Leadership and Operational Management Analysis: Marks & Spencer Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of leadership and management principles within the context of Marks & Spencer (M&S). It begins by defining the roles and characteristics of both leaders and managers, highlighting their importance in achieving organizational goals. The report then explores the functions of managers and leaders in various business situations, such as delegation, employee engagement, and decision-making processes, using examples from M&S and Tesco. Furthermore, it delves into leadership theories and models relevant to M&S, including the Situational Leadership Theory and the System Leadership Theory. The report also examines key approaches to operational management, its value, and the influence of the business environment on operational strategies. The analysis covers the roles of project managers in operational activities and decision-making processes. The report concludes with a discussion of the factors of business management that help in managing the operational management and the decision taking by leaders and managers. Overall, this report offers valuable insights into effective leadership and management practices, with a focus on practical applications within the retail industry.

MANAGEMENT
AND
OPERATION'S

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 The roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager........................................................1
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................3
P2 Role and function played by managers and leaders in different business situations.............3
P3 Various models and theories related to leadership at Starbucks............................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
P4 Key operations ton operations management and roles played by managers and leaders......6
P5 Importance and value of operations management.................................................................7
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................7
P6 Factors of business environment that have an impact on operational management..............7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Management and operations is considered as important factors in the business operations
as they help in conducting the business activities in an effective manner. Its main aim is to
manage and control all the business objectives so that effective objectives can be attained. Here,
their task is to handle the various strategic issues which includes describing the size of the
manufacturing plants and the project management assets as well (Botton, Cavalletto and
Marmeggi, 2013). The organisation referred here is Marks and Spencer. It is a Big Multinational
British retailing company which is located in London. It is specialised in clothing , home as well
as luxury products. It is having 979 stores across UK. This report will discuss about the role of
manager and a leader in developing the business of marks and Spencer, different theories and
models of leadership, key approaches of operation management along with their importance and
value in M&S. Also, the factors of business management that helps in managing the operational
management and the decision taking by leaders and managers will be studied.
TASK 1
P1 The roles and characteristics of a leader and a manager.
It is very important for all the organisation to have a strong management and leadership
activities sop that they can achieve their goals and objectives in an effective manner. It will be
very helpful for all the companies in making a good brand image in the market and also keeping
it intact as well. Marks and Spencer is also a well established brand but they also need to manage
all the activities with good leadership so that all their objectives are being attained in an effective
manner. Also, M&S is among the top 4 retailing brand in UK having so many food chains so to
manage all these , company will need a good manager .
MANAGER: He is the person who is responsible for controlling and maintaining all the all the
activities that are being conducted in the company (Expósito and et. al., 2016). They are also
required to maintain skills and knowledge in the employees of the company so that they perform
their work effectively. They are always present to help and guide the employees in whatever
work they perform . Their direction is very important for the employees as it tells them that how
they have to work in the company.
ROLE OF A MANAGER: The essential roles of a manager are:-
 Hire efficient people – since efficiency employees is the core requirement of the
company so the manager should first try to hire such employees who could add value to
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the company. They should not take any shortcuts while hiring the employees (Eyal and
Haim, Clarizen Ltd., 2014).
 Managing the performance – it is of the very important role that is played by the manager
because it is very crucial for the companies to manager the performance of their
employees so that they continue giving effective results .
 Team development – the managers are only responsible to develop the performance of
the team as it is always said that interdependent team is always more productive than
individuals.
 Setting overall direction – The managers are only responsible to provide long term and
short term directions to the organisations so that they can achieve their goals in a fast
manner.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A MANAGER: The characteristics to become an effective as well
as successful manager are:-
 Leadership – if the person wants to become an effective manager, then they should be
able to lead the employees in an efficient manner.
 Experience – if the person will have no experience in leading the team or working in a
corporate world then they will have to face lot of difficulties as a manager. So a person
should be experienced so as to perform their work in a effective manner.
 Communication – The manager should be able to communicate well with the employees
of the company so that they can listen to their problems and solve it also.
 Knowledge – it is a very important factor that is required to be present in a manager
because of they will be able to manage the whole organisation in an effective manner.
LEADER: A leader is a person who is appointed by the manage to help the employees by
providing the effective direction so that they perform their work effectively (Handschin and
Petroianu, 2012). They are also r required to give motivation and direction to the employees and
make them goal oriented. They also improve their decision making skills and manage the
problems and barriers that are present in the workplace.
ROLE OF A LEADER : The various roles of a leader are :-
 Required at all levels – Leaders are required by the company at all the levels like starting
from framing the policies and ending till providing guidance ton the employees.
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 Representative of the organisation – They are considered as a representative of the
enterprise as they attend various seminars and conferences of the company. They help the
company by promoting it to the outside public (Johnstone, 2016).
 Friend, philosopher and guide – The leader is required to have a friendly nature so that
they are able to connect with the employees in an effective manner. They will be able to
guide them and supervise them so that they perform effectively.
 Support – A leader can also be a manager of the company as they are always present to
support and guide the employees in their working. Their intelligence and experience will
help them in supervising the staff members and thus achieving the goals of the company.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A LEADER: The characteristics are as follows:-
 Collaborative – They need to be connected with the team members so that they help them
and work as per their guidance only.
 Visionary – It is very important that the leader must look at the future and should also
have a vision so that they keep the employees motivated in achieving their objectives.
 Influential – The leader should be influential and not controller because then only they
will be able to guide the employees as per them .
 Empathetic – The leader should be empathetic which means that he should treat others
like the way they want to be treated.
The people who are responsible to handle the activities in operational management are called as
the project managers. So, with their help all the activities are completed in a systematic and
planned manner.
TASK 2
P2 Role and function played by managers and leaders in different business situations
Both the leaders and managers are a very important part of organisation as they help in
fulfilling the objectives of the company in an effective manner. Their contribution helps the
company ion achieving high profitability ratios in the market. In Marks and Spencer , the
managers are required to play effective role in supervising and guiding the employees like a
leader do (Liu, Yin and Fu, 2011). The role of a leader and function of a manager applicable in
different organisational context are :-
 Delegation of authorities – It is one of the most important factor that needs to be present
in the workplace as it helps in maintaining equality between the employees and creating a
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a effective environment for work as well. The plans and policies prepared by the manager
should be effective for the employees and the roles and responsibilities that will be
assigned should be equally divided between the employees so that there is no problem to
the employees (Mendis, Muttaqi and Perera, 2014). So, the function of the manager is to
allot make policies and assign the responsibilities equally. On the other hand, the role of
the leader is to guide the employees regarding the role they have to play in the company
and how can hey fulfil it in an effective manner.
Example – in Tesco, managers are distributing the responsibilities to the staff as per their
expertise so that they do not feel demotivated and perform their work effectively.
 Employee engagement programs – It is the duty of the manager to introduce good
employee engagement programs so as to maintain good employee relations in the
Company. On the other hand, the role of a leader is to motivate the employees and
influence them to participate in such employee engagement programs so that their
efficiency increases and goal of the company is achieved.
Example – Tesco's manager is implementing good employee engagement programs so as to
improve the participation of employees in the company . They are having around 90000
employees and taking contribution of each and every one is very difficult but required too.
 Training and development – it is the function of a manager to train and develop the
employees so that their skills and knowledge gets increased and they give good results to
the company. On the other hand, leader is required to guide and nurture the skills and
capabilities of employees so that they are work as per the guidelines of the company.
Example – Tesco is one of the successful company in UK and they have become successful with
the help of their efficient employees . Son , tesco is providing good training to its employees so
that their efficiency gets increase and they contribute to the company effectively (Moghaddam,
Seifi and Niknam, 2012).
 Decision making process – It is the duty of the manager to involve the employees in the
decision making process so that they fell connected to the company and give their ideas
as well. The leaders of the organisation is also involved in this process as they provide
motivation to the employees for generating innovative ideas which can be used by the
company and increase their productivity. '
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Example – In Tesco, the managers take ideas from the employees as how can they increase the
no. of visitors in the store so that their profits gets increased.
P3 Various models and theories related to leadership at Starbucks
The various models and strategies applied by Marks and Spencer are :-
 Situational Theory – It is one of the best theory used in the leadership process . It was
developed by Dr. Paul Hersey. This theory says that no leadership style is 'best' for any
company (Moghaddam and et. al., 2011). The leaders are required to adopt the
leadership styles as per the situation present in the company. As per this theory , those
leaders are considered effective which make use of correct leadership style at the correct
situation so as to complete the task effectively. The steps involved in this analysis are :-
◦ Diagnose – In this the current problems and queries are analysed . If the company
wants ton influence behaviour then they have to identify the current circumstances.
◦ Adapt – In this , the needs that are required to be implemented is adapted so as to
manipulate them.
◦ Communicate – here, the focus is on the interaction that is held between leaders and
supporters so that they can understand the changes and accept is as well.
◦ Advance – here , the aim is to effectively manage the movement of people referring
to a particular situation.
 System Leadership Theory – It is considered as one of the controlling approach of
leadership. It determines all those activities that should be used by the Marks and
Spencer so s ton manage and perform the activities in an effective manner (Mohammadi
and et. al., 2013). It specifies that the staff should perform all those roles and
responsibilities that are allotted to them by their manager. The elements that justifies this
approach are as follows:-
◦ Way of Feeling
◦ Way of perceiving
◦ Way of Thinking
◦ Way of relating
◦ Way of doing
◦ Way of being
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 Trait Leadership Theory - This model of leadership is based on characteristics of the
leaders and is also very effective in predicting the effectiveness of the leaders. This
theory is applied at all the levels of the organisation. Managers of the company can make
use of such information so as to evaluate their position in the organisation and also how
can it be made stronger. It also helps in providing detailed knowledge and understanding
of the leader elements in the leadership process (Nakamura and et. al., 2015).
 Contingency Theory of leadership – As per this approach , it is determined that there is
no best way to handle a particular situation in a company . It depends on the leader that
which strategy they choose at that pointy of time . Its main concentration is on the
leader's personality and the situation in which the leader is operating . There are various
factors which are undertaken in such situations are task, personality and approach to
solve the problem
TASK 3
P4 Key operations ton operations management and roles played by managers and leaders
The key approaches of operations management are :-
 Total quality management :- This approach aims at continuous development of
products and services so as to improve its quality. It also increases the expectations of the
customers as they feel that the company is providing effective goods and services. Both
manager and leader play an important role in this approach as the manager only chooses
this type of strategy and the leader helps in influencing the staff in implementing it
successfully.
 Just in Time Approach :-The main aim associated with this approach is to minimize the
wastage of the company and that is why they order the products only when they need it.
Both managers and the leaders play a very crucial role in this approach as the manager is
only required to import the resources in the company and the leader is required is to
motivate the employees to work accordingly (Ruiz-Alvarez and et. al., 2012).
 Six Sigma Approach – This approach aims at eliminating the gap that comes in the
production process. It also focuses on completing the requirements of the customers and
providing them products in a cost effective manner. Marks and Spencer is using this
approach so as to manage their supply of goods and services in an effective manner. The
managers here are required to implement the right methodology at the right time.
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P5 Importance and value of operations management
Operations management is very essential for every organisation as through this the whole
production and manufacturing sector is maintained effectively. The importance of operation
management in Marks and Spencer are :-
 Customer Satisfaction – If the company wants to retain their customers then they will
have to satisfy them by providing them what they want as they will help in increasingb he
sales of the company. M&S is providing best services to their customers and thus they are
successful in gaining their trust also (Shuxin, 2011).
 Quality improvement – Another important factor that is important for M&S is the product
quality they are offering to the customers. They are providing products of best quality
and at the best price as well and thus they are loved the public.
 Maximising the profit – It is the aim of every company to increase their profit and M&S
is also making much profit from their operations . Various tools are used by them so as to
manage their sales and increase the profits.
TASK 4
P6 Factors of business environment that have an impact on operational management
Marks & Spencer is one of a retail section association whom major operations is to
deliver quality products to their users so that their satisfaction level get enhance. There are
variety of products are provided by an association which are appropriate in range as well as their
qualities are high standard. M&S also performing their duties towards society properly as well as
managers better know about their working abilities and functions. The various functions of
Marks & Spencer are described as follow with their managers roles and duties:
BASIS Role of manager
Planning A major role of manager of an association is to prepare an appropriate
plan which support in order to accomplish all objectives and targets
properly. Marks and Spencer is a retail sector business whom major target
is to make their customer satisfied. Thus, managers have to prepare their
plan properly in order to deliver quality products as well as to manage
quantity of goods as well.
Staffing Another task which have to perform by HR manager of a company is to
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maintain sufficient number of staff personnel whom are able to perform
their task effectively. Marks & Spencer staff members have better
knowledge about how to deal with customers which facilitate them in
order to manage their operations properly.
Organising Marks and Spencer have to organise their activities properly in order to
which managers have to prepare their objectives and targets properly. It is
essential to make such strategies which manage an association to
accomplish all their targets and goals properly.
Directing and
controlling
Marks and Spencer prepare several goals and objectives whom require
appropriate direction to done their jobs and maintain sufficient control
over on activities. This duty have to fulfil by manager properly in order to
which they are going to manage operations in an appropriate manner.
Leaders and managers of a company have to analyse business environment properly in
which they are operating business activities (Strande and Brdjanovic, 2014). It is essential to
understand and prepare business objectives by considering all environmental factors properly so
that Marks and Spencer will lead to execute their operations properly and decisions will be
carried down effectively: Political: Government frame many fiscal and other policies which have to take in account
by business while taking any decision. Marks & Spencer have to evaluate government
policies regarding with tax effectively and then they have to take suitable decision for
their operations properly. Economical: Another major thing which have to take in account by leaders and managers
of a company while they are operating activities in a country about inflation and
depression. Business have to take effective decision related with prices and employment
by considering all economical factors. Social: Marks & Spencer have to determine taste and preferences of society as well as
evaluate the image of a company in front of customers. By taking taste and opinion
perfectly in account managers and leaders will lead to deliver such products and goods
which are highly demanded by an association (White, 2016).
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 Technological: Marks and Spencer have to use new technologies for a business so that
they lead to manufacture and produce such quality goods which are appropriate in
standard as well as met with all demands of their customers. Along with this, managers
and leaders can take decision regarding promotion through social media as well. Environmental: Managers and leaders of a company have to understand the environment
or competitors properly and by considering and evaluating them suitable strategies and
action plan get implemented properly (Botton, Cavalletto and Marmeggi, 2013).
 Legal: HR manager of Marks and Spencer have to understand all legal terms properly
and implement them effectively so that they are going to manage activities properly.
CONCLUSION
It get concluded from the project that managing operations in an association is a major
task which perform by leaders and managers of an organisation. A leader have a different role in
an association in which their major work is to guide others as well as manager of a company
perform different functions through which association become able to accomplish all targets
properly. For operating the various functions and activities of an association it is essential for
leaders and manage to perform all duties and obligations in an appropriate manner. Along with
this, decision making process of a company also get impacted from various environment factors.
Thus, leaders and managers have to take suitable actions to deal with these environment factors
properly.
REFERENCES
Book and Journals
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Online
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<https://www.topmba.com/mba-programs/what-operations-management>.
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