Operations Management Assignment Sample

Operations Management

INTRODUCTION - Operations Management

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Question 1: Importance of operations management using examples

The term “Operation Management” is related to the idea of business management. This process mainly supervises controls, and plans production and manufacturing processes (Xue et al. 2022). It also describes the service delivery of a business organisation. The concept of operation management is effective in the business organisation as it helps in supervising and controlling goods. This type of management also helps in the effective management of the business operation and providing better service to people. The assignment deals with the Operation Management (OM) of the UK based company, Morrisons. It is a retail company that provides an online shopping and also easy home delivery process (Hill and Hill, 2017). Morrisons has taken some strategies for operation management into their company in the UK. These are their strategies for operation management.

Operation management of Morrisons using current example

Morrisons has presently taken a "last-ditch rescue bid" for prompting the petrol station operator the improvement of the company's offer. The company has taken the step because they were struggling in the market in the UK regarding the store chain. Morrisons has managed the operation by improving its offer to the lenders of McColl (Ft.com, 2022). The lenders had previously rejected the offer but just before the court hour, they accepted the offer. The company for the sake of the job security of the employees took the management strategy. They take the risk so that the company does not collapse. It is seen that in the latest proposals Morrisons tries to keep "McColl” out of the administration.

In the next stage, the company also decides to repay the lenders of "McColl". This was the operation management strategy of the company and it is a current example from the news that speaks about the importance of operation management.

Importance of operations management

Operation management is very important in every field of the business. The importance of the process lies in the fact that it not only processes general plans but also supervises and controls the production process of the company (Hong et al. 2022). In this assignment, the importance of operation management of the company Morrisons has shown. The picture of the company depicts that by using the operation management strategy the company is able to manage effective production into their company. Taking the strategy of this kind of management can help a company to deliver its products to the customers within the proper time. Effective delivery of the products and setting proper schedules and plans are done through it (Xue et al. 2022). The importance of "operation management" can see in the increase in productivity.

The different benefits of this matter are that it develops product quality, helps to improve customer satisfaction, increase productivity, and reduce operational cost. These factors are related to the management of operations in an organisation (Hong et al. 2022). Morrisons can develop their operational management into the company with those strategies.

Question 2: Company description

Morrisons is a retail industry in the lap of the UK and it is seen as the "4th largest chain of supermarkets" in the UK. The company makes its journey in the market as an "egg and butter stall" (Groceries.morrisons.com, 2022). After that, it grew its business and now it is one of the best retail companies in this location. One person can get online shopping benefits from this company as it is available on the online platform. Different groups of stakeholders are engaged in this company. The transport system of the company is very good and it develops its supply chain for the business development (Wolniak, 2020). Now, the company takes over many companies related to the retail industry in the United Kingdom.

History of the company

The company history of the Morrison says that this company has grown itself from a market stall to a superstore. The history of the company also says that it makes and provides food and they are proud of it. The effort of every person within the company helps to make it a superstore. It has many home delivery channels as well as a network of 497 conveniently located supermarkets (Groceries.morrisons.com, 2022). The focus of the company is on the grocery and footings and they serve the fresh foods for maintaining the customers of the company. The company is committed to its work and it is proven through its quality of work. The company serves "more skilled colleagues are preparing foods" in their store.

The company has the policy to provide the customers with quality work. They give them opportunities to the customer with the fooding facility (Dahmani and Yebdri, 2020). The history of the company also says that a huge amount of colleagues and customers are served online and offline. They are offering their customers the offers to save them money. It is an innovative company and its services are designed in a better way. The experts of the company are providing their best services to the customers and they mainly take care of customer satisfaction (Wolniak, 2020). The market begins with the stall selling products of butter and egg and from them; it becomes a famous company in today's world. The story of Morrisons was the only store that serves its products and offers self-services

The strategy of the company

Morrisons is a company having great strategies in the organisation for operational management. The company for strengthening the brand and going further in the business takes the main strategies. They are making a profit in the market but also take care of customer satisfaction (Groceries.morrisons.com, 2022). Being more competitive helps them in their future growth. Another strategy of the company is to serve customers better and this strategy makes an effective impact on the customers. Simplification and speeding up the organisation is also a strategy that the company takes. This is the important factor related to the company for its future development.

Question 3: Operations strategy of the company relating to the consumer's needs 

Morrisons is a great retail industry in the United Kingdom. The company takes some strategies for their business and the strategies are related to the customer needs and needs of the market (Hom et al. 2021). The strategies of the company also help to attract the target groups in the market. The strategies made through the company help them become more competitive and it has a direct relation with customer needs. Taking competitiveness more seriously means the company makes development in the field of the organisation. The strategy also helps them in saving the money of the customers and makes their penny with the effective use (Miskam et al. 2021). OM is a great strategy for satisfying customer needs and for the development of the market. 

Product specification for the customer needs

The operation strategies of Morrisons help them in being competitive in the market and taking care of the market needs. The strategies are helpful in arranging the product specification concept. They used the strategy of product specification for achieving the customers' needs (Hoth et al. 2021). Morrisons takes care of customer needs and that's why they are the best company in the Uk in today's world. The success of the companies in the fact that it gives focuses on the customer needs is an important matter in the business needs. This strategy helps them in developing further and making the company name one of the great ones.

Strategy for market

There can be different strategies for the market and Morrisons has taken some of the strategies for their market needs. This company has grown its business through the "permanently low price" strategy (Groceries.morrisons.com, 2022). The strategy of the company also goes to the "competitive pricing strategy". These strategies are very helpful to the customers who want to make shopping from Morrisons instead of choosing from other grocery centres. The uniqueness of the company is that it uses the "supply chain strategy" in its business market. The OM strategy of the company makes it a great brand name in the history of the UK (Hill and Hill, 2017). OM strategy is a great strategy for market development and taking care of the market needs. This can help in the development of the company in the future.

Order-winning and order-qualifying factors

Order-winning factors define the factors that are regarded by the customers and it is the reason for buying the products of the company. On the other hand, order-qualifying factors define the aspects where the customers (Zighan et al. 2018) describe the performance of the operation as the high level. There is a difference between the two factors and they say that winners mainly focus on separating the service or products of one firm from another. Differently, order-qualifies focuses on the product qualities and the satisfaction of the costumes. These are the differences between these two factors within the company of Morrisons.

Question 4: Portfolio analysis of the company products 

Product	Value (V)	Rarity (R)	Imitability (I)	Organised (O)
Food and drink	The food and drink products of the company have value on the market	NO	This product is imitable	The company serves the products in an organised way (Groceries.morrisons.com, 2022)
Clothing	Clothes acquire a valuable market	NO	If the designs are got, then one can imitate the product	Organised clothes can get in this company (Groceries.morrisons.com, 2022)
Magazines and homecare	Magazines and home care services is a valuable product of the company	YES	The product can be imitated	Magazines and homecare offerings are served in an organised way (Groceries.morrisons.com, 2022)

Table 1: VRIO Framework

(Source: Groceries.morrisons.com, 2022)

Analysis:

The present table presents the VRIO framework of the products of the company Morrisons. This table gives a description of the portfolio analysis of the company products. In this research, the products that have been chosen by the company are- "food and drink, clothes, magazines and homecare" (Morrison, 2019). The research of the products for the portfolio analysis says that the products have different values in the market of the UK.

The description of the product of "Food and drink" shows a picture of its market analysis. This product has a great market value within the company. Food and drinks are demandable products in the market of UK. Although this product has no rarity, it is a great product in the market of the UK as it serves the customers with a great way of offering (Morrison, 2019). This product has no rarity because there are many companies in the UK those deals with that kind of product. Any company can imitate those products but the speciality of the products lies in the company products. The company serves the products in an organised way.

Clothes are easily accessible on the market but there are very few retail companies, who serve grocery shopping as well as clothes offerings. The market value of the company product is great and this product is not rare in the market (Wolniak, 2020). The products are easily imitable if one has the designs of the products. The factor is that the company serves the clothes to the customers in an organised way. Access to the products is also available. Clothes and the framework related to its present the company portfolio analysis on the products of Morrison.

Morrison also offers the magazine and homecare products in their company. Among the variety of services of the company, magazines and home care services are the better ones. These are the valuable products of the company and this product of the company is rare among other companies (Dahmani and Yebdri, 2020). The retail companies include many things but magazines and homecare products are the rare ones. Although this product is rare among other companies, one can imitate the idea of keeping these products in their companies. Research on the company says that the company provides the material or the products in an organised way.

Question 5: Service delivery system of Morrisons

The service delivery system is the most important part of the business organisation. It is related to the customer's satisfaction directly. The staffs are efficient and they look into the matter of customer satisfaction by reaching them with their ordered products within time (Cao, 2021). The company has applied a quick management system for improving staff efficiency. It enables them to manage the customers in a better way. The delivery system of the present company is structured in a better way.

This company mainly focuses on providing their services with a great delivery system through their efficient workers on customer satisfaction. The company Morrison has given the offer to a person to choose the items and make orders for them (Srinivasan et al. 2022). The service providers of the company are ready to serve the customers on the doorsteps. The givers offer every time the customers meet the company and the services system is very good. Their service is for on-delivery and they give proper care to the customer service. The supermarket branches are the connectors of the on-delivery services of the company. The online delivery services, as well as the offline service of the company, are established with extreme care within the market (Clasen and Milnik, 2019). The online delivery services of the company are offered with extreme care from the service providers.

Experienced service providers

Morrisons has a well-developed service providing system in their company. The customers are served with quality products and they mainly take care of the customer needs (Cao, 2021). They make an effort on the customer's needs and they are great service providers in the UK. The experienced workers provide services to the online delivery systems, as they are the most important part of the company. They focus on customer loyalty and the managers make an effort on the customer service. Experienced service providers tackle customer service when the customers enter the store for grocery shopping (Srinivasan et al. 2022). They also take care of the supply chain and service quality. These are the great services of the service providers of the company.

Quality of works

The service delivery system of the present company mainly offers quality work for the customers. They focus on the matter of quality of work and they are maintaining the supply chain of the different stores of the company (Clasen and Milnik, 2019). Quality of work is the most important thing for business organisations. It helps them in maintaining the customers and they are the most important part of the business. The service delivery system of the company mainly offers the matter that different chain systems like delivery through bikes are also available in this field. These factors are the most important factors in the service delivery systems of the company and they are focusing on the matter greatly (Hill and Hill, 2017). The customers all around the United Kingdom are enjoying the services of the Morrisons.

Question 6: Categories of the products/services of the company

Morrisons described as the main retail company in the market of UK. it is a company having the "fourth largest chain of supermarkets" in the place of United Construction (Kova?i? et al. 2022). The company mainly presents over 400 products to their company. The company describes the various category products or services in their company. Morrisons in this part mainly focuses on lowering prices and customer satisfaction in their organisations. The service delivery system and its maintenance help the company to give better service to the organisation. They are the service providers of the present company and they keep focusing on the matter of supply chain.

Figure 1: Services by Morrisons

(Source: morrisons-corporate.com, 2022)

Food and drink

Different categories of materials are available in the stores of Morrisons. It is an online company, that provides various offers on this platform and the customers are getting the quality services through the company (Lorusso et al. 2018). The materials include Seafood and Fish, Meat and Poultry, veg and fruits, Cakes and Bakery and many more things like this. The company also offers various drinking facilities for the costumes. These are the products of the company and they can be categorised like this. 

Clothing

Morrisons offers the clothing facilities in their company. The company made itself one of the famous companies in the UK through its servings in the market. The best clothes of the company include the various age groups. They use online platforms for the promotions of their products (Chen et al. 2021). The online sites and the availability of products are one of the main reasons for the development of products of Morrisons. The unique clothes are the attraction of the Company. This is the unique part of the company’s offerings. The clothes are one of the attractions of the company.

Magazines and homecare

Magazines and homecare are the categories of services that the company offers to the customers of the UK. The company mainly focuses on home care and magazine services. The services of the magazine and homecare are the offerings of the company and it serves those things to the customers in an organisation (Farinha et al. 2019). This is the type of category, which the company offers to their customers. The company offers those products and this is a category of service. The product services of magazines satisfy the thirst of the customers.

Books

Books are also available on the company service of Morrisons. The company has reached as one of the topmost retailing companies in the UK because of its services of different products (Hill and Hill, 2017). One customer can get the available books of their needs from this company service. The company offers the service of the books for the book-lover customers. This is also a product and service served by the company, Morrisons. These are the service of products, which the company serves to their customers. These are the services of the company and the categories of products they served through the firm.

Question 7: Technology used by Morrisons in delivering its products and services

In today’s world technology has its immense contributions within the market arena and has over the years, with its advancement changed the entire scenario of marketing procedures. In Morrisons, too, there lies no exception to this rule, as they seemed to make use of digital technology in the aspects of delivering their products and services towards their target customers. However, recently the company is seen to be making usage of easy to access and convenient services to their target customers, which consists of "scan and go applications" (Zhong et al. 2022). In addition to these, they seemed to have also used applications for loyalty through the “more card holders”.

Use of technology in Morrisons

It is quite true that, during the pandemic, they have come up with these for their target customers and provided more focus on the digitisation of technology. However, the covid situation led to the Morrisons taking hold of both online and offline services for their customers. Morrisons made a partnership with “Deliveroo" to provide access to "on-demand delivery" to their customers. However, the supermarkets too, it has focussed on the implementation of "EPOS or electronic point of sale" (Scheibein et al. 2020). These EPOS machines will support monitoring, and controlling of stocks, analysis of sales performance, and data collection from customers.

The role played by technology

All these, concern the massive benefits that technology provides and play a considerable role in determining the delivery of services and products offered by the company. The prime reason that plays is elevating the experience of target customers within stores as well as in remote places (Hojckova et al. 2020). Without errors, the incorporation of technology supports immensely in making employees more efficient in the delivery of services. Delivery systems escalate while gaining the faith and trust of the customers and it supports the building of the brand image of the company with an increase in the scale of revenue generation and profits (Morrison et al. 2019). Furthermore, solving the problem becomes quite easy as it better connects the target customers in close-quarter. In addition to these, the information gathered by technologies helps to better understand the situation for resolution. Other factors such as target market campaigns are enhanced, speeding up the process of communication, and increasing convenience.

Benefits of technology in deliveries

Morrisons notice several benefits through the application of technology in the delivery of services and products. This supports in saving quality time of the customers and also in bridging the gap that is noticed in physical distancing. More to this is its savings, labour capital and as well reaching new potential markets (Hojckova et al. 2020). Another important benefit is that technology helps in saving quality information and provides automated tracking services. New ventures will support companies to get hold of the potential target customers present within the market arena. Technology increases the level of efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery systems of the company.

Question 8: Factors in location choice and method used

Factors that lead to the choice of a specific location by Morrisons

Selection of place is quite essential within the marketing strategy followed by a company, as place determines the generation of revenues and profits to the organization. Geographic preference for building up a setup for companies, as it relates not only to the supply of raw materials about as well the rate of production (Pantano et al. 2020). Talking about Morrison, it is misunderstood that the company serves all over the UK and has more than 660 stores with 1117,000 employees (Ft.com, 2022). The company is considered the second-largest manufacturer of fresh foods. Therefore, it is understood that Morissons looked through many aspects that included the elevation of the entire business organization within the market arena.

Considering the location, it caters to a few aspects such as accessibility, the base of skills, potential growth, security, competition, and “business rates”. However, all these are interlinked the most prime of them are accessibility and competition.

Selection of a new location and substantiating with the “weighted factor method”

Morrisons has developed its widespread market in the UK however, several markets are present where this company can spread its new potential target markets. However, in determining a new place for marketing Morrisons, the method of the “weight factor model (WFM)" is best applicable. This is because the "weight factor index" is a systematic approach that is followed by companies in order to determine the location that the company wants to target, keeping in mind the notion of positivity development of the business organizations (Garefalakis and Dimitras, 2020). The “weight factor index” relates to taking of support in the aspect of decision making that tends to remove the notions of subjectivity (Wang et al. 2020). With the help of this model, four main criteria are concerned, that include the strength of the idea, difficulties faced in executions, externalities and limiting factors. However, in this aspect the notion of time is crucial.

The new location suggested for Morrisons can be South America as this place displays the notion of a mixed economy. However, it is noticed that South Africa primarily operates on diverse numbers of industries that are private in nature, as it is completely a market economy. In addition to these one needs to understand that South Africa is considered a place of value as it is always in demand (Lai and Cheng, 2020). More to this, according to WFM, the strength of ideas are cost-effective and regarding the limiting factors, it is noted that funding and talent aspects are not causing a threat.

 In execution, difficulty rates faced are quite low and thereby one can understand the better probability of success. Although externalities are there, Morrisons with the usage of better marketing strategies can avert such possibilities. Externalities may include other cause areas that the company needs to eradicate (Tiemann, 2020). However, one needs to understand the present market arena before conducting a new business venture in any other place.

Question 9: Dealing with Demand fluctuations by Morrisons

Demand fluctuations and Morrisons deals with it

Demand fluctuations are defined as any kinds of variations that are noticed within the demands for products that are noted within the market arena. It is quite true that the fluctuations are quite natural as time demands can increase and can also decrease for the companies within the market arena. However, this period of change in the rate of demand for particular products and services is defined as a period of fluctuations (Kilian and Zhou, 2018). The demand fluctuations are caused due to the four major aspects of the market arena that include, volatility, ambiguousness, complexity as well as uncertainty. Furthermore, for some leaders of the supply chain, these causes seem enormous and pose challenges that are inevitably costly in nature (Huo and Ríos-Rull, 2020). However, this notion is quite common for Morrisons, so they intend to apply the theory of “Theory of Real Business Cycles and Economic Fluctuation”. This is because the theory supports them to better understand the challenges that are noted within the market arena, better integrate the aspects of sales and operations, enhance steps, forecasting demands and many more.

“Theory of Real Business Cycles and Economic Fluctuation”

The theory of “Real Business Cycles and Economic Fluctuation”, is quite important as it deals with “economic fluctuations' ' that are short-run in nature (Pi?tek, 2018). The best step to tackle these conditions is best if the notion of pricing remains flexible. To incorporate these theories one needs to go through the real changes that are happening concerning the economic status, that includes changes acknowledged within fiscal policies, and technologies associated with production (Matsue, 2018). More to this, with the application of this model, Morrisons can get a better idea to evaluate the behaviours that are noticed in terms of the supply of labourers. However, in this model, the supply of labourers is considered fixed with the level of employment. In most times, the business cycle is as well affected by the fluctuations in the rate of employment.

From this, it is understood that Morrisons needs to take care of the behaviours of the labourers within the market arena so that they can aggregate income levels. They can provide "intertemporal substitution of the labour" that will support them in earning a better revenue (Akram et al. 2021). They need to cater to real aggregate demand and supply levels. It is understood that, with the increase in the interest rates, the amount of labour is higher leading to large amounts of production.

Morrisons make use of advanced technologies so that it can support in dealing with such fluctuations in demands and supply acknowledged within the market arena. In addition to these, flexibility in the notions of wages and prices are quite important as they support the company during periods of fluctuations (Hult et al. 2019).In dealing with fluctuations in demands, Morssiosn most times made usage of “real-time data”, as it provides them with a true evaluation of the nature of the market and thereby suggests proper and effective strategic planning that will supports companies to get reliable suppliers, looks for ways to innovations.

Question 10: The planning system was chosen by Morrisons

Planning systems

Planning systems are essential to any business organization, as it denotes the system that is constructed by people who intend to believe in the future and the vision that is necessary for the base of planning. The planning systems cater to majorly two types of outputs that relate to proposals and the designing of concepts (Chowdhury et al. 2020). However, the proposal is addressed by the decision-makers. The purpose that lies underneath the notion of planning denotes proper identification and management regarding development associated with the business organizations (Teller et al. 2018). This supports coordination and better organization among the activities that are done by the manager while planning. However, there are four major phases of planning that are noticed, that includes, “strategic”, “contingency”, “tactical” and lastly, “operational”.

However, the notion of a planning system is necessary to Morrisons, and from the records, it can be stated that they make use of all the phases associated with planning systems. Although operational planning is conducted by a single user, it is quite relevant in the marketing of unique campaigns. This ongoing planning includes several rules and regulations as well as procedures. This is quite relevant in the daily running of the company (Kembro et al. 2018). The second phase is “strategic planning”, which concerns the foundation of the business organization. Strategic planning is planning that is associated with vital decisions regarding the business. However, they have scopes for about a time of three to ten years, and Morrisons uses such to determine the visions, values and also the missions that are set forth by the business organizations. If the strategic plans are effective then they determine the long term picture for the organizations.

The tactical plans are supportive of strategic planning that is set forth by the organizations. With the implementation of such tactical plans, it becomes quite easier to set goals and accomplish them with small but significant steps. However, these types of tactical planning help in achieving the missions. These plannings are short term but are quite focused on providing success for the organizations. Morrisons make use of such tactical planning that supports them to provide flexibility to other systems and also determines the breakdown of strategies into several parts that are quite easy to achieve. The last phase determines the taking up of contingency plans as this provides business organizations with unforeseen changes that may happen in the near future. The possibility of such changes is easily determined by contingency planning. 

However, Morrisons uses such contingency plans when they require major changes or they understand the possibility of something unexpected happening to their business. This supports in achieving the goals which may have or may get interrupted due to the possibility of uncertainty that is related to the business organizations. However, it is quite true that every time one cannot decide the changes that are about to come. In addition to these, these plans will be effective if the leader has a clear understanding of all types of business planning systems.

Question 11: Ordering frequency of the company

Morrison is a UK based company that holds the fourth largest supermarket chain. They deal in the business as both food makers and shopkeepers. Food is the basic thing that they are dealing with (Hill, and Hill, 2017). Provision of the customers with fresh possible vegetables, fruits, fish, chicken, lamb and grocery items are served in supermarkets all over the UK.

Here, suppose, this company uses 700 items of item X, which can be anything related to the grocery, per year. The purchase price per piece article is € 125, and the ordering costs per order are € 200, whereas stock costs are € 25 per item. As the ordered item is from grocery, it can be stored or stocked. It is better to stock them, as the price for stocking is less than the ordering cost. Storable items should be ordered two times per year which is a huge amount (Ivanov and Rozhkov, 2020). It will open the option of negotiation or bargaining for the ordering items. If the ordering cost becomes less, then it will directly reflect on the total purchase price. This will leave a positive impact on the whole business because the less the purchase price will be, the more the profit is going to be. 

Ordering frequency represents the number of times a company buys products within a proper period. Sometimes, the lower the ordering frequency gets, enhances the chances of overall profits. As Morrison is running its business for a long time, it clearly understands the importance of making a strategy about the ordering frequency. It is directly dependent on the customer's needs, those purchases, visits or orders from the supermarkets. One thing that needs to be considered by the company is the balance between the demand and supply chain. If the whole strategy is made without proper balancing of this, at the end of the year, it will go to affect the profit margin (Hill, and Hill, 2017). In Morrison, if the item can be ordered as per the need of the product and then stored, it is going to maintain the balance. On one side, customers will get what they want, and the total purchase cost for the company is going to decrease. As a result, at the end of the year, it will be visible in the profit scale that, the purchase cost is lower than the selling cost of the product. It will eventually help the company to grow fast.

Ordering frequency is a key for every company regardless of its size and type. For maintaining a constant success rate and profit margin, everyone needs to monitor the status. It is one of the most important marketing management techniques, that every company follows. However, with the constant flow of orders and purchases, customer and company relationships keep evolving. Some parameters help in determining the process and in increasing the stocks. The high the demands will get the more offers can be provided for the customers.

Question 12: Quality characteristics and the difference between attributes and variables

Five Quality Characteristics of Morrison

Companies with quality characteristics can remain optimistic throughout the year, whether the business is in favorable circumstances or not. Those characteristics also indicate a more competitive business and a bhold of Fix, rebuild, sustainable strategy prioritizing the basic structure, which strengthens the brand (Bara? and Bili?, 2021). For example, Morrison is one of the best supermarket chains in the UK with a b market share. Only with quality characteristics, it is possible to hold that position for years.

Figure 2: Characteristics of Morrisons

(Source: morrisons-corporate.com, 2022)

5 quality characteristics drive the Morison to move forward. Being more competitive is the key to survival in this business world (morrisons-corporate.com, 2022). It simply means providing products that can satisfy the basic need of customers at a reasonable price without compromising the quality, and helps the company to survive and improve the products. Better customer service does not have a replacement in terms of holding the company's reputation (Shahwan, 2021). Listening to the customer's feedback and implementing those, and serving a better service across the United Kingdom, are the basics of quality. Speed and simplification are common issues that can make any company's reputation a risk because they have to work with customers with minimum tolerance (Hill, and Hill, 2017). The more the speed of the service is, the more the customers are going to avail of the service. Serving the community is never an option for any company, a mandatory part of the job is a local integration. Contribution to the community refers to providing local jobs, products, facilities and services (Hartslief, 2020). Supporting local food banks, giving opportunities to the local people, doorstep deliveries etc. help a company to strengthen the bond between the customers and the company. In this digital era, being digitally available is the counts as key characteristic for any company, and for a company like Morrison, it is essential to provide the service with digital technology is easier. It helps in the improvement of the service, communication, and availability of the services. 

Distinguish between attributes and variables

There are a few attributes that are desirable for any company, especially for Morrison. Honesty is the basic attribute that can strengthen the bond between any company and their employees.They can rely completely on terms of trust, ability, and characteristics regardless of their role (Pich, 2020). Freedom gives one employee the confidence to perform better because it indicates the activities that they can perform as individuals and encourages the company (Hill, and Hill, 2017). Stimuli describe the unrelated knowledge that is desirable to pursue and improve the product, and service and on the other hand, some variables reflect the company is strategic planning. Being sure about the product and service makes them superior and helps in better customer service. Finance is the base of a company that decides the growth and stability of a company (Alqatan et al. 2019).  Market and people are important because it is essential to understand in which market the business is spreading and for which kind of people the service, they are going to provide.

Question 13: Advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing operational process

As one of the best supermarket chains, Morrison is outsourcing a transport operation along with some vehicle maintenance departments. Outsourcing can reflect on employment opportunities for product development and even in sales and marketing (Sandhu et al. 2018). However, there will be some advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing the operational process and Morrison is also can be affected by that.

Advantages of outsourcing

The first thing that comes because of outsourcing is allowing to avoid bringing an employee directly to the company which saves them money (motortransport.co.uk/, 2019). Outsourcing transport operations gives Morrison access to talents from all over the world and expands the search. Most importantly, it “lowers the labour cost”.

Disadvantages of outsourcing

Outsourcing the transport operation alongside some vehicle maintenance departments of Morrison gives less access to the employees (Hill, and Hill, 2017). As it is contractual, it is difficult to maintain control over them and as a result, a lack of direct communication that affects the work and it is a potential drawback for any company (Wang et al. 2018). All the benefits of outsourcing go in vain when it comes to the matter of quality. For companies like Morrison, who always focused on quality, outsourcing is going to affect that.

Question 14: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) of Morrisons

As the fourth-largest supermarket chain in the UK, it is its corporate social responsibility or CSR the Morrison that makes them different from any other companies in the competition. The basic business model of the company is to support the farmers and the Fishermans, which helps them to provide fresh products to the customers (Windsor, 2022). However, Morrison has its own CSR that it follows to contribute to the growth of the society.

Focusing on the matters that have their impact

The basic corporate responsibility of Morrison is to ensure the rights of its employees, customers, colleagues, suppliers and even the stakeholders, anyone that is connected to the structure of the company. Alongside that, there are some key areas, Morrison focused on which affect the customers and wider stakeholders.

Development goals

The Development goal focuses on the overall development process. It concentrates on ending poverty, fighting inequalities and discrimination and even on climate change (Hill, and Hill, 2017). In Morrison, those primary initiatives can leave an impact on global issues and challenges. It is important to stay focused on the implementation of the set goals, and in that case, Morrison and the company are doing their best.

Focusing on the process of Reducing, recycling and reusing

The most important issue that the world is facing currently is Plastic. Morrison uses plastics in packaging that are reusable or recyclable. It targeted the problematic plastics for its brand (morrisons-corporate.com, 2022). On the other hand, in terms of food, they try to provide food that is good in quality and focuses on the fact of as less possible wastage. They sell products that are 'Naturally

Wonky’s produce in their stores. That helps them to contribute the unsold products to the local community as per their choices (Žukauskas et al, 2018). Morrison was the first supermarket that gets the award for the Carbon Trust Standards. It has programs that focus on carbon saving and that not only reflect on the environment but also ensure the efficiency of Morrison.

Supporting the Farmers

Morrison gives its full focus on supporting the British farmers. From fresh vegetables and fruits to equally fresh lamb, pork and chicken-fish, their primary focus is to deliver the best products to the customers and for that, they completely rely on the farmers (Hill, and Hill, 2017). Keeping this supply chain activity, the company focuses on the development of the farmers and discussed the problem and issues,and try to solve them.

Encouraging charity work and making differences in the society

A company that directly deals with the community can make difference by taking initiatives. Playing an active role can make positive differences in society. Morrison introduces community rooms to hold community programs like events, get-togethers and events involving the local communities (Morrisons-corporate.com, 2019). Other than that, making people understand the importance of charity is also a part of CSR that Morrison follows. It helps its customers, employees and colleagues to participate in charity works for noble causes. The Morrison Foundation itself helps people with their huge amount of donations and funding.

References

Books

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Žukauskas, P., Vveinhardt, J. and Andriukaitien?, R., 2018. Management Culture and corporate social responsibility. BoD–Books on Demand.

Journal

Akram, U., Fülöp, M.T., Tiron-Tudor, A., Topor, D.I. and C?pu?neanu, S., 2021. Impact of digitalization on customers’ well-being in the pandemic period: Challenges and opportunities for the retail industry. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(14), p.7533.

Alqatan, D., Chbib, I. and Hussainey, K., 2019. How does board structure impact on firm performance in the UK?. Corporate Board: Role, Duties & Composition, 15(2).

Bara?, Ž.A. and Bili?, M., 2021. The effects of company characteristics on financial reporting quality-the application of the machine learning technique. Ekonomski Vjesnik, 34(1), pp.57-72.

Cao, L., 2021. Artificial intelligence in retail: applications and value creation logics. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management.

Chen, L.H., Wang, M.J.S. and Morrison, A.M., 2021. Extending the memorable tourism experience model: a study of coffee tourism in Vietnam. British Food Journal.

Chowdhury, M., Sarkar, A., Paul, S.K. and Moktadir, M., 2020. A case study on strategies to deal with the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic in the food and beverage industry. Operations Management Research, pp.1-13.

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Dahmani, S. and Yebdri, D., 2020. Hybrid algorithm of particle swarm optimization and grey wolf optimizer for reservoir operation management. Water resources management, 34(15), pp.4545-4560.

Farinha, T., Balland, P.A., Morrison, A. and Boschma, R., 2019. What drives the geography of jobs in the US? Unpacking relatedness. Industry and Innovation, 26(9), pp.988-1022

Garefalakis, A. and Dimitras, A., 2020. Looking back and forging ahead: the weighting of ESG factors. Annals of Operations Research, 294(1), pp.151-189.

Hartslief, R., 2020. Characteristics of a quality dividend-paying company. MoneyMarketing, 2020(3), pp.22-22.

Hojckova, K., Ahlborg, H., Morrison, G.M. and Sandén, B., 2020. Entrepreneurial use of context for technological system creation and expansion: The case of blockchain-based peer-to-peer electricity trading. Research Policy, 49(8), p.104046.

Hojckova, K., Ahlborg, H., Morrison, G.M. and Sandén, B., 2020. Entrepreneurial use of context for technological system creation and expansion: The case of blockchain-based peer-to-peer electricity trading. Research Policy, 49(8), p.104046.

Hom, C.L., Samson, D., Cebon, P.B. and Cregan, C., 2021. Inside the black box: An investigation of non-executive director activity through the lens of dynamic capability. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 38(3), pp.857-895.

Hong, K., Kim, J. and Ha, J., 2022. Development of Evaluation Indicators for the Efficient Operation and Management of Traffic Safety Facilities. Journal of the Society of Disaster Information, 18(1), pp.29-37.

Hoth, K., Steffen, T., Wiegel, B., Youssfi, A., Babazadeh, D., Venzke, M., Becker, C., Fischer, K. and Turau, V., 2021. Holistic Simulation Approach for Optimal Operation of Smart Integrated Energy Systems under Consideration of Resilience, Economics and Sustainability. Infrastructures, 6(11), p.150.

Hult, G.T.M., Sharma, P.N., Morgeson III, F.V. and Zhang, Y., 2019. Antecedents and consequences of customer satisfaction: do they differ across online and offline purchases?. Journal of Retailing, 95(1), pp.10-23.

Huo, Z. and Ríos-Rull, J.V., 2020. Demand induced fluctuations. Review of Economic Dynamics, 37, pp.S99-S117.

Ivanov, D. and Rozhkov, M., 2020. Coordination of production and ordering policies under capacity disruption and product write-off risk: An analytical study with real-data based simulations of a fast moving consumer goods company. Annals of Operations Research, 291(1), pp.387-407.

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Kembro, J.H., Norrman, A. and Eriksson, E., 2018. Adapting warehouse operations and design to omni-channel logistics: A literature review and research agenda. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management.

Kilian, L. and Zhou, X., 2018. Modeling fluctuations in the global demand for commodities. Journal of International Money and Finance, 88, pp.54-78.

Kova?i?, S., Jovanovi?, T., Vuji?i?, M.D., Morrison, A.M. and Kennell, J., 2022. What shapes activity preferences? The role of tourist personality, destination personality and destination image: evidence from Serbia. Sustainability, 14(3), p.1803.

Lai, L.W. and Cheng, W.L., 2020. Modification of AQI as an Effective Representation of Air Quality by Considering Weighting Factors. American Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering, 4(1), pp.7-12.

Lorusso, J.R., Morrison, H.J. and Johnson, A.M., 2018. Canadian physical education and kinesiology unit mission statements: Who is playing by the rules of the game?. International Journal of Kinesiology in Higher Education, 2(4), pp.97-112.

Matsue, T., 2018. Fixed-term contracts as a source of labour demand fluctuations. Applied Economics Letters, 25(9), pp.611-614.

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Morrison, C., 2019. Nanobody approval gives domain antibodies a boost. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 18(7), pp.485-488.

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Morrison, J.R., Ross, S.M. and Cheung, A.C., 2019. From the market to the classroom: How ed-tech products are procured by school districts interacting with vendors. Educational Technology Research and Development, 67(2), pp.389-421.

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Sandhu, M.A., Shamsuzzoha, A. and Helo, P., 2018. Does outsourcing always work? A critical evaluation for project business success. Benchmarking: An International Journal.

Scheibein, F., McGirr, K., Morrison, A., Roche, W. and Wells, J.S.G., 2020. An exploratory non-randomized study of a 3-month electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) intervention with people accessing a homeless supported temporary accommodation service (STA) in Ireland. Harm Reduction Journal, 17(1), pp.1-10.

Shahwan, Y., 2021. The impact of audit quality, corporate governance, and company characteristics on earnings management. Global Journal of Economics and Business, 11(1), pp.107-112.

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