QHO335 - Critical Evaluation of Organisation's Pandemic Response

This report provides a critical evaluation of an organization's response during the COVID-19 pandemic. It begins with an overview of Witrose Limited, a British supermarket organization, including its mission, vision, and organizational structure. The report identifies potential challenges faced by the company during the pandemic, such as team management, employee safety, flexible work arrangements, communication issues, and the need for contingency plans. It then discusses the strategies implemented by Witrose to overcome these challenges, such as leveraging technology for communication, prioritizing employee well-being, and creating flexible work arrangements. Furthermore, the report suggests new or alternative strategies that the organization could implement for future success, including lowering costs and accelerating digitalization. The report concludes with recommendations for Witrose to create backup plans and alternative strategies to handle future crises effectively, ensuring business growth and development. This analysis is relevant to the Solent University QHO335 Business Project.

Critical evaluation of an
organisations response during
the pandemic

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Organization Overview................................................................................................................3
Evaluating few potential challenges during pandemic along with some strategies which
company implemented to overcome the Covid19 challenges......................................................4
New or alternative strategies and ideas that can be implemented by organization for future
success..........................................................................................................................................5
Recommendation.........................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
Business management focuses on organizing and handling the company's resources from
where they can run their business at successful level by considering all the essential elements
which can support the firm to grow accordingly. Today, the entire world is growing and
developing in rapid manner which somewhere puts the impact on the natural surroundings.
Witrose Limited is a British supermarket organization headquartered at Bracknell, United
Kingdom. The current report will illustrate the brief about the Covid19 and challenges which the
firm faces during the pandemic (Al-Dhaafri and Alosani, 2021). Along with this, it will mention
the alternative strategies ideas which can be adopted by the organization for the future success
and also provide some relevant recommendations from where the company can continue their
success in definite order.
MAIN BODY
Organization Overview
Witrose Limited is a supermarket organization which is founded in 1904 by Rose and
Taylor. The company majorly deals in grocery items and want to grow their business at
successful level. The company mission and vision is to provide the quality food and services
from which an individual can stay healthy and fit and can live a healthy lifestyle as well.
However, the company's motto is “Each and individual deserves quality food and deserves
Witrose.” The organization structure simply defines as a system which outlines the activities
which are directed in order to achieve the goals and objective in definite manner. However, there
are different types of organizational structure whereas Witrose Limited uses the team-based
organization structure at their firm as it involves the team members to take any particular
decision from where they can share their views and ideas and can support the company to grow
and develop in definite manner.
In the team-based structure, it also helps the company to take the decision in appropriate
manner and can satisfy the employees and staff members as well from which they can put their
best efforts and hard work in developing the firm in successful manner (Hunitie, 2018). Along
with this, the company's culture also matter a lot in satisfying the employees at the workplace
where Witson Limited culture should be very positive for the retention of the employees
effectively. Thus, clan culture is adopted by the Witson Limited because in this type of culture, it
delivers the family like corporate environment that can help and support the employees to feel

good and positive working within such environment which overall motivates the workers and
employees to put their best efforts accordingly.
Evaluating few potential challenges during pandemic along with some strategies which company
implemented to overcome the Covid19 challenges
Covid19 is a world-wide pandemic which has affected the entire world in wider manner.
This is a type of disease which spread all over the world and leads the human being to suffer
from breathing problems, cold and cough and even body pain's and also leads people to death. In
this recent pandemic, the entire world gets affected from where it reduces the economy of each
country as well and unbalances the growth (González-Aleu, Hernandez and et.al., 2022).
However, all kinds of business and social enterprises as well suffers from losses and decrease
their productivity level and turns them to shut their business forever. Therefore, it is important
for an individual business or an organization to create a backup plan for such kinds of dynamic
issues and natural disasters in which they can be able to manage and handle the circumstances in
appropriate way. Accordingly, the firm Witnose Limited also gets difficulties to survive in the
recent pandemic situation and suffers from huge losses as well. Here, mentioning some potential
challenges which is faced by the mentioned company during the pandemic.
Team management: In the period of Covid19, it becomes difficult for the Witnose to manage
the teams in effective manner because due to pandemic, government has announced the lock-
down for maximum period and restrictions for opening the supermarket stores as well where the
management gets difficulty in managing the employees. They are unable to coordinate with the
team members in appropriate way and provides issues for them. However, to deal with this kind
of challenges, the company has prepared an outline where they review the roles and
responsibilities of an individual person and connected with them through video calls and emails
and texting and easily shared their objectives.
Safety of employees: During the challenging time, the management of the company has to put
their focus over the safety of the employees in definite manner. During the pandemic, the major
concern of the organization was health and safety of an individual employee which was a major
challenge for the company to deal with it (Li, An and Liu, 2021). Therefore, Witrose Limited has
overcome this challenge by providing the 14 days leave for the employees who tested positive
and assure them to help and support them in definite manner. As, it was a crucial time for

everyone where the company gives priority to their employees and also connect with them on
personal basis to ask for any kind of help.
Flexible work arrangements: Covid19 was a dynamic situation where many of businesses went
in loss and some shuts down forever. In such kind of situation, Witrose Limited has also faced
challenges during the work arrangements because many of the employees felled sick which
creates difficulties for the company to run their business. As, it is grocery super market store and
provides the daily needs of the people the company was accepting the order from online platform
and helping the people to get their groceries (Bond III, de Jong, Eggert and et.al., 2020). For
delivering the services and performing the working arrangements leads the company to suffer
from difficulties where the company has started to provide the flexibility to their employees and
reduced the working hours to not feel stressed and burnout.
Communication issues: Communication was one of the source to get touch with each other
where it was very important for the Witrose management to interact with the clients and
customers as well so that they can continue their business. By communicating through video
calls, emails and texting helped to overcome the physical distance and can connect with each
other in definite manner and can update the staff and employee about any changes in the
workplace.
Contingency plans: The covid19 has made the many employees of the company to fall sick
where to continue the working the company was needed to set an alternative to manage the roles
and work responsibilities in definite manner where Witrose organization has created a
contingency plan to mitigate any losses and can identify and keep an alternative person to handle
the work arrangements in effective manner.
New or alternative strategies and ideas that can be implemented by organization for future
success
To drive any business at successful level, the company needs to identify and develop an
appropriate plan for such situations like Covid19 pandemic from where they can deal with the
circumstances in definite manner (Priyono, Moin and Putri, 2020). However, Witrose Limited
has to create and adopt some new and alternative strategies at their organization for the better
future success after the pandemic. Here, mentioning some alternatives for the company which
can support them in effective manner.

Lower down costs: In the covid19, people are already facing difficulties physically, mentally
and financially as well where the company should lower down the prices of the goods and
services from where they can be able to set and approach their customers again in definite order
and can increase their sales as well.
Acceleration of digitalization: After the pandemic, many of the companies further move with
the digitalization where Witrose also needs to put their focus more on digital services and
expanding their business different digital challenges which can overall increase the productivity
level of the firm and helps to continue their growth.
Recommendation
Witrose Limited is a supermarket firm who gets affected in the Covid19 crisis in wider
manner. To run any business, it is important for the company to create a backup or alternative
plan for such kinds of random situations in which they can be able to survive in definite manner
(Yang and Han, 2021). However, it has been recommanded to the firm that they should outline
the alternative ideas and activities which can be helpful for them in difficult circumstances and
can stable their business growth and development in respective manner. Thus, just like recent
pandemic there can be situations more in future areas which can be overcome by the firm in
effective manner by focusing on strategies in appropriate manner.
CONCLUSION
The above mentioned report has concluded the importance of the business strategies
which is required to be adopted by the organization from which they can grow and develop in
definite manner. The report has included the organization structure, mission and culture in
appropriate manner and also described the different challenges which company faces during the
recent pandemic. Along with this, it has also mentioned the strategies which firm uses to
overcome the challenges and can run their business at definite level. However, it also highlighted
the alternative strategies which is needed to be adopted by the firm in the future for dealing with
such kinds of situations and some recommendations in respective order.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Al-Dhaafri, H. and Alosani, M.S., 2021. Role of leadership, strategic planning and
entrepreneurial organizational culture towards achieving organizational excellence:
evidence from public sector using SEM. Measuring Business Excellence.
Bond III, E.U., de Jong, A., Eggert, and et.al., 2020. The future of B2B customer solutions in a
post-COVID-19 economy: Managerial issues and an agenda for academic
inquiry. Journal of Service Research, 23(4), pp.401-408.
González-Aleu, F., Hernandez, and et.al., 2022. Strategic planning for repurposing kitchen
equipment production operations during COVID-19 pandemic. Operations Management
Research, pp.1-16.
Hunitie, M., 2018. Impact of strategic leadership on strategic competitive advantage through
strategic thinking and strategic planning: a bi-meditational research. Verslas: Teorija ir
praktika/Business: Theory and Practice, 19, pp.322-330.
Li, H., An, N. and Liu, J., 2021. Strategic planning, strategy map and management control: a
case study. Nankai Business Review International.
Priyono, A., Moin, A. and Putri, V.N.A.O., 2020. Identifying digital transformation paths in the
business model of SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Open Innovation:
Technology, Market, and Complexity, 6(4), p.104.
Yang, M. and Han, C., 2021. Revealing industry challenge and business response to Covid-19: a
text mining approach. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
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