Managing Customer Relations: A Case Study of Mark and Spencer

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MANAGING CUSTOMER RELATIONS
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Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................................3
Legal issues..............................................................................................................................................3
Ethical issues............................................................................................................................................4
Change management................................................................................................................................5
Career Opportunity..................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................6
References................................................................................................................................................8
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Introduction
Customers’ relation is an on-going connection between organizations and their customers;
this relationship is developed through marketing communications, customers’ service, sales
support and technical assistance. The present assignment is based upon the impact of ethical
and legal issues on customers’ relations, theories or models will also include implementing
change for managing healthy relations with customers.
Furthermore, Mark and Spencer is the chosen organization for this entire discussion which is
one of the leading retailers of UK. It is committed to making high quality of own brand food,
clothing and home products. Since past years, it has been overviewed that customers are
complaining about the quality of food products of the brand is decreasing. They complained
that M&S uses old raw material and offer food items at higher prices in comparison with
other brands.
In order to overcome this problem, M&S should emphasis on offering the best customers'
services and improving the quality of products. The term customers’ service entails with a
collective set of policies which govern the ways by which the brand and its employee interact
with target audiences. It helps the company to keep buyers' for long-run and reduce
investment in advertisement and promotional activities (Tsai and Pai, 2014). In the context of
Mark and Spencer, the prime objective of customers' services is to fulfilling customers’ needs
or expectations by resolving their queries.
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Legal issues
The aim of manufacturing is to produce products with prescribed quality standards and sell
them into the market at the lowest possible cost. Mark and Spencer are operating in a global
business environment, due to external market forces the organization may face some legal
issues. These issues put a vast impact on brand image and its viability across the world.
Following are some legal issues that may face by M&S, such as – Disgruntled employees,
immigration audits, discrimination/harassment cases, dissatisfied customers, copyright/patent
issues and so on. Among all these issues, M&S is facing the major issue of dissatisfied
customers, due to which customers can file action lawsuits against the organization. In which,
they can gather a large extent of customers' and direct attack on the brand’s faulty products or
services (Tzokas, et. al., 2015).
An organization is abided with some legal regulations, like – data protection law, health and
safety law, intellectual property law, employment and labour law; systematic fulfilment of
these laws assists M&S to manage healthy customers’ relations.
Under customers’ right act (2015) stated that buyers can, and brand can sell to them
confidently; the problem arises when disputes can't be sorted quickly and cheaply. The law is
a new version of Sales of Goods act which intends that customers' have the right to return
faulty products and claim for return. If Mark and Spencer follow this law, then it assists in
retaining customers' for long-run and develop a strong client base for the company whereas if
the firms don't then there is a risk of reducing the market image of the company.
Ethical issues
Ethics are well-founded standards between rights and wrong which prescribes that what
individuals, groups or organizations ought to do in regard to rights, benefits of society,
responsibilities, spiritual values and fairness. In the context of business organizations, ethics
can be maintained by not to act anything against nature; it is a process of questioning,
identifying and defending a firm’s principles, values and purpose (Fidel, et. al., 2015).
By considering Mark and Spencer, the organization has a responsibility to develop ethics and
code of conducts in which every member should abide by and put into action. There are
several ethical issues are being faced by the company, i.e. integrity, trust, diversity and
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respectful workforce, compliance and governance issue and decision-making issues. For
example – a basic understanding of integrity refers to the idea of processes corporate affairs
with morality and a pledge to treating every individual in a fair manner.
In the UK, the Ethics Advisor Body is liable to handle specific regulatory, ethical,
philosophical and social issues generate. It ensures to maintain a high standard of the project
by protecting its legality or ethicality. The members of Ethics Advisor Body are liable to
maintain operations of a project, assists in preparation by overviewing potential problems
associated with it and how to identify in the certain time period (Khodakarami and Chan,
2014). They provide advice for utilization of resources and guidelines to deal with ethical
dilemmas in an effective manner. Its oversight functions will usually check compliances of
ethical standards in the relevant research field.
In customers' relationship management, process ethics play a vital role to influence target and
potential customers. To resolve the issue of quality, Mark and Spencer have decided to follow
ethics in its production process; it enables the company to meet customers' needs and wants.
Furthermore, to be ethical the brand can fulfil its corporate social responsibilities towards
society by making appropriate behaviour with them, be transparent and honest. Ethics also
relates to offerings products or services to customers on fair prices i.e. do not charge more
with them (Soltani and Navimipour, 2016). Managers should behave appropriately with
angry customers like not to use any abusive and other words that may harm customers' values
or morality. There will be no discrimination between customers on the basis of their income
level, gender, occupation etc. At last, customers' who are loyal must be treated fairly; all
these aspects essential to maintain ethics at the workplace.
Being ethical improvise brand image and enlarge client base of the company; it leads to
increased sales and profitability.
Change management
The term change management signifies with an application that is acquired for managing the
impact of new business practices or changes within the organizational structure. Due to the
dynamic business environment, change is required to assess market trends, learn new
behaviours of people. proactively reduce misinformation. Organizational change management
helps to ensure the transition of new processes or practices is going smoothly. Mark and
Spencer also need to make changes in its working environment; the change which requires by
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a company is to implementing total quality management. It ensures to manage the quality of
products or services to customers (Melero, et. al., 2016). Mark and Spencer can acquire
approach of change management which assists it in managing healthy customers’
relationship.
Kotter's change management theory is an effective theory to respond to changes. It involves 8
steps each one of them is emphasised on the key principle that links with individuals'
response towards change. Stages of Kotter's model are –
 Increase urgency – Create a sense of urgency over people thus to encourage them to
move ahead.
 Build the team – Getting the right people on the team
 Get the vision correct – Vision should be creative and able to resolve the problem
 Communicate – Interact with people for change and recognise their views.
 Get things moving – Remove roadblocks and implement feedback in a constructive
manner.
 Focus on short terms goals – Divide the main goal into small parts; it’s a good way to
achieve success (Tidy, et. al., 2016).
 Don’t give up – Always focus on persistence
 Incorporate change – Instead of managing change effectively, reinforce it by
managing a workplace culture.
Career Opportunity
After completing this report, I get to know that I need to improve some leadership and
management skills which help me to obtain better career opportunities. I think I have to focus
on my communication, problem-solving, analytical, business-decision making and other
skills. By adopting these skills or abilities I can be a good leader in future; it enables me to
effectively interact with people and influence them to accomplish any specific task or
activity. Having such skills also helpful for me to interact effectively with target audiences
and understand their queries or issues. I always want to become a manager who manages
healthy or positive relations with target audiences; for this, I need to influence my
subordinates to boost up the quality of services and measure their performance.
Making such improvements in myself assist me to become a good leader or manager in future
who will be responsible to resolve all queries or issues of the organization.
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Conclusion
From the above-mentioned report, it gets analysed that customers' relations play a vital role in
growth and success of every business organisation; it enables the company to enhance global
market presence and extend business areas as well. The report has stated that Mark and
Spence are facing the issue of poor quality of customers; it leads to increasing dissatisfied
customers. It is essential for companies to follow customers’ right act (2015) which provides
the right to claim to return the amount which is charged by the company. In addition to this,
to being ethical firms should focus on accomplishing corporate social responsibilities and do
not indulge in processes which may harm the environment. Change is also required in
corporate associations thus to respond positively towards external market forces. As an
individual, I would like to improve my communication skills which assist me in interacting,
leading or managing others in the best possible manner.
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References
 Fidel, P., Schlesinger, W. and Cervera, A., 2015. Collaborating to innovate: Effects
on customer knowledge management and performance. Journal of business
research, 68(7), pp.1426-1428.
 Khodakarami, F. and Chan, Y.E., 2014. Exploring the role of customer relationship
management (CRM) systems in customer knowledge creation. Information &
Management, 51(1), pp.27-42.
 Melero, I., Sese, F.J. and Verhoef, P., 2016. Recasting the customer experience in
today’s omni-channel environment. UCJC Business and Society Review (formerly
known as Universia Business Review), (50).
 Soltani, Z. and Navimipour, N.J., 2016. Customer relationship management
mechanisms: A systematic review of the state of the art literature and
recommendations for future research. Computers in Human Behavior, 61, pp.667-688.
 Tidy, M., Wang, X. and Hall, M., 2016. The role of Supplier Relationship
Management in reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions from food supply chains:
supplier engagement in the UK supermarket sector. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 112, pp.3294-3305.
 Tsai, H.T. and Pai, P., 2014. Why do newcomers participate in virtual communities?
An integration of self-determination and relationship management theories. Decision
Support Systems, 57, pp.178-187.
 Tzokas, N., Kim, Y.A., Akbar, H. and Al-Dajani, H., 2015. Absorptive capacity and
performance: The role of customer relationship and technological capabilities in high-
tech SMEs. Industrial Marketing Management, 47, pp.134-142.
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