Operations and Service Management in M&S

This report evaluates the operation management practices in Marks and Spencer and their impact on the efficiency of the organization. It also discusses the use of Six Sigma management practice and the effect of technology on the process.

OPERATIONS AND
SERVICE MANAGEMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Operation management practise in M&S.....................................................................................3
Impact of Six sigma management practise on M&S with regard to its efficiency .....................4
Technology effect Six sigma management process of M&S ..................................................6
Value chain analysis of M&S......................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
The operation management refers to administration of the business activities for higher
efficiency in the organisation (Zhen and et. al.,2019). This also involve conversion of raw
material and its labour into useful goods and services with higher efficiency possible. The
service management is basically intangible asset that provide value to its potential customers.
Better managing the service operations are critical to have control on the labour cost as well as
satisfaction of its customers (Wang and et. al., 2017). M&S is an multinational company in
Britain offering better quality of clothes, food products and home products. This report will
evaluate the operation management practise in Marks and Spencer and their impact on the
efficiency of organisation. Further it will evaluate the technologies integrated in the process of
operations and the supporting function which are linked with management practise.
Operation management practise in M&S
The operation management practise are generally aimed to achieve the approaches that
lead to improve the business performance. Marks & Spencer has an strategy to develop its
product with higher quality and they generally have their stores at very convenient place so that
people not have any kind of difficulty to buy the products (Salehnejad, Ali and Proudlove, 2020).
This show the company is having top to down orientation to provide a good quality which is
easily afford by all. The operational activities also involve online selling of its product to
satisfaction the customers who uses to prefer they also get satisfied by this. This is very critical
for every company to have that type of supply chain that can satisfy customer need before
competitor do. The M&S is one of the largest company to retail its products.
To increase the responding ability to respond more quickly to the changing needs of
customers, the Marks and Spencer closely work with its suppliers therefore the company and its
suppliers both working to achieve the common objective. Every customer of company desire best
quality in its product in this day M&S is coming headline to provide inexpensive products with
poor quality so the other companies suggest to improve the quality of the products and become
an premium brand. There are different types of operation management practises that are used by
different organisation to reach the maximum potential possible in the company. There are
generally four type of practises which are as under:

Six Sigma is the practise that assist to improve the process as well as products/services produced
in the organisation by eliminating different type of defeats (Powell and Mustafee, 2017). This
practise is to control the quality with the six elements.
Total quality management refers to the practise that assist to have longer time success by
potential customers satisfaction. The people of the organisation are trying to improve the
processes and their product and services in the area where company is operating.
Just in time is an practise to reduce the cost by ordering the need goods when there is need, this
assist to reduce wastage of goods.
Lean is an operation management practise in which the people optimize the resources and their
individual contribution towards creating healthy relation and value with the customers (Padilla
And et. al., 2018).
From the above practise which has been discussed above the Marks & Spencer is
performing their operational activities with Six Sigma as customers of M&S need a good quality
in their products so for them they just check the quality and have control that for long period.
The six sigma has different step to resolve the defect firstly the problem is to identified in this
With the help of this M&S to reduce the mistakes in the process of business. The production
department of company regularly check the quality that their product have and take required step
when any defect found. Further they will measure the process by collecting the data from
different functions and analyse the cause of issue. By analysing they lead to improve the process
with required solution to fix issues and in last the M&S control the situation.
Impact of Six sigma management practise on M&S with regard to its efficiency
The Marks & Spencer is making use of Six sigma operation practise to improve its
products quality by removing and skipping the defect and errors. The main aim of this practise is
to maintain the quality of manufactured goods and the process of the business. With the help of
Six Sigma practise company can enhance the revenue and profit.
Improve customer loyalty Marks and Spenser make affords to make affords to retain their
potential and new customer for long time. The customer retain will assist to determine the
success of the company (Tagge And et. al., 2017). As the customer usually dissatisfied with
employees attitude and products & services of the brand they prefer. So with the implementation
of this management practise help to understand the need and desire of their customer. For that

company organise the training season to improve the skill and knowledge of people. For better
customer satisfaction they have to provide a better quality of product.
Time management The Six Sigma practise also assist to manage the time of performing the
activities in the Marks & Spencer. This will result in better work in particular time frame and it
will also produce more. The company use to set the goals to achieve by the team and then apply
the methodology to the goal so that the things done in proper time with higher efficiency.
Motivates employees the M&S is making affords towards its employees so that they can work
and act in right direction. To perform their activities they have to motivate sufficiently with this
the productivity is also enhanced by good percentage. The tools and techniques of the
management practise also help to develop the employees and inspire them as well (Girmanová
and et. al., 2017).
Reduce errors The Six Sigma practise help to avoid and skip the error with the tool as Marks and
Spencer can determine the area of production with its output to identify the process that may
cause any kind of risk. This practise also evaluate the method to deliver the required goods and
services with effective model.
Efficient use of resources M&S also change its production cycle with the help of Six Sigma the
resource are being optimally utilized and wastage has been skipped. The clothing industry has
very polluted so there is big need of to reduce the wastage and improve the overall efficiency of
the company to gain competitive advantage. The operational management tool of Marks &
Spencer assist to use all the resource very efficiently because resources are always being scare.
Supply chain management the primary motive of the management technique is to reduce the
error and improve the quality. For this company reduce the number of supplier so that it will
automatically reduce the possibility of defect. Different supplier usually plan to change their
plans therefore Six Sigma assist to drive the success with the supply chain as long as it can be
possible.
M&S has improve its performance with the use of management practise that lead to better
control the functions and to improve the efficiency in working. The Six Sigma tool is very
effective as it help Marks and Spencer to control its quality of products. The brand is also lead to
identify the defect and take required action.

Technology effect Six sigma management process of M&S
With the organisational management practise help the company to undertake the
activities of using the technology of information technology. Six Sigma assist to develop the
online platform of M&S so that they can get the preference of customers so they can produce
that products which improve the satisfaction level of buyers. The Sigma management process
helps company to collect the information regarding the quality of their product currently in the
market and the review form different potential customers worldwide (Srai and Lorentz, 2019).
The information technology is play very crucial role in the operation activities in better way.
With the information technique the company uses to check the stock that is need to serve the
potential and new customers in near future. Marks & Spencer can also identify the employees
need with the organisation to perform the function so that the resources are optimally utilised.
The development of the product which are being involve in the process of Six Sigma. In the
process of the management practise the technologies play vital role.
Define issue In the beginning of this tool Marks & Spencer uses to identify the issue in respect to
the customers so in M&S the issue is to collect the data of customer preference and quality
control so they just organised the required resources and evaluate an particular goals. Than they
map the process that has been develop to resolve the issue and work accordingly.
Measures The digital technique and IT is used to measure the issue of quality control and
preferred products by the potential customer. The data has been collected by different source
about the preference so that M&S can make modify its accordingly with that so this will help
company to make use of technologies to measures.
Analyse The use of digital techniques and IT is in right way or not this is checked in this step of
Six Sigma by Marks and Spencer. Technology help company to make use of this tool as different
function have their separate goals. The determination is done by variation the historical data that
is done using information technology as the company has past records of the information.
Improve In the improvement process the technology help to determine the possible reasons by
the technology. The product quality has to be control and make necessary modification in the
product so that product is more likely to preferred by the people. Without the technology the
Marks & Spence can not perform its operational practise as each step need digital and
information technologies to be used.

Control In this stage the M&S is making efforts to implement the changes and modification that
has been made to improve the quality and avoiding the defect. In this process the company
control the supply of goods with the help of information technology. Technology is regularly
modify so the Marks and Spencer is monitoring the market very closely to develop necessary
changes. The company will make arrangement to implement the modified plan.
Value chain analysis of M&S
This model include those action or task that are carried out by M&S to deliver good
quality of product in the market (Andervazh, Javadi and Aliabadi, 2020). This analysis assist to
improve the efficiency so Marks and Spencer can provide maximum values at least possible cost.
Which this model company can able to find the different activities from purchase of raw material
to the final good distribution are undertaken. This show the perspective of different kind
organisation function of M&S. The primary function of company are :
Inbound Logistics: In this the activities are involved that are of receiving, distributing and storing
of those input or raw material which will assist to create the product of the company. The M&S
is having limited supplier from which they buy their raw materials that are basically high in
quality and help to satisfy the need. The company is performing the activities in effective manner
with the help of operation management practise Six Sigma their primary motive is to improve the
quality and satisfy the customer therefore this support the company to perform the activity (Peng,
Dai and Garg, 2018).
Operation: The company is making efforts to improve the customers experience by managing
the process of converting the inputs that are raw material into output. The employees are
performing their activities so that goods ans services are being produced without any wastage.
The companies are producing the products keeping in mind the quality that can satisfy the
customer needs and also control the quality so that people will prefer same product in near
future. The company is making use of information technology to develop a better quality of
products and services for its potential and new customers.
Outbound logistics: In this stage the M&S uses to store,collect and distribute the product as well
as services to its customers. The company is using digital technology to sale its products by
online website as well as stores. The company is also have such operation practise which assist
to have stock in warehouses so that when ever the demand raise of clothes than they make efforts

for making clothes available to the customers. The company is not able to perform the activities
is they not have a proper management practise. The sustainability of the company is due to Six
sigma management strategy to satisfy the needs of customers.
Marketing and Sales: The marketing helps M&S to improve the awareness regarding the
products and services of the company (Zhai and et. al., 2020). This also involve the convincing
the customers to buy the goods with the help of promotional activities. The company has used
digitalization to start an improvement program that assist to enhance the experience of the
customers. The sales of M&S is majorly done by online channels about 60% of total sells. With
the help of digital technology the customers are preferring the brand products repeatedly. The
company is using that management practise that assist to promote the good quality of product at
the stores as well as online platforms.
Services: The services of M&S includes those action that assist to help to maintain the value of
product. The company has analyse that customers services helps to improve the customer
loyalty. M&S is trying to increase the space to provide quality of food and the cloth and fashion.
The operation management practise assist its services to perform more effective as customers of
Marks and Spencer.
CONCLUSION
This report concludes that operation and service management assist to lead the activities
of M&S to better efficiency. The operation and its services involve process from the purchase of
raw material, conversion to furnished product and further marketing sell are also included in this.
M&S is a huge organisation have good market share they are using Six Sigma operation
management practise to improve the quality of product with eliminating the defect and errors that
may cause loss. With this management practise the process of M&S has improve to achieve the
customers expectation. The customers become more loyal towards the brand if they are
providing premium quality of products. The employees motivation is also enhance by using Six
sigma management. This also concludes that M&S is using digital and IT techniques to preform
its operational activities as the customer are preferring to buy their products with the help of
digital technologies. The company has changed its management process through technology
development. The function of M&S are interlinked with each other because when the company

buy raw product from its supplier till it perform marketing and selling process the operation
practise support them to improve the efficiency.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
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regression for exploring and testing the impact of complementary management practices
on short-notice elective operation cancellation rates. Health Systems. 9(4). pp.326-344.
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investigation of hybrid M&S studies in health care. Journal of the Operational Research
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simulation: A survey approach. Simulation. 94(6). pp.493-506.
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management with large penetration of hybrid electric vehicles and sustainable
distributed energy generation. Sustainable Cities and Society. 62. p.102313.
Zhai, W. and et. al., 2020. An Intuitionistic Fuzzy Based Decision-Making Method for River
Operation Management: Practice from China. Water. 12(5). p.1322.
Peng, X., Dai, J. and Garg, H., 2018. Exponential operation and aggregation operator for q‐rung
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