project

No

Management and
Operations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1: Role and Characteristics of a leader and manager.................................................................1
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................3
P2: Role of a leader and Function of a manager in situational contexts......................................3
P3: Application of theories and models.......................................................................................4
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................5
P4: Approaches to operations management.................................................................................5
P5: Importance and value of operations management.................................................................7
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................7
P6: Assessment of factors within the business environment of an organization.........................7
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Management refers to a process which is generally used in order to administer the things
and systems which go within an organization (Anand and Gray, 2017). Operations refers to the
various processes which go on in a company and help in the achievement of goals and objectives.
They are quire crucial for a company if it needs to enhance its available level of profits without
facing problems and issues. This report is based on Sainsbury's. It is a British Company which
deals in groceries and other related products and services. In this report, a detailed focus will be
made on differentiation between the role of a leader and the function of a manager, application of
their role. Additionally, explanation of demonstration of the role which they play in the
operations function and demonstration of understanding of the relationship between leadership
and management will be discussed as a part of this assignment.
TASK 1
P1: Role and Characteristics of a leader and manager
There are various roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager within an
organization (Babich and Hilary, 2020). These are explained as follows-
Comparison between the role of a leader and manager
Leader Manager
The role of a leader is to provide inspiration to
the various subordinates within an
organization. In Sainsbury's the leaders are
required to inspire the people in the company.
The role of a manager is to provide the
required information to the workers as and
when needed by them. In the context of
Sainsbury's the managers should be able to
identify and provide the relevant information to
the subordinates.
A leader is a person who provides the required
support to the people within an organization. In
the context of Sainsbury's a leader ensures that
the people can be supported to achieve their
goals and objectives.
It is the role of the manager to be able to act as
a problem-solver for the people within the
organization. In Sainsbury's the manager is
able to make sure that problems of the
organization can be solved in a highly effective
manner.
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In an organization the leader also plays the role
of setting a vision for the future time period. In
Sainsbury's it is the leaders who are required to
identify the vision for the organization to
achieve in the future time period.
In a company the role of a manager is to ensure
that processes of the organization are going on
in a smooth manner. In Sainsbury's, the
managers have a role to ensure smooth
proceedings.
In a company there is a requirement for a
leader to be able to take decisions effectively
and efficiently. In the context of Sainsbury's
the leaders should make sure that they take
correct decisions for the future of the company.
In a firm the role of a manager is to create
plans for both short-term and long-term. In the
context of Sainsbury's the managers are
required to frame these plans which will help
them in the achievement of efficiency and
effectiveness.
Comparison of characteristics of a leader and a manager
Leader Manager
A leader has to display integrity (Choi,
Wallace and Wang, 2018). In Sainsbury's the
leaders are required to be honest which will
help them in doing their work in an appropriate
manner.
A manager needs to be reliable in nature. In
Sainsbury's, the managers are required to
ensure this quality so that they are able to
maintain trust among the subordinates.
A leader is required to delegate. Sainsbury's
leaders make the right use of this ability so that
they are able to delegate their tasks and duties
to the subordinates thereby helping them to
reduce their burden.
There must be confidence in a good manager
(de Sousa Jabbour and et.al., 2019). In the
context of Sainsbury's, this will help the
managers to be able to ensure that they are able
to achieve their goals and objectives without
problems and issues.
A leader has to ensure proper communication.
In the context of Sainsbury's this enables the
leaders to be able to communicate in a better
way with the subordinates.
A manager should be responsible in nature. In
Sainsbury's the managers must be able to use
the responsibility provided to them so that they
can properly manage the organization.
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A leader should be able to display gratitude. In
Sainsbury's it is quite important for the leaders
to be grateful towards their various
subordinates.
A manager must display empathy. In
Sainsbury's the managers should be able to
become empathic towards their subordinates to
be able to understand the problems and issues
which they are facing for solving them.
TASK 2
P2: Role of a leader and Function of a manager in situational contexts
A leader and a manager are required to play specific roles and the use the right function
in the different situations which can happen within an organization (Francis, Hasan and Li,
2016). These are explained as follows-
Situation 1- In Sainsbury's the profits for the last few years have been quite low. The
company is facing problems due to this and is losing strategic edge over the competitors.
Role of a leader- The role which the leaders of Sainsbury's should play here is to provide
a vision. This will ensure that they are able to plan for the future time period and help the
organization to be able to succeed.
Function of a manager- The function which the managers of Sainsbury's are required to
perform here is the Planning Function. In this way the managers will be able to make sure that
they create proper plans for the future time period.
Situation 2- The employees in Sainsbury's are unclear about their tasks which they are
required to perform. The firm is facing issues due to this and this is reducing the overall level of
productivity and efficiency.
Role of a leader- In Sainsbury's, the leaders are required to play the role of delegation
and empowering so that power can be provided to the subordinates so that they can take the right
decisions.
Function of a manager- The function which the managers of Sainsbury's are required to
perform is Organizing Function. This will help them a lot in proper planning within the
organization.
Situation 3- In Sainsbury's, there is a shortage of staff and thus this is creating problems
and issues in properly doing the work. The company's work is getting affected due to this.
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Role of a leader- The role which the leaders of Sainsbury's are required play here is that
of a Change Agent. This will help in bringing about the change in the organization by adding
more staff members.
Function of a manager- The function which Sainsbury's managers are required to
perform is Staffing. This will enable them to identify the requirements for new employees and
ensuring that they are fulfilled by recruiting new staff members.
Situation 4- Teams in Sainsbury's are not able to work properly and are not following the
instructions which have been given to them by the managers. This is leading to issues as the
goals and objectives are not being achieved.
Role of a leader- The leaders in Sainsbury's are required to play the role of influencer.
This will ensure that the team members are influenced in order to attain the organizational goals
and objectives.
Function of a manager- The managers in Sainsbury's should perform the function of
Directing here. In this way they will be able to make sure that they can provide the right
directions to the team members for achieving the goals and objectives.
Situation 5- In Sainsbury's, the teams are falling short of their goals and targets and
therefore this is making it quite tough for the company as it is creating variances and deviations.
Role of a leader- The leaders in Sainsbury's will be required to play the role of a change
agent. This will help them in bringing the change which is required to remove these deviations
and variances.
Function of a manager- In Sainsbury's, the managers need to perform the function of
Controlling. This will help them in proper identification of deviations and variances and taking
rectifying actions which are required.
P3: Application of theories and models
There are various theories and models in leadership which can be used by the leaders.
This will help them in leading the groups in a better way to ensure that the goals and objectives
can be achieved. In Sainsbury's the following theories and models can be applied-
Situational leadership- According to it, there is no particular best way of leading an
organization (Hitt, Xu and Carnes, 2016). Thus the leaders are required to take their actions
according to the situation which is prevailing within the organization. In Sainsbury's, the leaders
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can make the use of this theory so that they are able to identify the situation and according to it
thereby taking the right decision.
Scenario- In Sainsbury's, the employees are demanding that they must be paid higher
salaries for the work which they are doing. Therefore the leaders here are required to analyse the
situation properly and take decision according to their prudence after taking into consideration
the varied factors.
Systems leadership- This theory states that for bringing an overall systems-level change
within the organization there is a requirement to ensure that the right skills and capabilities are
used by the leaders in a highly effective manner (Ivanov, Tsipoulanidis and Schönberger, 2017).
In the context of Sainsbury's it can be used so that the leaders are able to change the system and
ensure that the required changes can take place without problems and issues.
Scenario- The retail sector in U.K. is undergoing a major change due to the influence
which is being put by the various dynamic forces. Sainsbury's is also being affected because of it
and this is creating an impact on its operations. Thus the leaders of the company can make sure
that they use this theory by influencing an overall change within the firm so that it is able to
tackle these dynamic forces quickly and can earn sustainable level of profits.
Contingency Leadership- It states that the effectiveness of leadership style of a leader is
dependent upon the whether it is applied according to a particular situation (Lamba and Singh,
2018). In the context of Sainsbury's, the application of this style must be made by the leaders so
that they can display the right effectiveness level in different circumstances.
Scenario- The overall quality level of some of the goods and services in Sainsbury's is
declining which is leading towards negative reviews from the customers. Therefore the leaders
here should make the right use of contingency leadership so that they can use autocratic
leadership style as some strong decisions are required to be taken in such a situation.
TASK 3
P4: Approaches to operations management
There are various approaches which are used in operations management within an
organization. These are explained as follows-
Six Sigma-
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This approach can be used within a company to identify the ways through which the
processes and operations can be improved so that quality of products can be maintained (Lee,
2018). In Sainsbury's, it can be used so that the managers are able to ensure that they take the
right decisions related to the manufacturing process of the goods to make it even more better by
providing the right quality to the customers.
Application of this model requires the use of DMAIC approach. It is explained as
follows-
 Define- Here it is required that the management of a particular organization is able to
determine the goals and objectives to be achieved in the future time period (Lee and
Tang, 2018). In Sainsbury's, the managers will be required to define them so that proper
plans can be formulated to achieve them.
 Measure- This refers to measurement of the processes which are used within the
organization for the production of goods. In the context of Sainsbury's, this will help a lot
in the improvement of the overall quality of goods which are produced.
 Analyse- This means evaluation of various designs which can be chosen for a particular
process. The managers are required to select the best design here. In Sainsbury's, this will
be helpful for them to be able to select the best method for the production of different
goods.
 Improve- This refers to the improvement which must be brought in the processes of the
organization to be able to bring more efficiency in them. Sainsbury's managers should
target at bringing the necessary improvement in the processes to produce good quality
products.
 Control- This means bringing an overall control in the processes to ensure that deviations
and variances can be removed (Li and et.al., 2016). In Sainsbury's, this can be done
through setting standards and ensuring that they are being followed.
Lean Principles-
The use of this approach is made within the organizations so that they are able to ensure
that they can improve the overall processes so that the desired goals and objectives can be
attained (The Five Principles of Lean, 2017). The various principles under this approach are as
follows-
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 Define value- According to it, it is essential for the firms to provide value to the
customers. Thus the managers of Sainsbury's should aim at providing this value.
 Map the value stream- It requires that the organizations should identify what must be
included and what must not be included. The management of Sainsbury's will be able to
make sure that quality goods are provided to the customers in this manner.
 Create flow- In it, the management has to ensure that the other steps are carried on
smoothly so that a proper flow is created. In this way, the managers of Sainsbury's will
easily maintain the desired quality.
 Establish pull- The requirement in the companies is to limit WIP items and ensure that
the other materials are made available to the customers. Sainsbury's management will
achieve higher quality in goods through it.
 Pursue perfection- It requires that the organizations must aim at limiting waste. Thus the
managers of Sainsbury's will be able to reduce wastage by making the right use of
appropriate processes.
Total Quality Management-
In this approach the managers identify the way they can ensure continuous improvement in the
overall quality of the processes and operations effectively and efficiently. Therefore in this
manner the management of Sainsbury's must focus on the following principles-
 Customer focus- Here, the management of the companies have to make sure that they
can focus effectively on the customers. Thus in this way the managers of Sainsbury's are
required to focus on their customers.
 Leadership- The managers of the companies should display leadership skills and
qualities so that they can lead a group effectively. Therefore in this manner the managers
of Sainsbury's will be able to lead an organization in the right manner.
 People involvement- The managers of the firms should put their focus on involving
people within the decision-making. Thus Sainsbury's needs to focus on involving its
people effectively in these processes.
 Process approach- The management of the companies need to focus on the process so
that efficiency and effectiveness can be brought in it. Therefore Sainsbury's will be able
to enhance the level of efficiency and effectiveness by using it.
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 Systematic approach to management- In the companies the managers must ensure that
they create a good system. Thus in this way Sainsbury's will be able to ensure that
systematic approach can be adopted for the purpose of attainment of goals and objectives.
 Continual improvement- In the firms the management should focus on continual
improvement so that they are able to ensure that processes can be improved. In
Sainsbury's this can be useful.
 Factual approach to decision-making- In the companies the focus has to be put on
factual approach to decision-making so that better decisions can be taken. In Sainsbury's
this will be helpful in improving the decisions.
 Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relations- In the firms there has to be focus on mutually
beneficial supplier relations so that mutual benefit can be identified. Sainsbury's is
required to ensure this.
P5: Importance and value of operations management
Operations management is quite important from the point of view of the organizations
(Machado and et.al., 2017). Its importance is explained as follows-
Improvement in processes- The right use of operations management approaches will be
very useful in the improvement of processes. In this way, the management of Sainsbury's will be
able to ensure that they provide quality goods and services to the customers. This is required so
that the company is able to produce quality products for the satisfaction of the customers.
Identification of problems- When operations management approaches are used within a
firm it helps a lot in identifying the problems with the overall system of the organization. In the
context of Sainsbury's, this will help the managers so that they can use rectifying approaches to
solve the problems in an effective manner. This is essential so that the problems can be identified
and solved which will help a lot in the achievement of higher level of efficiency and
effectiveness.
Efficiency in system- The use of operations management approaches is helpful for the
managers so that they are able to maintain the desired efficiency in the system. In Sainsbury's,
the management can maintain this efficiency through their correct use. In the context of the
company this leads towards ensuring that the system can be improved and operations can be
managed in the right manner.
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Improvement of productivity- The improvement in the productivity level of the
employees can be done when the right operations management approaches are used. Thus in
Sainsbury's it is very helpful. In the company it will be very helpful so that it is able to ensure
that with the boost to productivity the achievement of goals and objectives can be done.
TASK 4
P6: Assessment of factors within the business environment of an organization
In the business environment of the firms there are multiple factors which can create an
impact on their operations. These factors are as follows-
Political factors- There can be various changes in the political situations of a country
which can put an impact on the overall operations of the company (Saucedo-Martínez and et.al.,
2018). Sainsbury's is a British Company and the political conditions in U.K. are not stable
because of change in governments during the last few years. This can impact the operational
management and decision-making within the firm because the managers are required to take into
consideration these factors.
Economic factors- The economic conditions create an impact on the organizations
because there can be a change in the economic situations in the countries (Thomé, Scavarda and
Scavarda, 2016). U.K. is a developed country and thus its economic growth is quite high
however it is currently facing economic recession which has created a particular impact on the
profitability of Sainsbury's by reducing it. Thus these factors create an influence on operations
management and decision-making because the managers have to take into account the economic
conditions before they are able to take the right decisions.
Social factors- In a society, various factors play their role in impacting the operations
level of the organizations. Some of the products of Sainsbury's may not find acceptance within
the society and therefore the managers may need to take certain decisions regarding them if it
happens. Thus in this way they create an influence on the operations management and decision-
making because the management is required to change its decisions according to the acceptance
level of the customers in the society. CSR has to be fulfilled by Sainsbury's which will allow it to
make sure that it can identify the social issues and thus will help in the solving of these issues
thereby helping in the attainment of social goals and objectives.
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Technological factors- There is a role which the technology plays in ensuring that a
company is able to provide the desired products and services to the customers (Tönnissen and
Teuteberg, 2020). It is dynamic in nature and can change anytime. In the context of Sainsbury's it
is quite crucial that the managers are able to take these changes into account quickly and adjust
according to them. Thus in this way they can influence operations management and decision-
making in the organization.
Environmental factors- Nowadays, the customers take the environment quite seriously
because they want the companies to provide them eco-friendly products. Sainsbury's should
consider them and provide the desired eco-friendly goods to the customers. Thus in this way
these factors create an impact on the operations management and decision-making in the
company. Here the company is required to focus on sustainability so that it can contribute
towards creating a sustainable planet where the care of environment is taken. In this way the
company will ensure that it fulfils its duties and responsibilities towards the environment
effectively and efficiently.
Legal factors- Every company has to follow the legal rules and regulations in the country
which they operate in. Thus the managers of Sainsbury's are required to consider them so that
they are able to earn sustainable level of profits. Thus in this way an impact is created by them on
operations management and decision-making within the company.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that management and operations is a broad
term which covers the various methods which an organization can adopt to function in a proper
manner. This helps in raising the overall efficiency, effectiveness and productivity level in the
company. There are various roles and characteristics of a leader as well as a manager. These can
be applied in various situational contexts in a company. Various theories of leadership can be
used by the leaders of an organization. There are different approaches towards operations
management which the managers can adopt. Operations Management is quite important for the
firms to achieve their business objectives. There are various factors within the business
environment which can influence the organizations.
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REFERENCES
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operations management in the digital economy. Production Planning & Control. 27(6).
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The Five Principles of Lean. 2017. [Online]. Available through: <https://theleanway.net/The-
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