Operations Management and Decision-Making

This assignment delves into the field of operations management, emphasizing the crucial role of decision-making within this domain. It requires students to examine various operations management concepts and their application in real-world situations. The analysis involves studying academic research papers and applying them to case studies or practical examples. The goal is to demonstrate a thorough understanding of how decisions are made in operations management and the factors influencing those choices.

Management and
Operations
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................4
P1 Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager:........4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
P2 Examine examples of how the role of a leader and the function of a manager apply in
different situational contexts.......................................................................................................5
P3 Apply different theories and models of approach, including situational leadership,systems
leadership and contingency.........................................................................................................6
P 4 Key approaches to operations management and the role of a leaders and mangers.............7
P 5 Importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives............8
P 6 Factors influence the environment that impact on operational management and decision
making ......................................................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFRENCES.................................................................................................................................12
INTRODUCTION
Operation management is all about designing of a product according to the customers
needs and wants so that they get attracted towards the company product which means this
department focussed on only producing qualitative product for their customers. Mainly
operational management shows all the relevant data and factors which comes under decision
making process and try to make available all the selective alternative to run their business
smoothly to achieve their objectives. Operational management is explain in response to the M &
S Ltd. Which is a multinational company who believes in manufacturing product according to
their customers taste and preferences that means they follow the policy of customer oriented. In
additional with the help of management and operation the role of effective leaders and functions
of mangers are also comes out as leaders and mangers are the very eminent part of the enterprise

as overall business responsibilities are based upon them only. In fact due to the broad nature of
the operational management it covers all the indispensable topic.
TASK 1
P1 Define and compare the different roles and characteristics of a leader
and a manager:
In any organisation managers and leaders both play an important and significant role. In the
M&N Ltd. the manager is the individual who is taking care of different departments. All the staff
members are accountable to the concern manager and report to him. Manager helps the
subordinates to perform their task by providing them with resources and knowledge. There are
different types of managers line manager, staff manager, group manager, operational
manager,lead and general manager etc. whose designation are given depending upon the nature
of work done by him. They are also known as the representatives of the organisation. Leaders are
the pillars of the M&N Ltd. They hold more powers and dominance in the organisation. They do
not have the subordinates but the followers therefore they exercise more control in the
organisation. Although the leader and managers are different from each other, there work can not
be separated from each other. They need to work hand in hand in order to achieve the success.
Manager work in the same and organised manner by following a set pattern of doing things,
whereas a leader brings innovation in the organisation by trying new methods of doing the same
things so that the result can be improved every time. Managers in an organisation consider
themselves as a champion because of the authority they enjoy and also have immense power.
Leader though is a hero himself but do not seek attention and believe in making his followers the
hero. He believes that for organisation to achieve the goal it is important to motivate the
subordinates. Managers manage the different things and departments in the organisations by
keeping effective control on the staff of the business whereas the leader believes in building trust
for one another. He believes that if the employees have trust on the organisation they will work
with more efficiency and more dedication. In the M&N Ltd. where the managers are given the
responsibilities to get the different task done from the employees the leaders take the task
voluntary and work with there maximum efforts to get the work done from the employees. Under
the leaders the followers has equal rights to express there views and give there suggestions which
are welcomed and considered if sounds worth. This help in building good relation between the
organisation and the employees which is helpful in avoiding activities like strikes and

demonstrations by the workers. To achieve the goal of the organisation sometimes the leaders
also take risk as high risk is involved with high profit. But managers prefer doing things in
ordinary manner, they don't take any risk in their operations.
TASK 2
P2 Examine examples of how the role of a leader and the function of a
manager apply in different situational contexts
The functions of the manager can not be overlooked in the M&N LTD. They perform various
important functions like planing,organising,staffing,leading and controlling. These functions are
performed throughout the life of the business. Planning is the primary function of the mangers
as without this function the mangers can not perform the further functions. At planning it is
decided by the managers that what has to be done , how it has to be done where and by whom
the work will be done. It is important to perform this function very carefully as only than the
other related functions will be effective. The important function of deciding the objective is also
done at this stage and therefore this function act as a ground form the remaining functions of the
manger that he perform in the M&N Ltd. After planning it is necessary to organise the things on
their right place. Employees are given their responsibilities, resources are provided to them with
authority and also their accountability is set. The third function of the management is to do the
staffing of the employees. At this stage recruitment if required is done also training , promotions
and appraisals of the existing employees is done at this stage only. Once the staffing process is
done the employees are provided with effective leadership. They are motivated to perform well
and also their vision and mission is made clear so that they do not deviate from their path and
work in the coordination. Once all these functions are performed the mangers need to control the
performance of the employees. This is one of the most important function perform by the
managers. At this stage the managers check the permanence of each department and compare it
with the desired results. If there is deviation than the difference is recorded and also corrective
actions are taken accordingly. With this the leader of M&N Ltd also plays an important role in
the organisation. As the employees can not communicate directly with the top management the
leader act as mediator between them. This help the employees to put there any problem in front
of the management. This way two way communication is set in the organisation which is
important to avoid the conflicts and unhealthy environment in the company. Also the leader

performs a role of a teacher. He teaches the employees that how they can improve there
performances by correcting them at the same time. Also he motivates the employees to give their
best by establishing a direct link between the individual motives with the goal of the organisation
.This way both the employees and the organisation.
P3 Apply different theories and models of approach, including situational
leadership,systems leadership and contingency.
There are different approaches and theories to leadership like naturalistic
theory , functional theory, moral leadership,contingency
leadership,situational and systems leadership. They can be understood
more by studying them in detail.
1.Situational leadership theories- This theory was adopted after realising the importance of
leadership in different situation and also how leadership needs to be manipulated according to
the demand of the situation. It was realised that same leadership technique can not be applied on
all the situation. Every situation has their own circumstances and need to be handled accordingly.
The models of the leadership under the situational leadership is that every individual has there
own willingness to perform a particular task and need different motivation tool accordingly. It
was observed that person can not be motivated with the same resource every time therefore it is
important to identify the tools of motivation every time. Therefore the leader must be flexible so
that he can adopt the change according to the demand in the situations and respond quickly.
2.Systematic leadership- It is the approach developed after understanding the working of the
organisation. This leadership approach help in the overall development of the employee and the
business. The organisation must be clear with itself that what type of leadership and why it is
required in the organisation so that they receive what they want and not what is provided to
them(Kuruppuarachchiand Perera 2010). The systematic leadership focuses on three different
levels namely the teams who are associated with the management, than the organisation, lastly
the individual managers. This system of leadership is effective in influencing the managers so
that their perception can be change by providing them with the advantages of following a
particular system instead of doing work randomly. Also comparison of work done in a
systematic manner with that of done randomly will help the managers to understand that it is not
always the mistake of the employees that the performance is not good but also the system can be
non effective.

3. Contingency leadership: This approach to leadership is closely related to the situational
theory. This theory said that both the leadership style and the situation has major effect on how
the leader operates . Under this the leaders need to react to the changes that take place in the
business environment(2008Taylor-IiiRussell). The managers of the M&N Ltd need to adopt this
theory so that they can face the changes of the environment with more effectiveness as it is very
important to respond to the changes. The contingency approach also defines the relation between
the management and the employees. It is important for the employees to be satisfied with the
leader. If the employees feel comfortable with the leaders they like to follow them and this
shows a positive relation between them. It also defines how clarity in task helps in achieving
them the organisational goal with controlled cost also.
P 4 Key approaches to operations management and the role of a leaders and mangers
Operations management is the term which covers all the matters which comes under
manufacturing of a product to satisfy their customers needs and wants. Basically operation
management consist of various key approaches to run their department effectively by producing
product according to the taste and preferences of a customer.
Some of the key approaches are :-
 Planning :- planning is a one of the major step towards achievement in the
organization goals which means the first and foremost task of the tour operators
is to plan all the steps before establishing any product at a market place to avoid
mistakes and errors.
 Staffing :- Staffing means assigning of right job to a right person with a fair
treatment between all the employees it means staffing is all about describes
overall management of existing staff in the organization.
 Controlling :- controlling express the reduction of business risk by adopting
various steps and procedures to overcome the available uncertainties. In fact
controlling is all about how to control or manage the business issues and
problems .

 Coordinating :- coordinating is one of the important key approaches by which an
organization can easily complete their task or work by coordinating with each
other but overall coordination is manage by either manager or team leaders.
Role of leaders and mangers :-
 Risk taker :- Leaders and mangers both plays a very effective role in hedging the
business risk with the use of various techniques and methods essential to control
the upcoming market risk or any other instant risk.
 Problem solver :- Sometime managers and leaders act as a problem solver for the
organization and for their employees because if there is a occurrence of any
problem or challenge them mangers and leaders have the ability to solve any
problem.
 Act as a motivator :- leaders and mangers motivate their employees or team mates
towards their goals by achieving more and more appreciation awards. In fact most
of the employees follow their managers auto-biography.
 Coordinator :- Managers have the responsibility of creating coordination among
all the employees to work effectively and efficiently which means they need to
maintain peaceful environment of the organization so that every one work
perfectly.
Basically M & S Ltd. Believes in following all the key approaches of operations management to
attain the business objectives by adopting various effective approaches.
P 5 Importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives
Operations management is a very indispensable for the M & S organization to meet the
business objectives with the use of appropriate paths and information by fulfilling the basic
needs and desires. Basically M & S is a multinational retail shop which mainly deal with all the
basic products for their customers for example clothes , food products etc. to satisfy their
customers by manufacturing their product according to their demands. In fact operational
department is a very essential department in the business because all the activities are mainly
depend upon this department only as the main motive is to convert the input into output. In other
words it means conversion of raw materials into finished products for maximum profit by
minimizing their loses.
Some of the advantages of operation managements are :-

 It creates an attractive and innovative product for their customer
 follow the appropriate procedure and process to attain the organization goals.
 Overall business is depend upon this department
 Act as a very useful tool for the final consumption of a production
Due to the broad concept and broad nature of a operational management an organization
believes in adopting various effective policies to run their business smoothly to attain their
targets. Because it consider all the essentials factors like planning, controlling, staffing,
coordinating to meet their objectives. In other words operational management contains all the
administrative activities of the organization which require the appropriate policies to complete
their task. Operational management contains all the essentials elements whatever is required
while designing of new products or in launching process. In fact it ensure that all the relevant
data can easily gather to produce attractive products for their clients and their main focus is to
produce innovative products according to the taste and preferences of their clients or society. In
fact M & S policy is based on society oriented but sometime it changes according to the
company requirements and necessary. Properly trained workers are very important to make
unique products while establishing the effective business . Operational management plays a very
dominant role in the organization because of their broad concept as it contains all relevant factors
of production which have a greater impact on the economy of country as it influence all over the
business internally or externally.
P 6 Factors influence the environment that impact on operational management and decision
making
Operational management consist of a very broad nature due to which it have a greater
impact on the external and internal business environment and it also influence the decision of
leaders and mangers because of various factors
Some of the internal factors are
 Shareholders :- Shareholders are the investors of the organization which also
consider as internal factors within business environment as they invested their
shares in the existing business.
 Employees :- employees are one of the major extent of a business environment
because all the resources are handle and control by personnel resources only. As

they play a very effective role in the M & S organization to achieve their
particular goals and target.
External factors within business environments are :-
 Political factors :- Business environment get influenced with all the political
factors as rules and regulation are made by political parties which affects the
business while expansion of business across the globe.
 Legal factors :- legal factors contains all the formalities whatever is required
while establishing a business activities. It means it shows the all the norms made
by law and order which is mandatory to follow while production process.
Decision making is a very drastic term which is a course of action by managers or leaders in
operational management . In other words managers and leaders are liable for all the decision
which was taken by them while production process it means decision making is not an easy
responsibility because of there broad impact that mean a single decision have a greater impact on
business environment. Basically operational management describes the overall production
process which requires in the decision making process. Leaders and mangers plays a very
effective role in the M & S organization because an organization consist of millions of customers
because of their qualitative product which attract lots of customers due to their uniqueness as the
leaders and mangers pursue all the things differently to highlight their products from others. In
fact environment of M & S Ltd. Influence from all the existing internal and external factors
because of their unique concept which require lots of appropriate data and information to
perform their task effectively and efficiently in response to the betterment of organization. So
factors have a greater influence on the decision of enterprise leaders and managers as they are
liable for everything happening in the organization.
CONCLUSION
This report consist of all the relevant information and data which is essential for the launching of
product and describes overall role and characteristics of the leaders and mangers to perform their
all the task effectively or efficiently to meet the customers needs and wants. Basically the main
motive of this is to explains all the relevant internal and external factors which influence the
business environment of an organization. Basically it shows the operational department of the M
& S Ltd. That how they can attract their customers or the quality used by the company to meet

the customers needs and desires. So it contains all the relevant information which is essentials in
operational management.
REFRENCES
Books and Journals
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Operational Research. 193(3). pp.741-751.
Baldwin, J.S., Allen, P.M. and Ridgway, K., 2010. An evolutionary complex systems decision-
support tool for the management of operations. International Journal of Operations &
Production Management. 30(7). pp.700-720.
Bendoly, E., Donohue, K. and Schultz, K.L., 2006. Behavior in operations management:
Assessing recent findings and revisiting old assumptions. Journal of operations
management. 24(6). pp.737-752.
De Neufville, R., and at. el., 2013. Airport systems: planning, design and management.
Grunig, J.E., 2013. Excellence in public relations and communication management. Routledge.
Kuruppuarachchi, D. and Perera, H.S.C., 2010. Impact of TQM and technology management on
operations performance. IUP Journal of Operations Management. 9(3). p.23.

Russell, R.S. and Taylor-Iii, B.W., 2008. Operations management along the supply chain. John
Wiley & Sons.
Souer, J., Honders, P., Versendaal, J. and Brinkkemper, S., 2008. A Framework for Web Content
Management System Operations and Maintenance. JDIM. 6(4). pp.342-347.
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34.
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Online
Difference between Operations Managers and General Managers, 2006. [Online]. Available
through:<http://www.operationsmanager.com/operations-manager-roles-in-the-company/
difference-between-operations-managers-and-general-managers/>. [Accessed on 24th April
2017].
Operations and Supply Chain Management, 2014. [Online]. Available
through:<http://www.bit.vt.edu/academics/osm_index.html>. [Accessed on 24th April 2017].