Report on Leadership, Management, and Operations in M&S Ltd.

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This report delves into the realm of management operations, emphasizing the crucial roles of leaders and managers in achieving business objectives. It begins with a comparative analysis of leadership and management roles, exploring various leadership styles such as autocratic, paternalistic, democratic, transactional, and laissez-faire, alongside management styles like directive and affiliation. The report then examines the application of these roles in different situations, including team building, decision-making, communication, and problem-solving, while also addressing challenges like poor communication and strict regulations within a case study context. Furthermore, it applies different leadership theories, such as situational leadership and explores approaches to improve operational efficiency. The impact of the business environment on operational management and decision-making is considered, including how factors like communication, employee motivation, and strict rules affect operational outcomes. Finally, the report provides critical evaluations of operations management applications and factors influencing the wider business environment, offering valuable insights into optimizing operational processes for enhanced performance.
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Management
Operation
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Definition and comparison of different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager 1
P2 Application of the role of a leader and function of a manager in different situations......2
P3 Application of different theories and models of approach................................................2
M1 Analysis and difference between the role of a leader and function of a manger by applying
theories and concepts..............................................................................................................3
M2 Assessment of strength and weaknesses of different approaches....................................4
D1 Critical analysis and evaluation of different theories and approaches of leadership........5
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
P4 Key approaches to operations management and roles of leaders and managers...............5
P5 Importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives........6
M3 Ways to improve efficiency of operational management by leaders and managers........6
P6 Impact of factors of the business environment on operational management and decision
making....................................................................................................................................7
M4 Effect of different factors on the business environment and wider community..............8
D2 Critical evaluation of application of operations management and factors impacting on
wider business environment...................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Management operations refer to the practice which involves process of designing and
controlling the function of production and redesigning business operations. This process is one
the most important factors in the economic growth of the company (Slack, 2015). It includes
utilizing resource of the company such as employees, materials, tools and equipment and
technology in an effective way. It also consists of developing various strategies and plans along
with methods and techniques to be used in order to achieve the objectives of company. Major
role is played by the leaders and managers in this function who guide the staff towards attaining
a common goal and helps to increase their efficiency and productivity. In the given report the
management consultant for M & S Ltd. M&S is a retail company which retails the clothing, food
product, home products. Needs to analyse various roles of leaders and managers as well as the
best approaches and practices for the process of operations management in the company.
TASK 1
P1 Definition and comparison of different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager
Lea M&S is working internationally and providing services to global customers. It has 852
stores in UK also in other countries it has so many stores like 52 stores in India, 48 in turkey, 37
in Russia, 27 in Greece, 17 in Ireland, 14 in France, 11 in Poland, 6 in Hungry and Finland and
its ha 5 stores in Spain. Total 83,069 employees are working in this organization in all over the
world. In the year 2015 its gross profit was 3,986 and in 2016 it increased to 4128. Net income
in 2015 was 487 and in 206 it was 407.der refers to a person who has an authority over his
subordinates within his field and can influence the employees. He guides and provides new ideas
in the organisation whereas, managers are those who manage the activities and tasks provided by
management. They do not apply own ideas and methods in the process like leaders and only
adhere to the guidelines provided to them (Jacobs, Chase and Chase, 2010).
Leadership styles- There are 4 types of leadership styles that can be adopted by M&S.
ď‚· Autocratic- In this leadership styles the decision making can be done only by the senior
authority of the organisation. In M&S the senior manager can make the decision from
their own. The other team members are not involved in that decision making process.
ď‚· Paternalistic- This leadership style defined as the strong relation between the leader and
the employees of the organization. The work environment is just like their family. the
each employee have respect for other employees. The leader treat their employees as a
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parent. They work with the loyalty and trust so they can achieve the objective of the
organization.
ď‚· Democratic- the democratic leadership style can be defined as the employees can make
their involvement in the decision making process so that company can have the benefit of
those opinions and suggestions. The democratic approach of leadership is the best
approach for any organization. They can adopt in their system so that they can get more
work from their employees.
ď‚· Transactional: Leaders can use this style, they can provide rewards or punishment to team
members on the bases of their performance. Leaders have power to review that working
of the person and correct their mistakes so that they can contribute in achieving goal of
the organization.
ď‚· Laissesz-faire- In this leadership style the all workers have the access in the decision
making regarding the organization. The followers of the organization have the
independency to keep their opinions in the decision making process. The senior authority
provides freedom to the employee to work as they want.
Management stylesď‚· Directive style: It is the type of management styles in which managers closely control and
monitor the performance of workers. Individual motivates them so that they improve
their performance. It is an effective way and help in resolving issues of the company.
ď‚· Affiliation style: It is the management style in which managers focus on creating harmony
between employees and managers. There is good relationship between staff and
management.
Definition: Leader is the person who leads to team members and guide people so that they can
improve their capabilities. Manager is the person who manage the employees and guide them in
such manner so that they contribute well in achieving goal of the organization.
M&S adopts democratic leadership style in which leaders involve the employees in
decision making process. By this way they feel motivated and work better for the organization.
Cited firm adopts Affiliation style that helps in minimizing conflicts situation in the workplace.
These are the great styles for the M&S that help in managing its staff members well and
encourages them well. I think it is the best suitable styles of leadership and management by this
way cited firm can accomplish its objective. It supports in developing strong relationship with
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the employees so that they understand the situation and support the management in their
decisions.
Roles and characteristics of a leader Roles and characteristics of a manager
Leaders create vision and show ways to
achieve that the same. They think beyond the
usual working procedures in the organisation.
Managers are mainly focused on setting goals
and helping the employees to achieve them.
Leaders are responsible for any change in the
company. They help their subordinates to adapt
to the changes in order to have better
performance.
Managers generally follow the set patterns and
procedures for every function. They work on
already established system to make it better
(Bozarth and Handfield, 2016).
Leaders are the risk takers in organisation as
they believe in creating new vision and using
new ways to achieve them. They do not get
bogged down from the fear of failure.
Managers are the people who avoid risks and
try to prevent if any occur. They control the
functions and processes to check any cause
which can lead to occurrence of risk.
Leaders are the long term thinkers who plan
for the future of company. They work in their
own way up to the vision set by them.
Managers are only focused on the short term
goals given to them by management.
Leaders and managers are important persons in the organization. They play different role
in the entity, manager of M&S set goal and target for employees so that they work together and
contribute well in achieving objective of the firm. Whereas leader play role of thinker, individual
create vision so that task can be completed effectively. Managers of M&S play role of controller
they make effective control over activities so that uncertainties do not take place. On other hand
leaders play role of risk taker, they take risk as challenge and motivate others so that they can
perform their work significantly.
P2 Application of the role of a leader and function of a manager in different situations
Role of a leader and functions of a manager may vary according to the situations in
organisation but at times, they also need to play each other’s role to ensure working of operations
smoothly (Slack, Chambers and Johnston, 2010).
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In addition to this, it can be said that diverse problems are being faced by business entity
which impact overall process. It might be possible that manager is not aware about the situation
then overall outcome might get affected. If team members are not supportive then overall
outcome might get affected in desired manner. Communication issues are also there because
management is not having appropriate aspects consideration. It impacts overall performance of
business entity.
The three main problems in the M&S are as following:
Lack of communication
M&S is facing the problem of poor communication, due to this working efficiency of
workers get down and it increases confusions in the workplace. For that it is necessary that cited
firm focus on co-ordination. Organization has to conduct meeting time to time and have to take
feedback of them. It will help in making effective interaction with the employees and people will
share their feeling with management well.
Strict rules and regulations
In the workplace of M&S strict rules have to be followed by the employees, that is the
major issues in the workplace because it demotivate the people. Cited firm has to provide
flexibility to workers so that they feel encouraged. In addition, cited firm has to provide rewards
and recognition it will motivate them and they will follow rules easily. Mangers and leaders are
bound to follow instruct of higher authorities of M&S, they have to design the activities as per
their guidelines. But they can provide monitory and non monitory rewards the workers so that
they get encouraged and perform better. They can take feedback from the employees so that their
issues can be identified and proper solution can be find out.
Demotivated staff
Managers can help in resolving such type of issues, managers has to involve all persons
and individual has to communicate the goal with other staff members. So that roles and
responsibility of each employee gets clear. Management level person need to provide flexible
working environment in which persons can use innovative ideas to complete the work on time
with efficiency, because strict rules some time demotivate the staff members. Managers should
give rewards and recognition to encourage the people so that they like the workplace and
perform better in the organization.
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Different situations in M&S requiring leaders and managers to act are:
Team building- The managers and leaders are a crucial part of a team as they both play an
important role in team building. Leader provides new techniques and approaches to make the
team more efficient and manager helps to follow the methods by guiding and training them to
achieve team goals.
Decision making- The process of decision making is involved in every small or big task
so it makes the role of leaders and managers more important. Leaders provide solutions for the
problems and managers provide guidance to solve the same (Mazeika Bilbao and et.al, 2011).
Communication- Process of communication is required in the organisation for smooth
working which enables leaders to communicate their ideas and vision with their subordinates
whereas, managers communicate with the employees to guide them and also, to receive plans
and working strategies from the top management.
Problem solving- In an organisation, conflicts and problems are the common issues and
solving them to restore the working environment in company is essential to achieve maximum
efficiency. Leaders help to find the solutions to problems which can benefit all conflicting parties
and then manager’s guide to implement the same to resolve these issues.
P3 Application of different theories and models of approach
Situational leadership: This theory derives its meaning from the fact as given by Hersey
Blanchard that no fixed style of leadership can be deemed to be the best style as every situation
needs different approach towards it and therefore, a distinct leadership style is required. A good
leader is required to adapt to changes as per the needs of the situation (Kuruppuarachchi and
Perera, 2010). Main factors which guide a leader are his knowledge, learning ability, experience,
skills and maturity.
System leadership- The system leadership style is based on the fact that the organisation
is seen as a single system which requires a proper structure to operate in this dynamic
environment. The organisation can be an open or a closed system but usually, it is considered as
an open system. This makes M&S prone to the effects of internal and external environmental
factors (Yang, Hong and Modi, 2011).
Contingency theory- The theory given by Fiedler states that for a leader to be effective,
having control over the situation is important as leadership style. The elements which constitute
an effective leader are good relations with members, clear goals and methods along with the
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ability to provide rewards and punishments. This theory also revolves around adapting leadership
style according to the situations arising. It can support M&S in improving efficiency level of
performance.
Henry Fayol: There are 14 principle of management.
ď‚· Work division- The employees should have skills and efficiency. So the output
will be better automatically.
ď‚· Authority- the authority must feel their responsibility.
ď‚· Discipline- organization must have discipline, and the various method to work
with creativity.
ď‚· Unity of command- the direct senior should be there for the employees.
ď‚· Unity of direction- the organization and workers both should have common
objectives to work in a single direction. The coordination should be proper.
ď‚· General interest- it is not more essential to fulfil any personal interest of any
employee.
ď‚· Remuneration- the compensation should be correct either it is financial or non-
financial.
ď‚· Centralization- the employees should have the right to be involve in the process of
decision making.
ď‚· Scalar chain- the each employees have the awareness of their position in the
organization and the order processing.
ď‚· Order- the environment should be clean, with protection equipment and each
thing should be on its right place.
ď‚· Equity- the fairness and honesty should be there in each level of hierarchy.
ď‚· Stability of tenure of personnel- the planning for personal should be the primary
thing in the organization.
ď‚· Initiative- the employee should have the independence to work on their own skill
and knowledge.
ď‚· Esprit de corps- striving should be in the organization as the spirit of the
employees can be promoted.
mery theory : According to mery theory conflict resolution through integration often results in a
win-win situation. In addition to this, Consultants with knowledge and experience in the
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management theory of Mary Parker Follett can guide business in maximizing the benefit of
company. . Classical theory of management advocated a scientific study of tasks and the workers
responsible for them. Although its goal was providing workers the tools necessary for
maximizing their efficiency and output.
Mary parker: The process of integration by which the conflict is identified. To meet the
desire they attempt each and everything which is possible in the way to get that result by win-
win approach. The power which is genuine known as coactive not coercive. The power of group
has more adaptability then power in single person. Its called bureaucratic theory of mary parker.
Tailor: According to this theory the organization should have the provision of training and
development for their workers that they can have more efficiency in their work. The issue should
be resolved within the condition of the employees. The organization can increase the
productivity of the employees by giving them reward for their improvement. The incentives can
be provided to the employees to encourage them. The personal and professional skills can be
better with the various practices.
Max weber: There are some elements which can explain the theory of max weber which
are:
ď‚· The job roles are defined clearly
ď‚· The each level of employment id decided
ď‚· The procedures are synced with standards
ď‚· The each operation is record the meticulous approach
ď‚· The enlistment of the employees is done on the required qualification.
M&S should focus on the situational leadership style in priority as it requires an efficient
leader to use this approach. The organisation can change and use other approaches as well to
overcome the situations.
M1 Analysis and difference between the role of a leader and function of a manger by applying
theories and concepts
Leadership theories Management concepts
Trait theory: Also known as dispositional
theory is a practice of studying and analysing
personalities. In leadership, the leader should
possess certain traits and skills in order lead
Human relations theory: The human relations
theory of management as given by Elton Mayo
states that the major factor affecting the
productivity are the relationships in the
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and guide his followers to achieve desired
results. These traits includes adaptable,
ambitious, cooperative, dependable, etc.
whereas, the skills needed are creativity,
diplomatic, organised, persuasive and so on. In
M&S Ltd. the leaders to have an effective
impact on the subordinates, these traits and
skill set are necessary (Tang and Musa, 2011).
organisation. The relations between the
management and employees as well as within
employees guide their working efficiency and
productivity. An individual requires attention
and acknowledgement for his work which
encourages him to perform better. M&S Ltd.
Needs to identify the relations and work on
them to make better for the future growth and
performance of the company in the
Long term.
Behavioural theory: The theory of behaviours
involves studying different behaviours of a
leader which helps to analyse his success and
failure. As the name suggests, the behaviour of
a leader also defines his leadership style which
helps the organisation to predict if it can
benefit from them. M&S Ltd. can use this
approach to identify the behaviour of a leader
in order to select one.
Chaos theory: As it a branch of mathematics
mainly focused on the behaviour of dynamical
systems which are highly responsive to
situations. Even a slightest difference in input
can have a large effect on the outcome. M&S
Ltd. can refer this as the function of the system
which does not follow any or minimum order.
It is a complex tool to implement but one of the
most accurate theories.
M2 Assessment of strength and weaknesses of different approaches
The work environment consists of various situations that arise everyday and in order to
get past those, different approaches and methods are required to be applied. According to the
situations arising in the company M&S Ltd. strength and weaknesses of these approaches are
analysed such as:
Trait theory- The theory as explained above, is related to the study of human
personalities. The strengths of the theory includes having certain traits which are modifiable to
adapt to changes, already knowing the traits for a good leader makes it easy to evaluate whereas,
its shortcoming includes these traits being mostly inborn and not developed as well as no
awareness about the situation leads to selection of leader on assumption of situation basis
(Dekker, Bloemhof and Mallidis, 2012).
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Behavioural theory- This theory revolves around the different behaviour and
characteristics of a leader which makes it easy to implement and put into practice, understand
and shape the behaviour. On the other hand, it is not easy to change people's mind about things
and feeling and emotions are not considered.
Human relations theory- The theory based on the relationships in the organisation has a
huge impact on the productivity level of the employees. The advantage of this approach is that
employees are better set up to face clients and customers whereas, this approach is more prone to
errors than other approaches due to manual process involved.
Chaos theory- The theory of dynamic systems involved in the organisation is considered
to be one of the most accurate and reliable approaches but due to its complex system and nature
it is very tough to implement in an organisation (Parry, Mills and Turner, 2010).
M&S Ltd. needs to analyse these merits and shortcomings of all the theories and
approaches in order to select and implement the best approach suitable for the organisation to
achieve company's objectives.
D1 Critical analysis and evaluation of different theories and approaches of leadership
Situational leadership approach: This approach can only be applied on both leaders and
managers when managers are also taken into consideration while implementing. The managers
of M&S cannot be used only to execute the directions with minimum authority. To properly
implement this theory allocation of work as well as authorities is required to both managers and
leaders. The major advantage of this theory is that it focuses on human behaviour so company
can work for making people loyal towards the brand. With the help of this approach M&S will
be able to build relationship with its workers. On other hand this concept is not good because
behaviour of each individual is different from other so it may create problems in decision making
process.
System approach: This approach involves the external and internal environment as well
considering organisation a system. These factors can create a huge impact on the working and
operation of the company. If the system is considered as closed which does not allow
environment to affect, it also slows down the growth and expansion of the firm (Binder and
Edwards, 2010). The advantage of using this approach is that M&S can enhance efficiency level
of organization, it can make necessary modification as per the requirement of system. On other
hand there is high chances of occurring conflicts situation because of ineffective leadership.
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Contingency approach: The open to interpretation approach makes this approach less
accurate and reliable. The methods and techniques depending upon the situations makes the
outcomes of this theory ambiguous and uncertain. It is beneficial in pre defined situation because
cited firm knows what actions are required to be taken. But it is very difficult to understand
several situation due to this, uncertainties can take place.
M&S Ltd. needs to identify the various uses and situations where these theories can be
applied, as no one theory can be followed all throughout by an organisation these needs to be
adapted as per the situations and working environment of the company.
TASK 2
P4 Key approaches to operations management and roles of leaders and managers
The key approaches used in the process of operations management are as follows:
System approach- The system approach of operation management involves the internal
and external factors of the environment which affect the working of the organisation (Tayur, S.,
Ganeshan and Magazine eds., 2012). The company is considered a system which operates
through the input and output functions and changing input into output. M&S Ltd. needs to view
the organisation as one system and work collectively in order to achieve results.
Dynamic approach- The alternative approach for the operation management is the
dynamic approach which includes elements such as learning, knowledge, problem solving and
contingencies. This mainly focus on the enhancing the improvement and adapting to new
situations. M&S Ltd. should use this approach in order to increase the overall performance of the
company instead of a single factor.
Roles of leaders and managers in operation management
The leaders and managers are essential at all levels of operation in the organisation.
Managers having proper knowledge and skills can help to mange the function in the business
along with using the resources effectively (Wu and Pagell, 2011). In M&S Ltd. the cost and
profitability analysis is required to be done by the manager to reduce the wastage and increase
production. For performing these tasks efficiently the operations manager need to have to good
communication skills. Whereas, the leaders in M&S Ltd. guide and put new ideas into action for
achieving the set goals. They help in coordination of work and employees in different
departments. In addition to this, it can be said that by having an effective application of total
quality management the business entity can have appropriate development of values. It has been
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noticed that quality of business firm operation can be advanced through application of standards
designed under quality management. Appropriate consideration of just in time approach is also
beneficial because it assist in meeting key goals and objectives. It means the significant time line
need to be designed as per task so that long term sustainability can be advanced. In order to have
appropriate consideration of methods is also necessary because it helps in advancing the
performance.
Total quality management is the great operational management tool or describes as
management approach, that helps in gaining long term success to the organization by satisfying
its customers. M&S need to focus on customers needs and they have to give training to staff so
that they can deliver quality services to clients. Involvement of employees need to be more
effective so hat innovative ideas can take place. It focuses on continue improvement by this way
cited firm will be able to satisfy its consumers.
Just-in-timne is another tool of operation management in which organization focus on
production to meet demands of users. They focus on deliver quality products on time to the
users. Major elements of JIT are such as continuous improvement, eliminate wastage etc.
kaizen is the great tool of operation management in which M&S has to identify an
opportunity for improvement, analyses the process, develop suitable solution and implement
these solutions on the workplace. It includes improvement in quality, cost, delivery, management
and safety. Input output is another tool in which M&S need to focus on input and they have to
focus on producing quality output to customers.
P5 Importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives
Operation management is the process that work for improving effeciency of the
organization. It is the business function that involves planning, organizing, controlling so that
efficiency of the product ion can get improved. Operations management process involves
various functions such as designing, controlling, redesigning the business operations. They also
differ according to the type and work process of the organisation. Objective of M&S is to
enhance revenues of the company and make customers satisfy towards the brand. Planning is the
important element by this way M&S can design the activities for the improvements. By this way
uncertain events can be minimized. Organizing is the essential factor of operation management
that helps in conducting the activities in effective manner. Staffing helps in completing the task
in good manner, skilled employees can help inn achieving objective of the company. Directing
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can support in guiding them well what to do and how to do it. By making strong control on the
employees, management can reduce mistakes, resourcing is another activity through which
company can operate nits business significantly.
The importance of the process for other departmental functions are:ď‚· Accounting department- The smooth functioning of the accounting department helps in
running the further processes without any disruption by making materials and tools
available and ascertaining the cost of the same to prevent any fake expenses.ď‚· Marketing department: The marketing department is also dependent on the smooth
running of the operations. It involves providing proper services are products in time to
have smooth running of marketing operations.ď‚· Finance department: the knowledge of operations can enhance better decision making
and evaluation of the budgets and capital structure. It helps to evaluate cost and revenue
process in order to reduce cost and methods to improve profits (Wang, X and et.al 2010).
ď‚· Engineering department: The lack of knowledge and training of operations can lead to
wastage of huge amount by the engineers in the organisation. Individual process is
required to be analysed in connection with the overall system in order to maximize the
benefits and minimize costs.
ď‚· It also allows in work management which is significant for appropriate staffing. With an
assistance of this, key measures can be taken into account. Along with this, planning and
organising are also key benefits that a business firm can attain through application of
operation management. It has been noticed that long term sustainable values. Such kind
of activities are beneficial for appropriate coordination among members. It assist leading
business firm to impressive level of success.
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Illustration 1: Importance of OM
Source: (Wu and Pagell, 2011)
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M3 Ways to improve efficiency of operational management by leaders and managers
Managers and leaders of M&S Ltd. Are responsible to improve the efficiencies of the
operational management process. This can be done through various methods:
ď‚· Considering the process of operational management as a main function makes it a part of
the daily business operations (Starr and Van Wassenhove, 2011).
ď‚· It helps to assign tasks and activities to different departments, supervisors and
subordinates as well.
ď‚· Inventory control is also considered as one of the most difficult and important tasks as it
needs to have an updated information of the inventory for the company. Operation
management helps to create a proper system for the function and make it more effective
(Wu and Pagell, 2011).
ď‚· Operations management also controls the quality of the products. It can help to create and
implement the procedures to improve quality to ensuring to meet the customer
expectations and creating brand loyalty.
ď‚· This process helps in making the organisation working run more smoothly and efficiently
(Ageron, Gunasekaran and Spalanzani, 2012).
The leaders and managers in the company needs to identify the requirement of operation
management in every function in order to implement the process and increase efficiency and
productivity of the company. This will help to create better quality of the products and services
to satisfy customer demands ultimately leading to more revenue (Wu and Pagell, 2011).
P6 Impact of factors of the business environment on operational management and decision
making
The organisation operates in a dynamic environment which consists of the external and
internal factors on the environment. The factors having impact on the working of the business
entity are:
Internal Factors- The factors within the business organisation having an impact on the
activities are the internal factors of the environment (Tummala and Schoenherr, 2011).
Cost and benefit- For a successful business decision-making analysis of cost and benefits is
necessary. This factor includes the expenses in production process as well as revenue from the
sales department to analyse the profit margin.
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Financial factors: This factor consists of funding and investing of income of the business. It
includes the risk factor for the financial structure of M&S Ltd. as any change in interest rate can
affect the financial status of the company positively or negatively.
Employee relations: The relations within the employees as well as with their superiors affect the
working efficiency and productivity of the whole company. Leaders and managers are required
to maintain good relations and help to create an environment of harmony in order to ensure
smooth functioning (What is Operations Management?, 2017).
External Factors- The factors which are not and cannot be controlled by the company
and still have an impact on its working are the external factors. The various elements of it are:
Competition: Competition is one of the main factors for most decision making process in the
company. The strategies and methods used by the others firms drives the organisation to apply
same and better methods to attract customers.
Customers: For a business entity to operate and grow, customer is considered as the main part
for the activity. The demands and prices in the market are driven by the customers which in
return helps the company to determine the production units and estimated revenue.
Corporate social responsibility is an essential activity that supports entity in running its
business ethically. CSR is self regulatory mechanism in which business ensures to operate their
business within legal and ethical boundaries. It is a novel idea that supports in increasing
sustainability of an organization. It is an beneficial tool that help in increasing retention rate of
staff members. CSR ensures comply with regulatory requirements and helps in gaining
competitive advantage.
Stakeholders are the important part of the M&S, it includes employees, customers,
managers, investors etc. Internal stakeholders of the cited firm are employees, mangers. It is
necessary to identify their satisfaction level so that effective strategies can be formulated to
increase their satisfaction level. External stakeholders of company are government, customers
etc. If they are satisfied then it will help in increasing business of the organization.
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M4 Effect of different factors on the business environment and wider community
The various factors affecting the business environment along with the community cane be
explained as:
Political: The major factor governing the operations and activities of a business firm are
the political elements such as the government and its policies for taxes, labour, environment and
trade which have an impact on trade and operations of an organisation.
Economic: These factors constitutes growth, exchange rates, inflation, etc. in a country
which affects the consumer preferences and buying power.
Technological: The technological factors are the elements related to the methods and
mediums used by the company for various operations and they become obsolete frequently.
Social: The cultural and social factors such as traditions, beliefs, age, gender affect the
preferences of the customers which helps the firm to segment the market in order to cater
selected customers (The ten roles of effective/successful leaders, 2017).
D2 Critical evaluation of application of operations management and factors impacting on wider
business environment
The process of operations management being an area of management which involves
designing and controlling the function of production and redesigns business operations as well.
The company M&S Ltd. has leaders and managers to makes sure the proper operation of
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business activities and efficiency level of the employees. To perform the mentioned task they are
required to use proper implementation and controlling techniques. This helps the company to
attain the company objective as well as maximum production levels (Understanding Production
and Operations Management, 2017). The managers are responsible for managing and guiding
the employees and providing motivation at regular intervals to improve the productivity and
efficiency levels. The leaders having the task setting visions and generating ideas and ways to
complete the tasks more efficiently. M&S Ltd. should identify the process of operations
management as one of the core function in order to grow and expand the company in the long
run.
CONCLUSION
After summarising the above report, it is concluded that operations management can
prove to be an important tool in achieving company objectives effectively. The leaders and
managers of an organisation plays most important role in implementing and controlling the
process to ensure smooth working. It is explained with the example of a company M&S Ltd. how
the functions of operation management can help to achieve desire objectives. To do so various
techniques and approaches are available to chose appropriate one for the activity. The report also
contains benefits and impact of the factors influencing the business environment and the
community as well. Hence, it can be concluded the process of operation management helps to
attain desired results in terms of efficiency and productivity for the organisation.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Slack, N., 2015. Operations strategy. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Jacobs, F.R., Chase, R.B. and Chase, R., 2010. Operations and supply chain management.
McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Bozarth, C.B. and Handfield, R.B., 2016. Introduction to operations and supply chain
management. Pearson Higher Ed.
Slack, N., Chambers, S. and Johnston, R., 2010. Operations management. Pearson education.
Mazeika Bilbao, A and et.al, 2011. On the environmental impacts of pallet management
operations. Management Research Review, 34(11), pp.1222-1236.
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.
Yang, M.G.M., Hong, P. and Modi, S.B., 2011. Impact of lean manufacturing and environmental
management on business performance: An empirical study of manufacturing firms. International
Journal of Production Economics, 129(2), pp.251-261.
Tang, O. and Musa, S.N., 2011. Identifying risk issues and research advancements in supply
chain risk management. International journal of production economics, 133(1), pp.25-34.
Dekker, R., Bloemhof, J. and Mallidis, I., 2012. Operations Research for green logistics–An
overview of aspects, issues, contributions and challenges. European Journal of Operational
Research, 219(3), pp.671-679.
Parry, G., Mills, J. and Turner, C., 2010. Lean competence: integration of theories in operations
management practice. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 15(3), pp.216-226.
Binder, M. and Edwards, J.S., 2010. Using grounded theory method for theory building in
operations management research: A study on inter-firm relationship governance. International
Journal of Operations & Production Management, 30(3), pp.232-259.
Tayur, S., Ganeshan, R. and Magazine, M. eds., 2012. Quantitative models for supply chain
management (Vol. 17). Springer Science & Business Media.
Wu, Z. and Pagell, M., 2011. Balancing priorities: Decision-making in sustainable supply chain
management. Journal of Operations Management, 29(6), pp.577-590.
Wang, X and et.al, 2010. A production planning model to reduce risk and improve operations
management. International Journal of Production Economics, 124(2), pp.463-474.
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Starr, M.K. and Van Wassenhove, L.N., 2011. Special issue of production and operations
management: Humanitarian operations and crisis management. Production and Operations
Management, 20(5), pp.787-788.
Ageron, B., Gunasekaran, A. and Spalanzani, A., 2012. Sustainable supply management: An
empirical study. International Journal of Production Economics, 140(1), pp.168-182.
Tummala, R. and Schoenherr, T., 2011. Assessing and managing risks using the supply chain
risk management process (SCRMP). Supply Chain Management: An International Journal,
16(6), pp.474-483.
Online
What is Operations Management?. 2017. [Online]. Available
through:<http://www.topmba.com/mba-programs/what-operations-management>. [Accessed on
1st March 2017].
The ten roles of effective/successful leaders. 2017. [Online]. Available
through:<http://www.marcusventures.com/notebook/the-ten-roles-of-effective-successful-
leaders>. [Accessed on 1st March 2017].
Understanding Production and Operations Management. 2017. [Online]. Available
through:<http://www.managementstudyguide.com/production-and-operations-
management.htm>. [Accessed on 1st March 2017].
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