Operations and Service Management at Marks & Spencer

This report discusses the operation management practices at Marks & Spencer, focusing on quality control and quality assurance. It evaluates the influence of these practices on the firm's efficiency and explores the ways in which technology can be embedded in this process. The report also discusses the supporting functions linked to quality control, including human resources, finance, logistics, and controlling functions.

BM563 Operations and
Service Management

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................3
TASK – 1.................................................................................................................................................3
One operation management practice within Marks & Spencer ........................................................3
TASK – 2.................................................................................................................................................4
Critically evaluating the manners in which operation management practice influences the firm in
relation with efficiency .....................................................................................................................4
TASK – 3.................................................................................................................................................5
Evaluating the ways in which technology can be embedded in this process or how this has already
been achieved ...................................................................................................................................5
TASK – 4.................................................................................................................................................7
Supporting function linked to quality control....................................................................................7
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES ..........................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Speaking in volume in relation with operation and service management, it is crucial
for the business corporation for the purpose of management plus delivering of services to the
potential clients with different operational practices for reducing the cost of production and
attaining the goals effectively. Operation and service management is all about planning,
organising as well as supervising the production and manufacturing process for the purpose
of having effective operation of converting inputs into outputs (Prange and Pinho, 2017).
Considering this, the main aim of the current research report is to determine one management
practice of the organization and evaluates the operational practice and its influence on
efficiency of the organization. in this regards, Marks & Spencer one of the leading firms
specializing in clothes, home and food grade sales is being taken into account. The company
owned many firms in Europe and Asia and also has overseas function. The report will throw
some light on technology that can be embedded in thus process and will discuss about the
supporting function that can be linked with the operation management practice.
TASK – 1
One operation management practice within Marks & Spencer
Talking in relation with the operation management, it is being referred as the process
of effectively managing as well as administering different practices of the business such as
quality control, quality assurance, supply chain management, communication, costs control
etc. The operation management of the company is accountable for the development of the
firm through controlling as well as managing different activities related to shipping,
packaging, transportation, finance and management of human resource. effective functioning
and coordination of all these activities helps in attaining the pre-determined objectives of the
company (Walley, 2017). In the context of the company, Marks & Spencer also performs
different types of operations, however for the current purpose of the report, quality control
and quality assurance operational practice is being taken into consideration. For the purpose
of effectively managing the business effectively, Marks & Spencer has importantly placed
their emphasis on the quality management standards as well as systems within its culture.
Quality control and quality assurance of the M&S might sound the same however they are
quite different from one another.
Quality control is being referred as the process by which the companies look for
making sure that the quality of the product is being maintained or enhanced. In this quality of
all the factors being involved in the production is being reviewed. On the other hand, quality
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assurance involves inspecting, measuring as well as analysing the product at varied stages in
the production process for making sure that the needs are being fulfilled or not. Furthermore,
quality assurance is a part of quality control which emphasize on offering the confidence that
the requirements of the quality will be achieved (Wreathall, 2017). The confidence being
offered through quality assurance is internal to the management and external to the clients,
governments and third parties. There are different types of quality assurance methods being
adopted by different companies on the basis of their requirement. Marks and spencer make
use of two important technique for managing the quality of their products and services and
these are Total Quality Management (TQM) and quality circle.
TQM is nothing but the management approach for long term success through
satisfaction of the clients. in other words, it is a commitment of the organizational culture for
making improvement in the quality of their processes, products and services on a regular
basis within each and every function and department. Each and every employee who works
for M&S looks for enhancing the quality of their work, processes and products. They also
consider their clients as fist always. For illustration, for offering effective customer service to
their valuable clients, the company is having a system in place. They also carry out research
for findings out the desires of the customers. M&S attains this by their EPOS system
(Parsons, 2021). Through this system in place, they search out the types of sizes available and
can also recommend to them what to buy. On the other hand, the company also makes use of
quality circle as their quality assurance process. quality circle involves a group of workers
who meet periodically for determining, evaluating and solving quality and many other work-
related issues in the firm. Both of these approaches help the company is saving costs as these
measures helps in reducing the number of issues and offer advantages to the workers through
immersing them more in the operations of the company. Moreover, through employing
processes related to quality management, the firm is also in a position to discover any type of
flaws in their products as well as manufacturing processes.
TASK – 2
Critically evaluating the manners in which operation management practice influences the
firm in relation with efficiency
The operation strategy of the organization is being executed through its activities. All
of the products of M&S are of utmost quality and all the stores of the firm are being
positioned in most accessible areas and for this, the clients of the customers give a bog thanks
to the operational administration. The company for illustration has a business model on the
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basis of keeping things approachable from the top to down (). Marks & Spencer considers the
top-down approach in order to become one of the leading environmentally friendly retailers
across the world. in addition to this, moral as well as ecological principles also greatly
influences the corporate practices of the firm. There is one more objective of the firm that is
to become an international store with different channels of distribution which can serve the
customers from all throughout the world. this product was being developed in collaboration
with the suppliers of the M&S and is presently can be traced in each and every store. These
quality assurance systems of the company are being strengthen through different on-site
inspections as well as product tests. Other than this, M&S also assures assortment of security,
social, ecological as well as quality objectives when communicating with its suppliers
(Zhang, and et.al., 2019).
Underpinning the discussion further, M&S is a renowned brand when it comes to the
high-quality products as well as cutting edge design. One of the main reasons behind the
liking of this brand by most of the customers is nothing but the manner in which the company
provides exceptional value for their money. Most of the people expects the products and
services of Marks and Spencer to be of great quality, nevertheless the firm has lately come
under the fire for providing apparel which was of questionable quality at a reasonable cost.
Even some of the customers along with the fashion professional and rivalries of M&S have
pressed the company to stop the trend. One of the competitors of the company has also given
advice that they should emphasize on developing a premium brand instead of making an
attempt to weaken the competition on the price. In addition to this, it is also vital to the firm
to focus on long term objectives and each and every routine transaction needs to be planned
across those objectives (Pasandideh, Niaki and Ahmadi, 2018). The main goal of the
company is to develop high quality products which can be reasonably priced at the universal
populace.
TASK – 3
Evaluating the ways in which technology can be embedded in this process or how this has
already been achieved
In the United Kingdom, Marks and Spencer has selected supply chain automation
provider Zetes visibility software for assisting change transparency as well as implementation
across its fresh food distribution network. The supermarket get accessibility to real
completion performance data across its fresh food distribution network because of the
ZetesOlympus track and trace technology. Utilization of the real time notifications from the
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platforms, the company is in a position to anticipate any probable availability of issues and
undertaken fast remedial actions for sustaining its fresh food delivery needs (Ali and Haseeb,
2019). In addition to this, it also supports in fostering enhanced cooperation across the supply
chain through linking Marks & Spencer with all its logistics suppliers. The company has also
adopted a novel five years strategy for altering the network of logistics being published
through the store as it moves towards the single-tier Clothing & Home logistics system. M&S
has converted a 46,000-square-foot facility into an automated cloths and home distribution
centre which serves around 150 retail locations in England as a part for preparation in
Hertfordshire. More than five hundred workers work at this distribution centre which is being
operated by a third-party logistics provider. Due to this, the company has stopped working at
its North London supply chain and shifted its transactions to the locations (Barnes, 2019). For
serving their customers better, M&S is developing continuously. They have refurbished their
supply chains and stores. The new stores and locations of the company enables them to offer
enhanced services as well as availability to their valuable customers while also making
improvement in the total pace, flexibility and cost efficiency as a business.
Tesco can gain the competitive advantage with the help of technology implementation
in the organization itself. This is also considered to be the ways in which the company is able
to perform a visible changes to the market. Development of the market effectiveness is also
considered to be the factor that allows the company to be able to make decisions that help the
organization to control budget and manage the supplier relations effectively (Singh and et.al.,
2021). Tesco with the help of technology can increase its training and development practices
which are going to directly influence the ways in which they can enhance the performance. In
order to ensure that success of the brand and the target market that is also considered to be
very effective for the ways in which the business can maintain consistency is also the factor
that is responsible for the ways in which the organization is improving. Technology can also
be said to be the factor that allows the company to be able to more effective and sustainable
in order to be able to gain the transparency that is essential (7 Effective Ways to Improve Your
Quality Management System., 2021). As a customer the satisfaction that the organization
wants to gain needs to also be able to find out the functionality that is towards achievement
the goals that are required. For this company the management of the organizational
operations is going to be the key towards gaining the competitive advantage. In this company
the focus of the organization is always to increase the demands of the product which is to
provide the company the essential requirements for the company to deliver the ethical from
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the product. Manufacturing quality is also said to be the factor that help the company to be
able to manage the ethical standards which help in building the more ethical supply chain for
gaining the competitive advantages.
TASK – 4
Supporting function linked to quality control
The supporting function of M&S are considered to be liked with the quality control
operations. Following are the key supporting functions that are liked to the quality control,
Human Resource :
The major role of the Human Resource in the management of the quality is considered
to be the key towards the way sin which they are able to affect the operations of the company.
It has been said that the business, HR are considered to be the ones which are responsible for
the ways in which they are able to provide the company with the essential employees that
have better understanding of the quality and support. They are able to identify the potential of
the individuals that are considered for the management of the strategies that can bring the
company the operational growth that is required.
Finance :
Finance is the that specific function of the company that allows the company to be
able to generate the key practices that allow the company to gain or achieve the organization
benefits. This is the function that allows the business to be able to generate the factors that
allow the business to gain the strategies that are required. It helps the quality to be efficient in
the terms of the quality that allows the organization to be more effective for the organization
to gain the effectiveness that is required. This is also the functions which is key towards the
ways in which it has been connected with the development of the organizational growth.
Logistics :
The focus of this organization has been considered to be the ways in which is able to
move its products and services effectively with the help of providing the business with the
key needs that can help the company gain competitive advantages (Jermsittiparsert, Namdej
and Somjai, 2019). This has been said to be the factor which is helpful for the business to be
able to gain the products and services on time. This is the function that is has been seen to be
the factor that allows the organization. Logistics allows the business to help the customers get
satisfied with meeting the demand of the product. Development of better relations allows the
company to build better quality operations that are considered to be very effective for the
management of its operations.
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Controlling functions :
Controlling function of the organization has been said to be the key factor that allows
the company to be able to develop better quality management in the organization this is also
said to be effective in the creation of goals that help the company manage the operations.
Better quality management is also very important for the organization in order to be able to
develop new strategies required for the quality development. The controlling function one of
the key practices of the organization which are required for the gain the operational
management and performance that are required for the organization to achieve growth that is
required.
CONCLUSION
With the help of this project it can be concluded that for Marks & Spencer quality
management is also very important for the organization to be able to develop. In this project
the appraisal of the theories, concepts and principles of practices for the quality control
management has been made for being able to develop the services and the manufacturing
industries. This project has also been able to evaluate the alternative techniques to the
management of quality and control in the organization for the development of its growth.
This is also said to be the factor which is helpful for the technology to be able to provide the
supply chain the requirements that are necessary for the organizational growth. This project
also provides the range of operations and techniques which are required for the business to
manage the quality. In this project the role of quality management in the management of the
business has been analysed and utilized for the development of the success.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Ali, A. and Haseeb, M., 2019. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology as a
strategic tool towards higher performance of supply chain operations in textile and
apparel industry of Malaysia. Uncertain Supply Chain Management. 7(2). pp.215-
226.
Barnes, J., 2019. The local embedding of low carbon technologies and the agency of user-
side intermediaries. Journal of Cleaner Production. 209. pp.769-781.
Bernon, M., Baker, P., Mena, C., Palmer, A., Skipworth, H., Smart, A. and Templar, S.,
2017. Towards more sustainable supply-chain management. In Cranfield on
corporate sustainability (pp. 149-166). Routledge.
Jermsittiparsert, K., Namdej, P. and Somjai, S., 2019. Green supply chain practices and
sustainable performance: moderating role of total quality management practices in
electronic industry of Thailand. International Journal of Supply Chain Management.
8(3). pp.33-46.
Parsons, R., 2021. The role of plastic packaging in transforming food retailing. British Food
Journal.
Pasandideh, S., Niaki, S. and Ahmadi, P., 2018. Vendor-managed inventory in the joint
replenishment problem of a multi-product single-supplier multiple-retailer supply
chain. Journal of Modelling in Management. 13(1). pp.156-178.
Prange, C. and Pinho, J.C., 2017. How personal and organizational drivers impact on SME
international performance: The mediating role of organizational innovation.
International Business Review. 26(6). pp.1114-1123.
Singh, P., and et.al., 2021. Service Quality Dimension and Customers' Satisfaction: An
Empirical Study of Tesco Hypermarket in Malaysia. International Journal of
Applied Business and International Management (IJABIM). 6(3). pp.102-114.
Walley, P., 2017. Introduction to operations management’, in The Open University (2017)
B207 Readings Block 1: Big ideas in Organisations, Milton Keynes, The Open
University.
Wreathall, J., 2017. Properties of resilient organizations: an initial view. In Resilience
Engineering (pp. 275-285). CRC Press.
Zhang, and et.al., 2019. Integrated design and operation management for enterprise
systems. Enterprise Information Systems. 13(4). pp.424-429.
Online references
7 Effective Ways to Improve Your Quality Management System., 2021[Online]. Available
through: <https://www.qimaone.com/resource-hub/ways-to-improve-quality-
management-system-tic-software>.
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