Sustainable Operations Management Essay

Sustainable operation management is a management approach that involves planning, implementation and control of business operations that translate available resources into the required product or service. It is the management of business practices, traditions and operations to promote the highest level of efficiency, smooth workflow, and increased productivity in an organization. This management strategy ensures that the available labour force and materials are changed into products or services in a cost effective way to increase the company’s returns (Corbett, 2009). It also involves production waste management, food waste reduction, creating new opportunities, environment protection, and improving customer health. Sustainable operation management in the retail industry around the world has gained momentum in the recent years, in the face of customer pressure and media interest. It is particularly linked to the concepts of corporate social responsibility and global warming (Morrison, 2013).

While a number of organizations have not adopted a sustainable operations management strategy, large retail firms like Morrison, Wal-Mart, Marks and Spencer, and Sainsbury’s have adopted this concept into their management strategies in order to reflect customer concerns and thus sustain the competitive advantage. Many larger firms are willing to promote sustainable operations in their markets because this strategy arguably attracts and retains customers.

Morrison is the largest supermarket in the UK and has integrated sustainable operation management in all its stores. Its management have put in place sustainable mechanisms such as sustainable designs, processes, operations, which are guidelines and policies used by the firm to decrease the...

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...e different supply chain mechanism ultimately helped Morrison to be strong and stable in replying the customer. In the following there have been some strategies that have been introduced in Morrison to survive and to make profit in the competitive market.

Conclusion

Strategies per se don’t generate competitive advantage or sustainable operations. Businesses that build sustainable operations management achieve this through development of efficient policies and activities that meet the needs of clients. Organizations that sustainably manage operations integrate all core functions into a one active force in the market. Morrison dynamically and steadily works in various sustainable areas of policy formulation to achieve competitive advantage, value addition, customer satisfaction, job creation, food waste management, social responsibility and climate change control.