Difference between Manager and Leader Roles, Operations Management vs Operations Strategy, Importance of HRM

This study material explores the difference between the roles of a manager and a leader, the distinction between operations management and operations strategy, and the significance of human resource management (HRM) in business. It provides examples and insights into these foundational concepts of business management.

Foundations of Business
Management

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section A.........................................................................................................................................3
Question 1: Difference between the role of a manager and the role of a leader..........................3
Question 2: Difference between Operations Management and Operations Strategy..................3
Question 3: Human resource management (HRM).....................................................................4
Section B..........................................................................................................................................5
Personal reflection.......................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

Section A
Question 1: Difference between the role of a manager and the role of a leader
A manager within a has always has full right to make changes according to its decisions.
The manager is only the responsible to body in a company or business always prepares a
business plan, organise resources, direct different people, leaders and employees, control
businesses processes etc. For example; currently Tesco is one of the leading retailers within the
United Kingsom (Caldera, Desha and Dawes, 2017). In this situation, the top-level management
of Tesco has full right to give orders to its employees. But a leader within this company has no
any right to give order to manager, because a manger always has high power than a leader within
an organisation.
On the other side, a leader within a company is always responsible to take different
orders from its manager. A leader always leader a team or a group of employees, in which it has
right to lead only those employees or team members who comes under its command. There is
manager always supervise and manage each and very activity of an organisation, but the leaders
always need to supervise and lead to just a team. A leader within a company is always
responsible to convert different decisions of its manager into actions. Many times, a leader need
to implement various instructions in the workplace also which has provided by its senior
manager. At the end, of course there are huge difference between roles of a leader and roles of a
manager, but both are always required to put their great contribution in achieving final goals of
an organisation.
Question 2: Difference between Operations Management and Operations Strategy
There is great difference between operations management and operations strategy.
Basically, operations strategy is a small tool for the manager of a company who uses it while
managing its different organisational operations (Hermano and Martín-Cruz, 2016). A company
is always required to use operations strategy while managing its various operations for
systematically achieving final goals of its operations. It is very necessary for the top-level
management of a company or business for using different operations strategies, like; TQM (total
quality management), JIT (just in time) and lean production etc. Reason is, these operations

strategies are enough to control quality of any company’s products and services. Currently most
companies or businesses in all around the world are taking huge advantages through these
operations strategies. According to different business experts, an organisation can easily manage
its various operations with the support productive operations strategies.
On the other side, there are operations management is a prime function for top-level
management of a company, where it always needs to take some effective steps and actions
towards properly managing it’s all operations. In this dynamic and modern world, existing
management of company should use some innovative operations strategies for gaining huge
return the market. Generally, operations strategies have given great contribution in an
organisation for developing or improving its operations management (Alnoukari and Hanano,
2017). That’s why both aspects called operations strategy and operations management are too
important for companies or businesses.
Question 3: Human resource management (HRM)
Human resource management is one of the prime functions within a company. For
example; currently HRM play great contribution in Tesco’s higher reputation. Without effective
HRM practices the Tesco is not able maintain its high reputation within the UK’s retail industry.
The process of human resource management planning it’s not an easy task to the HR manager of
a company, because a HR manager always needs be expertise in HRM before prepare a
productive plan. While preparing an HRM plan the HR manager is always required to consider
different legal and ethical considerations, because without involving different legal and ethical
considerations no HR manage can create a specific and effective plan of human resource
management.
Value of HRM is always very higher for an organisation, because only HR department
provides an effective workforce to organisation. No company can achieve its different targets
and goals in decided time period without effective HRM practices. There are most successful
companies in all around the world always has an effective HR department that always contribute
in achieving high success. The HRM of a company need to use various innovative methods for
completing it’s all practices in effective manner (Hanaysha and Majid, 2018). There are hiring,
recruiting, selecting, training, developing etc. some major practices or functions of HRM, in

which when HR manager of a company complete these all practices in proper manner, then that
company can easily achieve irts different objectives in the market.
Section B
Personal reflection
At the end of my first-year study, I believe that, I have learnt many new things this year.
Basically, this year has improved my different areas of knowledge. Currently I have full
knowledge about the role of a leader and the role of a manager. I have learnt that; no company
achieve its final target or goal without a manager and a leader. Currently the manger within an
organisation is highly required to systematically manage different functions and activities within
an organisation. I have learnt, a leader also needs to put its great efforts for properly leading its
team members or employees. On the other side I have learnt that, there is very big difference
between operations management and operations strategy. Now I completely understand that,
operations strategy mainly uses by a company for prospering managing its different operations
(Agarwal, Gneiting and Mhlanga, 2017). Top-level management within each company has
highly required to use different operations strategies for gaining positive results from its
operations management task.
In this year I have analysed that, HRM (human resource management) play very excellent
role for a company in achieving final goals, because HRM provides an effective workforce to
each company. Now I understand that, without effective HRM practices no business or company
can easily run its different operations in this dynamic and modern world. I know, my these all
learnings about business management will defiantly help in achieve productive aspects in my
personal life.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Agarwal, N., Gneiting, U. and Mhlanga, R., 2017. Raising the bar: Rethinking the role of
business in the Sustainable Development Goals. Oxfam.
Alnoukari, M. and Hanano, A., 2017. Integration of business intelligence with corporate strategic
management. Journal of Intelligence Studies in Business. 7(2).
Caldera, H.T.S., Desha, C. and Dawes, L., 2017. Exploring the role of lean thinking in
sustainable business practice: A systematic literature review. Journal of Cleaner
Production. 167. pp.1546-1565.
Hanaysha, J.R. and Majid, M., 2018. Employee motivation and its role in improving the
productivity and organizational commitment at higher education institutions. Journal of
Entrepreneurship and Business. 6(1). pp.17-28.
Hermano, V. and Martín-Cruz, N., 2016. The role of top management involvement in firms
performing projects: A dynamic capabilities approach. Journal of Business
Research. 69(9). pp.3447-3458.