Critically assess how different companies compete from a strategic operations management perspective

To complete this assignment you will need to obtain information from a variety of information sources (e.g. company data, trade publications, news reports) and reference these accordingly. You should also make reference to relevant academic literature where appropriate to support your submission.
PART A: (1500 words)
Critically assess:
how Amazon UK and Waterstones compete in the UK books marketplace
or
how John Lewis and Argos compete in the UK retail marketplace
or
how and Waitrose and Tesco compete in the UK food retailing marketplace
or
how National Express and Megabus compete in the UK coach transport marketplace
or
how Morgan Motor Company and Ford compete in the UK automotive marketplace
or
how Ryanair and British Airways compete in the European passenger air transport marketplace
Your essay should include:
a) a review of the primary differences between the companies from a strategic operations management perspective.
b) an evaluation of how the differences in the relative importance of competitive objectives have influenced the decisions of each company’s operations strategy.
c) an assessment of whether in your opinion the operations strategies of the above firms aim to overcome potential trade-offs between the five operations performance objectives (cost, quality, speed, dependability, flexibility). Support your argument with appropriate references and/or examples.
Note: You are required to include a brief introduction and conclusion for your essay in this part, and whilst you are expected to make reference to relevant literature throughout your text, you do not need to provide an explicit literature review.
PART B: (1000 words)
Based on your findings from Part A consider the opportunities for a new entrant to the same marketplace, and propose an operations strategy that would enable them to compete with the existing firms. Making use of relevant assessment tools for operations strategy prepares a 1000 words report for the management of a hypothetical company that wishes to enter this market. You may also state any assumptions you are making about the scenario or the company involved.

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