Report on Management and Operations of Marks and Spencer Company

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the management and operations of Marks and Spencer (M&S). It begins with an introduction to management and operations, setting the context for the case study. The report then explores the roles of leaders and managers in various situations, including change management, issue resolution, and operational management. It delves into different leadership theories, such as situational leadership, system leadership, and contingency leadership, and how they are applied within M&S. Key approaches to operation management, including time management, collaborative approaches, team development, and technological use, are discussed. The report highlights the importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives, emphasizing aspects such as controlling distribution, transforming raw materials into finished products, and improving quality. Finally, the report considers factors affecting operational management and decision-making, concluding with a summary of the findings and relevant references.

Management and Operations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................3
LO2.......................................................................................................................................................3
P2. Role of leaders and functions of manager in different situation...................................................3
P3. Leadership theories......................................................................................................................5
LO3.......................................................................................................................................................6
P4. Key approaches of operation management..................................................................................6
P5 Importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives.....................7
LO4.......................................................................................................................................................9
P6 Factors affecting operational management and decision making..................................................9
CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES....................................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Management and operations are defined as managing and controlling the functional
activity of the company. This report is based on the case study of Marks and Spencer
Company in respect to its management and operation functions. Company was established in
the year 1884 by the founders Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer. Company is associated
with the retail sector and conducted business operations at more than 1400 locations all
across the globe. Headquarter of the company is located in London, United Kingdom. Marks
and Spencer Company deal in various product ranges that involve food products, home
products and clothing brands. This report will projects about the operation and management
of the Marks and Spencer Company. Henceforth, report will emphasis on how the role of
leaders and function of manager apply in different situations. This report will also project
about different leadership theories. Key approaches of operation management will also
demonstrate in this report. Importance and value of operation management in achieving
organisation goals will also project in this report. Furthermore, report will demonstrate the
factors in business environment that influence the operation management in company.
LO2
P2. Role of leaders and functions of manager in different situation
Leaders and managers play different roles in different situations that can be projected
in following points.
Change management
Change management is an important part of the operation management. Leaders in
Marks and Spencer Company play huge role to deal with the change management. Leaders
are also demonstrate as the change agents that not just take part in introducing changes as per
the needs of the organisation structure rather they take a part in implementing such change in
the company (Han, Liu and Zhang, 2016). Leaders take risk while introducing changes in the
company. Many times leaders introduce changes as per the future needs of the market sector.
Management in company also introduce changes in the company. Management
introduce changes only when it is essential for the organisation. Management consider
present needs and requirements of the market while introducing changes in the organisation.
Management do not take much risk while introducing changes in the organisation structure.

Management only involve in introducing changes in the organisation but they not much
involve in implementing such changes. They guide employees based on the needs and
demands of the organisation.
Dealing with issues
Issues are always a part of the business sector. Issues for company can be associated
with internal stakeholder of company that are denoted as employees of company and they
further belong to external stakeholders of company (Wang, Huang and Ji, 2017). Leaders
play an important role for solving all issues of the company. Leaders take a personal
involvement except the set process to deal with issue that also supports company in solving
issues in more convenient way. Due to effective leadership of Marks and Spencer Company
issues do not spoil the functional activities of company.
Management in company also play a role in dealing with issues of company.
Management in general case follow the regular process to deal with the issues. Management
follow the general process and they do not take personal involvement in dealing with such
issues.
Operation management
Operation management involves managing the functional activities of the company.
Leaders involve in operation management of the company. They take a part in each and every
functional activity associated with operation management in organisation. Leaders also guide
employees to achieve all objectives of the company at the personal level (Shoutong and
Bureau, 2017). Leaders also take part in motivating employees of company to achieve all
objectives of the company.
Management in Marks and Spencer Company take a regular check in operation
management function in company. They control the operations with the support of team
members. Management in general cases do not interact with individual employees on regular
basis in regards to the operation management in company.
P3. Leadership theories
Leadership theories are more like guiding tools of leaders. Following theories follow
by the leaders in Marks and Spencer Company.

Situation leadership: Situation leadership is a key leadership approaches channelize by
leaders. This approach of leadership suggests leaders to take decision based on the situation.
This theory drives leaders to take key decisions on the basis of the practical situation of the
organisation. Situation analysis plays a crucial role for the leaders to take decision in order to
face the situation. Business environment consist a nature of volatility that serves fluctuation
in the environment. Fluctuation allowed business environment to offer constant changes in
the market. This leadership theory guides leaders to deal with all such situation and tale
decisions on the basis of the practical situation of market.
System leadership: System leadership drives leaders to create a system. Marks and Spencer
Company involves in various departments on the basis of the different functional roles of the
company like marketing department, finance and accounts, research and development, human
resource department and other functional department (Shi and et.al., 2017). All such
functional department establish under system leadership theory control and monitor
individual operation functions. The entire structure of organisation hierarchy is developed on
the basis of the system leadership theory used by leaders. System leadership guides leaders to
develop the system in the company so that all operations can be managed in the proper way
and approach. As a result of the system leadership theory organisation hierarchy of the Marks
and Spencer Company has designed in well organised manner.
Contingency leadership: Contingency leadership drives leaders to take important decisions
in serious situations. Many times volatility of the business environment serves many serious
concerns in front of the organisation. This theory enables leaders to deal with such contingent
situation associated with the business environment (Ren and Li, 2019). In United Kingdom
BREXIT is a recent activity that created contingency for companies like Marks and Spencer
and other companies which has resulted into reducing in sales of companies. In such a
situation Leadership in Marks and Spencer Company tool many important decisions like
reducing product prices, technological advancement and other key decisions based on the
contingency leadership theory. This theory guides leaders top take crucial decisions that can
strengthen the sustainability and growth potentials of the company.
The above mentioned theories and approaches are among the key leadership practices
in the companies.

LO3
P4. Key approaches of operation management
Operation management is defined as managing the functional activity of the company.
Marks and Spencer Company is engaged in the business operations associated with retail
sector. Operation management play an important role for the company to meet all its goals
and objectives. Operation management allows company to conduct its functional effectively.
Marks and Spencer company is engaged with retail sector. Company is not involves in
producing retail products rather it involves in selling different retail products belongs to food,
clothing and various home products. Different approaches company management channelizes
as a part of the operation management.
Time management approach: Operation management involves managing company’s
operations in the stipulated time frame. Time is among the ky element involve in operation
management. Marks and Spence Company aims to manage all its operation in the stipulated
time frame so that all objectives of the company can be achieved. Time management
approach allows company to conduct majority of functional activity in the limited period of
time.
Collaborative approach: Operation management of the company is based on the
collaborative approach. Marks and Spencer Company’s organisation hierarchy is segregated
into multiple departments on the basis of different functional activity like marketing, sales,
public relation, logistics and other operations (Chen and Wang, 2019). All department put
collaborative efforts to manage and control the functional activity of the company. Due to
collaborative approach of operation management all functions of company are conducted
efficiently in the pre determine time frame. In case of big companies like Marks and Spencer
where the organisation hierarchy is comprises with different functional activities this practice
improve the work effectiveness of the operation management.
Team development approach: Management of Marks and Spencer Company follow the
approach of team development with the guidance of Tuck man team development model. In
case of big companies like Marks and Spencer all operations are segregated into different
departments based on the nature of operations. In each department all operations are
distributed into teams so that proper control over all functional activity in company can be
established by management (Vilcu, Verzea and Herghiligiu, 2018). Team development
approach support the Company in forming an effective team for different functional activity

in the company. This approach used in company for operation management has improved the
productivity of different functional activity of company. This approach has also supported
company in establishing a proper control over different functional activity in company. Team
development is also a challenging process as it is not easy to build an effective team. Team
leaders needs to take a proper control over all different stages involve in team formation that
are called as forming, norming, storming and performing. All such stages carry different
significance in the team development model.
Technological use: Approaches used by the management in Marks and Spencer Company
related to its operation management is keener towards utilising technology for managing and
controlling different functional activity of company. This is also a key approach used by the
company in respect to its operation management (Rawat and et.al., 2019). Use of advanced
technology equipment has improved the productivity of different functional activity of the
company. Technology has improved the work efficiency of all different functional activity
like marketing, sales, public relation, logistic and other key operation.
The above approaches specified are among the key approaches of operation
management used by the management of Marks and Spencer Company. All such approaches
played an important role for improving the capability of company in respect to managing its
functional activity. Operation management is an important part of the company. All such
approaches have supported company in managing all its functional activity in more
systematic manner.
P5 Importance and value of operations management in achieving business objectives
Operations management basically signifies the management of the manufacturing and
production activities in an organisation where the management of the company aims towards
maximum resource utilisation with minimum resources wastage. The importance of the
operation management can be ascertained in following manner:
Controlling and Distribution: In Marks and Spencer, operation management is a major part
of the overall system where it acts as a facilitator of the different distribution techniques that
are implemented in the organisation and also assists in controlling the overall procedure that
is adopted in the company (Worline and Dutton, 2017). This helps in ensuring that the
distribution of resources is appropriate and it the company is able to utilise such resources at
a maximum rate.

Transforming into finished products: The operations management basically deals with the
activities that help in the transformation of the raw materials that have been collected towards
the manufacturing of the complete i.e. finished products (Ogbonnaya and et.al., 2016). At
M&S, the major emphasis lies on the manufacturing of goods and services that can help in
increasing the revenue and for this purpose the resources that are required to be distributed
are allocate in comprehensive manner. The focus also lies on the minimum production of the
effective products in the manufacturing process.
These factors collectively also help in increasing the value of the operation
management and the multiple aspects that are associated with the deliverables that are
achieved from the implementation of operation management:
Quality Improvement: This is one of the major value adding benefits that can be achieved by
the implementation of the quality improvement that is achieved by the implementation of the
operation management techniques in the organisation i.e. M&S. The operation management
helps in ensuring that highest quality of products are developed without wastage of resources
and therefore acts as a major value contributor benefitting the company in multiple ways
(Reid and Sanders, 2019).
Cost reduction: The reduction in the cost is another added advantage that M&S is able to
generate in order to increase the value that has been generated. When the resources are
utilised in a more optimum manner by dividing them in the best manner over the multiple
actives that are performed in the organisation, this ultimately leads to the reduction in the
overall cost of the company that is incurred on the amount spend on costing.
Innovation: In order to make their operation management successful, every company strives
to integrate the innovation in the best possible manner. At M&S as well, this helps in the
better productivity of the company and in order to facilitate technological advancement the
company aims to use the better machineries that would increase the productivity and this is
possible only because of better operation management techniques (Hitt Xu and Carnes,
2016). Implementation of the better machinery ultimately leads to multiple benefits for the
company.
Hence the analysis above clearly depicts how the operation management practices are
important for an organisation especially in case of M&S and the manner in which it helps in
value creation and revenue generation.

LO4
P6 Factors affecting operational management and decision making
There are a multiple number of factors in the external business environment that affects the
working of an entire organisation altogether and especially the decision making aspects of
that company. The influence of such factors is significant and it assists in overall
management and leadership of the company. For M&S, the factors can be analysed in
following manner:
Corporate Social Responsibility: The CSR activities and the level of work that is being done
in the company towards the society and its welfare is a critical aspect in determining the
goodwill of the company as well the acceptance of its products and services. In M&S, the
leaders and managers of the company ensure that the compliance to the CSR standards by the
company in following imminently and ultimately improve the existing standards in which the
company operates (Lin and Liu, 2017). M&S tried to return back to the society and
community at least a percentage of the resources that they are consuming from them.
Culture: It is very important that the activities of a company are in accordance with the
cultural practices and norms that are acceptable by the society in which the company is
operating. M&S ensures that the practice that they are implementing and the products and
services that they are selling are in accordance with the approval of the society. The leaders
and the managers of the company additionally ensure that the promotional techniques or the
other aspects that are taken into consideration are valid from the society and rather than
aggravating the public it will address their unmet desire or need that has been targeted.
Value and ethics: Ethics can be broadly termed as the guiding principles that help in
segregating the good practices from the bad actions and these are extremely relevant in the
overall decision making in every organisation (Bromiley and Rau, 2016). In M&S, the
company tries to take the ethical decisions that are morally correct at all time so that the
company can succeed in a correct manner. The leader and the manager so the company as
well encourage the compliance and applicability of all the activities that are within the
legislation that has been develop and help in uplifting the society as well the customers.
Sustainability: Sustainability aspects helps in ascertaining that the goals and objectives that
have been developed by the company are in such manner that they do not jeopardise the
future of the generation to come (Gibson and Parkman, 2018). At M&S, the compliance to

the sustainability aspect is adopted in the company where they try to ensure that the resources
are not over exploited and the profits of the company are achieved in a sustainable manner.
The leaders and the managers at M&S aim towards the increase in the overall score of
sustainability compliance and integration in the company by developing different sustainable
goals and objectives.
Therefore, in this manner the overall operation and the decision making at M&S is affected
by the several factors present in the external market.
CONCLUSION
This report has projected different aspects related to operation management in
company. Leaders and manager play different roles in the company in respect to managing
different issues in company. Different theories like situational leadership, contingency
leadership and system leadership are used by leaders to manage different operations.
Approaches like information technology, time management and other key approaches are
used to manage operation in company. Factors like value and ethics, sustainability and other
factors influences the operation management of company.

REFERENCES
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