Described by the press as having 'revolutionized the concept of sandwich making and eating', Prêt A Manger opened its first shop in London in the mid 1980s. Now it has over 130 shops in the UK, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The company says its secret is to focus continually on quality – not just of the food but in every aspect of the operations practice. It goes to extraordinary lengths to avoid the chemicals and preservatives common in most 'fast' food. 'Many food retailers focus on extending the shelf life of their food, but that's of no interest to us. We maintain our edge by selling food that simply can't be beaten for freshness. At the end of the day, we give whatever we haven't sold to charity to help feed those who would otherwise go hungry. When we were just starting out, a big supplier tried to sell us coleslaw that lasted sixteen days. Can you imagine, salad that lasts sixteen days? There and then we decided Prêt would stick to wholesome fresh food – natural stuff. We have not changed that policy.' The first Prêt A Manger shop had its own kitchen where fresh ingredients were delivered first thing every morning and food was prepared throughout the day. Every Prêt shop since has followed this model. The team members serving on the tills at lunchtime will have been making sandwiches in the kitchen that morning. The company rejected the idea of a huge centralized sandwich factory even though it could significantly reduce costs. Prêt also owns and manages all its shops directly so that it can ensure consistently high standards in all its shops. 'We are determined never to forget that our hardworking people make all the difference. They are our heart and soul. When they care, our business is sound. If they cease to care, our business goes down the drain. In a retail sector where high staff turnover is normal, we're pleased to say our people are much more likely to stay around. We work hard at building great teams. We take our reward schemes and career opportunities very seriously. We don't work nights (generally), we wear jeans, we party!' Customer feedback is regarded as being particularly important at Prêt. Examining customers' comments for An improvement idea is a key part of weekly management meetings and of the daily team briefs in each shop. (Source: Slack N, Operations Management, Prentice Hill Financial times, Fifth Edition) You are required to read the case study on Prêt a Manger and answer the following questions in an essay format. It is advised to visit Prêt a Manager and conduct further research to gain a better understanding of their operations. a. Explain why operations management is important to Prêt a Manager (AC 1.1) b. Analyse the operations functions of Prêt a Manager (AC 1.2) c. Using a process model evaluate the operations management of Prêt a Manager (AC1.3) d. Assess how important economy, efficiency and effectiveness is to Prêt a Manager (AC.2.1) e. Through using a PESTEL analysis, assess the impact of the tension between cost minimisation and quality maximisation that Prêt a Manager could experience (AC2.2) f. Evaluate the significance of cost, dependability, flexibility, quality and speed (five OM performance objectives) that underpin operations management in Prêt a Manager (AC 2.3) \