Analyzing Management and Operations at Tesco plc: A Detailed Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the management and operational activities at Tesco plc, a major grocery retailer. It begins by differentiating between the roles of leaders and managers, comparing their responsibilities and characteristics in various contexts. The report then explores strategy formulation, recruitment and selection, technology advancement, and conflict management, highlighting the roles of leaders and managers in each area. It delves into leadership theories such as situational, system, and contingency theories, explaining their application within Tesco plc. Furthermore, the report examines key operational management approaches including total quality management (TQM), just-in-time (JIT) inventory, and Six Sigma, detailing the roles of leaders and managers in implementing these strategies. The report concludes by determining the factors that influence leaders and manager decision-making in the enterprise.

Management and Operations

INTRODUCTION
Management termed out as organizing the work tactfully in the firm whereas operations
management means handling the production activities of the enterprise and use business
resources at the optimum level. Henceforth, Management consists of planning, organizing,
directing and controlling the activities towards achieving desired goals. These both terms are
crucial to carry out entity functioning systematically.
Hence, assignment will be based on management and operational activities of Tesco plc.
The company is engaged in the business of groceries and it is a merchandise retailer. The project
report will define role and responsibility of the manager and leader of the company in various
situational context. Furthermore, it will highlight the various theories such as situational, system
and contingency. Key approaches of operational management will be covered in this report.
Lastly, it will determine the factors that influence leaders and manager decision-making in the
enterprise.
TASK 1
P1.
Leader – The leader is a person that commands the group of people and motivates them and
direct them for achieving organizational objectives.
Manager – The manager is the person who is responsible for controlling the Employees and
guiding them to increase the operational efficiency and facilitating in conducting smooth
management operations.
Comparison of different roles and Characteristics
Basis Leader Manager
Meaning The leader is the person that
influence and motivates the team
members in achieving the
Organizational goals and
objectives of Tesco plc.
The Manager is the person that
guides and controls the
employees to perform in effective
and efficient manner to achieve
the Organizational goals and
objectives of Tesco plc.
Decision making The leader took decision in Tesco
plc to getting things done from the
The Manager take decisions to
increase the operation's efficiency
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team members, it took decision to
motivates and encourage their
team members to perform better.
of Tesco plc (Acar-Ciftci, 2016).
The Manager instructs the
employees to work in systematic
manner in order achieve given
tasks within the allotted time
period.
Problem solving The leader of Tesco plc solve the
problems of Team members and
the Organization by gathering the
information and by establishing
the facts.
The Manager of Tesco plc solve
the problems of employees by
proper planning and according to
the rules and polices of Tesco plc.
Direction and influence The leader influences the Team
members by putting emphasis on
them in positive manner. They
guide and establish their own
perspective and tell same to their
team members for the betterment
of the Tesco plc. The leader
encourage people to work as a
team and in one direction in order
to achieve the Organizational
goals of Tesco plc as soon as
possible.
The Manager of Tesco plc gives
order and assign the roles and
responsibility to the Employees
on individual basis. The Manager
direct the Employees for
maintaining the coordination
among the various departments of
Tesco plc.
Conflict management The Leader of Tesco plc supports
the team member to working as a
team and believes that together is
better than the individual
working. The leader creates
coordinated and supportive
working environment in Tesco plc
The Manager of Tesco plc resolve
the conflicts among the
Employees by using five Conflict
management styles namely,
Accommodating, Avoiding,
Compromising, Collaborating and
Competing.
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which helps in reducing the
chances of arisen of Conflicts.
Training and
development
The leader of Tesco plc gives
training by putting impressive and
practical examples and the leader
is affiliated in the development
process of team members by
establishing the opinions
that change the minds of the team
members (Alavi, 2016.).
The Manager of Tesco plc gives
training to the new recruited
employees for getting them aware
about what are there role and
responsibility in the Tesco plc and
for the purpose of the promotions
and teach Employees something
new for their overall
Development.
TASK 2
P2.
Strategy formulation – The Strategy formulation refers to the defining the mission, vision and
objectives of the Tesco plc. It refers to the formulation of plans and making strategies that is
helpful in achieving the Organizational goals and objectives of Tesco plc.
Role of leader – The leader of Tesco plc take initiatives to support the decision making of Tesco
plc in formulation of plans and various strategies. The leader brings something new and
innovative it gives idea for the formulation of strategy and plans in Tesco plc.
Role of Manager – The Manager of Tesco plc supports the ideas and innovation which is
introduced by the leader but the rest of the decision is in hands of Manager about whether they
should implement the particular idea and strategy in Tesco plc or not. The Manager has more
authority and power to formulate the strategy than the Leader.
Recruitment and selection – The Recruitment and Selection refers to the selection of the best
candidate for the vacant job in Tesco plc by taking interview in order to select the suitable
candidate for the vacant job (Vo, T. and Nguyen, 2018).
Role of leader – The Role of leader is to guide and making aware the new recruited Employees
about the Organizational culture of Tesco plc. The role of leader is to getting well versed with
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the new recruited Employees and providing information to new recruited Employees about the
Tesco plc.
Role of Manager – The role of Human resource manager of Tesco plc is to conduct interview
round without any biasiness and partiality they need to select the appropriate candidate for the
vacant job and recruit the best candidate in Tesco plc.
Technology advancement – The Technology advancement refers to the introduction of new
technology in the Tesco plc. Technology facilitates the Tesco plc to increase the customer
retention by introducing new and innovative products by the help of improvised technology.
With the help of technology operational efficiency increases in Tesco plc.
Role of leader – The role of leader in Tesco plc is to make understandable to their team
members about the new technology and its use. With the help of the advanced technology the
leader provide the directions to their team members to use the technology in order to accomplish
tasks of Tesco plc on timely basis.
Role of Manager – The role of manager is to give training to their Employees about how to use
the technology and improvise the operational performance in Tesco plc. The training is being
given personally by the manager or by using various techniques and tools. In order to give
training to their Employees of Tesco plc, the manager use digital monitors or provide training
online.
Conflict Management – The Conflict management refers to the cutting out negative aspects
from the Tesco plc and increase the positive ones. The Conflict management refers to the resolve
the issues and problems among the Employees in order to enhance the efficiency of operations of
Tesco plc and to improvise the learning outcomes in Tesco plc (Song and Huang, 2018).
Role of leader – The role of leader in Tesco plc is to guide their Employees about the team
management to motivate and encourage their team members to perform together in coordinated
and supportive way this is helpful in reducing the chances of Conflicts among the team members
in Tesco plc.
Role of Manager – The Manager of Tesco plc resolves the Conflicts among the Employees by
using various Conflict management tactics like in accommodating, avoiding, compromising,
collaborating and Competing. In Accommodating the manager puts concern of other problems
than their own. The manager listens the problems of Employees and try to resolve in such a way
to end up with the peace. In avoiding the manager thinks that the reason for conflict is not
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appropriate and not as much as important for the Tesco plc perspective, the manager ignores it.
In Compromising the manager find a solution for the conflict by partially please all the parties.
In Collaborating the manager finds a middle way to resolve the conflict among the Employees.
In competing the manager refuse the other party opinion and based on morality being right or
wrong it took decision to resolve the conflict.
P3.
Situational leadership – The Situational leadership style is developed by the Kenneth Blanchard
and Paul Hersey. The Situational leadership style changes in according to the situation to meet
the current needs of the Organization. In situational leadership style the leader of Tesco plc takes
decisions according to the current needs and situation of Tesco plc (Sanguansri, 2016). The
Situational leadership style is consisted of the following situation -
 Telling and directing – The leader directs the Employees who are not capable of doing
tasks independently in Tesco plc. The leader instruct and guides the employees to
perform in a significant manner.
 Selling and Coaching – The leader of Tesco plc gives coaching to the employees to work
in more efficient manner. The leader of Tesco plc gives training to their Employees in
order to guide them about the work.
 Participating – The leader shows participative behavior with the Employees of Tesco plc.
In participative leadership style the employees also take actively part in decision making
process.
 Delegating – The leaders delegate the responsibility to the Employees and the Employees
also informs their leader about their progress.
System leadership Theory – The system leadership style is developed by the Dr Ian
Macdonald. In this leadership Theory the leader creates conducive work environment for their
Employees. The System leadership is based on the human behavior. This helps the leaders to
predict the employee's behavior in the Tesco plc. The leader of Tesco plc creates supportive
working condition through which employees work in more efficient manner (Rashmi and
Sangve, 2015). The System leadership style derives accountability in Tesco plc.
Contingency Theory – The Contingency theory is founded by the Fred Fiedler. The
Contingency theory claims that there is no best way to organize a company or to make decisions
instead the optimal course of action is dependent upon external and internal analysis. In
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Contingency theory the leader of Tesco plc believes that internal and external factors influence
the operational management of Tesco plc (Contingency theory of leadership, 2018). The leaders
of Tesco plc took decisions by analyzing internal and external factors. The leaders applied their
leadership style like autocratic, democratic, strategic, cross cultural and transformational by
considering the situations in Tesco plc.
TASK 3
P4.
Total Quality management – This refers to integrated the quality discipline into the
Organization cultural of Tesco plc. The customers ultimately determine the level of quality. The
Total quality management believes in continuous improvement in products of the Tesco plc. The
total quality management improves the Operational efficiency of Tesco plc. The Total quality
management increase the production efficiency in Tesco plc.
Role of leader and managers - They are guiding and directing the Employees to improve the
quality of products in Tesco plc and encourage and motivates their employees to increase the
production efficiency. The manger of company measures and evaluate products quality on timely
basis. The leaders of Tesco plc take measures and decisions to improvise the product quality of
Tesco plc.
Just in time – The Just in time facilitates the inventory management in Tesco plc. The Just in
time inventory management system helps in reducing the wastage of food products during
production process of Tesco plc (Li, Meng and Jing, 2017). The Just in time facilitates the
timely management of inventory by supplying the raw materials on timely basis this will lead to
improve the production and operations capacity in Tesco plc.
Role of leaders and managers – The leaders and managers of Tesco plc ensures the timely
availability of raw materials. The leaders and Managers engaged in the process of inventory
management they took proper control and loos after the employees that they are supplying the
raw materials on timely basis or not in order to improve the production efficiency in Tesco plc.
Six sigma – This is a type of method and approach which believes in continuous improvement in
order to eliminate the wastage of food products in production process of Tesco plc. The Six
sigma helps in increasing the operational efficiency in Tesco plc. This methodology indicates the
population standardized variation which measures the deviation of the collected data of
production department in Tesco plc.
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Role of leaders and mangers – They ensure that production function improves with the help of
Six Sigma in Tesco plc. The Manager and leader ensures that wastage of food products reduces
during production function in Tesco plc by applying Six Sigma tactfully during conducting
operational activities of Tesco plc.
P5.
The Operational management facilitates the Tesco plc to use resources at optimal level.
Operational management helps to gain the total productiveness of Tesco plc. Operational
management helps in maintaining the skillfulness between the assorted departments of Tesco plc
(Kumar, 2015). The operational management helps in smooth functioning of various business
operations in Tesco plc. The operational management helps in increasing the goods standard of
Tesco plc this leads Company towards profitability.
The importance of Operational management in Tesco plc
 Operational direction helps to modify the product quality standards in Tesco plc. The
operational management facilitates the Tesco plc to improve the production efficiency.
 This helps to reduce the production wastage of food products during the production
process of Tesco plc.
 The Operational management helps in maintaining coordination among the various
department of Tesco plc.
TASK 4
P6.
Economic change - The economic change refers to the price fluctuation. Sudden changes in
demand and supply of food products impacts the operational management of Tesco plc.
Economic changes also includes government intervention in food products (Chauvin, 2015.).
Impact the decision making of leader and manager – The leader and manger of Tesco plc take
decision during economic change in Tesco plc by reducing the production cost per unit. The
leader and manager takes decision by considering the government polices and regulations due to
economic change in Tesco plc.
Technological change – The Technological changes influence the managerial operations of
Tesco plc. Technology advancement leads the Tesco plc towards the profitability. By
improvising the technology in Tesco plc its increases production efficiency.
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Impact the decision making of leader and manager – The leader and manager of Tesco plc
gives training to the employees of Tesco plc in order to make them well versed with the
Technological advancement.
Legal and Environmental change – The laws related to the heath and safety of Consumers
impact the operational management of Tesco plc. The laws of environment are also impacted the
operational management of Tesco plc (Jayakumar, 2015).
Impact the decision making of leader and manager – The Health and safety laws of
consumers impact the decision making of leader and manager of Tesco plc. The leader and
manager of Tesco plc ensures that production department produce healthy product by
considering the health and safety laws in Tesco plc.
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CONCLUSION
It has been concluded that operational management plays a crucial role to drive the
business towards success. Thus, the role of manager is to look-after the administrative activities
and leader is to motivate their team members so that they work in efficient manner. It has been
determined that Tesco plc is using various management theories such as Situational and
contingency in order to improve efficiency of the employees. It has been summarized that
operational management is helpful in marinating coordination among various departments of an
organization. Thus, it improves overall productivity of the company.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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