BM563- Unilever: Operation Management Practices and Efficiency

This report analyzes Unilever's operation and service management practices, focusing on Total Quality Management (TQM) as a key operational strategy. It identifies TQM's principles, including customer focus, employee ownership, communication, continuous improvement, and process-based approaches. The report critically examines TQM's impact on organizational efficiency, emphasizing customer satisfaction, team communication, error management, and metric tracking. It also explores how technology, such as sensor-equipped machines and automated systems, is embedded in Unilever's processes to enhance quality and supply chain management. Furthermore, the report discusses supporting functions linked to TQM, such as quality policy and error reduction, and evaluates their role in ensuring Unilever's organizational success in a competitive market. The analysis highlights Unilever's use of technology for recycling and innovation, demonstrating its commitment to quality and sustainability.

Operation and Service
Management

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Identifying one operation management practice in the organization...........................................3
Critically analysing operation management practice impacts the organization in regard to
efficiency......................................................................................................................................4
Explaining how technology could be embedded in this process or has already been achieved. .6
Supporting functions that are linked to Total Quality Management and evaluating how they
can assist with ensuring organizational success...........................................................................7
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Operation management and the service has the responsibility for producing the functional
services of the company and providing that services directly to the customers. Unilever is the
multinational company having its headquarter in London, England. The company used to
produce the food which includes tea, coffee, ice-creams, breakfast cereals, etc. This report will
outline the one operation management practice in the organization and further it will outline that
how the operation management practice has impact on the organization in regard to the
efficiency. Further it will outline that how the technology will be embedded in the process. At
last, it will outline the supporting functions are linked to the operation management practice and
how they assist in order to achieve organizational success.
MAIN BODY
Identifying one operation management practice in the organization
Operational management practice are the practices which helps the company to resolve
the issues related to operate in the organization. It is the administration of the practices of the
business in order to create the highest level of efficiency which is possible in the organization
(Wang, Li and Zhao, 2018). This includes to maintain the quality management standards and
systems, stock control, delivery and supply chain management, information management and
purchasing and ordering the products. Operation management involves the planning, organizing
and supervise the management of the company in order to earn and improve the profits of the
company. The company can identify that which operational areas will give more profit by using
benchmarking, internal analysis or reviewing appropriate national and international standards.
There are different operation management techniques which includes the capacity, quality and
supply chain management. The operation manager take improves the productivity and assist the
growth of the company in order to earn the profitability (Best Practices In Operation
Management, 2021). In order to keep the operation management practices in the company
manager has to keep focus on the purchasing, manufacturing, shipping, packaging, etc. There are
five performance objectives in the performance management which includes quality, speed,
dependability, cost and flexibility. Each objective are important in order to measure the
performance and its significance on the organizational goal.
The one operation management that Unilever is having is the Total quality management
(TQM). Total Quality Management is the best operation management practice that used to

provide the long-term success by providing the customer satisfaction by giving them constant
delivery of the quality of services (Zhu and et.al., 2021). In order to execute the total quality
management methods, the company has to operate as a single unit in order to achieve the
organizational goal. The organization should focus on the principles of the TQM which are as
follows:
Customer First- TQM first pillar of success is focusing on the customer's experience in
all interactions with the company. From the very first purchase and continued support, the
consumer will always be the first priority of the company.
Employee Ownership- This management requires the involvement of the every member
of the company in order to ensure the quality control at each level (Pambreni and et.al., 2019).
TQM goal is not to focus on the department because its goal is to provide customers with the
best level of satisfaction at each level of the organization.
Communication- Total quality management requires that every member is to be the best
and must add value by having the good communication in that team. The best communication
and transparency is the tool which have the best operation management practices in the
company.
Constant improvement- This management is one and done process as it requires the
constant improvement in order to produce the good quality of their products. As perfection is
always impossible, so the company must pursue to get the company as close as possible to the
perfection.
Process-based- TQM focus on the implementation and creation of the processes which
provides the company the best process of producing the quality of products. Measuring the
success and defining the steps that are taken is the essential for implementing the successful total
quality management.
Critically analysing operation management practice impacts the organization in regard to
efficiency
Total Quality management is the framework which helps the organization to have the
long term success by all level of members focusing on the improving the quality and delivering
the customer satisfaction (Abbas, 2020). This helps the organization to increase their work
efficiency and produce the quality of goods and services. This management provides the quality
assurance and provides exactly what the customers need in the market. The organization can do

the corrections and prevent it from making their customer unsatisfied. As the TQM makes the
best products by manufacturing at the low cost it improves the efficiency of the organization.
This makes the organization to focus on using the high quality information in order to improve
the manufacturing process, reduces the waste and saves the time which leads to reduce the
expenses. Each organization has its own approach of the TQM which improves the productivity
of the company. The organization has great impact on the Total Quality Management in regard to
the efficiency which are as follows:
Emphasize on customer satisfaction- The main priority of the TQM is to create and focus
on the customer's satisfaction. By adding something to improve the quality increases the
satisfaction of the customers and makes the customers more reliable on that product (Sahoo and
Yadav, 2018). The cited organization can add some new ingredient in their products which is
most preferred by the customers which makes the customers to buy that product in order to make
themselves satisfied. This makes the organization to increase their efficiency by producing the
quality of good for the customers.
Communicate with the team members- Communication is very important throughout the
company as it helps to know more about the members and to receive the feedback from the
customers. The communication is the two-way process so by communicating that which quality
of goods are needed to be produce the organization can improve their efficiency and will produce
the quality of goods. The communication manages and helps to focus on the process of the
quality of goods and services manufactured by the company.
Manage the Errors- It is the important aspect in delivering quality in managing the
errors. No matter how the company is focused on the quality there will be some error which will
affect the quality of goods (Yeng, Jusoh and Ishak, 2018). So, this total quality management
helps the company to mange the quality errors in order to deliver the goods in the market. The
organization should have the suggestion in order to mitigate with the errors and improves the
efficiency in the company. The organization should address and deal with the error as soon as
possible. As the organization is the multinational consumer company it must focus on the quality
of goods to the customers by rectifying the errors that have occurred earlier.
Tracking metrics- This management helps the company to compare their results from the
previous profits earned. It makes the company to know what are the mistakes in order to produce

the quality of goods for their customers. The process of improvement will never stop and makes
the company to ensure to provide the efficiency in their work.
Explaining how technology could be embedded in this process or has already been achieved
Technology is the main factor in order to maintain the efficiency which results in the
better integration in the organization and provides the better supply chain in the company
(Kiprotich, Njuguna and Kilika, 2018). The technology assists in both external and internal
environment integration of the entity and leads to total quality management. It makes the
members from low-level of workers to the high ranking members in order to focus on improving
the quality and deliver the customer satisfaction.
Consumer based multinational company has the sensor-equipped machines in order to
create the digital models that helps to track physical conditions and test the operational changes.
This is done to check and measure the quality of goods that the customer needs in the market.
The company has the strategy to emphasis on the features and quality that maintains the quality
of the products and compete with the competitors in the market. The cited company track over a
billion of customers connections every single day for insights, tends and opportunities. Unilever
runs the automated technology to bring the best products in to market more quickly and
efficiently. By using the automated technology the organization can increase their production
and maintain the quality of the goods for the customers.
The organization technology helps the company to do innovation as they are building
automated technology into the innovation centres. UK material Innovation factory suing the
robots in material chemistry work in the world. It makes the company to deliver the data ten
times faster than the previous methods. This technology makes the company to know about the
needs and desires in the market. By this the company can satisfy the needs and wants of the
customers by focusing on the quality management.
The cited organization unveiled its ground-breaking new technology to recycle the sachet
waste. As hundreds of billion plastics sachets are thrown by the people so the company use the
new technology to recycle that sachets and improves the quality management in the company.
The sachets are recycled into the plastics as they are resource efficient and allow the low-income
people to buy the best quality products from the stores of the company. The company is using
technology and are adapting the TQM in order to sustain the competitiveness in the market place
(Singh, Kumar and Singh, 2018). Total quality management and better technology are the

important in order to improve the performance of the company. The use of automated technology
makes the work easier in order to produce the goods at the large scale and serve as an enabler to
quality performance. The technology used by the organization must be updated technology
which makes the company to produce the best quality of products and enhance the customer
satisfaction.
Supporting functions that are linked to Total Quality Management and evaluating how they can
assist with ensuring organizational success
Total Quality Management is the continuous process of detecting and reducing and
eliminating errors in manufacturing, maintaining the supply chain management, focusing on
customers experience and make the employees to work fast by having training. The supporting
functions of the company that are linked to the total quality management are as follows-
Quality policy and objectives- When the company begin with the quality management,
the first step should be made a quality policy and make that policy to focus on the objectives of
the company. The organization must also make the quality standards and policies which makes
the company to focus on producing the quality of food products and helps the organization to get
success in the external market. The quality objectives help the company to encourage the
strategic goals by maintaining the quality of the products.
Reduces and eliminates errors in manufacturing- It is the important function in delivering
quality in reducing and eliminating the errors. This total quality management helps the company
to mange the quality errors in order to deliver the goods in the market (Lobo, Samaranayake and
Subramanian, 2019). The organization should have the suggestion in order to mitigate with the
errors and improves the efficiency in the company and get success in the market. The
organization should address and deal with the error as soon as possible which makes the
company to be innovative. As the organization is the multinational consumer company it must
focus on the quality of goods to the customers in order to have the organizational success.
Continuous Improvement- There should be continuous improvement in the company in
order to produce the quality of products and services. The organization must meet the quality
standards on the continuous basis and improves the quality of products. They must ensure their
customers to provide them health-conscious food products by which they feel safe in order to
buy that product. They must have quality standards procedures, safety design, innovative and
risk-based thinking, etc. for achieving the success in the market.

Ensuring employees by providing training- TQM practice helps the company to have the
effective employees in the organization. This makes the company to earn good profit and achieve
organizational success (WHAT IS TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM)?, 2021). Each
employee has its own specific skills and talent which makes the organization to produce the
quality products in the competitive markets. By providing better training program to the
employees that makes them so innovative and productive in the company. The trained employees
make the company to make the company more efficient and productive and achieve the success
in the market.
Customer's satisfaction and providing product quality- It is the main function of the total
quality management as it requires the organization to monitor the customer satisfaction in order
to check if the quality objectives are achieved or not (Ijah, Florentinus and Sudana, 2021). It is
the important as customers will provide the feedback of the quality of goods produces by the
organization. This will helps the company to grow and get success in the competitive market.
The company must use the appropriate methods for measuring the customer satisfaction and
complaints which includes satisfaction surveys, complaint procedures, management review of
customer satisfaction, etc. By measuring this it makes the company to improve their quality and
achieve the organizational success.
Maintains organizational structures and responsibilities- There should be clear and
updated model of the company's structure and the responsibilities of all the members within the
organization. By producing the best quality it maintains the organizational structure in the
market. The organization must follow the proper responsibilities in order to maintain the quality
of products and makes the organization to achieve the planned goal.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it is summarized that one operation management practice that is
total quality management which can be used by the company and it has a great impact on the
organization in regard to the have the efficiency in order to maintain the quality of goods and
services. Further it will evaluate that how the technology will be embedded in the process as the
company uses the automated machines in order to increase and maintain the quality of products
in the organization. At last, this report has describes the supporting functions which are linked to
total quality management which are detecting and reducing and eliminating errors in
manufacturing, maintaining the supply chain management, focusing on customers experience

and make the employees to work fast by having training and this functions has assisted in order
to achieve organizational success.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Abbas, J., 2020. Impact of total quality management on corporate green performance through the
mediating role of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Cleaner Production. 242.
p.118458.
Ijah, T., Florentinus, T. S. and Sudana, I. M., 2021. The Quality Assurance of Islamic Boarding
School based on Total Quality Management (TQM). Educational Management. pp.42-
49.
Kiprotich, A. M., Njuguna, R. and Kilika, J., 2018. Total quality management practices and
operational performance of Kenya revenue authority. International Journal of
Contemporary Aspects in Strategic Management (IJCASM). 2(1). pp.91-105.
Lobo, S. R., Samaranayake, P. and Subramanian, N., 2019. The impact of TQM and information
communication technology (ICT) as an enabler in the quality management assessment
framework (QMAF) on business outcomes. International Journal of Systems Science:
Operations & Logistics. 6(1). pp.69-85.
Pambreni, Y. and et.al., 2019. The influence of total quality management toward organization
performance. Management Science Letters. 9(9). pp.1397-1406.
Sahoo, S. and Yadav, S., 2018. Total quality management in Indian manufacturing
SMEs. Procedia Manufacturing. 21. pp.541-548.
Singh, V., Kumar, A. and Singh, T., 2018. Impact of TQM on organizational performance: The
case of Indian manufacturing and service industry. Operations Research Perspectives. 5.
pp.199-217.
Wang, S., Li, J. and Zhao, D., 2018. Institutional pressures and environmental management
practices: The moderating effects of environmental commitment and resource
availability. Business Strategy and the Environment. 27(1). pp.52-69.
Yeng, S. K., Jusoh, M. S. and Ishak, N. A., 2018. The impact of total quality management
(TQM) on competitive advantage: a conceptual mixed method study in the Malaysia
luxury hotel industries. Academy of Strategic Management Journal. 17(2). pp.1-9.
Zhu, Y. and et.al., 2021. The hospital management practices in Chinese county hospitals and its
association with quality of care, efficiency and finance. BMC Health Services Research.
21(1). pp.1-8.
Online
Best Practices In Operation Management. 2021. [Online]. Available through:
<https://online.kettering.edu/news/2016/07/21/best-practices-operations-management>
WHAT IS TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM)?. 2021. [Online]. Available through:
<https://asq.org/quality-resources/total-quality-management>