Management Operations at M&S: Roles, Theories, and Approaches

Management Operations

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1. Introduction to M&S and its management structure...............................................................1
2. Definition of manager and leader and comparison of their roles and characteristics at M&S
.....................................................................................................................................................2
3. Analysis of differences of managerial and leadership roles with various theories.................3
4. Examples of situations at M&S and examination of managers and leaders roles application4
5. Application of different management and leadership theories at M&S for growth and
sustainability...............................................................................................................................4
6. Assessment of strengths and weaknesses of theories of approach..........................................5
7. How managers and leaders impact M&S and recommendations for future improvement.....6
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................7
1. Introduction to operations management at M&S and their key approaches...........................7
2. Roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers at M&S..................................................8
3. Importance and Value of key approaches for achievement of M&S's objectives...................8
4. Evaluation of managers and leaders effectiveness in improvement of operational efficiency
.....................................................................................................................................................8
5. Assessment of impact of external business environment factors on operational management
.....................................................................................................................................................9
6. Critical evaluation of impact on M&S's operational management in wider business
environment ................................................................................................................................9
7. Suggestions on recommendations for future improvements at M&S...................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
The planning, forecasting, organising, coordinating and controlling of various functions
of business activities in an organisation is known as management. A group of employees or a
single person is responsible for this continuous and pervasive function. It is dynamic in nature
and aims at achieving goals and objectives with the help of certain rules and principles. While
operations are different functions done which include raw material conversion into finished
products and consists of processing, inspecting, transporting and storing of these items.
For this project, M&S has been selected which is a multinational retail clothing company
and operating globally. It was founded in 1884 and currently has over 900 stores, globally. This
report will compare various roles of leaders and managers as well as their application at M&S. It
will demonstrate an appreciation of the role they play in operations management and understand
their relationship in business environment.
TASK 1
1. Introduction to M&S and its management structure
M&S is a clothing company which sells clothing for men, women and kids as well as
various accessories. It has a multi brand organisational structure that includes managers and
leaders at each department. They consist of finance, production, sustainability, expansion,
communications, human resources, business development and logistics. Their structure is
hierarchical and consists of marketing, finance, operations and human resource management,
which have head managers and leaders along with employees that work in a team under each
department.
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2. Definition of manager and leader and comparison of their roles and characteristics at M&S
Manager:
Managers are individuals of an organisation that are accountable for various management
operations and functions. They are pervasive and their roles consist of making plans, organising,
staffing, controlling and taking important decisions at the company (Schönsleben, 2016). Their
characteristics are:
Knowledgeable
Managers of M&S have an understanding of the industry which they work in. This makes
them knowledgeable about all information that can be beneficial for their company's success and
good performance.
Reliability
Everyone at M&S relies on managers to take important decisions as they are the planners
and coordinators of various functions. Subordinates and senior management depend on them
before starting their work.
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Illustration 1: Hierarchical Structure
(Source: A Visual Guide to Your Company's
Organisational Structure, 2015)