A Decade of Organizational Change at Unilever

CASE STUDY:

A Decade of Organizational Change at Unilever

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Presented to

DAVID MWAURA

Course
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary        3

Introduction        4

Question 1        5

Question 2..        8

Question 3..        11

Conclusions        13

References        14

Bibliography        15

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Unilever is one of the oldest and biggest multinations operating worldwide and is characterized as a leading fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company. This report will discuss the reorganization of its structure since its establishment in the year 1929 and focus on all the transitions that it went through over the years. The aim of our study is to see the evolution of Unilever in terms of its organiztional structure. This evolution was a response to the changes in the marketplace, expansion, globalization and strong emergence of its competitors.

 We will examine what Unilever rejected over the time which it considered useless for its operations and what it retained considering the long-term benefits, hence emerging as a transnational company which transitioned from thinking and acting locally to globally. Our main concern is to examine in detail the long organization restructuring exercise undertaken by Unilever and study the elements of its restructuring program over the years. It also emphasizes on the suitability of its organizational structure at present and its role in achieving the organization’s goals and objectives.

Moreover, it identifies the business tools that analyze the internal and externl environmental factors which were the main reason behind its continuous restructuring and upgrading of systems. In the end, the report sheds light on the results of the restructuring exercises and examines company’s future prospects in the light of its current market share, technological infrastructure modifications and intense competition.

INTRODUCTION:

The merger of a Dutch margarine company and a British soap company was not less than a surprise for the consumers considering their distinct sectors. This worked through the equalization agreement between the two companies and set the stage for a multinational corporation producing a wide variety of household goods. Today, Unilever is one of the Europe’s largest companies and stands on the third position in terms of sales after Nestle and Proctor and Gamble. The product offerings of Unilever mainly include food products, personal care products and detergents (Charles Wilson, 1990)