follows:
450 lbs. of Material A @ $1.50/lb.
300 lbs. of Material Z @ $2.75/lb.
300 labor hrs @ $15.00/hr
What is the best productivity measure for the first-line supervisor in Fabro's production plant?
Choice "b" ( which was 2.00 units per pound) is incorrect. The supervisor can affect the efficiency of material usage but not the units per pound.
My question is, wouldn't improving the efficiency of material usage increase the number of units per pound of material and vice versa? Let's say you had some shoddy materials and thus had to throw some away because they weren't up to standard. That would obviously decrease your efficiency and wouldn't you also include those disposed materials in your productivity calculation as part of "all inputs," thus reducing your units per pound of material? I'm confused why Becker is treating "efficiency of material usage" and "units per pound" as two unrelated measures.