Port Management and Operations: A Complex System Perspective

The provided assignment content consists of a collection of academic articles, books, and online resources related to port management and operations. The topics covered include decision-support tools for managing operations, qualitative case studies in operations management, recent developments in OR/MS research in disaster operations management, the future of operations management, and various leadership theories.

Management and
Operations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................3
P1 Different roles and characteristic of leaders and managers in reference to Mark &
Spencer's Ltd..........................................................................................................................3
P2 Examine how leaders and managers role can be applied in different situations in Mark &
Spencer...................................................................................................................................5
P3 Theories and models of approach in Mark & Spencer......................................................7
TASK 2 ...........................................................................................................................................8
P4 Key approaches of operation management and role which is played by leaders and
managers.................................................................................................................................8
P5 Importance and value of operational management to achieve objectives of business in
Mark & Spencer...................................................................................................................10
P6 Factors in the business environment that impact operational management and decision
making by managers and leader ..........................................................................................11
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Operation management can be defined as the management area which is concerned with
controlling and designing the production process and also redesigning of operations of business
which is related to production of services and goods. It involves the various responsibilities to
make sure that operations of business are carried in a efficient and appropriate manner, in terms
of meeting customers needs and requirement and use of available resources in effective manner
(Akkerman, Farahani and Grunow, 2010). This study is based on the case study of Mark and
Spencer's Ltd which is a multinational retail company, headquartered in London. It has appointed
a management consultant of so as to investigate leaders and managers impact on the operations
of the company. This study will help in investigating external factors of business that impact on
operational management and management decisions of team. It also helps in analysing the
various approaches of operation management and the factors that impact management of
operations.
TASK 1
P1 Different roles and characteristic of leaders and managers in reference to Mark & Spencer's
Ltd
In every organisation there are two important and major roles that make the organisation
grow and lead towards success and goodwill. These two roles are of leaders and managers. A
leader can be defined as a person who leads the group, an organisation or a company. He is head
or chief in any group formed in company and always holds a superior position and manages a
control of high degree on others. On the other hand manager can be defined as a person who is
responsible for the administration, management and for controlling a group or staff in an
organisation (Alderton and Saieva, 2013). He can be defined as the person who make effective
and efficient management of resources. He is in charge of several activities and control several
departments and give guidance to people who works under him.
In Mark & Spencer there is a manager and also a leader who plays their role in an
organisation to make it grow in a market.
Role of a leader
 Leadership is necessary at each level of management, it helps in formulation of policies
and plans which is important for interpretation and execution of plans.

 Leader represents an organisation, he represents conferences, meetings etc.
 Leader helps in changing personal goals of employees into organisational goals. Leader sets visions and then motivate and develop morale of employees (Baldwin, Allen
and Ridgway, 2010).
Role of a manager
 Informational role
1. A team is being monitored by manager to get productivity and wellness. He transfers
important information to his colleagues and team. He conveys information regarding
goals and objectives of organisation.
 Interpersonal role
1. He inspires leader as well as his team. He is responsible for communicating effectively
on organisation's behalf (Barratt, Choi and Li, 2011).
 Decisional role
1. A manager is responsible for taking several decisions in the organisation, he control
change and allocate resources , and also handles disturbance.
There are number of differences between the role of manager and leader in Mark &
Spencer, some of the differences are given below :
Leader Manager
 Leader is the vision creator.
 Leader is responsible for innovating
change in the organisation.
 They take risk.
 They are responsible for building
relationship.
 They develops ideas and plans for
organisation.
 They grow themselves (Galindo and
Batta, 2013).
 Regular rewards are not received by
them but they still remain motivated.
 Manager is the goals creator.
 Manager is responsible for maintaining
the status of organisation.
 They control risk.
 They build systems and processes.
 They imitates already made plans and
ideas of organisation.
 They rely on the existing skills.
 They on goals which are for short term
and seek regular rewards.
M1

There are several differences between the role of a manager and leader which helps in the
growth of the organisation. There are theories of leadership which makes it different from
manager. Action centred leadership theory has three functions which include maintenance of
team, achievement of task and meeting individuals needs (Gunasekaran and Ngai, 2012).
Another theory is of situational leadership, which consists of functioning maturity model of team
members. It is the degree in which people successfully undertake task and they are confident to
cope with challenges. On the other hand managers are responsible for communicating
information, taking decisions and also for interpersonal goals.
D1
According to Hill and Hill (2012) , leadership development should be collective and
contextual. On the other hand leadership is also an process which is carried out individually and
the leadership development can get ignored in various situations in which there is a performance
of leadership. As per the view of Galindo and Batta (2013), contingency form of leadership is
directive, supportive and participative, it is helpful in giving support to employees. On the
contrary Baldwin, Allen and Ridgway (2010), says that situation in which the task is performed
is very important to determine the appropriate style of leadership which can be helpful for an
organisation to achieve goals and success.
P2 Examine how leaders and managers role can be applied in different situations in Mark &
Spencer
Role of a leader and manager is very important in Mark & Spencer so as to deal with
different situations in an organisation, and to solve various problems related with the operational
activities in the organisation. Effective leadership and management helps in managing the
operations of the company and also helps in solving the various conflicts and disputes that are
created among the employees of because of mismanagement of activities. Leadership can be
defined as the process of leading people in organisation so as to achieve goals whereas managers
can be defined as the person who has several responsibilities for leading departments function
and employees (Jacobs, Chase and Chase, 2010).
Leadership in organisation
 Leadership is responsible for setting clear vision in an organisation. There are several
situations where employees are not able to understand what to do then leadership

influence employees to accept and understand the future state of company, which will
help people in performing their duties.
 In some situations morale of the employees in Mark & Spencer go down, then leadership
helps in motivating employees, means it find out what are the needs and wants of
employees which they want from company. Leader will help in satisfying those
requirements of employees so as to motivate them to work effectively (A point-by-point
overview of systemic leadership. 2017).
 It is very important to define role of the employee related to work when the leader is
guiding him or her and should also provide them with the tools which are needed for
performance and participation of employees in a company. An effective leader will help
in explaining the task, will provide with appropriate resources, direct the work and will
be available to support employees if there is any problem. There are many situations in which disputes are created among employees, leadership
helps in building relationships among employees so as to increase efficiency in working.
Managerial role in organisation
 The main role of manager is to make people productive, he is also responsible for setting
objectives, organising tasks, establishing targets and developing people.
 If the company is lacking with good employees which is affecting its productivity, then
the manager will help in hiring great people.
 There are many situations in which the productivity and performance of the employees
are not satisfactory then the manager is responsible for the management of performance
in an organisation (Jacobs, Chase and Chase, 2010).
 Manager is also responsible for setting overall direction for the team and also for the
development of team. Setting directions include mission, vision, objectives and goals.
 In many situations when there are not proper resources for work, then manager helps in
managing resources in the organisation and also improve quality and process.
P3 Theories and models of approach in Mark & Spencer
Theories and models of approach in Mark & Spencer is very important for its growth and
development in the market and also for the effective management of operations in the company.
Proper leadership will help company in making maintaining its goodwill and reputation. There
are three leadership theories that are applied in mentioned company, for the management of its

operations in efficient and effective way for leading the company at top in market and also for
generating good amount of revenue or profit (Leadership Theories. 2016). There are three kinds
of models and theories which is applied in a company, that are contingency leadership,
situational leadership and system leadership, which can be explained as : Situational Leadership : Situational leadership is the type of leadership which is very
important in an organisation for the effective operational management. It can be defined
as the style which is usually applied by the manager as well leader in a company, and
they should make sure that this style fits the followers development level to whom they
are influencing (Galindo and Batta, 2013). If their style is not fitting in the level of
development then their style should be adjusted by them. This leadership is applied on
the basis of different situations in the company. In situational leadership, style of the
leader should get changed according to followers, as followers will not adapt the
leadership style. In this kind of leadership, leadership styles should get changed on the
basis of organisation's need based on the various situations. System Leadership : Another form of leadership style which is used in Mark & Spencer
is the system leadership. It is a type of leadership which involves the collaboration of
different groups of people at different place and at different level in the company which
is creating the shared network and involves cooperation of employees for the necessary
change in organisation (Wang and et. al., 2010). System leadership theory is very
effective in mentioned company for raising awareness of leadership among managers, for
changing perception of managers and also for saving money which is being spent on the
mass training.
 Contingency Leadership : Contingency leadership theory is also very essential in
company for effective development. It is the type of theory which defines that the
particular leadership style not only defines an effective and efficient leadership but there
should also be control on specific situation. It also defines that there should be proper and
good relations between team member and leader, tasks goals should be cleared properly.
A particular situation defines the good leadership, and some other factors also define it
like leader's personality, task's nature etc.
M2

The several approaches that are being applied in an organisation have various strengths
and weakness. The leadership style which is situational ensures that the followers have
responsibilities of their own actions and decisions. There is also a weakness of this approach and
it is like the advantage of low manager intervention can be taken by followers. All leadership
style is also not included in contingency theory, but with the help of this various traits of
leadership can be analysed. Analyses is difficult in the system theory but in that a goals can be
achieved by group or a team which is made in a company.
TASK 2
P4 Key approaches of operation management and role which is played by leaders and managers
Operation management is a management which includes managing, designing and
controlling the process of production and also redesigning the operation production (Wang and
et. al., 2010). In Mark & Spencer , there are some key approaches to manage the production
operation process which helps in increases the production level of the organisation.
Key approaches to operations and management are:-
 System approach :- In this organisation, there is a system approach in this approach it is a
part of big systems like those industries which belongs to the economic systems and
environments . It is dependent on the external environment. This system includes the
interaction between the organisation and its external environment. In the system approach
the roles of managers and leaders are very important . It includes:-
1. Inputs and and a person who makes the claims: In this, the inputs meets from the external
environment consists the finance, people, technical and managerial skills. The
government depend on the taxes paid through the organisation and government expect
that the organisation coordinate with their laws and policies. The managers and leaders
focus on all of them (Tang and Musa, 2011).
2. Communication system: Communication is very important for any organisation. There
should be an proper communication between the managers , leaders and the employees ,
through this the the employees works well and increase the productivity of the
organisation. It is very important in appraisal, selection and at the time of giving training
to the mangers.

3. Outputs: In the organisation, the output is very important and the outputs related to the
products, satisfaction and the profits. Managers and leaders of this organisation focus on
the output which meets related to the products and from the profits.
 Just-in-time approach :- In this organisation, this approach say that the managers employ
and guide their employees to increase their work efficiency and decrease the wastage
from the goods which are required for the production process and from this the inventory
cost will be reduced (Talk, 2016). Managers and leaders guide to their employees to
reduced the wastage by :-
1. Produced only required goods not extra good .
2. Sometimes wastage is related to defects . So firstly we can stop the defects.
3. Sometimes , wastage are associated to the keeping stock . So keep only those stock which
is needed for the production process.
 Strategic planning approach:- In this organisation, there is a strategic planning
approach, this approach includes the over all strategies of the organisation. The
operations mostly utilize the corporate approach related to strategic planning and focus
on the issues related to the operation management (Subramanian and Ramanathan,
2012). In this approach, managers and leaders are involved in making strategic planning
and them implement it . In this ,managers and leaders of this organisation need to focus
on these :-
1. There is a need to operate the portfolio of many activities and from it it is very easy to
make them compare the finance based methodology.
2. While facing from the dynamic environment there is a need to take the fair decision to the
top management.
M3
Efficiency of operational management can be increased by leaders and managers in a
company. Managers and leaders are responsible for governing mechanism of a company which
involves management of operations, implementation and designing of communication etc. They
also helps in control of inventory and quality (Stadtler, 2015). These are the most important thing
in a company which should be managed properly. Role of leaders and managers are also
responsible for the proper management of supply chain. It is the whole process from start to
finish, which includes purchasing, delivery, storage and transportation.

D2
Applications of operation management includes various things like project management
which includes acquisition of resources and scheduling of employees, it helps in analysing every
detail of what is required for product manufacturing. Other applications include inspection and
quality control which is an important part in the process of manufacturing (Slack, 2015).
Equipment maintenance and scheduling of product also comes in operational management.
Internal and external factors affect the environment of business. Internal factors include values,
norms and culture of business and external factors are competitors, socio-economic, political,
legal and technological factors, which includes customers attitude, business laws, use of
technology, concern of target market.
P5 Importance and value of operational management to achieve objectives of business in Mark &
Spencer
Operations can be defined as that part of a company which involves range transformation
of input into output having the necessary level of quality, and management is the process which
transforms several resources used in operations subsystem of company (Peng and Lai, 2012).
Operations management helps in the need identification of customer and then getting feedback
regarding products and services. It has two primary objectives, one is of utilisation of resource
and customer service. Providing good customer service is the main objective of any organisation
because they are the key players in the growth and success of company. Operation management
ensures that needs are fulfilled with the proper utilisation of resources. It involves designing,
controlling and overseeing the production process and redesigning of operation of business in the
goods production. It also includes designing of process in making product , acquisition of raw
material and equipment maintenance. Operation management is very important in an
organisation, it helps in the maintenance of different activities which are related with the day to
day operations, and it also helps in maintaining smooth coordination among different
departments of organisation (Slack, 2015). Operational management also plays a significant role
in Mark & Spencer and is of great importance :
 Operational management helps in the efficient and effective management and
administration of operations which helps in achieving different goals and objectives of
organisation (O'Fallon and Rutherford, 2011).

 Operational management also helps in making decisions related to strategies in a
company, it supports senior level administration in a company related to such decisions.
In these decisions there is a use of available resources and current situations so as to
make effective and efficient system. These decisions may include changes in technology
, mergers etc., and to take such decision help is being done by operational management
(Kuruppuarachchi and Perera, 2010).
 There are several tactics which are applied in company for the effective management, in
taking tactical decisions, operations management gives full support. In this different
tactics are included which is needed for the formulation of policies and plans. It also
helps the administration in making effective use of resources and the management of
staff under the regulations and constraints which are defined in strategic plans.
 Operational management is also helpful in taking various decisions related with
operations. It helps management in taking important decisions like monitoring, planning
and controlling of several operational decisions. There are various decisions related to
operations which is taken in an organisation to control activities which are related with
operations (Krajewski, Ritzman and Malhotra, 2013).
P6 Factors in the business environment that impact operational management and decision
making by managers and leader
There are three factors which affects the making of decision by managers and leaders : Perception Issue : Perception can be defined as a way through which individual defines
their work environment. The perception of an individual can make a impact on the
process of decision making. For example : If in an organisation there is a conflict then for
the solution information needs to be collected then the perception of individual is of
major importance. Organisational Issues : There are many issues related to organisation in which there is a
inclusion of plans and policies. These includes regulations and rules which helps in
resolving the problems of the organisation and it also helps the manager in the process of
decision making.
 Environmental Issues : These are the issues which are related with the external factors
which affects the decision making process of the organisation. External factors includes

the market, economic factors and gross domestic factors, rules of government, reaction of
customer for the product and services.
CONCLUSION
Management of operation plays a significant role in a company which will help in smooth
management of functions in an organisation, and will carry out its operations in a proper manner.
From the above study which is based on the operation management of Mark & Spencer, it can be
concluded that the effective and efficient operational management plays a key role in the success
of company. It is analysed that leaders and managers play a major in company in setting various
objectives and goals. Situational, system and contingency theory can be applied in a company
which will help in proper management. Role of managers and leaders have important impact on
organisation. If the operational efficiency of the company will get improve than it can meet its
objectives and goals in appropriate manner.
REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Akkerman, R., Farahani, P. and Grunow, M., 2010. Quality, safety and sustainability in food
distribution: a review of quantitative operations management approaches and
challenges. Or Spectrum. 32(4). pp.863-904.
Alderton, P. and Saieva, G., 2013. Port management and operations. Taylor & Francis.

Baldwin, J.S., Allen, P.M and Ridgway, K., 2010. An evolutionary complex systems decision-
support tool for the management of operations. International Journal of Operations &
Production Management. 30(7). pp.700-720.
Barratt, M., Choi, T. Y. and Li, M., 2011. Qualitative case studies in operations management:
Trends, research outcomes, and future research implications. Journal of Operations
Management. 29(4). pp.329-342.
Galindo, G. and Batta, R., 2013. Review of recent developments in OR/MS research in disaster
operations management. European Journal of Operational Research. 230(2). pp.201-211.
Gunasekaran, A. and Ngai, E.W., 2012. The future of operations management: an outlook and
analysis. International Journal of Production Economics. 135(2). pp.687-701.
Hill, A and Hill, T., 2012. Operations management. Palgrave Macmillan.
Jacobs, F.R., Chase, R.B and Chase, R., 2010. Operations and supply chain management.
McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Krajewski, L.J., Ritzman, L. and Malhotra, M.K., 2013. Operations management: Processes and
supply chains (Vol. 1). New York: Pearson.
Kuruppuarachchi, D and Perera, H.S.C., 2010. Impact of TQM and technology management on
operations performance. IUP Journal of Operations Management. 9(3). p.23.
O'Fallon, M.J. and Rutherford, D.G., 2011. Hotel management and operations. John Wiley &
Sons.
Peng, D.X. and Lai, F., 2012. Using partial least squares in operations management research: A
practical guideline and summary of past research. Journal of Operations Management.
30(6). pp.467-480.
Slack, N., 2015. Operations strategy. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stadtler, H., 2015. Supply chain management: An overview. In Supply chain management and
advanced planning (pp. 3-28). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Subramanian, N. and Ramanathan, R., 2012. A review of applications of Analytic Hierarchy
Process in operations management. International Journal of Production Economics.
138(2). pp.215-241.
Talk, O.M., 2016. Operations management.
Tang, O. and Musa, S. N., 2011. Identifying risk issues and research advancements in supply
chain risk management. International journal of production economics. 133(1). pp.25-
34.
Wang, X. and et. al., 2010. A production planning model to reduce risk and improve operations
management. International Journal of Production Economics. 124(2). pp.463-474.
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