There are ways of developing society, both extensive and intensive.
In the first type of development, growth is achieved byquantitative increase in the factors of production on the existing technical basis. For example, if there is a need to increase the volume of production, this is ensured by introducing new enterprises of a similar, already existing capacity, with equipment of the same quality equivalent to the number of employees and the level of their qualification. This development is slow and it can not last indefinitely, because over time resources are depleted. One day it will inevitably have to move to a new level.
The intensive way of development isthe opposite direction. This way involves an increase in the scale of production by improving the quality of its factors and introducing more economical natural resources, raising the skill level of employees, introducing new technologies, improving the organization of production. Thanks to all this, the return from all the resources involved in production increases.
With this approach, to increase outputproduction of products do not resort to the construction of additional enterprises. The results are achieved through the reconstruction, modernization, re-equipment of existing and improving ways of using the resources at the disposal of the enterprise.
In life, an extensive and intensive path of developmentin the pure form practically are not observed. As a rule, they are combined in certain proportions and combinations. Therefore, it is said that society or production develops primarily in an intensive or extensive way.
Economic development is determined by a number of factors. They can be divided into several groups:
The intensive way of development today is directly connectedwith the use of computer, computer technology, high production automation. All this allows to increase labor productivity, its content, to save material, raw materials and energy, while improving the quality of products. In such conditions it is necessary to form a new attitude to work, to stimulate the manifestation of creativity in the work and to treat it in good faith.
The intensive way of development is closely connected with the conceptinnovation activity. Also, intensification is also important - the process of accelerating the development of social production, which is based on the application of more effective objects of labor, forms of organization of labor in accordance with the achievements of technological progress, with the utmost use of all groups of factors of production.
The most rapid pace of life developmentcharacterized by the last third of the XX century due to the particularly rapid pace of scientific progress. The interaction of science and production has led to the emergence of science-intensive technologies. They provide extremely effective use of developments that are introduced into production processes.
Thus, in contrast to the extensivedirection, intensive development is characterized by qualitative changes in factors of production, the transfer of expanded reproduction to a fundamentally new technical basis.