Management and Operations: A Review of Research Studies

The assignment requires the student to review a list of research studies related to management and operations. The studies cover a wide range of topics, including sustainable supply management, energy management in microgrids, project management techniques, and qualitative case studies in operations management. The student is expected to identify key findings and trends from these studies and provide a summary of the overall impact on the field of management and operations.

MANAGEMENT
AND
OPERATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
P1)Role of leaders and managers along with the characteristics...........................................3
M1) Characteristics of leaders and managers.........................................................................5
P2) Role of managers and leaders in different situations.......................................................6
P3) Theories and models of approach....................................................................................8
M2) Some of the additional leadership style..........................................................................9
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................9
P4) Operational management.................................................................................................9
M3) Top down planning and Transformation process approach of Rowlinson Knitwear.. 10
P5) Importance and value of operational management........................................................11
P6 & M4) Assessment of factors within business environment...........................................12
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Operations in business refers to the tasks or activities performed by the organisations for
satisfying the demands of their consumers. Whereas management refers to the authorities who
look out these activities and operations performed by the employees for ensuring smooth flow in
operations. Operations management is the process of administering of business practices in
order to develop highest level of efficiency within an organisation. Taken firm for this
assessment is the Rowlinson Knitwear which is a cloth specialist based in London, England. This
report will compare the roles of managers and leaders along with their characteristics. This report
will also apply the role of manager and leader in different situations by using the theories.
Further, key approaches of operations management along with their value and importance will be
covered. In last, this report will assess the factors of business environment which can influence
the operational management and decision making of leaders and managers.
TASK 1
P1)Role of leaders and managers along with the characteristics
This task will cover the information of organisation along with the structure and roles of
both leaders and managers.
Rowlinson Knitwear is a UK based cloth manufacturer who are providing their clothes to
different retailers of UK. The company directly do not provide their clothes to the customers
rather the customers purchase the clothes from retailers. The company is providing a wide range
of school wear and professional wear cloths to the customers (Ageron, Gunasekaran and
Spalanzani, 2012). Company is offering plain stock which is suitable for embroidery, and special
knitwear for a full personalisation service.
The company is following the flat organisational structure due to having few number of
employees. This organisational structure is used by the organisation for reducing the hierarchical
level among the employees. Company is having CEO as higher authorities and after that
department managers and then lower level employees (Baboli and et. al., 2014). Leaders are the
people who contributes their efforts to the execution of assigned team work by supporting and
coordinating with employees. Whereas managers are the people who develop the strategies for

the employees and monitor the performance of their department and employees as well as their
activities.
Role of leader
There are different role played by the leaders of Rowlinson Knitwear as discussed below:
Creative vision: Leader perform the work of leading of their team members through
creative vision so that the activities and operations can be executed in an effective manner. They
provide the course of action to members for finishing their work. The leaders of Rowlinson
Knitwear has creative vision which they try to accomplish by providing their support to the team
members so that goals can be achieved (Barnard, 2017).
Coach potential: Leader also perform this role through which they can enhance the skills
and abilities among their team members. The leaders of the Rowlinson Knitwear also perform
this role in order to achieve their creative vision. Through this, the employees of firm are
improving their performance and efficiencies at the workplace.
Role of manager
Managers of Rowlinson Knitwear also perform several roles which are discussed below:

Role of leader
Creative vision: Leader perform the work of leading of their team members through
creative vision so that the activities and operations can be executed in an effective manner. They
provide the course of action to members for finishing their work. The leaders of Rowlinson
Knitwear has creative vision which they try to accomplish by providing their support to the team
members so that goals can be achieved (Barnard, 2017).
Allocating the roles: It is the major role of manager in an organisation in which they
assigns the roles to the team members. The managers of the Rowlinson Knitwear are also
assigning the roles to the different employees based on their skills and capabilities. Through this,
the employees can execute their work in an effective and efficient manner (Barratt, Choi and Li,
2011).
Allocating the resources: The managers also assign the resources to the different
departments so that they can perform their roles in an effective manner. This role is effectively
played by the managers of Rowlinson due to which different organisational departments are
working in proper manner for ensuring that goals are achieved.
Similarities of managers and leaders
Particulars Leaders Managers
Supportive Leaders of Rowlinson are
supportive in nature due to
which they provide their
support to the employees
Managers at Rowlinson also
provides the support to the
team members and leaders so
that they can adapt to changes.
Motivation Leaders provide the motivation
to employees so that they can
work properly by using their
morale.
Managers at Rowlinson also
provide the motivation to
employees by providing them
rewards on their performance.

M1) Characteristics of leaders and managers
Leader: Leaders at Rowlinson are loyal and honest in their work due to which they
convey the true information to the employees regarding the work. Leaders at Rowlinson uses
various leadership styles for leading their team members towards the organisational goals
Manager: Managers at Rowlinson also posses these characteristics through which they
are communicating the developed strategies to employees in right manner even if challenges and
risks can occur. Managers at Rowlinson also uses several management style for managing their
work and employees so that effective results can be obtained.
Conclusion: The leaders and managers plays an essential role in the growth of the
organisation as well as in achieving the organisational goals by performing their roles and
responsibilities in proper manner. These possess several characteristics through which they can
perform their role in an effective manner.
P2) Role of managers and leaders in different situations
The role of leaders varies according to the situations which they encounter at the
workplace. This can be supported by using examples of following situations as discussed below:
New product development: In such situations, the role of the leaders is to gather the ideas
from team so that an innovative product can be launched. The leaders also provides the guidance
and support to the team members for executing their work effectively so that the new product can
be launched in proper manner for satisfying the expectations of customers (Burke, 2013). The
role of leaders in Rowlinson in such situation is to brainstorm different ideas so that proper ideas
can be implemented for the new product development. The leaders at Rowlinson also convey the
developed strategies of managers to the employees regarding the new product so that employees
can perform their work with required efficiency
New strategy development: In such situations, the leaders of Rowlinson Knitwear gathers
the suggestions from their team members which are conveyed to the managers for development
of appropriate strategies. Through these suggestions from employees, managers can develop
effective strategies which are conveyed by leaders to the employees for the betterment of the
organisation.
Function of managers

The function of managers also differs according to the situations which can be supported
by using the Henry Fayol model as discussed below:
Planning: In this, manageRole of leaderCreative vision: Leader perform the work of
leading of their team members through creative vision so that the activities and operations can
be executed in an effective manner. They provide the course of action to members for finishing
their work. The leaders of Rowlinson Knitwear has creative vision which they try to accomplish
by providing their support to the team members so that goals can be achieved (Barnard, 2017).
rs prepare future plan for the handling the different situations regarding the resources,
employees, strategies etc. The managers of Rowlinson develop the ideas and plans for the
development of new products and strategies so that maximum benefit can be achieved through
them (Cherkasova and et. al., 2012). The managers considers the ideas of employees which are
conveyed by the leaders so that proper planning can be made.
Organizing: In this, the managers develops the goals and organise different resources for
carrying out the future activities or plans. The managers of Rowlinson determines the goals and
required resources in this function for developing the new products and strategies for ensuring
the success. This is also essential for determining the requirements in development of new
product and strategies so that these requirements can be fulfilled.
Commanding: In this function, the managers provides the course of action to the
employees and direct them to finish their task. The managers at Rowlinson perform the function
of providing guidance and direction to the employees for achieving success in the developed
products and strategies (Five Functions of Management, 2018).
Coordinating: In this function, managers work together with different departments and
employees for ensuring that activities are performed in proper manner. The managers at
Rowlinson coordinate with other departments such as finance and production for ensuring that
the new product can be developed without any problems (Coetzer, Bussin and Geldenhuys,
2017). The managers also coordinate with the employees regarding the newly developed
strategies for determining whether these are suitable or not.
Controlling: The managers control and monitor the activities of employees for
determining the variations in performance in order to make the changes accordingly. The
managers of Rowlinson control the activities of employees which are engaged in new product

development so that quality can be ensured. The managers also control the activities of the
employees for ensuring that developed strategies are bringing good results to the organisation or
not.
The role of leaders and function of managers varies with the situations and they needs to
change their way of working according to the situations for ensuring success in their work. These
both leads and manages the employees so that they can achieve their goals effectively without
facing any difficulties.
P3) Theories and models of approach
There are various models and theories which can be used by the leaders and managers of
Rowlinson for handling the different situations in effective manner. Some of these theories are
discussed below:
Autocratic approach: This approach states that the managers and leaders should direct
their employees to perform the work. This approach does not consider the suggestions from
employees in decision making and managers or leaders take decisions by themselves.
Disadvantage of this approach is that the employees can dissatisfied when such approach is used
whereas this approach is beneficial for executing the work in pre determined time or for taking
quick decisions without any delay (De Roover, 2017). This approach is used by managers and
leaders of Rowlinson when they have to make quick decisions for the new products and
strategies due to which the judgement can be taken in less time.
Democratic approach: This approach states that the managers and leaders needs to
provide the authority to workers for taking the decisions. Through this power, employees feel
motivated in performing their work. Rowlinson is using this approach for including the
suggestions and ideas of their employees in the decision making process so that better decision
can be taken for new product and strategies. Disadvantage of this approach is that conflict can
arise among the workers when such approach is used by managers and leaders. Advantage is that
the employees feels motivated in their working which will enhance their performance.
Transactional approach: It is one of the leadership approach which mainly focuses on
result, conforms to the existing structure of the company. In context of Rowlinson Knitwear,
they must think differently where they can reward for the work which helps to earn profit for the
company and even they should penalise the employee who does the mistake even knowingly.

M2) Some of the additional leadership style
Situational leadership: This theory argues that managers and leaders should adapt to
suitable leadership style based on the nature of situation so that improved results can be obtained
from their performance. The managers and leaders of Rowlinson follows democratic style when
they have to consider the views of their employees in the decisions. However they changes their
style to autocratic in complex situations so that quick decisions can be taken for the betterment of
organisation. Advantage of this is that the mangers and leaders can improve their performance by
using this style however disadvantage is that in some cases, none of the style can be used as they
could not able to resolve the conflicts and problems of employees.
System leadership: This theory states that the sound principles can be used by the
managers and leaders for determining the behaviour of their employees so that their needs can be
fulfilled accordingly for maintaining a good system at workplace. The managers and leaders of
Rowlinson are following this style through which they are providing the rewards and other
motivational benefits to the employees by determining their behaviour so that they can execute
their work with the newly developed strategies for new product development. Disadvantages of
this approach is that it can be proved costly for the company whereas advantage is that the
employees can become motivated in their working.
TASK 2
P4) Operational management
Operation management is the process of planning, organizing, and supervising the
processes so that proper and required modifications can be done for achieving high growth and
profitability (Demir and Reddick, 2012). Operation management is very essential for the
Rowlinson Knitwear in improving the quality of the products which are provided to the
customers. Through this improved quality, customer satisfaction will increase which will also
enhance the sales and profit of the company as well as company can sustain in the market for a
long period of time. There are several approaches of operation management which are divided
into long, short or medium term goals. Some of the importance of operational management are
explained below:

 Customer satisfaction: It is said that whenever company wants to earn healthy amount of
profit they are required to deliver the satisfaction to customer. Rowlinson Knitwear must
focus that how that provide the best services to the customer who is connected with the
organisation.
 Wastage Reduction: It is necessary for any of the organisation to reduce the quantity of
waste while manufacturing their brand product. In context of Rowlinson Knitwear, if they
can have the appropriate operational management team then they can easily reduce the
wastage while manufacturing the uniforms.
M3) Top down planning and Transformation process approach of Rowlinson Knitwear.
Top down planning approach: This approach is used by the organisations for conveying
the ideas and developed strategies to each level of hierarchy within an organisation. This
approach divides the decisions into three levels which are Operation strategy decision, Tactical,
Operational planning and control. The operation strategy decisions are taken for the long term in
which strategies are developed for maintaining the sustainability of firm in long term. The
tactical decisions are the strategies which are developed for attaining short term goals. The
operational planning and control is the decisions for controlling the strategies and process of
short term.
The role of leader at Rowlinson in this approach is to convey the ideas and concerns of
the employees to higher authorities so that the decisions can be taken accordingly for their
benefits as well as to convey the developed strategies to the lower level employees. However the
role of manager at Rowlinson is to consider the ideas of their lower level employees in the
decision-making process so that improved results can be obtained from the employees.
The role of manager also perform the role of monitoring the activities of leaders and employees
so that proper changes can be done in the taken decisions.
Transformation process approach: This approach is used by the organisations for
transforming the raw materials into finished good so that value can be provided to the customers.
This approach can be used by the Rowlinson Knitwear for converting the raw materials into
finished goods or cloths (Epitropaki and Martin, 2013). For this, the Rowlinson can use various
tools such as Six sigma and TQM for ensuring the quality of the produced goods as well as for

eliminating the wastage in the production process so that high profit and revenue can be
achieved.
Role of leaders in this approach is to provide the guidance and support to the employees
so that they can develop the product according to the pre determined planning and quality.
Whereas role of managers is to monitor the activities of employees so that the gap in
performance can be determined for making suitable modifications.
Both of the leaders and manager of the Rowlinson are performing their role in an
effective manner by using the approaches of operation management. Through these approaches,
improved results are obtained by the firm as managers and leaders are providing their support to
the employees as well as they are considering the ideas provided by employees.
P5) Importance and value of operational management
Operation management is very important for the organisations in improving their
performance and efficiency. Through this concept, firms like Rowlinson can improve the quality
of their products for achieving their desired organisational goals and objectives. The importance
of operation management is as follows:
Improving performance: Operation management is very important for the Rowlinson in
improving the organisational performance and profitability as through the operation
management, firm can implement tools such as Six sigma through which the company can
eliminate the defects in products for ensuring the customer satisfaction (Fulkerson, 2013).
Satisfied customers tends to purchase the products from same firm which will improve the sales
and profit of the firm in market.
Cost minimisation: Operation management is also essential for Rowlinson in minimising
the cost of their products in order to improve the profit. This can be done by implementing the
lean manufacturing through which they can eliminate the unwanted feature in their products
along with the wastage of resources in the production process so that quality can be ensured at
low prices. These reduced cost can be used for other purposes through which the firm can
achieve their organisational goals.
Wastage control: By using the operation management, firms like Rowlinson can improve
their production process as well as can reduce the wastage produced by the business operations.
This will not only save the cost of the firm but also the environmental footprints of the company

can improve as the company is eliminating the wastage for protecting the environment from
pollution (Galindo and Batta, 2013). Through the elimination of wastage, company can focus
more on the other ways for accomplishing their desired objectives and goals.
These advantages can be gained by the Rowlinson Knitwear after implementing the
operations management approaches and tools. Through these tools and approaches, Rowlinson
can achieve their organisational goals in pre determined time period which enable the company
in obtaining sustainability at the marketplace for a long period of time.
P6 & M4) Assessment of factors within business environment
Business environment is very dynamic in nature due to which it keeps on changing
according to the trends of market as well as of customers. There are various factors in business
environment which can impact the decision making process of the managers and leaders. Some
of these factors are discussed below:
Raw material: This factor can impact the decision making of manager and leaders as if
the firm does not have the required resources then employees could not perform their work
effectively which will impact their performance and decision-making. When managers develops
strategies by considering the resources then lacking these resources will impact the decisions as
employees could not perform their activities which will create problem for the leaders too.
Leaders also needs to change their working style which will impact their decision-making too as
employees could not perform the work effectively (Goldhaber, 2013).
Employees: This factor can also impact the decision making process of managers and
leaders as dissatisfied employees does not perform their work properly due to which managers
needs to develop new strategies or modify existing strategies which will impact their taken
decisions. Whereas leaders needs to motivate such employees which will impact their decision
making as they needs to gather new ideas for improving the morale of such employees.
Technology: This factor is also capable of influencing the decision taken by manager and
leaders as if the employees does not have knowledge regarding the use of technical equipments
then implementing the new technology is total waste and the managers needs to provide training
to employees for improving their skills and knowledge (Gunasekaran and Ngai, 2012). Leaders
also get affected as they needs to develop new ways through which employees can work on new
technology or software.

Infrastructure: In any of the business organisation, it is necessary that business decisions
should be taken effectively but even it is also necessary for leaders and manager that they must
have the knowledge that what are the infrastructure they are going to use to deliver their products
so that goals can be achieved within the specified time period.
Information: It is the business which is capable of influencing the decision which is
required to be taken by manger and leader. They must have the proper information about each
and every field and they are unable to do so then it is the waste of decision which are being taken
by the management team.
CONCLUSION
It has been summarised from the above assessment that managers and leaders plays
different roles in the organisation so that the organisational goals can be accomplished in
predetermined time frame. These managers and leaders performs their roles according to the
situations for bringing more productive results to the firm. Operation management has several
approaches which can be used by the managers and leaders for performing their role effectively.
Operational management is very important for organisations in improving the quality of their
products and services.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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Baboli and et. al., 2014. Energy management and operation modelling of hybrid AC–DC
microgrid. IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution. 8(10). pp.1700-1711.
Barnard, C. N., 2017. The operation: a human cardiac transplant: an interim report of a
successful operation performed at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town. SAMJ: South
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Burke, R., 2013. Project management: planning and control techniques. New Jersey, USA.Chen,
X and et. al., 2010. DECOR: DEClarative network management and OpeRation. ACM
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Cherkasova and et. al, 2012. System and method for evaluating a workload and its impact on
performance of a workload manager. U.S. Patent 8.112.756.
Coetzer, M., Bussin, M. and Geldenhuys, M., 2017. The functions of a servant leader.
Administrative Sciences. 7(1) p.5.
De Roover, R., 2017. The Medici Bank: its organization, management, operations, and decline.
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Epitropaki, O. and Martin, R., 2013. Transformational–transactional leadership and upward
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Fulkerson, J. A., 2013. Is timing everything? The value of mutual fund manager trades.
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Goldhaber, S.Z., 2013. Surgical pulmonary embolectomy: the resurrection of an almost
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Online:
Five Functions of Management. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2017/11/five-functions-of-management/>.