Leadership and Operational Management Analysis at Marks and Spencer

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of management and operations at Marks and Spencer (M&S). It begins with an overview of the company, its management structure, and the roles and responsibilities of managers and leaders. The report then delves into the differences between managerial functions and leadership roles, supported by examples and various leadership theories such as Situational Leadership Theory, Contingency Leadership Theory, and System Leadership Theory. A critical evaluation of these theories is presented, followed by an assessment of how managers and leaders impact M&S's performance, including recommendations for future improvements. The second part of the report focuses on the operational management of M&S, detailing the roles and responsibilities within this system, the importance of operational management, and key approaches. It evaluates how managers and leaders contribute to improving operational management, considers external factors affecting it, and critically assesses the application of operational management within the company, concluding with recommendations for future enhancements. The report emphasizes the importance of aligning leadership styles and managerial functions to achieve organizational goals and improve overall efficiency, providing a thorough examination of M&S's operational and leadership strategies.

MANAGEMENT
AND
OPERATIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1. Overview of Marks and Spencer........................................................................................1
2. Presenting roles and responsibilities of Managers and Leaders.........................................2
3. Analyzing differences of managerial functions and leadership roles.................................2
4. Presenting examples of different situation.........................................................................3
5. Presenting different theories...............................................................................................3
6. Critical Evaluation of theories............................................................................................4
7. How managers and leaders make impact on M&S and Recommendation for future
improvements.........................................................................................................................5
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
1. Operational Management of M&S.....................................................................................5
2. Roles and responsibilities of Mangers and leaders.............................................................6
3. Importance and key approaches of Operational Management...........................................6
4. Evaluating how managers and leaders effective in improving operational management. .7
5. Presenting external factors affecting operational management..........................................7
6. Critical evaluation of application of operational management ..........................................8
7. Recommendations for future improvements......................................................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Management and operations have their own importance in every business. Management
is a process of dealing with peoples and things while operations system concerns with designing
and controlling activity. The present report is based upon Marks and Spencer (M&S) which is a
leading multinational retailer store in UK which offers variety of products at affordable price.
Study help to understand different roles and responsibilities of managers and leaders and depict
how these functions differ from each other. It describes various management and leadership
theories that help to support growth and sustainable performance of a quoted company. Further,
report show importance and key approaches of operational management of M&S. Moreover, it
assesses impact of external business environment factors and critically evaluates the applications
of operational management that impact on wider business environment and suggests
recommendations for future improvements of listed company.
TASK 1
1. Overview of Marks and Spencer
Marks and Spencer is a leading multinational retail store in London, United Kingdom and
specialises in selling of food & home products and clothes. Currently, company has crossed 979
stores in UK in which 615 stores are mainly dealing with selling of food products only. The
company has strong financial status and its operating income is more than 690than 690 million.
It always makes its extra efforts in order to increase its customer base and establish its unit at
global level too. It also focusses on sustainability and organizes different campaigns to increase
environmental awareness among people and these events highlight to customers related to
various ethical and environmental friendly aspect of production such as Fair trade products.
Management Structure: M&S follows flat structure because it has limited levels of
management between superior and front line employees. Generally, this structure is followed by
quoted organization to encourage employees to keep involving themselves in decision-making
process that are mostly taken by authority (Manzini and et.al., 2018). By adopting this structure,
managers and employees directly communicate with each other and keep workers satisfied and
inspires them to keep producing best outcome.
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2. Presenting roles and responsibilities of Managers and Leaders
Managers: They are the person who is responsible for controlling and administration
process. They provide guidance to their employees in order to work in a proper way. They
control department in M&S and even make decisions for the welfare of company.
Leaders: They are individuals who actually motivates, inspires and provide training to
employees and develop new strategies which help to attain all defined goals of M&S. They work
as a mentor in company and complete mission with their innovative ideas.
Roles of Managers Roles of Leaders
 Keep monitoring all the activities
which are assigned to employees.
 Evaluating performance of each
individual in job place.
 Supports in decision-making (Roles
and responsibilties of Leaders, 2018).
 Provide guidance to workers.
 Hire and fire employees.
 Develop strategies in order to reach
defined goals.
 Provides trainings and motivates staff.
 Clearly communicates with
subordinates in order to lead a team in
better way.
 Creates reports to update company's
progress (Fink and et.al., 2016).
 It is their duty to solve complex
problems in M&S.
3. Analyzing differences of managerial functions and leadership roles
By applying Transformational Leadership Theory, that help leaders of M&S to create
vision to guide the change by using inspiration and motivates them in order to achieve all defined
goals of a company (Han and et.al., 2014). By using transformational theory, managers of M&S
can schedule all activities in order to attain defined goals and objectives while on the other side,
leadership role involves to solve problems by identifying things that affects overall success of a
company. Both leaders and managers collectively do their work for the welfare of company.
Managers of M&S are making their efforts in order to improve sales and maximize profit while
leaders motivate their employees and guides properly to raise their working performance.
Managerial functions involve planning, staffing, organizing and leading whereas,
leadership roles pertain building morale, motivate, inspire and guide employees for their better
performance. Managers have technical and conceptual skills while leaders have interpersonal
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ability which aid to solve different complex problems in a company. Therefore, both managers
and leaders makes their efforts in order to take a business in next further level of success.
4. Presenting examples of different situation
 In order to introduce new product, leaders of quoted company applies various strategies
to identify whether product will helpshelp increase sales and maximize profit. Wwhile on
the other side, managers of a company uses promotional tools to let other people know
about this the new offering (Marzband and et.al., 2016).
 In M&S, managers perform functions such as planning, leading, controlling, organizing
and coordinating while leaders encourages, motivates and inspires employees to do work
in an effective way.
 At a time of adopting new strategy by M&S, leaders think whether this method will work
for the betterment of a company or maximizing profit and motivate employees to adapt
that into work area., Whileon the other side, managers of a company assigns duties to all
by providing guidance on how to apply that plan of action.
5. Presenting different theories
Situational Leadership Theory: This suggests that all leadership kind types are best
suited to task and no single style is firstbest. According to the theory, effective leaders are those
who adapt style in order to face a situation and it is quite necessary for a leader as well as
managers to opt approaches as per diverse circumstance (Situational Leadership theory, 2018). It
is based upon four behaviours of leaders such as telling, selling, participating and delegating.
Therefore, adopting best leadership style in actual situation is quite necessary to lead a team in
correct way.
Contingency Leadership Theory: This theory states that effectiveness of leaders is
completely depended upon how leadership style ties with different situations. There is no single
leadership style which is bestis best as it all depends upon various situations and the actions
upon internal as well as external situations only. It is quite necessary for managers and leaders to
choose best style of leadership style to a right situation. This theory contains relationship
between favourableness of a situation and leadership style (Hannan and et.al., 2017).
System Leadership Theory: this theory applies when leader performs multiple tasks in
order to attain all defined goals of a company. For Marks and Spencer, leaders creates some
situations in order to raise employee's productivity and it affectit affect company's overall
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performances. They even dealsdeal with those systems which help to meet company's specific
goals that further lead to some social change.
6. Critical Evaluation of theories
Theories Strength Weaknesses
Situational
Leadership Theory:
 Best suited for M&S
because it helps to solve
new challenges of
leadership style .
 Brings out the best
employees out of many
(Olivares, Cañizares and
Kazerani, 2014).
 Continuously changing
strategies with time will
creates difficulties for leaders
to implement those into work
area.
 A long term vision is needed
in order to choose best
strategy out of many.
Contingency
Leadership Theory:
 Helps to give exact
result.
 Quite flexible in task
structure.
 Helps to maintain
employee relationship
because worker's opinion
also matters in decision-
making.
 Difficult to implement in a
company.
 Needs high supervision while
using this.
System Leadership
Theory:
 Helps to raise company's
adaptability towards aan
environmental change.
 Completely focuses on
achieving company's
goals.
 Helps in decision-
making.
 Not as practical and leads to
delay in decision-making.
 Not suited for small system
(Solanki, Bhattacharya and
Cañizares, 2017).
 Does not support particular
leadership style.
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It has been critically evaluated that these theories aid to enhance working performance of
an employees. But among all, situational leadership theory will help in M&S to upgrade the
quality of work because this theory will assist to solve big issues of firm and even identify best
employee. Situational leadership theory is also assists leaders to keep motivating their employees
by using various techniques such as a best performer is rewarded while performing best in a
favour of a company. Thus this type of incentives will help to keep motivating workers in order
to produceing best result out of many.
7. Presenting hHow managers and leaders make impact on M&S and Recommendation for
future improvements
Managers and leaders have their own roles and responsibilities and creates positive
impact on company's performance such that by making great strategies will help to raise its
profitability (Santoro and et.al., 2017). By working collectivelycollectively, they will definitely
enhance company's productivity which further leads to sustaining its brand image in market.
Therefore, it is quite necessary for a quoted to company to adapt different managerial theories
and leadership style in order to creates positive impact on company's performance.
Recommendation:
 It is to be suggested to M&S, that leaders as well as managers must cope up with
different theories in order to keep raising company's performance.
 By providing proper guidance from managers will also helpful for employees to raise
their productivity that creates positive effect on company .
 By improving their management system will also be helpful for enhancinge their
profitability and moreover, inspiring workers and developing strong communication with
them will be helpfulsupportive for an organization.
TASK 2
1. Operational Management of M&S
Operational management is a process that helps to convert inputs into output. This
department system also ensures that business operations are effectively useds as a resources in
order to meet all users demand. In M&S, its operational management system is concerned with
all other department and helps to manage quality and creates services. It also monitormonitors
that a company ensures minimal waste and also develops large inventory system to keep
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updating about goods (Operational Management, 2018). There is need to improve M&S’s
operational system because of having miscommunication between superior authority and
employees.
If a company have well developed supply management and logistics, then its operational
direction system will definitely improvedimprove automatically. Such as, understanding trends
in supply chain management which help to meet customers demand is quite difficult but with
good supply chain and careful use of resources willresources will help to deliver large amount of
products and services to customers that aid to lead best supply management system that must be
in M&S to sustain its brand image in market.
2. Roles and responsibilities of Mangers and leaders
Manager: Managers basically manages raw materials and personnel and keep updating
inventory system and supply management method whether the goods and products are delivered
on time or not. Moreover, they also assign different duties to employees, hire or fire them and
planning staff development. Managers of M&S in operational management system helps in
budgeting, controlling cost and keep a firm on track (Debroux, 2017). They also set goals and
establishes different policies for departments and have has a responsibility that includes sales
forecasting and planning of gross revenue promotions.
Leaders: In operational management system, it is a responsibilities of leader to choose
people who can carry out mission of a company and they are only responsible for hiring those
who have an ability to get the work done on time. Leaders must have skills of communication
that helps to keep motivating their employees for their better working performance. They should
also encourage each team members to contributes their part for the welfare of a company
(Kerzner and Kerzner, 2017).
3. Importance and key approaches of Operational Management
Importance: It is quite important process that helps in planning, organizing, managing
and controlling of manufacturing processes. It is quite important in M&S because it helps to
manage all daily activities in an the organization and even help to improve overall productivity
(Importance of Operational Management, 2018). By this management system, manager’s/
leaders monitors whether the products are delivered on time or not. Moreover, it also helphelps
to solve issues related to design, dealing and maintenance of a system that are used for the
production of goods. Operational management measuremanagement measures efficiency of
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managers and leaders of M&S and gives a best possible way to achieve end goals in order to
improve overall productivity.
Key approaches: Total quality Approach is the best method that helps to measure
quality of products or/ services and it is long term success method that help to satisfy
customerscustomer’s needs. It is a process centred method that basically involves all employees
to keep participating in working towards common goals. It is a best method that helps to improve
quality of products that further help to successfully meet all objectives of a company. Method is
based upon customer focus, training must be provided to employees on methods of quality,
decisions must be based upon quality measurements and there should be continuous
improvement related to offered products.
4. Evaluating how managers and leaders effective in improving operational management
 To improve operational management system of M&S, leaders develops strategies to
eliminate cost cutting in order to raise company's overall profitability as well as
productivity. While on the other side, managers detect which equipment failures to meet
demand of customers that creates problems and results in customer’s complaints. (Xiang
and et.al., 2018).
 If leaders and managers imply real time energy data that help to ensure every critical
information is running optimally and efficiently will aid to improve company's
productivity.
 Managers are improving inventory control system and keep tracking scheduling of
employees in order to achieve high effectiveness of all activities. While leaders keep
motivating their employees to produce best result by using rich resources in order to
improve business process improvement.
 By amending supply chain management system will also help to improve operational
direction method and for this managers and leaders makes different strategies in order to
achieve goals and delivering best products to customers on time that will further help to
sustain its image in market.
5. Presenting external factors affecting operational management
Economy: Changes in interest rates and taxes will affect company's financial situation
and a bad economy of a country will directly createscreate negative impact on firm’s
profitability. It has been considered that economic environment is quite crucial for operations
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and short term change in demand also affect M&S’s productivity (Yu and et.al., 2018). Thus it is
necessary for an organization to sudden imply all new governmental policies into a working area.
Customers and suppliers: They both have a huge impact on coston cost that are offered
by a company. The power of customers areis depended upon how fierce competition is in
market. If customer’s buying power are changeds then it directly affect company's profitability
so there is a need to continuously produce those products which are demanded by customers
because that will help to raise its income.
Technological change: Innovations and sudden change in technologies are also creates
direct impact on company's operational management system. If company produces and offers
services with good quality and fastand fast delivery system that it will definitely affect method
in a positive way. It is quite necessary to cope up with advanced techniques in order to gain high
competition in market.
Competition: this external factor affectaffects company's overall performances and
providing best quality of products at low rates will make competition high in market (Manzini
and et.al., 2018). This affect company's operational system and therefore, to remain sustained in
a market there is a need to gain high competition and it can beis possible by delivering products
with least comparable performance.
6. Critical evaluation of application of operational management
For M&S, application of operational management such as supply chain should be more
effective by adapting different technological changes. Adapting new technological change into a
working area will be helpful for a company to become more profitable but on the other side it has
been critically evaluated that by adapting new techniques into working area will
increasesincrease cost but it further raises competition in market (Fink and et.al., 2016). So it is
quite necessary for M&S to evaluate llall applications of operational management to manage all
external factors that impacts on wider business environment.
As to manage economy factor and competition cause, it is necessary for M&S to provide
products and services at cheap rates so that it helps to gain large competitive advantages in
market that further lead to raise company's profitability as well as productivity. For wider
business environment, it is essential for to cope up with new and latest technologies and keep
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updating its online mode of concern. This will aid to lead to success and attain all defined
objectives.
7. Recommendations for future improvements
 By developing long term strategy will be helpful for M&S to sustain in market and
even with improving company's manufacturing system lead to increases their sales.
 Company must be more focused on quality rather than quantity. This strategy will be
helpful to attain all defined goals and maximizes its profitability too.
 Taking feedbacks form from customers and employees is another method that helps
to keep growing and after this appropriate actions in order to improve weakness can
be made.
 There is a need to improve company's operational management system and supply
chain direction because this will help to enhance its financial status.
 By developing good communication with employees and keep motivating them will
be another recommendation which M&S may use in order to increases its production
level.
 Training must be provided by leaders or managers to new employees to develop new
technical skills and appreciate them for their good performance. This will assist their
morale.
 Leaders and managers should support and encourage them to keep producing new
products for a the company. They should innovate new things in order to gain high
competition in market, quality of products must be measured by terms of TQM and
managers must check whether products are suppliedy on time or not.
 M&S should be keep updating their inventory system in order to know their actual
consumed products.
CONCLUSION
By summing up above report, it has been concluded that M&S have good management
system and there is a need to improve its operational method. Listed company have managers
and leaders which plays an important role in order to attain all defined goals. Report presents that
by applying different leadership theories will be helpful to support growth and sustainable
performance and also evaluates how this theoriesthese theories will upgrade quality of products.
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Further, it has been concluded that in operational management have their own importance in
M&S and with the help of Total Quality Approach, firm can easily improve company's product
quality. It is also concluded that there are some external factors that affect company's overall
performance and these must be managed with applications of operational management.
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