Unilever

1. International companies which have been operational for the longest time tend to face a lot of challenges as time goes by, and this is usually attributed to slow adoption of new strategies. In order for the CEO of Unilever Polman to be able to come up with very effective strategies, then he should employ the following long-term objectives; achievable, flexible, motivating and understandable.

Achievable

The company should come up with strategies which can easily be achieved. Coming up with goals which can be easily achieved consequently allows the company to be able to achieve more, rather than making the employees to sweat while trying to achieve a goals which cannot be achieved (Tucker, 2016).

Flexible

Unilever should be able to come up with strategies which are flexible, they should be flexible in the sense that they can be used even when the market trends changes (Tucker, 2016). For instance, the company can employee a viral marketing strategy, which can be used for very long period of time, and if new market trends emerge, this strategy can be incorporated in a different form.

Motivating

The strategies which the company sets should be able to motivate both the employees and the customers. This can be achieved through allowing the employees to participate in coming up with new strategies which can enable the company to be able to reach its goals. The employees, have a firsthand experience with the customers, and they therefore know what customers want, and which strategies can enable the company to reach a wider market (Tucker, 2016).

Understandable

In order for the employees to be able to effectively deliver the services which are required to deliver, they must first and foremost understand what they are supposed to do. This consequently means that the company should only come up with strategies which match the employees’ level of understanding. All employees must be able to understand how different strategies work, thus work hand in hand with them, hence leading to the success of the company (Tucker, 2016).

2. In order for Unilever to be able to deal with its challenges it should incorporate the following operational strategies; customer driven strategies, service and product development and developing core competencies.

Customer Driven Strategies

The company should understand the needs of its employees when coming up with strategies. It should therefore come up with strategies which are in line with the wants and needs of the customers (Krishnamurthy & Shetty, 2014). This consequently makes it easier for the company to be able to win a huge market share, since it will be able to retain its customers, and in the process attract new customers through the word of mouth. Furthermore, the company should focus on its challenges rather than trying new approaches. Understanding the needs of the employees will therefore allow the company to come up with customer driven strategies, hence increasing its market share. For instance, if customers are shopping online, then the company should set up an online shop, where it can be able to reach its customers.

Service and Product Development

When developing a product, the company should consider the design of the product, how it will be delivered, and how effective it will be. This consequently helps in making it easier for the company to be able to first and foremost to create a unique product. Most customers’ are attracted to unique products, due to curiosity, hence the Unilever should focus on the development of unique products (Krishnamurthy & Shetty, 2014). In addition, the services offered by the company should also be customer oriented, thus allowing the customers to feel at ease while purchasing Unilever products. For instance, the company should come up with a differently branded washing powder, with its old brand name, but in a different color

Developing Core Competencies

Unilever should develop its core competencies through having a well trained staff, investing on the right resources and having optimal customer service. After doing so, the company should then focus on improving customer service, and the delivery of its products. Furthermore, the company should improve its outsourced services through offering promotions and offers to customers (Krishnamurthy & Shetty, 2014). For instance, the company should offer promotions of its worst performing products, in order to attract customers to the product.

3. Management accounting principles and practices enable the company to effectively achieve its goals through the following strategies.

Fostering Accountability

Management accounting consequently allows the company to foster accountability to its employees, through combining its operations and principles (Hunt & Fowler, 2009). Employees therefore work very hard, through doing the right thing, thus enabling the company to reach its goals. This is usually done through providing guiding principles and data which requires employees to work hard and remain loyal to the company.

Creating employee management relationship

When the management of the company and the employees are in good terms, this allows the employees to participate in decision making, thus providing the company with very significant information. This allows the company to make tangible decisions, and the collection of date becomes easy (Hunt & Fowler, 2009). Unilever should therefore maintain a close relationship with its employees, in order to allow them to provide the company with significant information and data.

Winning the Trust of the Employees

Winning employees’ trust allows the employees to focus on providing the best services to the company. In addition, this allows the employees to operate under the principles of management accounting, hence being able to reach the company’s goals (Hunt & Fowler, 2009). This can be done through focusing on rewarding the employees, thus making them to appreciate the efforts of the management.

 

4. In order for Unilever to be able to beat its competitors, thus gaining a wider marketing share, it will need to use the following sales and marketing strategies; embrace uniqueness, create a good relationship with the customers and use viral marketing to promote a product.

Embracing Uniqueness

Unilever is a company which has been operating for a very long period of time, and it is consequently required to change the way it operates. This will allow the company to be able to reach a wide market, and to also win over new markets (Fernandez, 2012). The company should change its service delivery, through making it to be in such a way that the customers will like it. Secondly, Unilever should also come up with unique products, thus being able to win the hearts of the customers. This can therefore be done through setting up Unilever retail shops or deports, where customers can be able to purchase Unilever products from.

Create a Good Relationship with the Employees

The employees are the determiners of the company’s performance, due to the strength of word of mouth. Maintaining a good relationship with the employees will allow Unilever to win the hearts of customers, through the word of mouth (Fernandez, 2012). Through the word of mouth, friendly customers will be able to turn their friends and family into potential buyers of Unilever products.

Using Viral Marketing to Promote a Product

The social media is one of the social platforms which is being used by people of different ages in large numbers (Fernandez, 2012). Through viral marketing, the company can be able to make its products to go viral, through offering prizes to those who share the social media products on their social media accounts. This will consequently see the company easily creating a brand awareness, whereby most people will know about the product, and the company will save its costs of running advertisements.

5. Human resource and risks management might become fatal for the company, if the right measures are not put in place. The following are the human resource and risk management strategies can help in improving avoiding such risks.

Motivate the Employees

Motivating employees’ helps in boosting their performance, since they feel appreciated thus offering the best services for the company (Cascio & Boudreau, 2012). Employees can be motivated in different ways and this may include promotions, bonuses and salary increment. When employees are motivate through salary increment, promotions and bonuses, they tend to work extra harder, hence enabling the company to avoid encountering any obstacles. Furthermore, this reduces employee turnover rates, due to being satisfied.

Nurture Employees’ Talents

Nurturing the employees’ talents consequently helps in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different employees in the company (Cascio & Boudreau, 2012). This also allows the management of the company to put different employees in groups based on their talents. When employees with similar talent are placed in the same group, the management can give them tasks which correspond to their talents, hence easily accomplishing such tasks. For instance, if employees who are talented actors are given the task of coming up with an advertisement which will include acting in it, such employees will come up with a very creative script.

Competitive Pay

When recruiting, the company should offer a competitive pay, where it can be able to get the best employees. This will therefore see the best fit people applying for the job, hence the company will not find it hard in shortlisting the best suited persons (Cascio & Boudreau, 2012). Furthermore, this will enable the company to be able to focus on choosing qualified and experienced people. When people are motivated by the pay, will definitely apply for the job, hence the company will be capable of recruiting persons who understand what they should be doing.

 

Reference

Tucker, T. (2016). Technology business management: The four value conversations cios must have with their businesses. Place of publication not identified: Bookbaby.

Cascio, W. F., & Boudreau, J. W. (2012). Short introduction to strategic human resource management.

Hunt, C., & Fowler, C. J. (2009). Management accounting: Strategic decision making, performance and risk. North Shore, N.Z: Pearson.

Fernandez, P. (2012). Revenue disruption: Game-changing sales and marketing strategies to accelerate growth. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.

Krishnamurthy, T. V., & Shetty, R. (2014). 4G: Deployment strategies and operational implications.