Marks & Spencer: Leadership, Management, and Operational Approaches

This report provides an in-depth analysis of leadership and management within the context of operational management, using Marks & Spencer (M&S) as a case study. The report begins by differentiating between the roles and characteristics of leaders and managers, highlighting their distinct responsibilities in achieving organizational goals. It then explores how leaders and managers function in different situational contexts, emphasizing the importance of adapting to various challenges and conflicts. The report further delves into various leadership theories and models, including situational leadership, system leadership, and contingency theory, providing a comprehensive understanding of their applications. Key approaches to operations management are examined, with a focus on the roles of leaders and managers in production processes, lean production, and total quality management. The report also addresses the importance and value of operations management, including factors that influence operational decision-making within the retail context of M&S.

MANAGEMENT AND
OPERATION

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager...............................................3
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................5
P2. Role of a leader and function of a manager in different situational......................................5
P3 Theories and models of approach, including situational leadership,System leadership and
contingency.................................................................................................................................6
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................7
P4 Key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers ...........7
P5- Importance and value of operations management .............................................................10
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................10
P6- factors that impact upon operational management and decision-making ..........................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Operational Management is the operational activityof organisation which helps to
manage resource, operational activity and management activity. It helps to provide better service
to their customer (White, P.R., 2016). . It coordinates with the all management activity and other
operational activity related to finance and other organisation field. Its major role is to transform
input into company's output as product. It is responsible for taking decision and making strategic
decision. As M&S company have leader and manager who help to increase
company work and help to sale company product in market. M&S company
founded in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in
Leeds(Nakayama, and Bucks, eds., 2012). Robert Swannell is the present
chairman and Steve Rowe is the present CEO of M&S company. It is the
British multinational retailer company in London. It deal as online retailer
and e commerce platform. Company have very big brand name in market. It
manage 914 stores in UK and care about 32 million customer. Company earn
£10555.4 million in 2016. Company operating income is £784.9 million and profit is £404.4
million in 2016. Company have a very broad structure of management which describe about the
roles and responsibility of employee and define about their position in company.
LO 1
P1 Different roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager
Leader and manager both are have different role and characteristic in company which
helps in managing the work.
Leader: - Leader is a person who leads a team and gives command to complete the work
and achieve the target.
Manager: - manager is a person who manages administration work and management
work in organisation. He leads a group and staff in busioess.
Leader and manager both are have their different role and responsibility. They work with
each other but both are different from each other.
Leader Manager
Leader makes a vision. Manager make goal.

Leader is the risk taker Manager is the risk controller.
Roles and characteristics of leader
 Leader is the communicator who communicate message with their team member.
 Leader takes appropriate decision according to their target.
Roles and characteristics of leader
 Manager help to develop team
 Manager manages performance management in the organisation.
LO 2
P2. Role of a leader and function of a manager in different situational
Leader and manager both are have their different roles and functions. They work to
Mange Company’s work and take perfect decision related to any situation. A manager and leader
play a crucial role in the organisation. Leader and manager analyse about the problem and issue
in organisation. According to situation, manager and leader play their role. Leader works as a
risk taker who take risk to complete any specific task and acheuiev particular target. Firm
(Handschin, and Petroianu, 2012). A manager is the risk controller who control risk and analyse
about the risk situation. Every business unit face many situations in the organisation. Leader and
manger try to control that situation and use effective strategy to remove issues and conflict..
Every business has some internal and external conflict which has power to influence work of the
organisation. So it is necessary to remove conflicts from the business and make better product
and provide quality service to their customer.
These different situations are as follow:-
 Conflict within the individual: - Conflict refers about the issue in individual person
mind. It refers that employee want to save themselves from work so they create falls
situation and make a scenario of problem. It is not good for the employee. so the
manager analyse the issue and remove that issue or conflict from employee mind

(Niknam, Meymand, and Mojarrad, 2011). Manager work as a internal force of company
and manager can remove that conflict.
As M&S retailer employee tells lie that we have not proper resources and other things so we
have to purchase more raw material so manager or leader should analyse about the real situation
and solve actual problem.
 Interpersonal conflict: - It is most problem of the firm. Organisation face conflict
between two employees and between two individuals. It can arise between employees,
top level management and between two managers. In case if M&S top level; management
want to do changes in their selling process and their retailer store. So many directors are
ready to do changes and some directors are not in favour of changes. It creates conflict
between directors. So the firm have the option to take right decision. Company analyse
that these changes is beneficial or not. After that take exact decision and remove conflict
from business.
Leadership approaches- Company use much leadership approach to remove conflict and take
better decision. Company can use trait approach, style approach and other approach to remove
conflict and other problem which influence the work of organisation (Mohammadi, Soleymani,
and Mozafari, 2014). These approaches are useful for the organisation. Mark & Spencer also
prefer these strategies for removing all conflict and achieving target of organisation. Manager
and leader analyzes about market, conflict and problem of organisation to solve all the issue from
company.
P3 Theories and models of approach, including situational leadership,System leadership and
contingency
Traditional and Modern management
At present time, company uses both type of management style in the organisation. These
styles refer many thing which help to mange organisation work and help to remove issue. This
management style describes about that how can we manage their work and how implement that
work to achieve company target (Bahmani-Firouzi, and Azizipanah-Abarghooee, 2014).
Manager and leader play an important role in context of traditional and modern style.
Traditional style management refer to old style of management and follow rules and
regulation of traditional style. Traditional style always refers to the old format of management
and specific leadership approach to manage work.

Modern approach refers to new techniques and rules to take better decision and make
healthy environment in the company. Both are necessary management style to implement work
of company . Company use management approach to take decision and find out the problem in
company. These management styles describe about how can we solve issue and how can the
company overcome the conflict.
Traditional and Modern management style tell about the rules and regulation of
management. Traditional management is based on some specific rules and some specific
approach which helps in managing company’s activity. Both management styles are necessary
for the firm.
Contingency theory: - It is the expansion of trait theory which refer that some situation
and mange that particular situation. It refers that manager and leader play its role if any situation
take place in the organisation. Contingency is the modern management approach. Manager and
leader use this approach to complete any task and remove any situational problem.
System based approach: - Company uses system based approach as a structure manner.
System based approach defines about a system which is used by the manager and leader to
manage and lead their team, this approach provides framework to company and company follow
that procedure. This procedure is based on current situation. It is the specific task for specific
situation.
Situational approach: - Situation approach refers to any particular situation and
manager and leader perform on that situation. Situation approach use for any specific situation.
Manger and leader analyse about the situation and identify about the problem, opportunity and
other thing which can affect the organisation work (Niknam, Meymand, and Mojarrad, 2011). It
is also describe about the how manager and leader perform on different situation in company.
As M&S company face employee conflict problem in organisation. So company can use
these approaches to remove conflict from employee. Above all the approach has some strength
and weakness. As company can use contingency approach to remove conflict from employee
mind. Contingency theory refers easy research and provide easy solution of problem. But it
needs specific data for the research. Company have an option to use system based approach to
remove conflict. System based approach uses system and software to remove conflict but many
time it fails to identify about the actual situation and about many unnecessary action which take
place suddenly. The firm can use situational approach to understand the reason of conflicts and

how they can remove that conflict but many times it is unable to recognise about the need of
company situation and take wrong decision related to company.
LO 3
P4 Key approaches to operations management and the role that leaders and managers
Company prefer much key operational activity in organisation. Operational activity refers
about manufacturing activity and that activity which help the organisation to produce product.
Operational activity also includes marketing and services very company use operational activity
to analyse about cash inflow and out flow and other net incomes. Company use many things to
identify about the cash outflow (Holmes, and et al., 2011). Company take cash inflow result from
goods sold, services, sale of shares and income earned from investment. Company take idea
about the cash outflow from purchasing of equipment and other inventory, interest and payment
on loans, employee salary and other cost and expenses. Operational activity refers many activity
which help organisation to produce product. Company follow a particular procedure to develop a
product.
Production process
The firm always follow a procedure to make product. Company always need many things
to produce product. Company make own procedure of production and implement that procedure
to get the output. Company follow two basic things in their product production. Company always
need input to get output company use raw material as an input, labour also an input for company.
These things make a better product to their customer. Every product needs a process to complete
production (López, and et. al., 2015). According to given diagram we can easily identify that a
company use property as a place, machinery and equipment, labour, raw material to produce
product. After use all this thing a process of take place which is called transforming process.
After completing this process company get the output product from resource. These resource
help to mange company productivity. Production department always care bout the resources of
company. Company sale their output product in market an get benefit. Company also provide
service to their customer(Expósito, et. al., 2016). Which help to increase brand nm and
company's goodwill. Company make their product to get benefit from market. Company always
use this procedure to make product. Many times company have to do analysis about the market

and analyse about the market opportunity and how to grab that opportunity. It is also part of
operational.
Company always appoint production manager on manufacturing department. Manager
has many roles and responsibility to produce new product. Production manager controls
production activity. Manager also checks about the product quality and after completing the
production process manager send that product to market.
Leader manages team and tries to sale their product in market (Bahn, 2013). Company
make effective product and leader try to sale that and how to increase product sale in market.
Company use both leader and manager to implement production and sales work.
Lean production
Lean production is a systematic process to reduce wastage on production site. Company
use lean production to minimise wastage without any sacrifice productivity and manage the
production of product.
Total Quality management
Total quality management refer to a systematic process and some principle which have to
follow by all the staff members with high standard of work. It refer many rules related to
operational activity(Sedaghati, and Kavousi-Fard, 2014).
Just in time:-

Just in time is a strategic process of inventory. This helps the employee to increase their
efficiency and helps in reducing wastage from production. Just in time is used in the production
process which also helps in reducing product cost and increasing productivity by recycling
wastage.
Continuous improvement:-
It refers to continuous improvement in their production and their employee skills.
Company always want to increase their employee productivity. Company use this strategy to
increase their employee performance, production of company and skills of employee.
Leader and manager use all these strategies in M&S company. It is the multinational
retailer store. It deals with all production and marketing activity which helps to increase
company wastage product and increase their sale in market. Company can easily grow to follow
these effective strategies in their company.
P5- Importance and value of operations management
Every company use operational activity in their organisation which help the organisation
to identify about cash inflow and cash outflow. It provides the actual information about the
operational activity in the organisation. It is useful for the organisation.
 Operational activity helps to measure about employee and company efficiency.
 It assists in analyzing quality of product (Nong, and et. al., 2013.).
 It refers about the cash inflow and cash out flow in manufacturing department.
Operational activity plays a crucial role in business success. It refers many activities
which help the organisation to manage work and provide actual data related to manufacturing
term and other related term. It describes about the lean production, just in time process,
continuous improvement and total quality management in organisation. Operation is the basic
activity of every organisation.
As Mark and Spencer, company also uses the operational activity to collect data and
manage that data to identify about cash inflow, outflow, profit, other cost related expenses.
Company always care about their operational activity because it is the necessary part of
organisation to take decision and get actual result. It helps to meet organisation objectives also.
Leader and manager get appropriate result from operational activity (Cloudt, and
Willems, 2011). As operational activity show the lower sales graph so manager make a strategy

and give instruction to leader. Leader implements that strategy and identify about the reason of
low sales. Leader can increase sale after identifying the problem.
LO 4
P6- factors that impact upon operational management and decision-making
External business environment always affect business activity. External environment
refer to many activities which have power to influence work of organisation. These activities are
as follow:-
Corporate social responsibility: - Company always follow corporate social
responsibility. Company should always care about CSR. Because it have power to increment an
decrement in company goodwill. It helps to manage brand loyalty and customer trust.
Business ethics: - Business ethics refers to moral duty and obligations. Company should
remove all ethical issue and make better environment in company.
Stake holder: - Stake holders are the main key factor of the organisation. Company
include customer, share holder, competitors, employee and others (Johnstone, S., 2016).
As Mark and Spencer, company provide fund to trusts and follow CSR activity to
increase their sales. Company should always follow the business ethics principle and try to
remove all issues of business ethics. Company wok on broad level so company also care about
their stake holder who help organisation in production and market activity.
Leader and manager work for the organisation and carries out several activities for
meeting business objective. Many factors are there which affect the work of organisation and
business environment also. These factors may be cultural, social, internal conflict and many
other issues which have the power to influence the work of company. Company follow many
application of operational activity. Company use supply chain management, total quality
management and operational; activity which help company to manage operational activity
(Bahmani-Firouzi, and Azizipanah-Abarghooee, 2014).
In Mark and Spencer, company always use operational activity to manage their
operational work. Company should use effective operation activity to manage operational term.
Company should always follow the roles and responsibility.

CONCLUSION
Leader and manager both are the key factor of company who helps the company to
achieve target and assist in meeting t business objective. Manager and leader both have their
different roles and responsibility. Manager and leader both are important to organisation.
Company have to face many situations on company. Manager and leader aid the organisation to
manage that situation and take perfect decision related to situation. Company use many
leadership style and theories. These theories help the organisation work and make easy work of
manager and leader. Leader and manager deal with many operational activity of the organisation.
Company use operational activity to achieve company target. Many operational activities take
place in organisation. Operation activity is the necessary part of organisation it have many
importance in company which help in organisation to complete their target.
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