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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All the praise is for Allah, the most merciful and beneficent, who blessed me with theknowledge, gave me the courage and allowed me to accomplish this task. I am especially

indebted to all my teachers for instilling in me enough knowledge to be able to carrymyself efficiently during my project.

Secondly, I am bound to thank all the staff of Unilever Rahim yar khan Branch. In  particular I am grateful to Mr. Faisal (HR Manager), Mr. Abdul Rehman Faisal,

Mr.Younus (Senior HR Executive), Ms. Shaista Amin their inspiring guidance,

remarkable suggestions, constant encouragement, keen interest, constructive criticism

and friendly discussion helped me to learn and enabled me to complete this reportefficiently.

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DEDICATION

I dedicate this report to my parents and friends in recognition of their worth and to myteachers who are the guiding force for me and it is their effort and hard work that showed

me the path of success and prosperity which would be there for me for the rest of my life.

My thanks to all those who have generously contributed their theoretical knowledge to

this report including my teachers. Without their understanding and support, completion of 

this work would not have been possible. I hope people find this report useful and thesubject matter adds to their knowledge.

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief inyourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are

 possible for those who believe.”- (American Researcher)

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgement ……………………………………………………….. 2

Dedication ………………………………………………………………… 3

Executive Summary ……………………………………………………… 5

Introduction of the company ……………………………………………… 6

Mission Statement ………………………………………………………… 8

Organizational Chart ……………………………………………………… 9

Organizational Culture & Environment …………………………………... 11

Means of internal & external communication …………………………….. 15

Sales Growth Position …………………………………………………….. 17

SWOT Analysis …………………………………………………………… 19

Suggestions & Recommendations ………………………………………… 21

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Executive Summary

Project report was my first step in practical life, through which I learnt a lot and it has

aided me in being well equipped with valuable experience that would help me once Ienter the professional life after the completion of my studies. It was a great experience for 

me and it helped me in realizing where my potential lies. What I learnt at Unilever was

how to get along with the people that I have to work with everyday, buildingrelationships with people, building confidence and improving my communication skills.

This project has also prepared me for my future career in Human Resource so this project

has helped me a great deal. The experience has taught me responsibility, teamwork and

how to handle people in tough social situations. Even though the nature of work was

quite basic as an student nevertheless I got to see what practical life is. This projectoverall has been a great experience. This report gives a profile of Unilever and an insight

into the Unilever HR Department where I was assigned to work. This report also reflectsmy learning and experiences at Unilever along with my responsibilities and the tasks that

I performed. Last part of the report consists of some recommendations and suggestions

that I have given. My proposal would be of great use to Unilever and if followed properly, it can increase the performance of employees and finally the performance of the

organization itself.

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Introduction of Unilever 

History:

Unilever was created in 1930 by the merger of British soapmaker  Lever Brothers and

Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie, a logical merger as palm oil was a major raw

material for both margarines and soaps and could be imported more efficiently in larger quantities.

In the 1930s the business of Unilever grew and new ventures were launched in Latin

America. In 1972 Unilever purchased A&W Restaurants' Canadian division but sold its

shares through a management buyout to former A&W Food Services of Canada CEO

Jeffrey Mooney in July 1995.By 1980 soap and edible fats contributed just 40% of  profits, compared with an original 90%. In 1984 the company bought the brand Brooke

Bond (maker of PG Tips tea).

In 1987 Unilever strengthened its position in the world skin care market by acquiringChesebrough-Ponds, the maker of Ragú, Pond's, Aqua-Net, Cutex Nail Polish, Pepsodent 

toothpaste, and Vaseline. In 1989 Unilever bought Calvin Klein Cosmetics, Fabergé, and

Elizabeth Arden, but the latter was later sold (in 2000) to FFI Fragrances.

In 1996 Unilever purchased Helene Curtis Industries, giving the company "a powerfulnew presence in the United States shampoo and deodorant market". The purchase

 brought Unilever the Suave and Finesse hair-care product brands and Degree deodorant brand.

In 2000 the company absorbed the American business Best Foods, strengthening its presence in North America and extending its portfolio of foods brands. In a single day in

April 2000, it bought, ironically, both Ben & Jerry's, known for its calorie-rich ice

creams, and Slim Fast.

The company is fully multinational with operating companies and factories on every

continent (except Antarctica) and research laboratories at Colworth and Port Sunlight in

England; Vlaardingen in the Netherlands; Trumbull, Connecticut, and Englewood Cliffs,

 New Jersey in the United States; Bangalore in India (see also Hindustan Unilever Limited); Pakistan; and Shanghai in China.

 

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Unilever has recently started a five year vitality company initiative in which it began to

converge the marketing of disparate arms of their business, including personal care,dieting, and consumables into an umbrella function displaying the breadth of their 

contributions to personal vitality. This plan has been implemented because of the lack of 

recognition that the Unilever brand wields, despite its ubiquitous presence. In 2006 itconcluded with the sell off of the global frozen foods division, excluding the ice cream

 business and the Italian frozen vegetables businesses.

The company publicly takes a strong stance on sustainability and started a sustainable

agriculture programmed in 1998. In May 2007 it became the first tea company to commit

to sourcing all its tea in a sustainable manner, asking the Rainforest Alliance, aninternational environmental NGO, to start certifying its tea estates in East Africa. It

declared its aim to have all Lipton Yellow Label and PG Tips tea bags sold in WesternEurope certified by 2010, followed by all Lipton tea bags globally by 2015. Covalence,

an ethical reputation ranking agency, placed Unilever at the top of its ranking based on

 positive versus negative news coverage for 2007.

In 2008 Unilever was honoured at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering EmmyAwards for "Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology for Creation and

Distribution of Interactive Commercial Advertising Delivered Through Digital Set Top

Boxes" for its program Axe: Boost Your ESP.

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  Mission Statement

''Unilever’s mission is to add vitality to life.We meet everyday needs for nutrition,

hygiene, and personal care with brands that

help people feel good, look good and getmore out of life''.

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Organizational Structure

 

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Organi

zational Culture & Environment:

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  Environment of Unilever:

I had a very good learning experience in Unilever which would be of enormous help to

me in the future. The staff was very helpful and friendly, which made the working

environment adaptive and pleasant. The people there make Unilever a great company andan exciting place to work with a shared desire to learn leading edge skills and stretch

 beyond their limits. I took a deep interest in observing how employees in Unilever work 

together to overcome challenging situations. The environment in organization is sowelcoming that it forces people to join hands together to work as a team. Unilever is all

about integrity, mutual respect, teamwork, creativity and empowerment. The HR team of 

Unilever is a source of good inspiration. It is very dedicated, committed and hardworking. Just by observing the HR team gave me a sense of responsibility and it gave me

confidence that I am a part of this strong team.

Culture’s Dominant Features:

 Departments in Unilever:

During my visit at Unilever office I come to know that there are following departments

are currently working:

• Human Resource Management

• Marketing Department

• Commercial Department

• Sales Department

• Finance Department

• Payroll Department

• Information Technology Department

• Engineering Department

• Administration

• Auditing Department

• Customer Care

 

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 Human Resource Management at Ufone:

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On the entry level the HR Department is mostly taking MBA graduates. According to

Unilever their belief is that "Their people are their greatest asset”. The HR team takes

great pride in acknowledging the contribution of each employee. Unilever focuses a loton HR Development and for that the HR team ensures:

•Staff of Unilever consists of world class Professionals and ensures that theright systems are in place to encourage people to develop to their full potential

• Collaborative and mutually supportive work environment is created thatencourages people to grow.

• Team of professionals is built which delivers expertise by participating in business decisions.

• Performance Management and Reward Systems are developed which

underlies the Business strategy of Unilever.

• A clearly defined Recruitment & Selection policy is defined.

• The need for Training & Development of employees is assessed.

• Compensation & Benefit plan is developed which ensures that employees aremotivated.

Unilever is basically equal employment opportunity organization. Almost 70% of its

employees are male and 30% are female. The job description of each and every

employee is predefined. Performance appraisal is done on annual basis. Average ageof Unilever employee is 32 years. This shows that they prefer young and energetic

 people for their middle and lower level management. High profile well experienced

 persons are considered for top-level management. Average Salary is 12000 for anemployee.

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 Management:

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In Unilever the hierarchy is very lean, in general the whole setup is centralized, all the

matters are to be reported to the head office and all the policies and targets are

approved at the higher level. But at the branch level the structure is decentralized.

 Personnel:

There are about 1500 employees serving at Rahim Yar Khan Unilever Branch at

  present. All of them are very devoted as they are given a wonderful learningenvironment to work, pay offered to them is also very attractive and ample chance of 

 progress motivates them to work more. The job analysis is done on targets assigned

and daily routines. The employees are indeed very satisfied and motivated.

 Recruitment & Selection:

Recruitment is the process of gathering a pool of candidates for an organizational

vacancy. Selection is the process of short listing only the qualified candidates who arefit for the job. In terms of recruitment and selection it is important to consider 

carrying out a thorough job analysis to determine the level of skills/technical abilities,competencies, flexibility of the employee required etc. And HR at Unilever follows

these criteria. Unilever policy of recruitment is very simple, if at any time there is a

vacancy, due to retirement, resignation, if employees opted for the golden handshake

or the death of an employee, the management of the branch will inform the headoffice about the vacancy. The head office will place an advertisement in all major 

newspaper with the all necessary information required to be furnished by the

applicant.

Unilever has this policy of not mentioning the name of the company in a job

advertisement. Usually hiring takes place through outsourcing with a help of a third party. Final selection takes place after the candidate has been interviewed by the

Manager of the department who requires the new employee and then the HR 

Manager. On the joining day, the employee has to submit the following documents tothe HR Department:

• Joining Report

• Copies of educational and professional degrees/certificates

 

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• Reference Letter 

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• Three copies of recent passport size photographs

  Training & Development:

Training & Development involves improving the knowledge, skills and abilities of 

the individuals. A continuous training is conducted inside the organization to improvethe performance of the employee. There are two types of trainings conducted at

Unilever:

• In-house Training

• External Training

In-house training is customized training which is only for Unilever employees.

External training is carried out through trainers in training institutes. Employees atUnilever are usually trained through Rameez Allahwalla (in Karachi), Possibilities

and Intec (two well-known training institutes).

Before training “Training Need Analysis” (TNA) is conducted by the manager of thedepartment. And after the training feedback from the employee is taken.

 Compensation & Benefits:

A very effective way to retain an employee is to give him compensation and benefits. At

Unilever following benefits are given:

• Medical Facility to employee and his/her parents

• Paid Vacations

• Accommodation Facility to energetic employees.

Orientation:

A newly hired employee is oriented so that he can get an idea about the organizationalsetup so that he may feel at home. At Unilever orientation plan covers the following

 points:

• Visits to different department of the company

• Company’s Policies, Rules and Regulations

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 Human Resource Information System (HRIS):

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At Unilever profiles of all the employees containing data relating their payroll, leaves,

 benefits etc is saved in a database known as HRIS. Unilever uses a locally procured HRISwhich is to be upgraded using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

 Human Resource Planning:

Planning provides a guideline to accomplish an activity. At Unilever the HR team plans

everything so that the outcomes and results can be perceived before the plan is actuallyimplemented. This makes the planning more accurate and efficient; it also saves time and

money.

Means of Internal Communication:

 Purchase Request (PR):

Whenever an employee requires something from the admin, his request was put forward by filling a simple form which includes name of the entity, its quantity, signature of the

department etc. This is known as Purchase Request.

Travel Request (TR):

If an employee needs to travel on an official job, he has to give a Travel Request by

filling a form. The form includes purpose of travel, destination, time and distance.

Visiting Card Request (VCR):

In order to print visiting cards an employee needs to send a Visiting Card Request toadmin department after being authorized by the HR department. 

 Medical Reimbursement Form (MRF):

When an employee desires to get his medical benefit from the company, he needs to fill

in a Medical Reimbursement Form so that his request can be put forward.

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 Joining Report (JR):

When a new employee joins the organization, he has to deliver a Joining Report to theHR Department.

Means of External Communication:

• Through Mail.

• Through letters.

• Through Post & other related services.

• Through filling the survey forms from the public.

• By conducting the workshop & Seminars for the promotion of Unilever 

company.

• Through Societal marketing Practices.

• Etc etc.

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BCG Matrix of Unilever:

 STARS:

High growth rate & high market share

• Lux

• Sunsilk

• Wall’s

• Fair & lovely

• Rafhan

• Energile

CASH COWS:

• Low growth rate & high market share

• Surf excel

• Ponds

• Lipton

• Close up

• Blue band

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• Lifebuoy soap

• Rexona• Knorr

DOGS:

• Low growth rate & low market

• share

• Wheel

• Supreme tea

•Lifebuoy shampoo

 

QUESTION MARKS:

High growth rate & low marketHigh growth rate & low marketshareshare

•• Clear shampooClear shampoo

•• RinRin

•• ComfortComfort

Swot Analysis Of Unilever:

 STRENGTHS : 

• Strong company image

• Strong brand portfolio

• Success of the slogan

• Quantity & variety

• Effective & attractive packaging

• High quality man power

• Solid base of the company

• Innovative aspects

• Corporate behavior

• Health & personal care

• products

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• Help people getting more out of life1919

  WEAKNESSES:

 

• High prices of products

• Substitutes products

• Policy of spending for the

• social responsibility

• Lack of control in the market

• Dual leadership

• Decrease in revenues

•

Reduced spending for research & development

OPPORTUNITIES:

• Changing life style of people

• New markets

• Increase the volume of production

• Focus on R&D

• Low income consumers

• Help in improving people diet & daily lives

• AXE• IGLO

THREATS:

• Competitors(P&G,)

• Political effects

• Legislative effect

• Environmental effect

•

Economic crises• Obstacle faced

• Change in life style of people

• Chance for price war

• Increase in production & labour cost.

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Conclusion & Recommendations:

Conclusion:

In View of the following data Unilever is one of the manufacturing sector who need to

 produce more output by implementing new technologies, new tariffs, new consumer satisfaction value added services. Further, it is still the largest manufacturer in the world

in terms of geographic reach & quality.

Recommendations:

• They Should encourage new products.

• Bring innovations in the existing products.

• They should conduct more surveys in order to know about customer satisfaction

level.

• Easy access for communication should be provided in the rural areas.

 Suggested Strategies:

• Market Development

• Market Penetration

• Product Development

• Restructuring

• Retrenchment

• Liquidation

  References:

• Unilever Rahim Yar Khan Branch.

• Unilever Annual Report

• Unilever Website

• Friends

• Unilever Magazines & Journals.

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