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[Dane Red]

Okay how does this essay hold up?
Essay 2- Evaluate the response of operations management to influences in achieving a competitive advantage.

Introduction

Operations management is an area of management that is responsible for the production processes and operations within a business and focuses on resource allocation to satisfy customer’s needs. Competitive advantage is where a business uses a strategy to gain an ‘edge’ over its competitors. Technology and corporate social responsibility are two influences that McDonalds has effectively responded to , leading it to achieve a competitive advantage.

McDonalds is the world’s leading food service organisation with its operations management being responsible for the practical delivery of McDonald’s good or service.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility is where a business goes beyond their compliance costs to become an ethical and environmental business. Corporate social responsibility can affect a business’s ability in achieving a competitive advantage as corporate social responsibility can increase or decrease a business’s market share or profits. It can also lead to a short-term increase in costs and a long-term increase in cost-effectiveness for a business.

McDonalds has been effective in responding to corporate social responsibility resulting in a competitive advantage as when Russia invaded Ukraine, McDonalds ceased all operations in Russia and sold 800 of their stores from there, which was a show of support to Ukraine. Hence this is effective as they were able to respond to the situation of Russia invading Ukraine without compromising their corporate social responsibility and instead benefitted from it as they showed support to Ukraine. This show of support can lead to an increase in McDonald’s reputation amongst consumers which would result in n an increase in sales as consumers see McDonalds as a socially responsible business; thus feel inclined to reward its social responsibility by buying products from them leading to McDonalds increasing their ability to achieve a competitive advantage. Therefore McDonalds has effectively responded to corporate social responsibility by not comprising on it and using it to increase their sales, hence increasing their ability to achieve a competitive advantage.

Technology

Technology is the design, manufacturing and application of innovative devices and methods of machinery to use in operations processes. Technology can be a high initial cost for a business and its operations management, when it comes to using and developing technology however it can significantly improve quality and productivity.

McDonalds’ operations management responds to technology in an effective manner as they use automated dispensers and use delivery companies such as Uber Eats to deliver food to their consumers. This is an effective response as McDonalds utilises technology in their operations management to increase efficiency in the delivery of their goods and service. Hence would allow them to sell more of their products in a shorter period of time leading to increased profits which results in McDonalds achieving a competitive advantage. Therefore McDonalds has effectively responded to technology by utilizing it in their operations management leading to efficient delivery of their products which results in an increase of sales and achieving a competitive advantage.

Conclusion

In conclusion, McDonalds has effectively responded to operations influences as it was able to take full advantage of their corporate social responsibility and technology to increase their sales, reputation, and efficiency in delivering their products; thus, results in McDonalds getting a competitive advantage.

 

[jimmysmith560]

Upon first look at your response, a problem can be highlighted, which is that your response to this question in particular should be longer. Because you are not limited to a specific number of elements to cover in your response (as opposed to the question in your earlier thread), you should aim to increase the length of your response. A good way of doing so would be to cover an additional influence on operations management.

With that being said, here is what I think in terms of your actual response:

Introduction

Operations management is an area of management that is responsible for the production processes and operations within a business and focuses on resource allocation to satisfy customer’s needs. Competitive advantage is where a business uses a strategy to gain an ‘edge’ over its competitors. Technology and corporate social responsibility are two influences that Mcdonald's has effectively responded to, leading it to achieve a competitive advantage.

McDonalds is the world’s leading food service organisation with its operations management being responsible for the practical delivery of McDonald’s good or service goods and services.

1. I think that you should express your ideas in a clearer way. Where you define a competitive advantage, it would be better to phrase the definition as "A competitive advantage is an element or circumstance that places a business in a favourable position relative to its competitors."

You should ensure that you spell the name of the businesses that you cover correctly. McDonald's is spelled like this (capital D and an apostrophe).

Overall, a relatively good introduction with a few (mostly) minor issues.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility is where a business goes beyond their compliance costs to become an ethical and environmentally-focused business. Corporate social responsibility can affect a business’s ability in achieving a competitive advantage as corporate social responsibility can increase or decrease a business’s market share or profits. It can also lead to a short-term increase in costs and a long-term increase in cost-effectiveness for a business.

McDonalds has been effective in responding to corporate social responsibility, resulting in a competitive advantage as when Russia invaded Ukraine, McDonalds ceased all operations in Russia and sold 800 of their stores from there, which was a show of support to Ukraine. Hence this is effective as they were able to respond to the situation of Russia invading Ukraine without compromising their corporate social responsibility and instead benefitted from it as they showed support to Ukraine. This show of support can lead to an increase in McDonald’s reputation amongst consumers which would result in an increase in sales as consumers see McDonalds as a socially responsible business; thus feel inclined to reward its social responsibility by buying products from them leading to McDonalds increasing their ability to achieve a competitive advantage. Therefore McDonalds has effectively responded to corporate social responsibility by not comprising on it and using it to increase their sales, hence increasing their ability to achieve a competitive advantage.

There are a few potential issues/concerns with the case study material used in this part of your response:

• I would personally avoid sensitive issues such as the war between Russia and Ukraine. This information is not necessarily forbidden. However, it would probably be a good idea to address corporate social responsibility by referring to another, perhaps more conventional initiative that McDonald's has taken.
• If we ignore the sensitivity of the information and focus on the information itself, having 800 stores cease their operations at once is highly likely to result in a substantial decrease in sales for McDonald's, which undermines your main argument of CSR supporting business/sales profitability. Instead, you can simply discuss another initiative, namely partnering with the Ronald McDonald House Charities and use it to support your main argument.
• It would be good if you could also include figures that depict the increase in sales resulting from McDonald's CSR initiatives.

Technology

Technology is the design, manufacturing and application of innovative devices and methods of machinery to use in operations processes. Technology can be a high initial cost for a business and its operations management, when it comes to using and developing technology. However, it can significantly improve quality and productivity.

McDonalds’ operations management responds to technology in an effective manner as they use automated dispensers and use delivery companies such as Uber Eats to deliver food to their consumers. This is an effective response as McDonalds utilises technology in their operations management to increase efficiency in the delivery of their goods and services. Hence This would thus allow them to sell more of their products in a shorter period of time, leading to increased profits which results in McDonalds achieving a competitive advantage. Therefore, McDonalds has effectively responded to technology by utilizing it in their operations management leading to efficient delivery of their products which results in an increase of sales and achieving a competitive advantage.

A good paragraph that establishes a link between appropriate syllabus dot points and supports its main argument by referring to relevant case study material. Minor edits were made so as to improve its flow.

Conclusion

In conclusion, McDonalds has effectively responded to operations influences as it was able to take full advantage of their corporate social responsibility and technology to increase their sales, reputation, and efficiency in delivering their products; thus, results in McDonalds getting a competitive advantage.

A relatively good, short conclusion that provides a brief summary of the contents of your essay.

I would give this response a 13/20 for the following reasons:

• Responses to Section IV are typically longer than this because they either cover more elements or cover the same number of elements, but in more detail. In the case of your essay, had you covered a third influence, your mark would have likely been considerably higher.
• The issues and concerns mentioned in terms of your discussion of corporate social responsibility.
• Expression could have been slightly more well-developed so as to improve the overall flow/cohesion of the essay.

I hope this helps!