Technical Analysis of The Financial Markets - Case Study Example

? UNILEVER COMPANY Introduction The Unilever Company deals with a great variety of consumable goods as well as personal care items such as body lotions and cologne and cleaning agents. From world statistics on revenues as per 2011, Unilever Company is the third-largest company dealing with consumer goods as well as the biggest company that makes and sells ice cream. The company consists of Unilever N.V., which has its, location in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands and Unilever PLC which is in the United Kingdom capital, London since its beginning by the merger Dutch-British. Thus, the company is a dual-list company. Though the company being a dual-list, the two entities are under the management of the same directors, and though, the distance of separation thus operating as a single business. The current nonexecutive director of the dual companies is Michael Treschow while the chief executive of the company is Paul Polman. The company has a sizeable slice in London stock exchange and has a rank of the eighteenth position in the stock exchange as at the close of 2011 (Murphy 2009). Back ground information Unilever Company began its operations at the start of 1930. The pioneers include Samuel Bergh, Antonius Johannes Jurgen and William Lever. This was through the amalgamation of two businesses, where the British soap makers who were the Level brothers came together with the Dutch margarine producer who was Margarine Unie in 1927. The amalgamation of the two companies was strategic in terms of the commercial benefit it would provide. This is basing on the fact that, for the production of margarine and soaps, there would be a requirement of palm oil thus the importation of palm oil, which was a key raw material, would be fast and in large quantities. This would help reduce the number of times the product would require transportation as well as reduce the custom taxes due to importation. The palm oil in use by the companies was from Belgian Congo, where they had procurement of seven fifty thousand hectares of the forest land from where there was the extraction of palm oil. This was by labourers whose working conditions were poor as well as the labourers getting low pay. At the beginning of 1930, the Unilever business empire went global opening branches in Latin America and Africa where the initial business had taken root. During the year, there was acquiring of restraints so as to increase the company’s operations, soon after acquiring the shares, there was the sale of shares by the management so as to make an expansion in the operations of the business. By then the company was making edible fats and soaps leading to much income by the business. The purchasing of the Chesebrough-pond’s company, there was strengthening of Unilever Company. The expansion of the Company was due to purchasing of Calvin Klein Company that was in the making of Cosmetics as well as the Farbege and Elizabeth Arden companies. The expansion has led to making of a headquarters for all its operation worldwide which is in London. The name rises up fully in the 1990s, and getting a complete charter and becoming the Unilever Company (Wilson 2009). Issues in staffing and training and development The company has the right staffing solution. To get a preview on this, there is consideration of the various issues that the company has put into place including; compliance where the employees sign contracts that show there compliance in working towards a common goal for the well being of the business. Compliance is essential for the development of the organisation in that the employees know what the management requires thus works hard to comply with the standards of the company set by the management. Another issue is retention where the company retains the working conditions of the company, by ensuring that the employees work in an able environment thus they do not have to move to other fields. Retention of their initial name and logo has come ensures that the company does not lose their customers and the workforce. The issue of the work force is crucial for the company in that the company performs if the workers have the right training; thus there will be more development within the company. Link between organisational goals and staffing and training and development It is necessary to note that a goal, which is a theory set up by the management, is crucial in the provision of an analytical explanation of the empirical observations, and is an indispensable tool in use for giving systematic patterns of human thinking. The theory on the management of the company, has a strong linkage to what is in practice, in the company in that, the company has put into place a management team that works together and motivate the rest to work hard to the attain the goal of the company. There is a collective and acceptable data examination in that there is consensus leading to relevance in the succinctness as well as brevity this theory corresponds to the companies unending hard work to get data on what the customers require, then working hard to produce the product and sell it out to customers. The theory of human beings and nature corresponds with what the company yields in that; the company brings this theory into practice by testing their product in the field before selling products to customers. The company has been able to choose the best technology which is available to ensure they attain the company goal. This has through computerisation of various activities within the organisation such as the finance department. Apparently there is a deep relationship between theory and what the company puts into practise in that, the company links the theoretical knowledge with what they practise thus making the right decisions to produce quality goods and thus getting the firm will of the customers. (Wilson 2009). Unilever Company over the years has been able to help people meet their regular needs for hygiene, nutrition and their wellbeing. This is through the use of brands that help people to have a robust feeling thus improving their lives. The accomplishment of the goal has been through the starting up of the Compass-Unilever strategy that aims at sustainable growth. Thus through its goal, the Company has been able to enhance staffing and training and development. The Company has been able to improve their sustainability credentials towards the suppliers, retailers, as well as consumers. Following their goal of being the best Company, they have been able to combine multinational expertise because they have a diversification of local cultures thus providing a range of products that suit many consumers regardless of their wealth this has been through an able staffing and training and development. Unilever following its goal has been able to strengthen their strong relationships with the emerging markets that are significant to the growth of the Company. The company has a goal of inspiring people so that they can take everyday actions bit by bit hence making a tremendous difference to the world. This inspiration comes from the constant staffing and training and development Thus, the company gets a common goal that aims at the achievement of growth objectives; thus the Company decouples growth, which comes from, the environmental impacts which may challenge the vision. The various products that the company produces aim at encouraging the users the importance of hygiene, these products include Close-Up that is encouraging to children, while products like Omo helps parents get the encouragements to help their children grow through vigorous play thus branding their product as “dirt is good”( Nardon 2006). The Company’s management has been able to lead the staff towards the right direction. The management has been able to lead offer inspiration to the employees as well as motivating the employees when they get disappointments from the work they do. Link between staffing and training and development As a result of many customers, Unilever Company requires many workers thus over the years the company has been able to employ many employees who have the right training to ensure development of the company. The high number of human labour makes production slow down as humans cannot work around the clock. This has led to the establishment of various machines to do the work that humans can do this has led to replacement of many employees leading to loss of their job. The salaries to the staff have been minimal due to the many employees this has led to constant strikes due to the dissatisfaction of the employees, these strikes slow down the production process leading to many losses. Thus it is crucial for the staff to get the right training to ensure development (Nardon 2006). To achieve the SWOT analysis theory, there is training of the information technology employees which works to ensure the company’s technology is up to date by finding the new technology in the market and using it for competitive advantages. There is training on research development by experts that deals with improvement and introduction of their brands by bringing new ideas. There is training of the Human Resource department that motivates the employees to work hard to increase the productivity of the Company. This training on the Human Resource employees ensures that the employees maintain discipline in their work. The Company trains the employees on Customer development that specialises in building a concrete relationship with customers and being able to maintain this relation. The managers of this department play a significant role in ensuring customer satisfaction as customers are the backbone of the Company. Training of the supply chain employees ensures that they are able to supply goods to customers when they require them. This training is essential as it ensures seamless movement of goods from production until the product reaches the final consumer. There is training of employee in the field of marketing ensures value in the brands that the customers use and thus provides information to consumers about the presence and use of the product. The training is on how to do free distribution, promotions to customers, constantly advertising their products and door to door education on the usage of the product. The management ensures that the employees of the finance department which is a core department of the Company get the best training. This is through the training of employees on plans for the financial activities of Unilever Company. They get training on the preparation of annual budgets at the start of each financial fiscal year by the finance department (Mould Manufacturers Association 2009). There are technical skills present in the employees and management of Unilever Company. They include the educational training that the employees need to have as well as vocational training from the workshops that the management organises for the managers and some of the employees. These skills help the employees to use technologies that are up to date, as well as high voltage machineries. Unilever Company has adequate human skills from the employees; these include the ability to work personally or to work in a group. These skills enable employees to relate well with the management and fellow employees to enhance cooperation thus speeding the process of production. The managers also require these skills to deal with the employees as well as relating with the senior members of staff. The presence of these skills ensures the competency of the employees. Conceptual skills in the company include the capability to observe a picture and understand the composition of the situation. These skills are crucial to ensure competency of the employees so as to cope with the competitive market. Presence of design skills especially in the top level employees helps to solve emerging hiccups within the organisation. These skills ensure that the designs made offer effective solutions to any problem that may hinder the development of the Company. The presence of these skills has led the well being of the company thus tapping the larger market which the other competitors cannot tap (Business International Asia/Pacific 2007). This involves definition of goals, establishment of strategies and development of strategies that help in the coordination and integration of the activities of the Company. The company has different branches thus the decisions involving the planning of the organisation lies with the top level managers of various branches. The management prepares plans that relate to product marketing including sales promotion and advertisements using various electronic mediums and the print media. This plan ensures the Company is always producing and selling goods seamlessly. A proper plan ensures that there is coordination in the operations of the Company. This is because using a proper plan; every employee knows of their jurisdiction thus each works hard to hit the target set by the management (Wilson 2009). The Company ensures that the employees have the right training on monitoring activities which are crucial in the operation of the Company. In the control process, there is an expectation by the management that the employees should not undertake any other activities rather than what they should do, these include personal affairs. The employees should avoid financial interests that conflict with the responsibilities of the Company. It is the work of management in each of the departments to ensure that their departments obey the instructions that the Company stipulates, so as to avoid time wasting and for the evaluation of the work that the employees have done. This control procedure ensures that the employees are working in accordance to the plan of the Company (Murphy 2009). Recommendations The Company should consider improving the technology in use; this is by purchasing machinery that is up to date and replacing the old machines. This helps to speed up the production process and minimise the occasional human error. The Company should consider revising its marketing strategies; this will help in getting a larger market for its many products. The company should consider changing the salaries of employee by revising the salary upwards. This will motivate employees to work harder and thus increasing the production levels. Vocational training will help the employees to gain now how on the external market; thus the company should consider taking the employees for seminars and workshops that will ensure that they have the knowhow. The Company should consider lowering the prices for various commodities, this will enable low earning consumers afford the products. Production of a variety of products ranging from personal use commodities to edibles has been a strong point for Unilever Company. This has been confusing to consumers hence I would recommend to the management to consider educating the consumers on how to use the products. This is by doing door to door education. The Company should consider doing other activities that ensure the well being of users of their commodity. These would include activities that ensure the environment is clean and ensuring that their waste disposal is conducive. The Company should consider using containers that can undergo recycling. This would ensure that there is proper disposal of their products and thus ensuring that their products do not contribute to global warning (Noe 2009). Conclusion Unilever Company has grown from a small enterprise to a huge Company with many branches all over the world. The Company has also been able to offer employment to a huge population. Over the years, Unilever has been able to provide products including food stuffs, health and beauty brands, brands that ensure personal care, the company ensures that there is adequate food solution as well as providing nutrition needs to consumers. This achievement is through the hard work of management that ensures that the employees get what they need thus producing quality goods. This has seen the Company get recommendations from global audit bodies due to its production capabilities. The Unilever has got awards from many bodies as well as nomination for various awards globally. Recently the company has done rebranding to its products by changing the ingredient for their manufactures, as well as the packaging look. This has seen it get customers who like the new look. The Company has been up to date on the technological changes thus; being able to produce products that are of high quality and production of goods in bulk. The company has been able to get more customers and give them what they require at the exact time they require the products. In conclusion, the Company has done much to get to its current ranking in the global market thanks to the hardworking employees and management. For sure, Unilever Company has been a significant contributor to the modern world order (Steers 2006). Bibliography Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Bell and Howell Company. (2011). Wall Street Journal. Index. Wooster, Ohio: Newspaper Indexing Center, Micro Photo Division, Bell & Howell Co. Top of FormBusiness International Asia/Pacific, & Economist Intelligence Unit. (2007). Business China. Hong Kong: Business International Asia/Pacific press. Institute of British Foundry men, Welsh Engineers' And Founders' Association, Foundry Trades' Equipment & Supplies Association, Institute of Cast Metals Engineers, & Pattern Model and Mould Manufacturers Association. (2008). The Foundry Trade Journal. West Bromwich, England: Institute Of Cast Metals Engineers. Murphy., J., J. (2009). Technical Analysis of The Financial Markets: A Comprehensive Guide To Trading Methods And Applications. New York: New York Inst. of Finance press. Noe., R. A., (2009). Employee Training and Development. Boston: Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin press. Steers, R. M., & Nardon, L. (2006). Managing in the Global Economy. Armonk, New York: Sharpe press. Steers., R. M., (2008). Management issues in the World Economy. Armonk, New York: Sharpe press. Wilson., H. (2009). Business Periodicals Index. New York: H.W. Wilson press. Read More