LSC UoS BA Business Studies - Leadership Case Study: Management Issues

This case study examines leadership and management issues in the 21st century, focusing on the leadership styles of Shackleton and Tesco. The analysis of Shackleton's Antarctic expedition highlights lessons in crisis leadership, emphasizing the importance of engaging distractions, maintaining optimism, and fostering a sense of shared identity. The case study then shifts to Tesco, exploring how effective leadership is essential for maintaining a competitive advantage in the supermarket industry. It discusses Tesco's challenges in ensuring customer satisfaction and the need for a knowledgeable workforce, highlighting the importance of strategic decision-making, employee engagement, and customer retention strategies. The document concludes by referencing various books, journals, and online resources used in the analysis. Desklib provides a platform to access similar solved assignments and past papers.

Module Title: Contemporary
Management Issues in the
21st Century

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ESSAY.............................................................................................................................................3
1....................................................................................................................................................3
2....................................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

ESSAY
1.
Shackleton was an amazing leader who was known for his accomplishment that took
place 100 years ago. The biggest accomplishment of this leader was that he led 27 men on a
journey across Antarctica. Although he failed but still was able to set an example as a leader. The
sail of his ship was to gain endurance to Argentina and also then walk across the continent in
which the crew would have to pic them up in order to keep them in mind in which no radios,
weather reports or anything that could have assisted them worked (Rudolph, Murphy and Zacher,
2020). As a leader he was able to gather the best crew which was best geared. The model of the
current Shackleton believed that the leadership was able to gain his mission and the team for the
optimism that was contagious. He also had the intentions of making decisions that would inspire
optimism in the crew and would also be considered enthusiastic and also clear in the vision that
he got. The encouragement of singing, games, fun antics and other merriment during the exam
also resulted during expedition.
As a leaders Shackleton believed in everyone in his team. All those which joined his team
to Antarctica Expedition understood the purpose and were also selected in the part of their
interest and excitement in that purpose. The focus of the team would have been in the form and
also the purpose of the somewhat vague for each team members (Leithwood, Harris and
Hopkins, 2020). In many occasions it was found that the team that were formed also had the
purpose of each team member that was able to develop a different idea and purpose. It can also
be said that the clarity that this purpose was able to show in the time was also considered to be
very important factor that resulted in impacting the team and their success. Being able to develop
or build the unity is also very important skill that has the purpose of gaining the strength
automatically during mission. His leadership showed flexibility in which he as able to change
decisions according to the situations which in the extreme condition of Antarctica was very
important. His lack of emotional attachment to a particular plan helped the team avoid certain
risks.
From the leadership of Shackleton that he showed during his Expedition there are
different lessons that an individual can leader in the terms of leadership. First lesson to be
learned from this leader was about pursuing engaging distractions. As a leader he was always
very effective for the remarkable. It can be said that the idea of another polar undertaking could

have seemed preposterous (4 Lessons in Crisis Leadership from Shackleton's Expedition, 2020).
But also the prospect of the providing an engaging alternative to dwelling for the alternative for
the dwelling on the predicament or thinking about the potential dangers that was ahead in the
mission. Keeping all the individual engaged was considered to be the factor which is able to
development of the ways in which the engagement of the distraction.
In order to keep the leaders motivated finding the things which would insist a spirit of
optimism. He was able to establish a sense of shared identity that from the beginning of the ways
in which they can cheerfully achieve the social events before the Endurance sand. This allowed
the mission of this organization to continue even further (Al Khajeh, 2018). For keeping the
employees happy there were arrangements of sports from planned by this leader. This was one of
the key ways of providing motivation to the employees that needed them. As leader, he was
considered to be one of the most successful individual that help in reinforces. He was also very
good in the management of the resources that allowed the organization to be able to gain the
competitive advantages that are required. Without having spoken to the crew he was able to
understand their needs and their requirements which was the key towards the ways in which
team work was developed. One of the biggest success that this leadership was able to gain the
sustainability was that he was able to insist the common courtesy (Chen, Li and Zhang, 2021).
Even during the extreme weather condition there were times in which there were conflicts that
occurred during the time of the management of the civility. It also reminded them the Shackleton
that reminded the sense of civility. This is also reminded for the crew that was able top gain the
advantage in the journey with collaboration will all the peers.
2.
Tesco is one of the most profitable organization that is also considered to be the largest
chain of Supermarket in Britain. It is also known as the improper management of the company
that may make it to lose its current competitive advantage. Due to this fact the Tesco was able to
adapt to an effective leadership style that allowed it to continue enjoying the current competitive
level against the competitors. The problem which this organization was facing was to ensure the
high level of the customer satisfaction that through the production and delivery was able to gain
the satisfactory level of products and services. It needed to evolve its organization in order to be
able gain the knowledgeable workforce that was well an appropriate team. It is also said to be the
factor that is able develop the understanding of the ways in which the organization would be able

to gain the in the simple process of the ways in which it was only able hire the selected member
of the staff that allowed the organization (Eva and et.al., 2019).
The staff members of this organization has been said to be the majority reality that allows
the organization to be able to generate the adverse effects of the overall performance. The
selection of the members of the organization was a very important for the organization be
company way in which it was affected the ways in which the organization can avoid and over
come the challenges that it has been facing (Rudolph, Murphy and Zacher, 2020). For the
organization the traditional process of the company may be affected in one affected in the one
way or the another. It has been said that the organization can gain growth with its new members
from the staff to decide the areas that are required for to make change to the data which are
considered to be the key for the use of gaining competitive advantages (Cheong and et.al., 2019).
Tesco had to consider other areas in order to achieve accuracy in the areas of consideration for
being able to determine the manner in which the company can help the past to be more extremely
crucial when deciding the leaders to be able to contribute to the different ways in which the
company can set the goals and also the objectives.
Alternative course of the action which allows the company to be able to make the bulk
purchase that is considered to be able to develop a viable strategy that is helpful for the level of
advertising that Tesco had to make in order increase the customers on the different types of
products (Kerrissey and Edmondson, 2020). In order to completely change the organization this
company needed to take the initiative. For this the organization leadership practices were
considered to be responsible for allowing the company to be able to develop a new strategy that
allows the customers to be able to provide the products and services that are offered by the
company. The company has been able to develop the increase the level of the advertising that is
required for gaining the promotions for the increasing the number of the customers that are
helpful for the products and services that are offered by the company (Alvesson and Einola,
2019). There are also an alternative Tesco can use to reach the desired level of performance for
the organization to attempt the appropriate ways that can allow the company to be retained the
customers.
The leadership of this organization also held many meetings in the making of the frequent
staff that was inspected for making sure that the members of the organization can also undertake
the duties and responsibilities that are required (Al Saidi and et.al., 2020). It helps the

organization in the putting the place the kind of leadership that help the Tesco great company for
the management of the increasing the rate of competition. It is also said that the leadership of this
company was able to achieve the desired results with the attempts of establishment of the ways
in which the organization can attract customers for retaining the offer that are made for the
company. It is also said to be the factor that is considered to be very effective for the
establishment of the goals that are considered to be the ways in which helps the company to
provide the employees the opportunity of airing the views during the decision-making process.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Al Khajeh, E.H., 2018. Impact of leadership styles on organizational performance. Journal of
Human Resources Management Research. 2018. pp.1-10.
Al Saidi, A.M.O.,and et.al., 2020. Decisive leadership is a necessity in the COVID-19 response.
The Lancet. 396(10247). pp.295-298.
Alvesson, M. and Einola, K., 2019. Warning for excessive positivity: Authentic leadership and
other traps in leadership studies. The Leadership Quarterly. 30(4). pp.383-395.
Chen, L., Li, T. and Zhang, T., 2021. Supply chain leadership and firm performance: A meta-
analysis. International Journal of Production Economics. 235. p.108082.
Cheong, M., and et.al., 2019. A review of the effectiveness of empowering leadership. The
Leadership Quarterly. 30(1). pp.34-58.
Eva, N., and et.al., 2019. Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research.
The leadership quarterly. 30(1). pp.111-132.
Kerrissey, M.J. and Edmondson, A.C., 2020. What good leadership looks like during this
pandemic. Harvard Business Review. 13(1).
Leithwood, K., Harris, A. and Hopkins, D., 2020. Seven strong claims about successful school
leadership revisited. School leadership & management. 40(1). pp.5-22.
Rudolph, C.W., Katz, I.M., Ruppel, R. and Zacher, H., 2021. A systematic and critical review of
research on respect in leadership. The Leadership Quarterly. 32(1). p.101492.
Rudolph, C.W., Murphy, L.D. and Zacher, H., 2020. A systematic review and critique of
research on “healthy leadership”. The Leadership Quarterly. 31(1). p.101335.
Online
4 Lessons in Crisis Leadership from Shackleton's Expedition, 2020[Online]. Available through:
<https://hcleadershipessentials.com/blogs/leadership/4-lessons-in-crisis-leadership-
from-shackletons-expedition>