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Assessment Overview
This module will be assessed as
follows:
- PART A: a case study-based
coursework assignment of 2,000 words focussing on operations management (60% of
overall grade);
- PART B: a 1,500-word coursework
assignment that incorporates a business project and process plan (40% of
overall grade).
This assessment brief is for the
both elements of this assessment.
Each element of this assessment will be marked out of 100
Instructions
PART A case study-based coursework assignment of
2,000 words focussing on operations management (60% of overall grade)
This part of the assignment
relates to the Marks and Spencer’s case study that follows at the end of the
Part A and B assessment instructions below.
You are required to write a report covering several
aspects of the operations management of Marks and Spencer by addressing the
following tasks making use of and applying the case study and relevant
operations management concepts from the course materials and your own research
as you do so.
1. Explain what is meant by supply
chain management and critically examine why it is important for Marks and
Spencer to exhibit good supply chain management. (20 marks)
OPERATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
By (Name)
The Name of the Class (Course)
Professor (Tutor)
The Name of the School (University)
The City and State
The Date
Operations and Project
Management
Introduction
Marks & Spencer Group PLC has grown into an
international organization depending on Operations Management (OM) and Project
Management (PM) activities to build a global brand and recognition. The company
has unique retailing principles that enable it to expand to international markets.
For example, it does not produce the products it sells because it relies on the
supplier relationship. As a retailer, to support its supply chain, Marks &
Spencer use this framework to buy and deal directly with its suppliers. As a
result, this report explains how the supply chain management, supplier
relationships, just-in-time inventory, capacity planning and location of
operations can facilitate the company to meet customer expectations.
Supply
Chain Management
Supply chain management (SCM) refers to the dynamic
control over supply chain activities that allows an organization to provide
customer value for money and attain a sustainable competitive edge. It symbolizes structural determination to
establish and maintain supply chains. Marks & Spencer postulates that supply
chain activities comprise logistics, sourcing, product development, and
information systems (2019). First, the models of SCM dictate that products that
reach consumers represent the efforts of various companies. Slack, Brandon-Jones,
Johnstn and Betts (2015) explains that jointly these enterprises are known as
supply chain. Second, in a supply chain, the majority of businesses solely focus
on their activities, and a few learn about the actions of the chain of supply. Through
information and physical flows, SCM links various organizations together.
Importance of SCM
It
is clear that this model is an essential factor in most organizations because
it determines success and customer satisfaction. As a result, it is crucial that
Marks & Spencer exhibit good SCM due to the following reasons.
a.
Reduce
the Cost of Operation
·
Minimizes
Purchasing Cost: The organization relies on supplier
relationships to deliver products and avoid incurring costly inventories. For
instance, the business requires quick delivery of lingerie to decrease the cost
of purchases made.
·
Diminishes
Supply Chain Cost: The success of Marks & Spencer hinges
on the efforts of supply chain supervisors to establish channels that deliver
lingerie to the end-user at small costs. For example, the company only supplies
products based on consumer order to avoid carrying inventories as customer
expectations change (Business Case Studies, n.d).
