M&S: Management Issues, Leadership & New Initiatives in 21st Century

This report explores contemporary management issues in the 21st century, focusing on the role and impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on workforce management within Marks and Spencer. It critically evaluates existing policies related to talent acquisition, change management, and learning and development, especially in the context of the Covid-19 competitive landscape. Drawing on contemporary schools of leadership, the report discusses the role of leaders in implementing new initiatives within the organization. It recommends new initiatives for Marks and Spencer to adopt in order to thrive in the 'new normal', emphasizing the importance of effective leadership styles, employee training, strategic planning, and change management. The report concludes by highlighting the increasing use of ICT in business and the need for organizations to adapt to the evolving business environment.

Contemporary Management
Issues in the 21st Century

Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
Use of model and theories and critical analysation of role and impact of information and
communication technology on management of workforce of company.....................................1
Critical evaluation and discission of existing policies of talent acquisition change management
process and learning and development in order to compete in effectively in Covid-19
competitive landscape..................................................................................................................2
Drawing on contemporary schools of leadership and discussion of role of leaders on selected
organisation in order of implementation of new initiatives.........................................................3
Recommendation of new initiative adopted by organisation in order to survive and thrive in
new normal..................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Management can be described as planning as well as organisation of various resources and
activities of business for attainment of goals and objective of company in effective manner. It is
essential for business to completion operation of company in effective manner as it allow them to
reduce cost of company (Aldowah, Al-Samarraie and Fauzy, 2019). It is also related with
completion of task in specific timeline. There is various issue occur in today’s time for
management of different activities in business like communication gap, wrong style of
leadership, implementation of change and other things. This project report includes study of
Marks and Spencer which is a UK based multinational company. It is providing different types
of clothing products, food product, beauty and home care products. This project report includes
theories, model and impact of information and communication for management of workforce of
company. It also includes recommendation for company to adopt and survive in new normal
environment.
MAIN BODY
Use of model and theories and critical analysation of role and impact of information and
communication technology on management of workforce of company
Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology: It is one of model which is based on eight
model of acceptance. It is an integrated mode which helps business to accept and use different
types of technology in business. It consists different concept relate to acceptance of information
as in this individual reaction is included for use of information technology (Bergmann and
Karwowski, 2018). It includes intention of use of information technology in business and after
than in consist actual use of information and technology in business.
Role and impact of information and communication technology: Information and
communication technology is one which consist all types of digital technology in business that
allows individual organisation and business to use different information. It consists different
types of electronic products that deal with information. It allows business of Marks and Spencer
to be more efficient and effective and also allow them to fulfil needs to customers. These
information and communication technology is used in business for different activities like
manufacturing, distribution, designing, research and development, sales as well as for taking
feedback from customers. It allows business to me more productive and also helps them for
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optimisation for performance of business. It safeguards data and also helps for trouble shooting.
It allows business to saves cost of company and helps them to saves money of business. It
improves overall customer experience of a person and allow them to communicate in effective
manner. On basis of these technology, business is able to expand its operation in different parts
of world.
Critical evaluation and discission of existing policies of talent acquisition change management
process and learning and development in order to compete in effectively in Covid-19
competitive landscape
Talent management: It is one of important practice adopted by company that is linked with
attraction, retention and selection of employees along with consist GHR process in employee life
cycle process. It is a process which allow human resource managers of company to ensure
planning, learning and development, employee engagement, recruitment and selection, retention,
performance management and other things (Gunasekaran, Subramanian and Ngai, 2019). Marks
and spencer ensure proper planning for talent management and putting right employees at right
place that will allow them to engage in work of company. But after covid-19 pandemic situation,
company is managing talent and performance of employees with use of different HR software. It
allows them to increase engagement of employees that create good impact over performance of
company.
Training and development: It is another practice that is adopted by human resource
manager of a company. It is an educational practice conducted in company for enhancement of
skills and knowledge of employee by offering instruction and information to employees in order
to perform task in effective manner. It allows managers of Marks and spencer to improve
efficiency of work of employees and allow them to contribute towards success of company. With
post pandemic era, Marks and spencer is providing training and development opportunity to
employees by technology in online class. It helps them to improve their working in virtual
environment which assist companies to saves cost of classroom training.
Change management: Changes are important for an organisation as it allow them to be upgrade
and also update as per current trends. There are various trends occur in market which are adopted
by Marks and Spencer as it is a company that operate in clothing industry (Lombardi, 2019). In
order to implement changes in effective manner, managers of company need to understand
requirement of change. Before covid-19 era, companies are adopting changes in order to improve
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its efficiency but speed of changes has been increases with global pandemic as business is
increasingly using different types of technology in business. It allows them for purpose of
accepting changes in business.
Drawing on contemporary schools of leadership and discussion of role of leaders on selected
organisation in order of implementation of new initiatives
On contemporary school of leadership, there are different types of leadership which allow leader
to improve professional skills of employees that allows them to adjust them in new environment.
These leadership style including distributive leadership, participative leadership. Distributive
leadership is a leadership style in which leaders practice, interact with different roles, actions and
positions. It includes efforts of group members for implementing changes in organisation. It is a
leadership tyle which is democratic, participative and cooperation. It is based on roles and
activities of staff members (Megheirkouni and Mejheirkouni, 2020). Another style of leadership
is participative in which individual are highly confident and capable for responsibility. It
includes leader who are self-security, positive understand and also these are confident to each
other. On basis of these style of leadership, leaders are able to implement changes and new
initiatives in Marks and Spencer. For this, leader play important role which are mentioned below:
Communicate with employee: Leaders of Marks and Spencer needs to communicate with
employees in order to make them understand about new initiatives takes in organisation after
post lockdown era. It is important in order to solve problem of employees and motivate them to
accept changes.
Engage: It is important for leader of Marks and Spencer to motivate employees for
implementing new initiatives (van Kemenade and Hardjono, 2018). It can be done by creating
urgency for the changes and also provide explains them important for these changes for company
and for employees. It will allow them to encourage participation of leaders in company.
Make decision: Leaders also needs to ensure control over different resources of company like
budget, people as well as equipment that allow them to make decision in company (Popkova and
Gulzat, 2019). It allows leaders of Marks and Spencer to control things on basis of their authority
and make initiative to implementing changes in organisation.
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Recommendation of new initiative adopted by organisation in order to survive and thrive in new
normal
From above mentioned discussion, it can be recommended to manager of Marks and
Spencer to adopt effective style of leadership to implement changes in organisation. It allows to
provide right guidance to employees which will helps them to work in virtual environment and
also helps them to manage work in effective manner.
It is also recommended to managers of Marks and Spencer to provide training and
development to employees that will helps them to understand how information and technology to
better work in virtual environment. It is important in order to provide flexibility to employees
and also helps them for purpose of improve their capability.
It is also recommended to managers of Marks and Spencer to ensure strategic planning in
company that assist them for purpose of defining vision of company for future plan. It also helps
company for attainment of goals and objectives by getting support of employees. Organisation is
also suggested to adopt effective change management in organisation as adoption of changes as
per current trend provide them opportunity in market.
CONCLUSION
From above mentioned project report, it can be concluded that there are various management
issues occur in business that create impact over its efficient and profitability in market. Due to
pandemic situation, information and communication technologies are increasingly used in
business that allow them to manage workforce of company. It is also important for talent
acquisition and ensuring learning and development opportunity to employees that allow them to
work in virtual environment. There is different type of leadership style which allow leaders to
manage operation of company and also allow them to make new initiatives. On basis of these
leadership style leaders allow employees to accept new normal situation of business.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Aldowah, H., Al-Samarraie, H. and Fauzy, W.M., 2019. Educational data mining and learning
analytics for 21st century higher education: A review and synthesis. Telematics and
Informatics, 37, pp.13-49.
Bergmann, T. and Karwowski, W., 2018, July. Agile project management and project success: A
literature review. In International Conference on Applied Human Factors and
Ergonomics (pp. 405-414). Springer, Cham.
Gunasekaran, A., Subramanian, N. and Ngai, W.T.E., 2019. Quality management in the 21st
century enterprises: Research pathway towards Industry 4.0. International journal of
production economics, 207, pp.125-129.
Lombardi, R., 2019. Knowledge transfer and organizational performance and business process:
past, present and future researches. Business Process Management Journal.
Megheirkouni, M. and Mejheirkouni, A., 2020. Leadership development trends and challenges in
the twenty-first century: rethinking the priorities. Journal of Management Development.
Popkova, E.G. and Gulzat, K., 2019, May. Technological revolution in the 21 st century: digital
society vs. artificial intelligence. In Institute of Scientific Communications
Conference (pp. 339-345). Springer, Cham.
van Kemenade, E. and Hardjono, T.W., 2018. Twenty-first century total quality management:
the emergence paradigm. The TQM Journal.
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