Recruitment Selection of Unilever free essay sample

Introduction of Unilever: If the adage two heads are better than one applies to business, then certainly Unilever is a prime example. The food and consumer products giant actually has two parent companies: Unilever PLC, based in the United Kingdom, and Unilever N. V. , based in The Netherlands. The two companies, which operate virtually as a single corporation, are run by a single group of directors and are linked by a number of agreements. Unilever considers itself the second largest consumer goods firm in the world, trailing only Philip Morris Companies Inc. , and produces numerous brand name foods, cleaning products, and personal care items. About 52 percent of revenues are generated in the foods sector; brands include Imperial and Promise margarines, Lipton tea, Ragu foods, Lawrys seasonings, Breyers ice cream, and Birds Eye and Gortons frozen foods. One-quarter of sales come from the personal care area; brands include Caress and Dove soap, Pears and Ponds skin care products, Degree, Faberge, and Sure deodorants, Suave and Salon Selectives hair care items, Close-Up, Mentadent, and Pepsodent oral care products, and Calvin Klein, Elizabeth Arden, and Elizabeth Taylor prestige fragrances as well as such miscellaneous brands as Q-Tips and Vaseline. Unilevers third major sector is that of cleaning products, which is responsible for about 22 percent of turnover; brands include Wisk and All laundry detergents, Snuggle and Final Touch fabric softeners, and Sunlight dish detergents, and this area also includes the companys line of institutional cleaning products. Unilever maintains production facilities in 88 countries and sells its products in an additional 70. About 47 percent of revenues originate in Europe, 21 percent in North America, 14 percent in the Asia-Pacific region, 12 percent in Latin America, and six percent in Africa and the Middle East. Unilever is the global market leader in all the Food categories in which we operate: Savoury and Dressings, Spreads, Weight Management, Tea, and Ice Cream. They are also global market leader in Skin and Deodorants, and have very strong positions in other Home and Personal Care categories. They have  270 manufacturing sites across six continents, all of which strive for improved  performance on safety, efficiency, quality and environmental impacts, working to global  Unilever standards and management systems. The urpose in Unilever is to meet the everyday needs of people — everywhere and anticipate the aspirations of their consumers and customers and to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and services which raise the quality of life. Their deep roots in local cultures and markets around the world are their unparalleled inheritance and the foundation for their future growth. They will bring their wealth of knowledge and international expertise to the service of local consumersa truly multi-local multinational. Their long term success requires a total commitment to exceptional standards of performance and productivity, to working together effectively and to a willingness to embrace new ideas and learn continuously. They believe that to succeed requires the highest standards of corporate behavior towards the employees, consumers and the societies and world in which they live. This is Unilevers road to sustainable, profitable growth for their business and long-term value creation for their shareholders and employees. Unilever’s Mission: Unilever has established its mission as: â€Å"To add Vitality to life, to meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people look good, feel good and get more out of life†. Their aspiration is to meet these needs in a sustainable way. Business Strategy of Unilever: At the heart of their corporate purpose is the drive to grow sustainable and in this way create long-term value for all those with a stake in the business. The company’s efforts are guided by their Code of Business Principles which sets the standards of behavior they demand from all their employees. It also outlines their commitments to their stakeholders including consumers, customers, suppliers, employees, communities and environment. Their Business Partner Code draws on the Code of Business Principles to set of ten standards they expect their suppliers to meet. To fulfill the commitments, they have a strategy in place supported by company-wide governance and management structures. Their core value is to manage and grow their business successfully around the world as a trusted corporate citizen, respected for the values and standards by which they behave. Unilevers commitment to responsible business practice goes back to the 1890s to their founders William Hesketh Lever and Samuel van den Bergh who built businesses with strong values and a mission to act as agents of social change. Management Structure of Unilever: Unilever’s organizational operating  model  is designed to  deliver faster decisions learn more about their senior corporate officers and  the  Unilever Executive. The management structure and their responsibilities are briefly shown in the following: Figure: Unilever’s Hierarchy of Management. This is how Unilever has been operating undoubtedly successfully over the years. The members of the governing body are highly qualified in terms of education as well as business foresight. Recruitment Selection Issues of Unilever: Unilever maintains their individual procedure of Recruitment Selection to involve the new members to the triumphant team. As we have learned in our theoretical learning, Unilever follows almost the similar sort of procedures for this specific issue. There are some specific guidelines Unilever follows in the recruitment selection process. The general guidelines are: A. Effective Practices for Non-Discriminatory Recruiting: ? Post in a conspicuous place complete, objective and specific information on all available jobs. ? Advertise job openings in media that are read, viewed or listened to by protected or designated group members. ? Train employment staff and recruitment officers in outreach recruiting. ? Use opportunities to visually present protected or designated group members in positive employment roles (brochures). ? Establish networks with community groups from which protected or designated group members are drawn. Base selection criteria on bona-fide occupational requirements. ? Train staff who will be recruiting. ? Track all recruitment activities to determine where candidates are coming from, sources for candidates, etc. B. Ineffective Practices for Non-Discriminatory Recruiting: ? Permit receptionist and recruiters to pre-screen applicants on the basis of informal criteria (appearance, dress). ? Rely on word of mouth advertising only as the main source for candidates. ? Rely solely on seniority when promoting employees. Allow each recruiter to use and communicate idiosyncratic for selecting among job applicants. ? Categorize job applicants based on stereotyped assumptions about protected or designated group membership (women are not physically strong for certain work). ? Always using the same single source of advertising (e. g. same newspapers). ? Only hiring relatives of employees. C. Pre-Employment Inquiries: The following chart summarizes some of the permissible and impermissible questions that employers of Unilever ask during recruiting activities, job interview or on employment applications. Subject |Recruiter may Ask |Recruiter May Not Ask | |Race or Color |There are no acceptable questions in this |â€Å"What is your race? | | |area |â€Å"What color is your skin, eyes and hair? | |National Origin |If use of a language other than English is|â€Å"What is your lineage, ancestr y, national origin | | |a bona fide requirement for the job for |or descent? | |which the applicant is applying: |â€Å"What is the national origin of your parents or | | |â€Å"What languages do you speak, write, read |spouse? | | |or understand? |â€Å"What is your mother tongue? | | | |â€Å"What language do you commonly speak? | | |â€Å"How and why did you learn to speak any foreign | | | |language? | |Religion |There are no acceptable questions in this |â€Å"What is your religion? | | |area. However, employers may state the |â€Å"Does your religion prevents you from working | | |regular days, hours, and shifts to be |weekends or holidays? | |worked in the position applied for and | | | |then ask whether the applicant will be | | | |able to work those days, hours or shifts. | | |Age/Birthday |â€Å"If hired, you will be required to show |â€Å"How old are you? | | |proof of age. Will that be a problem? |â€Å"What is your date of birth? | | |In general, the employer may state that |â€Å"When did you attend elementary or high school? | | |employment is subject to verification that|In general, employers may not ask any questions | | |the applicant meets the legal age |which tend to identify applicants over the age of | | |requirements |40. |Sex |There are no acceptable questions in this |â€Å"What is your sex? | | |area. | | |Marital Status/Family |If the applicant is a minor: â€Å"What is the |â€Å"Are you married, divorced or single? | | |name and address of your parent(s) or |â€Å"Do you have children? | | |guardian? |â€Å"Do you have provisions for childcare? | | |In general, employers may state any |â€Å"Are you pregnant? | |company policy regarding work assignment |â€Å"Do you use birth control? | | |of employees who are relates, such as: |â€Å"With whom do you reside? | | |â€Å"Do you have any relatives already |â€Å"Do you live w ith your parents? | | |employed by this organization? If so, what|â€Å"What are the names and ages of your | | |are their names? † What is |spouse/children? | | |their relationship to you? What positions |â€Å"What are the names and addresses of your | | |do they hold? |relatives who are not employed by this | | |â€Å"Do you have any relatives employed by a |organization or a competitor? | | |competitor of this organization? If you | | | |do, what are their names? | | |Name |â€Å"Have you ever used another name? â€Å"What was your maiden name? | | |â€Å"Is any additional information relative to| | | |change of a name, use of an assumed name, | | | |or nickname necessary to enable a check of| | | |your work and education records? If yes, | | | |please explain. | |Physical Description |There are no acceptable questions in this |â€Å"What is your height and weight? | | |area. However, the employer may state that|In general, employers may not require the | | |after hiring a photograph may be required |applicant to â€Å"submit a photograph† before the | | |if needed for the job (i. e. licence) |interview. Photographs also may not be required at| | | |any other time before hiring. | |Military Experience |â€Å"What relevant skills did you acquire |â€Å"What are the dates of your military service? | | |during your service with the army? |â€Å"What type of discharge did you receive? | |Physical Condition |After describing the duties of the |â€Å"Are you disabled? If so, describe any disabling | | |available job: |impairments that you have? | |â€Å"Are you able to perform the job duties I |â€Å"Describe the circumstances under which you became| | |have described without any accommodation? |disabled? | | |If not, what type of accommodations would | | | |you need? | | Interview Question Issues: The interview questions involve the following issues as well: ? ‘Weakness Failure’ questions. ? ‘Blame’ questions. ? ‘Prove it’ questions. ‘Problem solutions’ questions. ? Formal presentation. Selection Issues: The selection issues invol ve the following factors: ? Short listing. ? Call for final interview. ? Reference checks. ? Asking for the job interest. ? Salary negotiation. ? Offer letter issue. ? Final appointment. Conclusion: Unilever is undoubtedly the leading consumer brand in the world. The effective Recruitment Selection process of the company leads its employees to be a brand in the competitive global market. The strategy of the company is very much effective it has a far-reaching effect in the development of the global competition in the future. Unilever has been creating a competitive edge among the other giant brands in the global market. It has been possible because of the strong strategic decisions of the Unilever team which leads to place the company in the zenith of success. Executive Directors [Executive Members who are also the Directors] Non-Executive Directors [The independent element in the company governance] Unilever Executive [Responsible for managing profit loss, delivering growth as well] Senior Corporate Officers [Responsible for ensuring the necessary information for the board]