Smart Energy Management and Operation

This assignment delves into the realm of smart energy management systems. It examines how these systems optimize microgrid economic operations and manage energy distribution efficiently. The analysis encompasses both internal and external factors influencing an organization's operation, highlighting strategies for effective implementation and management.

MANAGEMENT
AND OPERATIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1. Comparing various roles and features of leaders and managers .....................................1
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................2
P2. Ways in which roles of managers and leaders can be applied on situations....................2
P3. Applying various theories and models of leadership ......................................................4
TASK 3 ...........................................................................................................................................5
P4. Key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers play5
P5. Significance and value of operations management..........................................................6
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................8
P6. Factors within business environment that affects the operational management..............8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Management and operations are two essential activities in order to improve the efficiency
of an organisation. It is required to effectively meet the demands of buyers so as to retain them
for long period of time. This process is concerned with managing quality of products by
managing production process in a proper manner (Lindström and et. al., 2012). This report is
based on Marks and Spencer (M&S) which is one of the leading firms of retail sector in Britain.
It is known for providing high quality luxurious goods. There are various roles and duties that
are performed by leaders and managers for managing the operating activities of business. They
contribute towards improving performance of workers to ensure better outcomes from them. In
this report, different approaches, models and theories that make leaders enable to deal with
challenging situations will be discussed. Also, the study will focus on benefits that an
organisation can avail through operational management. There will be discussion on impact of
various external factors as well that affect the process of decision making in M&S.
TASK 1
P1. Comparing various roles and features of leaders and managers
Managers and leaders are two key personnel in M&S They are responsible to manage and
design different activities of business operations in order to accomplish it in a productive
manner. Both of them emphasis on enhancing the performance level of workers so that they will
generate better outcomes.
Managers- Their main role is to effectively design and manage the activities of
enterprise so that goals and objectives could be attained in given time frame. In order achieve the
desired targets properly, these personnel formulate appropriate policies and strategies. There are
different managers for various departments of company. They are responsible for monitoring and
evaluating working of staff members on continuous basis (White, 2016). This is required to
identify the deficiencies in their performance so that corrective actions could be taken.
Leaders- They are responsible for influencing other persons to achieve the set goals and
objectives of company in an effective way. Leaders adopt various theories of motivation to
encourage employees in order to generate the best possible outcomes from them. Main motive of
these persons is to inspire and influence workers to provide efficient performance to improve the
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overall productivity of organisation. Some of the important roles performed by them are as
follows-
 To develop and ensure proper strategies to encourage effective teamwork in company.
 They are entitled for monitoring and controlling the performance of various groups in a
firm.
 Along with that, leaders ensure proper communication and sense of cooperation amongst
staff members in order to create a positive work environment.
Comparison between roles and characteristics of leaders and managers-
It seems that roles of both these personnel are similar but there are certain differences in
their tasks that they are performing in a company. Comparison between leaders and managers are
as follows-
Managers Leaders
Objectives and goals of company are set by the
managers.
These objectives are implemented by the
leaders.
They are responsible for informing leaders
about the policies and strategies of
organisation.
They interact with employees in order to
encourage them to follow these policies.
They provide guidance to leaders. They are entitled to guide teams.
Manager’s emphasis is on the goals of
company.
Leaders focus on the people in order to make
them able to attain these objectives.
Their main task is to direct the workers of an
organisation.
They play the major role in motivating
employees to work in favour of vision and
mission of business concern.
TASK 2
P2. Ways in which roles of managers and leaders can be applied on situations
Managers and leaders play an important role in ensuring proper attainment of company's
goals. This is required to maintain the productivity and profitability of firm in long run. They are
entitled to set the standards for performance so that targets could be achieved on time and there
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will be less activities of wastage (Winget and Thomson, 2010). Managers perform several
administrative roles and leaders are focussed on implementing various policies and strategies in
an effective way by ensuring the efficiency of workers. Roles and functions of these people
could be applied on several situations in the following manner-
Planning- It is the most important activity of management process. This is concerned
with developing plans related with tasks to be performed in order to accomplish the desired
targets. Managers are responsible to forecast several conditions that might take place during the
production process. These plans are made in such a manner that it will contribute more to make
the operational activities productive. Leaders play the major role in this situation as they are
entitled to interact with staff members to implement these plans in real scenario.
Organizing- This activity is concerned with organizing all the activities involved in a
task. It includes division of work, resources and manpower in order to generate better outcomes
from the performance of employees. Managers of M&S define work structures and leaders
ensure that all the resources will be used in a proper manner to ensure desired productivity of this
firm.
Directing- Managers are focussed on providing directions to bring out the best from
workers whereas leaders play a vital role in directing several teams and groups to make them
understand the way in which tasks could be performed effectively.
Staffing- It is a process of hiring capable people to fill vacant positions in an
organisation. Managers are entitled to recruit the best talent in this organisation so that working
conditions can be made more effective. Leaders keep on motivating workers through their
effective communication and inter-personal skills. They evaluate their working style in order to
provide solutions to various problems related with performance management.
Controlling- In this process, managers form strategies and policies to control and
monitor performance of staff members. Leaders plays a crucial role in investigating the working
of employees in order to identify whether their outcomes are as per the set standards or not.
Coordinating- It is very important to have proper coordination at workplace so that there
will be less chances of confusion and conflicts (Lisi, 2010). Managers set policies and plans
through which proper cooperation could be maintained. Role of leaders in this situation is to
encourage workers to perform all the activities in proper coordination in order to ensure the best
practices at workplace.
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P3. Applying various theories and models of leadership
Leadership is an ability to influence other people to achieve collective goals and
objectives in a proper way. This concept is very important for ensuring growth and success of
business concern. Leaders in M&S use several techniques in order to encourage workers to
perform efficiently and deliver productive outcomes (Neck and Manz, 2010). These theories are
very important for improving the working conditions in this organisation. Different approaches
of leadership are as follows-
System theory- This approach emphasises on various conditions taking place in a firm.
In this model, leader emphasises on various systems and strategies that could be useful in
handling several situations in business. This approach is suitable for providing solutions to
conflicts arising at workplace. Main motive in this concept is to develop proper discipline and
framework for ensuring coordination in this company. This theory of leadership is focussed on
understanding rules and norms of organisation in order to resolve disputes in an effective
manner.
Contingency theory- This theory of leadership focusses on different aspects of
personality and characteristic of leaders. It is required that they will modify their behaviour as
per the need of situation they are handling. This approach could be used in several conditions
related with business operations. There are several elements that are included in this model.
These are as follows- Relation between leader and manager- It is the first factor in this theory. Here, leader
focusses on building healthy relations with managers in order to maintain synergy. This
coordination is required to deal with various challenges by managing higher productivity. Structure of task- This is another important aspect in this scenario. It is focussed on
maintaining the organisational structure. Leaders ensure that there will be clarification in
the roles and responsibilities so that all tasks could be performed without confusion and
ambiguities.
 Positional power- In this factor of contingency theory, leader emphasises on determining
the level of authorities and responsibilities (Neck and Manz, 2010). It is essential to
understand the power given to a leader in order to get work done by employees in the
most productive manner. They could use methods of positive and negative motivation to
improve the performance of workforce.
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Situational theory- This approach is introduced by Ken Blanchard and Paul Heresy. In
the beginning, they named it as life cycle theory but then it has been renamed as situational
theory of leadership. It is concerned with set of skills and attributes required for leaders in order
to handle particular situations at workplace. These personnel have to deal with different
challenges in a company and so, it is required that they should be capable enough to stay
effective in tough phases. This theory emphasises on various styles of leadership that a leader
can adopt according to the nature of situations. There are two types of behaviours that are
managerial and supportive. Managerial action is concerned with completion by providing
direction to members. In supportive action, leaders invite participation of employees in order to
motivate them to improve their efficiency. It depends on nature of condition, that helps in
knowing which behaviour is to be adopted.
TASK 3
P4. Key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers play
Management of operations refer to the administration of various operations and
functional practices incur in a company either it is small or large organization. This is an
effective process that assist in performing activities in an organized way and incorporates various
essential functional parts of enterprise. Marks & Spencer is one of the largest retail companies in
United Kingdom which is popular for its quality and products along with cost effective strategy
(Neck and Manz, 2010). Leaders and manager of an organisation play a wide role in process of
management & operation as well as its proper utilization. Here are few of those roles mentioned
below:
 In time: In the inventory sector, this strategy applies in order to enlarge efficiency as well
as balance use of available resources in company that also avail in gaining more
consumer base to M&S. marks and Spencer is concentrated over delivering more instant
feedback to consumer for delivering better services and products quality according to
demands within a perfect time frame (Just-in-Time (JIT) Inventory Management, 2016).
 Coordinating: This is also one of the essential tools that is organized by leader or
manager to form coordination between employee and employer in effective way in order
to attain the objectives and achievement of business objectives in most efficient way. A
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better relationship with workers for Marks & Spencer can avail in meeting success and
sustaining in competitive industry with more significant style.
 Lean Management: The technique of lean management helps in functioning enterprise's
business that support the concept of continuous development to company. It assist in
gaining access to market and product &services as well as processes which is necessary
to increase sales along with benefits within span of time. Marks & Spencer can increase
their efficiency of operations in organized and significant way enabling enlargement in
activities or operations.
 Six Sigma: Marks & Spencer can utilize the concept of Six Sigma for enhancement of
operations and its utilization in order to assist in development of organisation (Nakayama
and Bucks, Eds., 2012). It refer to driven of data or information as well as disciplined
functioning to segment the false or barriers in case of organization between mean or
process and specification.
 Kaizen: This concept refers to continuous development of organization which is
implemented at workplace for better functioning of operations of firm. This can be
effectively integrated in the method of six sigma which can enhance overall effectiveness
of enterprise like M&S. This incorporates department barrier breakdown, team work and
meet innovation and product quality's higher level. The role of manager in this process is
to identify task scopes. Developing and managing teams, gaining benefits as well as
subordinating with various issues and problems is appropriate for work in M&S.
Hence, the role of manager and leader is bigger in context of recording activities and information
incurring in company. It is fundamental for the enterprise to maintain proper activities and
performance of work. By proper assistance of management process, company will be able to
increase the productivity and quality of operations. It will aid in product's mass manufacturing
process of Marks and Spencer's products through managing cost and quality.
P5. Significance and value of operations management
The process of operation management is indispensable as this aid in organizing and
managing operations as well as various functions of organization in an effective way. By this,
Marks & Spencer would be able to meet their objectives of business determined by their leaders.
Here is discussed value of manage of operations which is mentioned under:
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Wastage Minimizing- Marks and Spencer is the major supermarket of grocery and apparel
which is famous for luxury food products and clothing in entire United Kingdom. Through this
management operations process, firm will be able to configure their resources in organized or
efficient way by recording management and controlling activities (Burke, 2013). It also avail in
reducing unwanted and unnecessary expenses from production cost. Thus, the process assist in
balance utilization of limited resources of M&S to increase its efficiency.
Maximization of Advantages- Marks and Spencer have expanded its branches in more than 11
countries which is significantly increasing its activities with respect to expansion of business
(Baboli and et. al., 2014). Through cutting extra expenses and increasing quality of products and
services of enterprise, organization will be able to increase their products and services leading
company toward better benefits and increment levels. . Company optimizes more advanced and
altered technology for helpings management in effective way.
Satisfaction of Consumer- Satisfied clients is the success key that carry organization towards
expansion of business in competitive industry of business. Marks & Spencer majorly aims
toward consumer gratification through each operations or activities. It aid in creating unique
company recognition in organization that lead to increment in consumer base. It is one of
strengths of enterprise that have availed it in overall development.
Developing standard of quality- For gaining and improving commodities quality of M&S, it is
essential to manage and control their operations organized by company for different purposes
(Ale and et. al., 2010). This will aid in understanding and fulfilling consumer expectation or
demands as well as assist whole company in becoming leading retailing British organization.
Here are main objectives of operations management:
 Enhancement and enlargement in entire quality of services and products.
 Assist in increment of profits amount and revenues of enterprise direct toward expansion
of M&S.
 Develop modified technologies as well as productivity of operations incur for smooth
functioning.
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TASK 4
P6. Factors within business environment that affects the operational management
There are various types of elements exist in surroundings of a business that affect the
activities of business in several ways. In case of Marks and Spencer, the factors have been
eliminated into two types, i.e., internal and external. Here is brief explanation of those:
Internal Factors
These factors are within the organisation itself and affect operations as well as decision making
in a significant way. The elements in internal environment of M&S consist of: Consumer: Company provides luxury products and apparels in global market which
mainly to consumer satisfaction for that they organise various activities, strategies or
offers. Consumer affect the sales and demands of M&S that is indispensable part. Worker: Employees perform as the organisation's strength. More diverged, creative and
potential worker is identity of more innovative and successful enterprise (Chen and et. al.,
2010). Understanding the need of Employee management, company organise various
activities such as trainings and development, compensation etc. This avail in increments
of brand and its performance along with the employee group.
 Suppliers: These are individuals which provide raw material to organisation and have
power to increase or decrease the cost of production of M&S. Leaders and manager of
Marks & Spencer have to manage relationship with the providers of raw material in order
to get raw resources in reduced cost or minimum prices.
External Factors
These are often situated in external environment of business which vary according to the region,
locality and demographic of people. Here are some external elements briefed that affect the
business of Marks and Spencer: Legal Factor: The organisation is just began to deliver the services and expanding their
business which is leading company toward more revenues but new legislation regulation
in industry is the limitation to development (Chen and et. al., 2011). It is required for
enterprise to manage IP rights for protection of products inventions that can direct to
privacy and litigation. Political Factor: The organisation is facing major issues of loss as they have to face new
taxation policies in United Kingdom. Though, good positioning of organisation and its
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deployed branches are earning well in business but major part is of United Kingdom
which is important to manage for company.
 Technological Factor: The competitive world is leaning towards digitalisation and
modern technology. M&S is one of largest retailing company that is popular for use of
highly modified technologies uses in their business stores for their services in order to
render convenience to consumer and gain potential buyers.
Thus, company is being influenced from these various environmental factors that they need to
organise and analyse these. In order to manage internal factors, enterprise can coordinate
activities. In order to manage external one, CSR activities prove to be the best. Corporate social
responsibilities not only help Marks and Spencer in developing goodwill but also assists in
increasing consumer base of organisation (Casolino and et. al., 2012). Hence, it is required to
manage such factors for effectively developing the firm.
CONCLUSION
This report summon that management and operations is required function that an
organization manage for maintaining and controlling activities. Manager and leader; both are
interdependent but individuals with different personalities that play a significant role in
development and administration of whole entity, either it is small or large. Though there are
several types of approaches and benefits such as In time, Six Sigma etc. that avail operation in
meeting business goals and objectives. It has been assessed from the report that internal and
external factors create a huge impact on the growth and decision making of business entity. This
also have been studies that there are various theories of leadership such as situational,
behavioural etc. that aid an organisation in meeting significant results. Through investigating
external and internal elements of a company, it become easy to implement and manage an
organisation's operation in effective way.
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Online
Just-in-Time (JIT) Inventory Management. 2016. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.thebalance.com/just-in-time-jit-inventory-management-393301>.
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