Operations Management Assignment | Marks & Spencer

MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATIONS

Table of Contents
.........................................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................4
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................4
1. An introduction to the organisation.........................................................................................4
2. Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager..........4
3. Analysis of the different roles of management and leadership in application to different
organisational situations..............................................................................................................6
4. Different approaches to leadership and management.............................................................7
5.Conclusions on how managers and leaders have made an impact on the organisation...........8
TASK 2 ...........................................................................................................................................8
1. An introduction to the key operations of the organisation......................................................8
2. Key operational function and roles of leaders and managers.................................................8
3. Key operational approaches to operations management ........................................................9
4. Impact of external business environment factors..................................................................10
5. How operational efficiencies can be improved to successfully meet business objectives
using appropriate management and leadership approaches......................................................11
6. Conclusion and recommendations for improvements...........................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Management is the set of principles which is related to the functions of planning,
organizing, directing and controlling the business activities by effectively and efficiently utilising
the resources towards the attainment of organisational goals (Drucker, 2012). therefore
Leadership is concerned with action of guiding and leading a group of people towards providing
them direction towards the achievement of organisational goals. Hence both the elements are
essential for the growth and development of business. Chosen organisation for the report is
Marks and Spencer, which is a British Multinational retailer headquartered in London that
specialises in clothing, home and food products. This report will throw highlight on roles and
characteristics of leaders and managers in the organisational situation of minimising employee
turnover. It also analyses operational function within the organisation and the role leaders and
managers play. At last it evaluates the impact of external business environment that affects
decision making of leaders and managers.
TASK 1
1. An introduction of Marks and Spencer (M&S)
Being an HR intern interview is conducted and report is prepared on the chosen
organisation which is Marks and Spencer, it is British multinational retailer that specialises in
selling high quality clothing, food and luxurious food products, headquartered in Westminster
London(UK). M&S has around 959 stores all around UK and out of which 615 which only sells
food products (About M&S, 2019). Respective company follows a flat organisational structure
which has limited levels of management and this assist the employees to participate in decision
making process.
2. Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager
Leader is an individual which is concerned in providing executive direction, guidance
and therefore influencing the behaviour of the employee within the organisation so that the goals
can be realised in a positive manner (Bryman, 2013).
Manager are the individuals which are responsible for controlling and administering,
supervising and motivating the employees so as to make them work effectively towards the
attainment of organisational goals.

Therefore, Leader and Manager at M&S motivates and directs the behaviour of the
employee to perform their job related responsibilities in a proper manner towards the attainment
of organisational goals.
Characteristics of Leader
 Leader should have the ability to delegate work to its subordinates according to their
experience and knowledge.
 Leader at M&S should carry proper confidence when guiding and leading group of
members as well as while solving employees issues and problems.
Characteristics of Manager
 Manager at M&S should have time management ability, it is necessary to prioritise daily
work activities and hence make the employee work within a proper time frame.
 Manager at M&S should have problem solving abilities by analysing the issues at the
work place and provide them immediate solution to avoid disputes and conflicts (Teague
and Roche, 2012).
Roles of Leader
 Formulates Strategy- Leader at M&S should develop and implement proper plans and
policies and strategies and make the employees work towards them and assist
sustainability of organisation.
 Setting a clear vision- Leader at M&S perform role of setting vision of organisation and
thus influencing the work of the employees to work in accordance with the vision at
M&S.
Roles of Manager
 Monitoring- Manager at M&S should monitor the work of its employees and provides
them necessary feedback so as to make changes in performance and increase the
productivity with respective company.
 Resource Allocator- Manager at M&S should perform the role of allocating resources
and funds to the different department within organisation so as to maintain efficiency in
work .
Differences between Management and Leadership
Basis Management Leadership
Meaning Management is concerned to Leadership is the act of

proper planning, organising
and controlling the business
activities to achieve business
goals in proper manner.
guiding and motivating the
behaviour of the employees
towards attaining the goals and
objectives of M&S.
Emphasis Its main emphasis is on
managing activities within the
respective organisation
(Griffin, 2013).
Its main focus is on inspiring
people and provide them
proper guidance so that goals
can be achieved in proper
manner.
3. Analysis of the different roles of management and leadership in application to different
organisational situations.
Leaders and managers both play an important role and manages the organisational
situations in an effective manner so as to make harmonious environment at the work place and
leads to the achievement of goals and objectives in a proper manner . Role of leader and manager
in different situations at M&S are described as follows-
Situation 1- Employee Turnover
At M&S, there is huge problems and conflicts at work place as employees are not clear
with their job related responsibilities and this leads to increase employee turnover. In order to
solve this problem, Role of manager is to provide them with necessary training facilities and
enhances their skills to make them work effectively, without any problems and issues. Role of
leader at M&S is to provide guidance and support to the employees in their work which will
motivates them to work dedicatedly towards the attainment of goals. This situation is supported
by-
 Behavioural Theory of Leadership- This theory is concerned to developing and
maintaining effective relationship of leader with their subordinates so that motivation and
morale of the employees can be enhanced and leads to harmonious environment at the
work place. This reduces the problem of employee turnover and leads to resolution of
conflicts (Rahim, 2017)

Situation 2 – When top authority asks Leader and Manager to performs task within
specified time period.
At M&S when leaders and manager are asked by the top authority to get the task done by
the team members within specific period of time. Here roles of managers are to assign the task to
the employee according to their level of knowledge and expertise as well as allocates the
resources effectively so that work can be completed within time frame and Role of leaders is to
provide direction and guidance to the employees so that work can be completed within the time
frame. This situation can be supported by-
 Scientific Theory of Management- This theory focuses on maximising efficiency and
labour productivity within the respective organisation. Manager at M&S should
determine and select the best way of performing task so that employee's productivity can
be enhanced and work can be completed within proper time frame .
4. Different approaches to leadership and management
Leaders and managers at M&S practices different approaches to leadership and
management which helps them to manage the organisation in a better way, and helping
employees towards attaining organisational goals in a better manner. Different approaches are
discussed as follows-
Situational Leadership- This model of leadership states that leader at respective
organisation should adopt to different styles according to the situation in M&S. It is an adaptive
approach which allows the leader to adopt various styles such as participating, delegating, telling
and selling approaches as per the situation, towards effectively managing the business situations.
 Strengths- This approach provides flexibility to the leader at M&S, to adopts to different
leadership styles and manages the situation in a proper manner (Berry, Broadbent and
Otley, 2016).
 Weakness- Because of the complexity of the problem, leaders at M&S gets confused to
adopt to which styles and makes their task a complex process.
System Leadership- In this approach Leaders at M&S should create a harmonious work
place environment by creating such a situation or a condition which motives the employees to
work productively and attains goals and objectives at M&S.
 Strengths- It clarifies the complexity at the work place environment and provides a
effectual framework to make the employees work effectively.

 Weakness- This process is complicated in nature as various parameters are interrelated to
framework and high risk is associated with approach (Smith, 2014).
Contingency Leadership- This approach to leadership states that there is no best way to
perform the task at M&S, as the business situation keeps on changing , leaders effectiveness can
be determined when the leadership style best matches with the situation.
 Strengths- It allows the leader at Marks and Spencer to adopt to proper approach
according to situation at M&S and benefits the company towards managing its business
activities in a proper manner.
 Weakness-Its creates burden on the leader at M&S, to choose the appropriate approach
towards attaining the goals in a proper manner (Chemers, 2014).
5.Conclusions on how managers and leaders have made an impact on the organisation
It has been concluded that manager and leader at M&S plays a vital role towards the
success of the organisation by performing their roles and responsibilities in a proper manner.
With the effective use of leadership and management approaches it helps them to manage the
organisational situation in a proper manner. Moreover it is recommended to the managers and
leaders at M&S to understand the issues and problems at the work place and therefore adopts
effective approach to involve employee in every decision making process, thereby resolving
conflicts and issues at work place .
TASK 2
1. An introduction to the key operations of the organisation.
Operations within the business is determined to transform data into desired goods and
services thereby delivering maximum value to the customer. It is concerned with four basic
categories such as processing, inspection, transportation and storage of goods and services in a
effective manner. Therefore, key operations at Marks and Spencer includes designing the
production process in a effective manner which leads to proper inventory and capacity
management and therefore makes timely delivery of goods to the customer so as to improve
profit margins and enhances brand image in the market (Heizer, Render and Munson, 2017).

2. Key operational function and roles of leaders and managers
There are various key operational functions which the leaders and managers have to
perform effectively within Marks and Spencer so as to attain maximum efficiency in their
business operations and enhances maximum profitability. It is described as follows-
 Finance- Finance and resources are the major requirement of the organisations to carry
the business activities in a proper manner. Proper amount of finance is required regarding
production and distributing goods to the consumer. It is the responsibility of the mangers
to organise and allocates the resources within different departments of the organisation in
a proper manner so that business activities can be conducted in a proper manner so that
goals and objectives at M&S could be attained in a proper manner (Rosemann and vom
Brocke, 2015).
 Strategy- It is the duty of the managers to plans proper policies and tactics so that key
operations of the organisation can be performed in an effective manner, thereby manager
at Marks and Spencer should frame appropriate strategies regarding inventory
management, capacity utilisation and supply chain management so that so that employees
can work effectively according to the plans and strategies formulated (Nawanir,
KongTeong and Norezam Othman, 2013).
 Forecasting- It is concerned to estimation of the demand and the sales of the product at
Marks and Spencer. In context to operations management, forecasting refers to the
estimation of the demand so that production activities can be carried accordingly and it is
the role of the managers to anticipate the demand in a proper manner regarding what to
produce and how much to produce according to the customers demand (Christopher,
2016).
3. Key operational approaches to operations management
Operational Management is concerned with the designing, implementing and controlling
the production activities in a proper manner so as to attain highest level of efficiency within the
organisation (Gunasekaran and Ngai, 2012). It is an activity that leads to converting materials
and labour into efficient goods and services by a way of enhancing profitability and productivity
within organisation. Various approaches to operational management are discussed as follows-
 Total Quality Management- It is an structured approach to effective organisational
management which leads to continuous approach of detecting and reducing eliminating

errors within the production process so as to improve customer experience and enhance
productivity levels. This approach should be effectively used by the managers at Marks
and Spencer to maintain the quality of its products as well assist in maximum utilisation
of resources. It also helps in proper operational planning and control of business
activities in a effective manner. Role of manager at M&S in this approach is to continue
monitor the performance of the employees so that necessary feedbacks can be provided
to enhance the performance of employees and maintains quality in their product.
 Kaizen Approach- It is an approach of bringing continuous improvements in the
production process within the respective organisation, which is based on the idea that
small positive changes can bring major improvements in the production process. It is a
way of reducing errors and defects and boost productivity and enhance morale of the
employees to work effectively. Role of managers is to motivate employee to give more
ideas and suggestions regarding making making changes in the production process and
should be provide rewards so as to boost their morale (Hajmohammad and et.al., 2013).
 Six Sigma Approach- It is an efficient approach towards minimising and eliminating
defects and waste from production to the distribution of the products in market. Main
aim of this approach is to maximise the productivity and sales and attains maximum
returns on investment (Six Sigma, 2019). This approach has a greater value as it helps in
capacity management and leads to optimum utilisation of resources. Role of managers
under this approach is to plan appropriate strategies and policies and invest in six sigma
training courses so that employees can work in a efficient manner towards minimising
wastage and errors in the production process.
4. Impact of external business environment factors
Business Environment consist of various internal and external factors which has a
significant efefct on the business operations as well as the decision making of leaders and
managers. These are described as follows-
 CSR- CSR is an systematic approach of conducting the business activities in a proper
manner towards contributing socio-economic benefits to its stakeholders. It is necessary
for the respective organisation to provide to distribute its products and services by
benefiting its stakeholders (Ageron, Gunasekaran and Spalanzani, 2012). It also affects

decision making of leaders and managers to conduct the business activities ethically in
nature while benefiting the stakeholders at Marks and Spencer (Baker, 2012).
 Raw Materials- This is an external factor which has a great effect on the operational
activities within respective company. If Marks and Spencer faces the problem of shortage
of raw materials, then their production and distribution activities are hampered. It also
have a effect on the decision making of leaders and managers as they have to ensure that
raw materials are supplied at an appropriate cost and should minimise the
overconsumption of resources so that business activities can be appropriately performed.
 Technology- With the advancements in technology, it has a great effect on the
operational activities of the business as the when the respective company adopts the
advanced technologies it leads to benefits their production process and thereby reduces
wastages and errors. It also affects decision making of leaders and managers as they have
to update the existing technologies within M&S and should take the decision of providing
training to the employees regarding working with advanced technological features
(Ellitan, 2017).
5. How operational efficiencies can be improved to successfully meet business objectives using
appropriate management and leadership approaches.
It is necessary for managers and leaders within the respective organisation to attain
operational efficiencies in its business activities by effectively converting raw materials and
labour into finished products and utilising the resources in a maximum manner. It is necessary
for Marks and Spencer to to achieve operational efficiencies in supply chain and production
activities. It is supported by effective Leadership and Management approaches-
 Transformational Leadership Approach- Leader at Marks and Spencer should adopt
this transformational leadership approach so as to identify the needed change in the
respective organisation and execute the changes by adopting different practices. This
leads to conduct operational functions in a proper manner and this way operational
efficiencies can be achieved (Mittal and Dhar, 2015).
 Contingency Theory of Management- This theory of management states that as there
is no single method or style to handle and manage business situations. This also assist the
managers within the respective company to learn from various situations and change their
behaviours and styles towards enhancing profitability and productivity within the

business organisations. It also assist in achieving operational efficiencies at Marks and
Spencer as by adopting different ways of performing business practices it leads to
reduction of waste and errors in the production process.
6. Conclusion and recommendations for improvements
From the above information gathered it can be concluded that operational management
assist the company in achieving efficiencies in their business operations, thereby eliminating
waste and errors in the production activities, moreover organisation should adopt to various
approaches such as TQM and six sigma in order to eliminates waste. Hence its is recommended
to the managers and leaders to provide necessary trainings to the employee regarding working
effectively with the use of advanced technologies and resources and should analyse the impact of
business environmental factors and take the decision accordingly.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that managers and leaders performs their
roles and responsibilities in a proper manner towards the attainment of organisational goals in a
proper manner. Manager should attain operational efficiencies in business activities by properly
adopting various approaches to operational management and therefore attains maximum
profitability and productivity. Along with this it is necessary for managers and leaders to analyse
various external business environmental factors and takes decision effectively towards the
growth and success of business.

REFERENCES
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Online:
About M&S. 2019. [Online] Available Through: <
https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/aboutus>
Six Sigma. 2019. [Online] Available Through: <http://leansixsigmadefinition.com/glossary/six-
sigma/>