You may find the information for LIDL UK retailer online, in Keynotes in the Library, Company reports, cases online, and the financial press. The literature sources should be books, journals, refereed papers and appropriate online sources. You should find the sources of information that you will use to deliver the three assessment parts within the first four weeks of the course. This is important and failure to complete this task will jeopardise your performance on the module. Your submission should address the following 3 Parts:
Part 1
Using the specific operations performance objectives it can be argued that LIDL UK is focussed on satisfying its customers’ requirements for fast and dependable services at a reasonable market price, through strategic partnerships that assist its customers to improve the services they offer. Specifically you should:
• Outline the essential components for ‘effective business operations management’ (creating value for the customer) for LIDL’s operation within the UK.
• Use a soft systems methodology to evaluate the issues LIDL UK might face if they decide to introduce hybrid facilities to allow their customers to continue shopping in store, as well as ‘order goods online and have these delivered to the door’ to compete in the market place. Support your discussion with appropriate business operations models (i.e. operation strategy performance (priorities) model, customer value, the service gap model, four v’s profile etc.).
• You should compare and contrast different models used by the sector in which LIDL UK operates and recommend appropriate solutions to continue being competitive in the market, make easier for customers to select and buy their products (issues to consider centralised/decentralised inventory and delivery chain, customer value chain, cost implications, sustainability etc.).
• Comparison of different solutions with costing and choose one solution to take forward with reasoning.
• With reference to the parcel conundrum recommend how LIDL UK should respond to this conundrum (keeping in mind the possible technological and environmental (CO2) impact).