Unilever Vision and Mission

Keywords: mission of unilever, vision of unilever, unilever values

In the 1890s, William Hesketh Lever, founder of Lever Brothers down his ideas for Sunlight Soap – his revolutionary new product that helped popularizes cleanliness and hygiene in Victorian England. It was to make cleanliness commonplace; to lessen work for women; to foster health and contribute to personal attractiveness, that life may be more enjoyable and rewarding for the people who use our products. Unilever was formed in 1930 when the Dutch Margarine Company Margarine Unie merged with British soap maker Lever Brothers. Companies were competing for the same raw materials, both were involved in large-scale marketing of household products and both used similar distribution channels. Between them, they had operations in over 40 countries. Lever established soap factories around the world. In 1917, he began to diversify into foods, acquiring fish, ice cream and canned foods businesses.

In the Thirties, Unilever introduced improved technology to the business. The business grew and new ventures were launched in Latin America. The entrepreneurial spirit of the founders and their caring approach to their

employees and their communities remain at the heart of Unilever’s business today. Unilever NV and Unilever PLC are the parent companies of what is today one of the largest consumer goods businesses in the world. Since 1930, the two companies have operated as one, linked by a series of agreements and shareholders that participate in the prosperity of the whole business. Unilever’s corporate centers are at London and Rotterdam.

This was long before the phrase ‘Corporate Mission’ had been invented, but these ideas have stayed at the heart of our business. Even if language – and the nation of only women doing housework – has become outdated.

In a history that now crosses three centuries, Unilever’s success has been influenced by the major events of the day – economic boom, depression, world wars, changing consumer lifestyles and advances in technology. And throughout we’ve created products that help people get more out of life – cutting the time spent on household chores, improving nutrition, enabling people to enjoy food and take care of their homes, their clothes and themselves.

Vision

Touching hearts changing lives

Mission

Our mission is to add vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition; hygiene and personal care with brands that help people look good, feel good and get more out of life.

OBJECTIVE OF UNILEVER

Win Key Markets

Grow ahead of market and competitors in selected high

potential categories.

Grow with the market in attractive profitable categories,

investing to defend market share.

Grow Superior Brands

Develop superior brands with:

Unique consumer insight.

Impact full innovation.

Competitive functional benefits, based on relevant science.

Outstanding sensorial and packaging.

Impact full and effective communication.

Win With Customers

Strategic investing for growth in our customers and

channels.

Deliver best in class customer service.

Win at the point of purchase.

Build brands through customers.

Fit to Compete

Raise the bar on extended supply chain, competitiveness &

responsiveness.

Achieve competitive levels of overheads.

Deliver Vitality

Be leaders who align, energize, inspire and are accountable

Develop leading capabilities in Consumer Marketing,

Customer Development and Information Management.

Live out vitality in our people and partnerships in the

community.

Core Values

Impeccable Integrity

We are honest, transparent and ethical in our dealings at all times.

Demonstrating a Passion for Winning

We deliver what we promise.

Wowing our Consumers and Customers

We win the hearts and minds of our consumers and customers.

Bringing out the Best in All of Us

We are empowered leaders, who are inspired by new challenges and have a bias for action.

Living an Enterprise Culture

We believe in trust, truth and outstanding teamwork. We value a creative & fun environment.

Making a Better World

We care about and actively contribute to the community in which we live.

Company’s Structure

Unilever’s new organization provides single point accountability and has fewer management layers to deliver faster decisions and faster execution.

Executive directors

Members of the Unilever Executive who are also directors of Unilever

Joint secretaries

Responsible for ensuring that Board and Board Committee meetings have the information they need.

Non-executive directors

The independent element in Unilever’s governance.

Unilever executive (UEX)

Responsible for managing profit and loss, and delivering growth.

Senior corporate officers

Responsible for ensuring that the Board has the information they need.

OBJECTIVES OF STUDYING Unilever

“Change is the window through which the future enters your life.” It’s all around you, in many types and shapes. You can bring it about yourself or it can come in ways.”

I have chosen Unilever Pakistan Ltd because it is currently going through change. The question arises: why does an organization need change? Can an organization survive without changing with the ever changing competitive world? The answer to this question is quite obvious. An organization needs change because it has to survive in the competitive world.

Unilever Pakistan Ltd is going through change currently at different levels. I have studied it profoundly to gauge the extent of change required for the best performance of the said organization. As far as the performance of the organization is concerned, it has been doing a great job in different fields but it is not the market leader. The reason behind that is quite obvious. The R &D of the organization is far behind from that of its competitors. Its chief competitor is Proctor & Gamble pvt Ltd. The R&D of Proctor & Gamble is very active and it always comes up with the idea that dazzles its competitors.

More and more organizations today face a dynamic and changing environment today. This, in turn, is requiring these organizations to adapt.” Change or die!” is the rallying cry among today’s manager worldwide.

Technology is changing jobs and organizations. For instance, computers are commonplace in almost every organization; and cell phones and handheld PDAs are seen as indispensable by a large segment of the population. Computer networks are also reshaping entire industries. The music business, as a case in point, is now struggling to cope with economic consequences of widespread online music sharing. For the long term, recent breakthroughs in deciphering the human genetic code offer the potential for pharmaceutical companies to produce drugs designed for specific individual and create serious ethical dilemmas for insurance companies as to who is insurable and who isn’t. We live in age of discontinuity. In 1950’s and 1960’s, the past was a pretty good prologue to future. Tomorrow was essentially an extended trend line from yesterday. That’s no longer true. Beginning in the early 1970’s with the over night quadrupling of world oil prices, economic shocks have continued to impose changes on organizations. In recent years, for instance new dot com businesses have been created. turned tense of thousands of investors into overnight millionaires and then crashed .the stock market decline from 2000m to 2002 eroded approximately 40% of average employees’ retirement account. This may force many employees to

Postpone their anticipated retirement date. And record low interest rates have stimulated a rapid rise in home values. Help sustain consumer spending, and proven a spur to home builders and remodler’s furniture retailers, mortgage bankers, and other home related businesses.

As we have discussed earlier that unilever needs a change in its R&D for its better survival in Pakistan. There is not an iota of doubt in it that there is always resistance to change. Here are some ways that can help an organization overcome resistance to change. There are seven tactics which are used by change agents while dealing with resistance to change.

Education and Communication:

Resistance to change can be reduced to great extent by demonstrating the rationale behind the change. Communication can help reduce resistance at two levels.

Participation

Participation of employees in the change decision is very important. If they do participate in it, it will be difficult for them resist the change.

Building support and commitment

Change agents can offer a range of supportive efforts to reduce resistance to change. When employees’ fear is high, employee counseling and therapy, new skills training, or short paid leave of absence may facilitate adjustment.

Negotiation

We can reduce resistance to change by offering something of value for a lessening of the resistance.

Manipulation and Cooptation

Manipulation refers to covet influence attempts. Twisting and distorting facts to make them appear more attractive withholding un desirable information, and creating false rumors to get employees to accept a change all are examples of manipulation.

Cooptation on the other hand is a form of both manipulation and participation. It seeks to buy off the leaders of a resistance group by giving a key role in the change decision. The leader’s advice is sought not to seek a better decision but to get their endorsement.

Selecting people who accept change

Change acceptance has got something to do with the personality. Research shows that those employees who are open to experience can accept the change easily. A change agent is to look for these kinds of people in the organization for the effective implementation of change.

Coercion

This is the last thing that can help in the change process. It is the last resort in other words. But a gent agent should rarely rely on it because it sows the sapling of hate in the hearts of the employees.

Conclusion

I can conclude this assignment by saying that unilever has great potential to grasp its share from the market if it focuses on its R&D department. Its competitors have good research and development departments. Change is required at the above mentioned department level. As far as resistance to change is concerned, it can be overcome by employing the tactics that have been mentioned in the previous pages. The change agent can use one or all the above mentioned changes. But I am in the favor of the first three tactics as they are very easy to implement.