An Investigation into Links between Quality Management and Strategic Operations Management: A Case Study on Amazon

This investigation explores the link between quality management and strategic operations management in multinational organizations, using Amazon as a case study. It examines the characteristics, significance, and challenges of quality management, and analyzes strategies for achieving better strategic operations management.

Unit 03 Leading a
Strategic
Management
Project

Contents
Title: An investigation into links between quality management and strategic operations
management. A case study on Amazon...........................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
A.C 1.1. Determine a strategic topic to investigate that has significant implications for the
organisation............................................................................................................................1
A.C 1.2. Discuss the aim, scope and objectives of the project...............................................1
A.C 1.3. Take responsibility for and justify the topic of investigation and its aim, scope and
objectives................................................................................................................................2
A.C 1.4. Formulate the project research methodology, including the project structure and
research base...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
A.C 2.1. Assess sources of data and information that will support the aim of the project.....5
A.C 2.2. Synthesise the data and information for options or alternatives that support the
project aims............................................................................................................................6
A.C 2.3. - Critically evaluate and determine an option that supports the project’s strategic
aims.......................................................................................................................................17
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................17
A.C 3.1. Critically evaluate the research to enable conclusions to be made........................17
A.C 3.2. Recommend a course of action that achieves the strategic aims of the project.....17
A.C 3.3. Critically analyse the impact of the recommendations..........................................17
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................18
A.C 4.1. Determine the medium to present the result of the project and its contribution to
strategic objectives...............................................................................................................18
A.C 4.2. Take responsibility for the results of the investigative project and the substantial
changes and developments it brings about...........................................................................18
A.C 4.3. Critically evaluate the impact and success of the investigative project.................19
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................19

Title: An investigation into links between quality management and strategic
operations management. A case study on Amazon
INTRODUCTION
Multinational businesses have complicated operational requirements because their
business is expanded to different countries with huge workforce and wide product or service
portfolio (Brown, Bessant and Jia, 2018). In addition to this they also face high intensity
competition because domestic and international organizations compete with multinational
organizations. This makes strategic operational management complicated as the complicated as
the company has to maintain quality of business operations in different countries while ensuring
that overall strategic goals of the company are attained. This investigative investigation is
focused on Amazon which is one of the largest and profitable multinational organization in the
world. This investigative report provides the aim, objective, scope, rationale, research base and
methodology in clear structure. After this the data collection and synthesis is also completed in
this investigation. Finally conclusion, justified recommendation and review of the results of the
investigative project are also provided in this report.
TASK 1
A.C 1.1. Determine a strategic topic to investigate that has significant implications for the
organisation
The topic of this investigative report is “An investigation into the relation and impact of
between quality management and strategic operations management of an organization” A case
study on Amazon.
A.C 1.2. Discuss the aim, scope and objectives of the project
Aim:
To analyse the relation and impact of quality management on strategic operation management of
the organization. A case study on Amazon.
Objectives:
To examine the characteristics of quality management in context strategic business
operations management. A case study on Amazon.
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To identify the significance of quality management in relation to strategic business
operations of businesses. A case study on Amazon.
To determine the challenges of quality management for improving strategic business
operations management at an organisation. A case study on Amazon.
To analyse quality management strategies for achieving better strategic business
operations management. A case study on Amazon.
Scope:
The scope of this investigation is huge because it focuses on the concept of multinational
organizations and their strategic operations management. Quality management includes different
frameworks, theories, principles and practices (Lim, 2019). The scope of this investigation is
huge because it also deals with the link between quality management and strategic operations
management because both of the concepts have organization wide impact and are related with
different theories, best practices and plan of action.
A.C 1.3. Take responsibility for and justify the topic of investigation and its aim, scope and
objectives
The justification behind selecting the topic of relation and impact of quality management
and strategic operations management is because of the personal interest in quality management
and understanding its connection with strategic operations management. In addition to this, the
topic of quality management plays an important role in attaining organizational goals. Quality
management is common managerial area in multinational organizations because they have to
reach the expectations of different consumer segments across the world (Ali, Hilman and
Gorondutse, 2020). This research can help businesses improve strategic operations management
by understanding the characteristics, importance and challenges associated with quality
management and adopting the best quality management strategies in context of improving
strategic operations management. In context of the respective research the aim and objectives are
also justified because they help investigate the various aspects of quality management in a
profound manner. The aim and objective directly focus on the link between quality management
and strategic operations management along with understand the different areas of quality
management in context of strategic operations management. They are useful completing the
study because they clearly help understand the barriers and significance of quality management
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along with useful actions of quality management which can support better strategic operations
management.
In this way the aim and objectives lead the investigation in the right direction and help
draw a detailed conclusion. This will support better knowledge of quality management in an
organization and the ways in which it can be used by multinational businesses for improving
their strategic operations management. This is justified investigative aim because it will help
multinational businesses such as Amazon to deliver better quality and services to its consumers
in a way which leads to improvement off its strategic operations management resulting in
attainment of strategic objectives. Finally the scope of this investigation is also justified because
it covers the important areas of quality management so that a better understanding of the positive
impact and challenging aspect of quality management in context of strategic operations
management can be understood. The focus on multinational company like Amazon also provides
a justified scope for the investigation because it is one of the largest multinational organization in
the world.
A.C 1.4. Formulate the project research methodology, including the project structure and
research base
Research Methodology
Research Philosophy
The research philosophy includes the two options of research positivism and
interpretivism (Brister and Frodeman, 2020). In context of this investigation the positivism
philosophy is selected because it supports usage of quantitative data in the investigation and also
provides generalizable results.
Research Approach
The research approach for an investigation can be selected by choosing between the
alternatives of inductive and deductive research. The deductive research approach is selected for
this present investigation because it helps identify casual relationships between variables which
is useful for attaining the aim of this investigation.
Research Strategy
There are plenty of options from which an appropriate research strategy can be selected
such as survey, experimental research, interview ad focus group. Under the present investigation
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the chosen research strategy is survey questionnaire. The rationale behind using the strategy of
survey questionnaire is that it helps collect data quickly in an expensive way.
Data Collection
Primary data which is gathered from first hand sources and secondary data which is
gathered from existing sources is collected for completing research (Rezapour Nasrabad, 2018).
In context of this research the primary data collection is utilized in which first-hand information
is gained to fulfil the aims and objectives of the research.
Data Analysis
There are various methods through which data gathered for an investigation can be
analysed including frequency analysis and thematic analysis. The present research uses
frequency analysis as the choice of data collection method. The justification of frequency data
analysis is that it provides results in quantified values which can be easily presented and helps
interpret the data effectively.
Research Sampling
Selecting the method off collecting research sample including opting between
probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling methods (Knechel, 2019). In context of the present
investigation, the non-probabilistic sampling method has been selected as it supports randomized
sampling leading to unbiased research sample.
SAMPLE SIZE: 20
Time Horizon
Longitudinal time horizon or cross sectional time horizon can be opted for completing an
investigation in a specific time frae. In context of the present investigation the cross-sectional
time horizon has been selected for ensuring that the research is finished in a quick manner.
Project Structure
On
e
we
ek
Two-
week
Thr
ee-
we
ek
Four
week
Fiv
e-
we
ek
Six
week
Seve
n-
week
Eight
week
Nine
week
Ten
-
we
ek
11
week
Choosing
the
research
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topic
Creating
research
aim and
objectives
Data
collection
Data
analysis
Conclusion
and
Recommen
dations
Critical
Evaluation
of
investigatio
n
TASK 2
A.C 2.1. Assess sources of data and information that will support the aim of the project
The firs source of information for completing the research is secondary data available
through books and online articles . The advantage of this source of information is that it
supports improving knowledge about existing data available on the topic (Largan and Morris,
2019). The disadvantage of the source of information is that it does not provided updated
information on the topic. On the other hand the other source of information available is first hand
data gathered through online questionnaire. The advantage of this data is that it provides
updated information on the topic of research while the disadvantage is that it can provide
incorrect feedback if the respondents are confused or misunderstand the questions.
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A.C 2.2. Synthesise the data and information for options or alternatives that support the project
aims
Literature Review
Components of Quality management in multinational establishments
As per the view of Bouranta and et. al., (2019), quality management includes the areas of
quality assurance, quality control, quality planning and quality improvement. These components
of quality management support both large and small businesses in delivering high quality
products and services so that their strategic aims are attained. Quality planning involves
preparing course of action for building quality focused environment. Quality improvement
requires implementation of strategies to make purposeful changes in quality, quality assurance
ensures that quality standards are being met at the company and quality control requires
continuous efforts at control high quality at the firm.. All these components continuous growth
of the company making it more responsive to consumers, more resilient towards threats and
more capable of delivering better results to stakeholders.
Role of quality management in strategic operations management
As per the view of Picincu, (2018), The role of quality management in modern day
conglomerates is to support the company in delivering better products and maintaining constancy
of high quality deliverance. Multinational organizations require quality management because it
helps them keep consumer satisfied. Quality management supports better strategic operations
management because it helps the company improve processes, activities and systems being
implemented in various operational area of the organization. This has positive impact on the
growth and consistency of strategic operations management in context from multinational
organizations because they are able to deliver between quality results at foundational, regional,
national and international levels (Five Contemporary Quality Management Issues, 2018).
Barriers associated with implementing quality management in multinational establishments
According to Rodrigues (2018) there are several factors which affect quality management
in multinational organizations. It is important for businesses to create better organizational wide
quality management strategies to ensure that threats and challenges affecting quality
management are eliminated. The over reliance on theory is one of the main challenges affecting
quality management because it reduces the specific nature and impact of quality management for
the needs of the organization. In addition to this Tight bureaucracy and Supply chain complexity
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are some other factors which affect quality management in large scale multinational
organizations (The Importance of Quality Management, 2018).
Best Quality management strategies
According to Zhou and Li, (2020), Kaizen is a commonly used quality management
strategy which involves improving organizational functions through the inclusion of every
member of the workforce to create between quality processes, products, services and culture,.
Just in time is another suitable quality management strategy which helps the company improve
product quality by meeting consumer demand and reducing surplus. Similarly six sigma can also
help businesses in delivering quality results by emphasizing cycle-time improvements while
reducing manufacturing defects to no more than 3.4 occurrences per million units or events.
Primary Research
Question-
Q-1 Are you aware of the concept of quality management?
a)Yes
b)No
Q-2 Is quality management essential for strategic operations management in a
multinational business?
a)Yes
b)No
Q-3 What is the main benefit of quality management?
a) Increased efficiency of workforce
b) Better quality output for consumers
c) Better results for all stakeholders
d) All of the above
Q-4 According to you, what is the best practice for managing quality in a multinational
company?
a) Continuous improvement
b) Implementing quality management policies
c) Fact Based Decision Making
d) All of the above
Q-5 What is the main factor supporting quality management in multinational
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businesses?
a) Integrated system
b) High employee involvement
c) Strategic and systematic approach to quality management
d) All of the above
Q-6 Does quality management impact and influence strategic operations management in
a multinational organization?
a)Yes
b)No
Q-7 What is the most important role of quality management in strategic operations
management?
a) Meet consumer and regulatory requirements
b) Ensure collaboration of stakeholders
c) Attain strategic objectives in a timely manner
d) Improve effectiveness and efficiency
Q-8 What is the main challenge of quality management in context of strategic operations
management?
a) Lack of commitment by workforce
b) Rigidity
c) Ineffective organizational culture
d) Complex supply chain
Q-9 Which strategy is most effective in improving quality management of multinational
organizations?
a) Six Sigma
b) Kaizen
c) Zero Defect Program
d) Just In time
Q-10 What is the essential area of quality management for multinational organization?
a) Quality Assurance
b) Quality Planning
c) Quality Control
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Data Analysis
Q-1 Are you aware of the concept of quality management Frequency
a)Yes 17
b)No 3
Interpretation: From the above graph it is determined that out of 20 respondents 17 have
the knowledge of quality management while three don not have idea about the concept of
quality management.
Q-2 Is quality management essential for strategic operations
management in a multinational business?
Frequency
a)Yes 15
b)No 5
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Interpretation: On the basis of the above graphical information it is concluded that out of
20 respondents 15 have agreed with the statement that quality management is essential for
strategic operations management in a multinational organization while 5 have stated
disagreement with the statement.
Q-3 What is the main benefit of quality management? Frequency
a) Increased efficiency of workforce 7
b) Better quality output for consumers 4
c) Better results for all stakeholders 5
d) All of the above 4
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Interpretation: From the above graph it is interpreted that out of 20 respondents main
benefit of quality management according to 7 respondents is increased efficiency of workforce. 4
respondents have stated the main benefit to be better quality output for the consumers, according
to 5 respondents it is better results for all stakeholders and 4 have chosen the option of all of the
above for selecting the main benefit of quality management.
Q-4 According to you, what is the best practice for managing
quality in a multinational company?
Frequency
a) Continuous improvement 9
b) Implementing quality management policies 2
c) Fact Based Decision Making 7
d) All of the above 2
Interpretation: According to the above graphical information it is determined that out of
20 respondents 9 have stated continuous improvement to the best practice for quality
management in multinational company and 2 believe it to be implementing quality management
policies. As per 17 respondents fact based decision making is the best practice for managing
quality in a multinational company while 2 have chosen all of the above option in response to the
question of best practice for quality management in multinational workplaces.
Q-5 What is the main factor supporting quality management in
multinational businesses?
Frequency
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a) Integrated system 1
b) High employee involvement 12
c) Strategic and systematic approach to quality
management
4
d) All of the above 3
Interpretation: According to the above graphical information it is determined that out of
20 respondents 1 respondent agreed with the option of integrated system in response to question
about main factor supporting quality management in multinational organizations. According to 2
respondents the answer for main factor supporting quality management in multinational
establishment is high employee involvement. 4 respondents have stated that the main factor
supporting quality management in multinational conglomerates is strategic and systematic
approach to quality management while 3 have chosen the all of the above option for the question.
Q-6 Does quality management impact and influence strategic
operations management in a multinational organization?
Frequency
a)Yes 14
b)No 6
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Interpretation: On the basis of the above graphical information it is concluded that out of
20 respondents 14 have agreed with the statement that quality management impacts and
influences strategic operations management in a multinational organization while 6 have stated
disagreement with the statement.
Q-7 What is the most important role of quality management in
strategic operations management?
Frequency
a) Meet consumer and regulatory requirements 5
b) Ensure collaboration of stakeholders 1
c) Attain strategic objectives in a timely manner 9
d) Improve effectiveness and efficiency 3
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Interpretation: From the above graph it is interpreted that out of 20 respondents 5 have
selected meeting consumer and regulatory requirements as the most important role of quality
management while a single respondent has chosen the option of ensuring collaboration of
stakeholders. 9 respondents have agreed with the option of attaining strategic objectives in a
timely manner while 3 respondents have stated improved effectiveness and efficiency.
Q-8 What is the main challenge of quality management in
context of strategic operations management?
Frequency
a) Lack of commitment by workforce 7
b) Rigidity 7
c) Ineffective organizational culture 1
d) Complex supply chain 5
14

Interpretation: As per the above provided graphical data it is interpreted that out of the
20 respondents 7 have stated lack of commitment by workforce to be the main challenge
affecting quality management in context of strategic operations management, according to 7 it is
rigidity, single respondents has stated t to be ineffective organizational culture and the remaining
5 respondents have chosen the option of complex supply chain.
Q-9 Which strategy is most effective in improving quality
management of multinational organizations?
Frequency
a) Six Sigma 5
b) Kaizen 3
c) Zero Defect Program 6
d) Just In time 6
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Interpretation: As per the above provided graphical data it is interpreted that out of the
20 respondents 5 have the selected six sigma as the most effective strategy for improving quality
management, according to 3 it is Kaizen, 6 respondents have chosen zero defect program as their
answer, and the remaining 6 respondents have chosen the option of Just in time.
Q-10 What is the essential area of quality management for
multinational organization?
Frequency
a) Quality Assurance 5
b) Quality Planning 7
c) Quality Control 8
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Interpretation: As per the above provided graphical data it is interpreted that out of the
20 respondents 5 have the selected quality assurance as the essential area of quality management,
according to 7 it is quality planning and the remaining 8 respondents have chosen the option of
quality control.
A.C 2.3. - Critically evaluate and determine an option that supports the project’s strategic aims
The most effective source of data for completing the aims and objectives of the present
investigation is the data gained through primary research. This is because it provides first hand
information which can be quantified to get a credible outlook on the data and interpreted to draw
accurate research conclusions.
TASK 3
A.C 3.1. Critically evaluate the research to enable conclusions to be made
From the above research it is concluded that different aspects of quality management
including quality control and quality assurance play an important role in strategic management of
a multinational company. It is important for multinational businesses to adopt suitable quality
management practices because it helps them develop better strategic operations management
capabilities by increasing efficiency, better output and results for stakeholders. Quality
management impacts strategic operations management and there needs to be fact based decision
making as well as systematic quality management to support multinational organizations in
improving strategic operations management. Strategies such as just in time and Kaizen can be
used to improve quality management in multinational firms so that their strategic operations
management is positively impacted.
A.C 3.2. Recommend a course of action that achieves the strategic aims of the project
It is recommended to expand on the primary research through an extensive secondary
research on the topic. Interpretivism philosophy and interview research strategy can be used with
deductive approach to gather much more detailed information on the link between quality
management and strategic operations management. It can lead to generation of better results as
the detailed data will help identify the main themes for specific results.
A.C 3.3. Critically analyse the impact of the recommendations
The positive aspect of these recommendations is that it will support further expansion of
the research to focus on specific impact of quality management elements of strategic operations
17

management. This can include focusing on the impact of quality control and quality assurance
practices on strategic operations management. In this way the research will help determine the
detailed ways of implementing quality management to get desired results in terms of strategic
operations management.
On the other hand the negative impact of this recommendation is that secondary research
using interpretivist philosophy and interview strategy requires huge time investment. In addition
to this it also requires more financial investment as interviewing different respondent is
complicated than simply using questionnaire to get quantified data (Nasri, Nasri and Abd Talib,
2020). In this way the recommended course of action will be challenging which is its main
negative aspect. It will be financially draining and will require high effort.
TASK 4
A.C 4.1. Determine the medium to present the result of the project and its contribution to
strategic objectives
The medium to present the result of the investigation was through frequency analysis in
the form of pie chart graphs. The justification behind choosing the medium was that it supported
better depiction of quantified data and helped the viewer easily understand the results of the
investigation. It is simplistic and quick way to showcase numerical data effectively and also
depict completion of aims and objectives of the present investigation (Bloomfield and Fisher,
2019).
A.C 4.2. Take responsibility for the results of the investigative project and the substantial
changes and developments it brings about
I take full accountability of the investigation and believe that it will support development
of knowledge in field of strategic operations management. Quality management is another
prioritized area when it comes to multinational organizations because they have to maintain high
quality in order to face domestic and international rivals. Thus it is important to complete the
research and understand the relation between quality management strategic operations
management of multinational organization because it can help managers maintain high quality
and provide assistance in attaining strategic objectives.
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A.C 4.3. Critically evaluate the impact and success of the investigative project
The topic of quality management in context of strategic operations management is an
important topic for investigative report because strategic operations management are complicated
when it comes to multinational organizations. I believe that the research was a success as
quantified first had data was gathered analysed and interpreted to draw research conclusion in a
systematic and ethical manner. It helped understand the positive relation between quality
management and strategic operations management in context of multinational organizations.
REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Ali, G. A., Hilman, H. and Gorondutse, A. H., 2020. Effect of entrepreneurial orientation, market
orientation and total quality management on performance: Evidence from Saudi
SMEs. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 27(4). pp.1503-1531.
Bloomfield, J. and Fisher, M.J., 2019. Quantitative research design. Journal of the Australasian
Rehabilitation Nurses Association, 22(2). pp.27-30.
Bouranta and et. al., 2019. The key factors of total quality management in the service sector: a
cross-cultural study. Benchmarking: An International Journal.
Brister, E. and Frodeman, R. eds., 2020. A guide to field philosophy: Case studies and practical
strategies. Routledge.
Brown, S., Bessant, J. and Jia, F., 2018. Strategic operations management. Routledge.
Knechel, N., 2019. What’s in a sample? Why selecting the right research participants
matters. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 45(3). pp.332-334.
Largan, C. and Morris, T., 2019. Qualitative secondary research: A step-by-step guide. Sage.
Lim, J. S., 2019. Quality management in engineering: A scientific and systematic approach.
CRC Press.
Nasri, N. M., Nasri, N. and Abd Talib, M. A., 2020. Cross-language qualitative research studies
dilemmas: A research review. Qualitative Research Journal.
Rezapour Nasrabad, R., 2018. Criteria of validity and reliability in qualitative research. Journal
of qualitative research in health sciences, 7(4). pp.493-499.
Zhou, H. and Li, L., 2020. The impact of supply chain practices and quality management on firm
performance: Evidence from China's small and medium manufacturing
enterprises. International Journal of Production Economics, 230. p.107816.
Online
Five Contemporary Quality Management Issues, 2018. [Online] Available through <
https://prodsmart.com/five-contemporary-quality-management-issues/>
The Importance of Quality Management, 2018. [Online] Available through
<https://bizfluent.com/about-5377881-importance-quality-management.html>
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