Operations, Logistics, and Supply Chain Management: An Analysis

This essay report provides an in-depth analysis of operations, logistics, and supply chain management, using Marks and Spencer as a case study. It explores the key concepts of supply chain management, including its role in transforming raw materials into final products and gaining a competitive advantage. The report examines logistics management, emphasizing its function in meeting customer needs and optimizing the flow of goods and information. Furthermore, it delves into operations management, highlighting its importance in achieving efficiency and balancing costs and revenues. The essay critically analyzes various approaches to operational management, such as managing people, implementing just-in-time and lean strategies, and employing total quality management. Recommendations are provided to improve Marks and Spencer's operational efficiency and customer satisfaction, emphasizing the importance of skilled workforce management, waste reduction, and quality control to enhance profitability and meet customer demands. This analysis is contributed by a student and available on Desklib, a platform offering AI-based study tools.

Understanding Operations,
Logistics and Supply
Chain Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Managing operations, logistics and supply chain.......................................................................1
Critical analyse and applying appropriate solutions of Operations Management......................3
Recommendation.............................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Supply chain management is an process of managing all the product and services, also includes
the process of making raw material into the final goods in most effective way. It involve the
management of business supply chain activities for the maximization of customer value and gain
competitive advantages in business. Whereas logistics management is an part of supply chain
management plan, controls the effectiveness of forward of reverse flow and management of
goods and services related information related point of origins and point of consumption. In this
essay report Marks and Spencer is selected, (El Baz, Laguir,and Stekelorum, 2019) company
British multinational retailer and its headquarter is in London, England. Organisation specifically
deals in selling clouting, food products and home products. All the products of the company has
own label that represent brand. This report includes various information about operation and
logistics and supply chain management. Also criticality analysis of approaches operation
management. That helps company to understand various issues faced by the supply chain
operation and also includes appropriate solution of problems faced by supply chain.
Managing operations, logistics and supply chain.
Supply chain management refers to the management of goods and services in most
appropriate manner also it includes the process of transforming raw material into final product
that helps to gain competitive advantages in market. There are various types of operation of
supply chain that have to manage in order to achieve objectives and goals. In the context of
Marks and Spencer, supply chain management of company helps in understanding all the
techniques that helps company in cutting production cost and increase sell. Supply chain of
company ensure that it maximise the values of customers and company(Feng, Gai, and Li,
2019) can gain competitive advantages. Firm continuously think about the ideas and
performance of the company that can improve supply chain. However, company sometimes face
barrier in proper management of supply chain and its effective working in the organisation.
Company can manage its work force in most effective manner so that they can analyse the all the
berries in the process of supply chain and also increase the level of effectiveness of the supply
chain. Company can manages all the different aspects. To understand supply chain management
below is explanation of supply management theory.
1

Theory of Constraints it is an tool that explain profitability by the various decision
making by supply chain in specific period of time. It refers to limiting all the factors of supply
chain and make effective outcomes from the (Fisher, Olivares, and Staats, 2020) supply chain
of the company. In the terms of Marks and Spencer, company use this theory to understand the
need of right decision making on the right time that improve its profitability of company. Thus,
theory of constraints helps the company in better management of all the resources and the use
tools and techniques in most appropriate way so that they can gain advantages from it.
Logistic management: It is an supply chain component that helps supply chain to meet
all the needs and wants of customers. Logistic management helps in implementation of effective
information, goods and services from destination location. In the context of (Waters,
2019)Marks and Spencer, logistic management helps the company to reduce all expenses and
improvement in customers experience. In respective company logistic management starts with
raw material accumulation to the final stage of delivering goods and services to the destination. It
helps in analysing all the need and wants of customers and provide the appropriate solution to
address those needs and wants. Proper planning and implementation of logistic helps in better
understanding of customers expectations from the company. Thus, logistic management helps
company in proper management of all the resources and management of customer experience in
the organisation. Marks and Spencer use this tool to choose most effective routes for
transportation so that it can effectively reduce high expenses. Company also use effective
information technologies that can help in proper management and increasing the effectiveness of
production and supply chain.
Operation management: It is an business practice that perform in order to achieve
highest level of efficiency possible within an organisation. Operation management helps in high
level of contraction from the goods and services in most effective way as possible to increase the
level of profitability of organisation and increasing its revenues and sell. In the terms of Marks
and Spencer, operation management of company helps in proper balance between cost and
revenue to achieve highest profit as possible. Operation management (Grabara, Dabylova, and
Alibekova, 2020) of company is concerned in converting materials and labours into product and
service in most effective manner. Operation management of company handle various strategic
issue that could decrease the level of profitability such as determining the size of manufacturing
plants, project management methods, and implementation of structure of information technology.
2

There are many operational issues that company face such as management of inventory
levels, including work in process level and raw material acquisition, quality control, material
handling and maintenance of polices of company. To handle all the issues in operation
management company can manage their workforce in most effective manner so that they can
handle these issues and improve the productivity of company. The are various approaches of
operational management that could help company in better arrangement of all the issue faced by
organisation. \
Critical analyse and applying appropriate solutions of Operations Management.
Managing people in operation and supply chains: managing supply chain and the
people working in the distribution is important for the effective working. The people in supply
chain should have effective skills and talent in order to make the work and perform their jobs in
supply chain in most effective way. They need to have appropriate capability to understand the
how they can handle supply chain of company. In the context of Marks and Spencer, (Meredith,
and Shafer, 2019) effective management of people in supply chain and operation is very
important to have effective business goals and objectives. Company can select talented and
skilled employees for the better fulfilment of goals and objectives. Company have global supply
chain that helps in the proper functioning of its business and in order to make this supply chain
effective company needs to perform various operation and function, and to perform those
functioning they need to manage the people in most effective way in their organisation.
Company can hire capable employees for its operation and supply chain management so that
they can help the company is proper arrangement of raw material and make final product and
service effective. Thus management of people in (Reid, and Sanders, 2019) organisation is
important for the proper arrangement of resources and raw materials of company. Also skilled
and talented employees in the organisation helps in arrangement of supply chain an distribution
channels in most effective way.
Just in time and Lean approach: Just in time approaches of supply chain refers to the
management strategy helps in managing orders from the suppler that can schedule directly to the
production. Marks and Spencer can apply this strategy in decreasing waste by getting raw
material according to the needs of production and increasing the efficiency of production system.
It could help the company by reducing the production cost and make product and services of
company in most effective way. Minimising inventory is one of the most important factor that
3

helps respective company in management of profit and increasing sell. Production system of
company adopt just in time approach for better achievement of objectives and fulfilment of
market demand. It also helps in reducing waste that increase the level of profitability of
company. Lean approach refers to the business strategy that driven by doing more with less
revenues, so that company can increase its profitability and growth in the market. It is an
approaches of operation management that improve business day by day and with effective
working strategies. In the terms of Marks and Spencer (Meredith, and Shafer, 2019) company
can use this approach of operation management to decrease the cost of production and increase
the profitability. It helps in understanding the needs and wants of customers value and help in
increasing the level of effectiveness of various offerings. Thus, this approaches of operational
management helps the company in proper arrangement of resources and increase the level of
profitability. It could also help the company in better achievement of gaols and objectives and
providing better services and products to the customers.
Total Quality management: It is an tool that helps in streamlining the entire supply
chain, that provide better understanding needs and wants of customers and focus on providing
better outcomes of products and services. In the context of Marks and Spencer, total quality tool
of supply chain helps in better understanding of customers needs and wants and improve the
quality of supply chain. It also helps in management of people at work place so that they can
provide better outcomes to the organisation and helps them in achievement of goals and
objective of firm. TQM helps in understanding of common gaols and objective of the employees
and organisation so that they can work (Mišić, and Perakis, 2020) towards the achievement of
all the objectives and increasing the level of profitability. Thus, total quality management helps
in better understanding of needs and wants of customers from the company and also it improve
the supply management of company.
Supply chain management is an important function of Marks and Spencer that helps
organisation in better achievement of gaols and objectives of the company. Company choose
employees staff of supply chain with the better skills and talent so that they can achieve all the
goals and targets of the company. Various operational approaches needs to analyse in most
effective way so that it can improve the profitability and productivity of (Mišić, and Perakis,
2020) Marks and Spencer.
4

Recommendation
From the above analyse is can be recommanded to respective Marks and Spencer organisation
that the operation management of the company helps in better achievement of gaols and
objectives in the firm. But there are various issues that operational management face in the
company, such as quality control, material handling, management of inventory level. To deal
with this issues company can have proper management of people at work place so that they can
help in proper management of resources and handle operational issues. Skilled and talented
employees could help in better achievement of goals and objectives also they can ensure the
better quality of product and services of company. Company can also use just in time approach
to reduce the waste in the company so that they can increase profitability, and meet all the needs
and wants of customers from the products and services. Lean production management can help
company in better production and reduce the cost of production. Total quality management also
helps in better planning of resources and increasing the level of customer satisfaction. Thus,
company can increase its profitability by using all the operational and supply chain approaches.
Proper use of logistic management helps company in proper management of resources and
increasing level of quality of products.
5

CONCLUSION
From the above information it can be summarise that operational management of
company helps in organisation in the achievement of highest level of effectiveness in product
and services of company, that helps in growth of profitability within an organisation. Supply
chain management improve the level of profitability by reducing expenses and increasing the
profitability of company, it also improve the use of raw material in most effective manner so that
company can achieve it final product with efficiency. Logistic management helps in proper
arrangement of goods and services so that organisation can meet demand of customers and
increase the level of satisfaction from increasing the level of effectiveness. In operational
management company could face many issues and to deal with those issues firm can use various
operational approaches so that they can increasing level of effectiveness of productivity in most
possible way. Managing people at work is very important so that they can help in proper
arrangement of resources and operation of company. Operational approaches such as just in time
and lean management helps in better planning and implementation of techniques in the
company.
6

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
El Baz, J., Laguir, I. and Stekelorum, R., 2019. Logistics and supply chain management research
in Africa. The International Journal of Logistics Management.
Feng, J.R., Gai, W.M. and Li, J.Y., 2019. Multi-objective optimization of rescue station
selection for emergency logistics management. Safety Science, 120, pp.276-282.
Fisher, M., Olivares, M. and Staats, B.R., 2020. Why empirical research is good for operations
management, and what is good empirical operations management?. Manufacturing &
Service Operations Management, 22(1), pp.170-178.
Grabara, J., Dabylova, M. and Alibekova, G., 2020. Impact of legal standards on logistics
management in the context of sustainable development. Acta logistica, 7(1), pp.31-37.
Meredith, J.R. and Shafer, S.M., 2019. Operations and supply chain management for MBAs.
John Wiley & Sons.
Meredith, J.R. and Shafer, S.M., 2019. Operations and supply chain management for MBAs.
John Wiley & Sons.
Mišić, V.V. and Perakis, G., 2020. Data analytics in operations management: A
review. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 22(1), pp.158-169.
Mišić, V.V. and Perakis, G., 2020. Data analytics in operations management: A
review. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 22(1), pp.158-169.
Reid, R.D. and Sanders, N.R., 2019. Operations management: an integrated approach. John
Wiley & Sons.
Waters, C.D.J., 2019. Logistics: an introduction to supply chain management. Red Globe Press.
7