International HRM Case Study: Unilever's Nigeria Cross-Cultural Plan

This case study analyzes Unilever's international human resource management (IHRM) strategy, specifically focusing on its operations in Nigeria. The study examines Unilever's objectives, the rationale behind expatriation, and a comparative analysis of the UK and Nigeria. It delves into the job analysis for a Shift Manager position and outlines a comprehensive cross-cultural support package designed to assist expatriates in adapting to the Nigerian environment. The package includes pre-departure briefings, language and cultural training, security briefings, and post-arrival support, with the goal of ensuring a successful transition and experience for employees. The case study highlights the importance of cultural sensitivity and support in international assignments, emphasizing the need for tailored programs to address the challenges of working in a new and diverse cultural context.

BE443 International Human Resource Management
Student ID: 1906005
Case study: Unilever international human resource management
plan /cross-cultural support package in Nigeria

INTRODUCTION
For any gathering to play out its undertakings effectively and accomplish its standard
destinations, the administration of its most significant human asset is of most extreme
significance, which either fabricates or annihilates brand name from one side of the planet
to the other. Accordingly, this paper will comprehend the idea of IHRM. For this reason,
Unilever is taken, which bargains in the retail market of UK and sells shopper products. This
organization anticipates expanding its ability by maintaining labourers for a more extended
period. The task will encase the connection between the business objectives and HRM, with
a cross-culturally diverse support bundle for the worker.
1.1, The Reason For Expatriation Unilever Strategy, Goals And Needs
.
Unilever PLC is a British multinational organization settled in London, England. The
organization has defined itself with three principle objectives to assist one billion people
with further developing their livelihoods, which a vast number of individuals in the network.
To divide the natural impression, the gathering's items ecological targets covered by the
three fundamental goals - well-being and prosperity, the climate and upgraded vocations,
for example, shampoo, soap, detergent food, drugs, water, air purifiers and effectively
assessable things we want in our regular routines, to work on the lives for a billion group in
Asia, Africa and Latin America. Every one of the organization's brands is liable for
accomplishing maintainability targets(Maljers, 2014). As indicated by the guardian, the
Unilever leader group is estimated to accomplish its target. A portion of their brands
amounts to 1,600 items - addressing around 70% of their business (Beavis, 2011).
Consistent with the indigenization contract of 1972 (Wikipedia, 2021), Unilever
turned into a freely recorded organization in 1973, selling 60% of its portions to the Nigerian
PLC. The organization turned into a Nigerian possessed firm. Also, in agreement with the
parent branch, it will give unfamiliar representatives to speed up their objectives in the host
country. The potential market size in Nigeria has expanded over time, particularly during the
pandemic and will be anticipating many offers from their brands. The length of the
undertaking has been written down for a long time. Even though it surpasses the span for a
standard momentary task, it will, in any case, be viewed as a transient task since it requires
an expatriate arrangement of abilities to fill a hole given and open the doors to professional
advancement to exile just as to foster the global experience of the firm.
The justification behind internationalization can also be supported as keeping a standard
culture. Unilever has a name that should be secured at all expenses. This necessitates that
Unilever has direct command over the task to keep up with the quality control of the
undertaking. Such high-profile work with the public authority of another nation considers
reason to the point of keeping up with standards by internationalizing the undertaking.
According to Yeganeh and Su (2008), the most prevalent HRM practices include recruiting,
selection, training and development, remuneration, incentives, and recognition.

1.2, Country Analysis Between The Parent ( London, UK) And Host(Nigeria)
Company
Unilever is one of the world's leading producers of Food, Home, and Personal Care products,
with operations in over 190 countries and 2 billion people served every day. Unilever's
brands, which include Persil, Dove, Knorr, Domestos, Hellmann's, Lipton, and Lynx, are
found in homes worldwide. When confronted with the challenge of environmental change
and the necessity for a human turn of events, they must strive for a world in which everyone
may live well and within the usual furthest extent of the earth.
Today, Unilever Nigeria plc is a big organization in the contemporary area, assembling and
promoting a wide range of household products, including soap and controlled cleanser as its
item link. Unilever Nigeria plc sells close-up glue in various sizes, including massive, medium,
minor, and sachet, and these sizes are referred to as its item thing.
Unilever's parent country, the United Kingdom, ranks well in most well-being metrics
relative to most other countries in the Better Life Index. On average, personal security,
environmental quality, political involvement, social connections, health status, employment
and earnings, income and wealth, education and skills, and subjective well-being. Compared
to Nigeria, it is a nation with a lot more season variations. It is a lot cooler than the host
country, where the climate varies from mild to usually bright sky. When it comes to political
stability, the United Kingdom's capital, London, is one of the most stable countries in the
world.
While Nigeria, the host nation, is located in West Africa and is well-known for its
magnificent landscapes and important location as Africa's commercial hub. Nigeria is the
most populated country in Africa. Nigeria has a larger population than the United Kingdom,
France, and Spain combined.
It is one such country where half of the people are Muslim, and the other half are Christian.
However, there are 250 ethnic groups, the three most prominent of which account for 68
per cent of the population—Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba—and their general annoyance with
each other is at the root of much of the country's violent past and political instability, which
has led to the country's current political instability.
Nigeria boasts Africa's best economy, owing mainly to its massive oil reserves; it is the
continent's eighth-largest crude oil exporter. The infrastructure is in disarray due to corrupt
leadership, 24 per cent of adults are unemployed, and two out of every three Nigerians live
in abysmal poverty. (Urban, 2014) Given Nigeria's $493 median per capita annual income, a
Nigerian earning $10 a week is among the country's wealthiest residents.
Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and culturally diverse governmental framework comprised of 36
autonomous states and the Federal Capital Territory. President Buhari was re-elected in
2019 to a second term. There will be a general election in 2023.
Nigeria is ranked 150th out of 157 countries on the World Bank's 2020 Human Capital Index
despite recent socioeconomic improvement.

2.1, Job Analysis And Description
The following analysis/description of the work is based on data obtained from (admin, 2021)
that Unilever has posted :
Unilever Nigeria Plc - Shift Manager Position - The Manufacturing Shift Manager is ultimately
responsible for ensuring that the manufacturing operation adheres to the agreed-upon plan
regarding volume, cost, safety, quality, and other key performance indicators. A 3yrs
assignment period with 30 staff expatriates.
2.2, Job Purpose
Minimum Requirements
• A minimum of three years of experience in FMCG and people management is required.
• Experience in supply chain planning and SAP usage
• Experience in supply chain planning and SAP usage\s
responsibility
• Managing & Benchmarking Production Performance
• Managing & Benchmarking Production Performance\s
• Managing Quality\s
• To plan-making and packaging activities on the floor to reach agreed shift objectives in
volume, quality, output dependability, cost and safety.
• Organize and regulate labour (operators, technicians, and contract) in terms of numbers
and skills for operations.
Internal:
• Technical team, quality team, SC, warehouse.
• The nature of this relationship is information sharing and influencing skills.
3.1 Expatriate's Cross-Cultural Support Package
We will adopt a didactic form of cross-cultural training for Expatriates. We will be presented
with various hard facts about the country they are about to live in (Biscoe et al.) for Unilever
staff. This has practically become standard procedure for the organization. The training will
include cultural differences and their implications for cross-cultural interaction. The capacity
of an expatriate to successfully adjust to everyday life and work situations in the host
country is referred to as sociocultural adjustment (Ward and Kennedy, 2001). It refers to
how easy it is to adjust to the living, working, and social conditions of a host nation
(Hemmasi and Downes, 2013).
The following are the proposed cross-cultural training and support packages into action to
improve expatriates' overall experience.
Unilever's Nigeria plc job will last for the duration of 3 yrs. Employment at Unilever will be
following standard procedure before deployment:
A three-week course on the local language, history, and culture of the host country will
Be offered. Participants in the course will also get security briefings about the host nation.
Self-defence and physical intervention courses would also be included. They will teach
secret codes and indications for safety and emergency needs. Finally, a directory of local

resources will be provided. The pre-departure bundle included all of these items, and there
will be a post-arrival assistance package or any help package for returning home. This will be
made available four months before departure to the destination country.
Pre-departure-
It is not an optional course that means the expatriates would need to attend the entire
training course, that is, the pre-departure workshops, before they will be allowed to depart
to the host country. Pre-departure packages will be offered to ex-pats, a booklet that will
include the host country's cultural diversity and political and social standpoint. Moreover,
the Company in the host country will be responsible for Visa, work permits,
accommodation, transportation, salary payments etc. There will be a 3hrs brief presentation
on the country at a whole explaining the whole process. With 30-50 participants, both
expatriates and their spouses will be given by one of our local branch managers from the
host country.
The security report will be explained during this course. The Company will be provided by a
third party in the host nation company. There will also be a Q&A session and a one-to-one
session available after completing training(Office, 2013).
Post -arrival
accommodation will be made available for the expatriates giving them the option
to either stay on campus or stay in the accommodation locally in the city and making the
commute to the office, which the host nation company be will pay for. Also, provisions
would be made for the expatriate to travel home to see their families on an irregular basis,
preferably every four months, throughout the duration of the project, with the cost of such
trips covered once again, and giving the expatriate time with their family can be beneficial
to morale. It is possible that public transit will be difficult to use. There is public
transportation available, although it does not adhere to fixed timetables and may be
crowded. Furthermore, to this notice Transportation will be supplied for the employees.
The host nations company will provide medical facilities. Members will need to register to
the provided medical facility; Unilever Nigerian plc will enter a deal with a reputable local
medical centre.
Unilever's strict policy of moving expatriates with their families will also be addressed during
the course. Some employees will be given. With the option to move with their families
during a work assignment, others will be given a split-family contract, meaning they could
only see their families once or twice a year.
One of the most popular black countries in Africa is Nigeria, the central business capital in
Africa; there are rich in history and culture; the official site is located in Nigeria's second-
biggest city and seat of government Abuja. Abuja also serves as the country's executive
branch, national assembly, and supreme court site. The massive Aso Rock beautifully
overlooks the city's central government district. Significant locations such as the National
Stadium and others showcase the city's different architectural styles. Several markets
throughout the city sell anything from ceramics to fresh produce. People in Nigeria will
leave you feeling revitalized and energized by their vibrant art, music, and nightlife scene.

Please notice that there will also be a work training programme after arriving in the host
nation (Abuja | Geography, Development, & Population, 2019).
3.2. What The Cross-Cultural Support Will Involve
First and foremost, careful adherence to pre-departure briefings is required. The weather
and environmental circumstances of the host country may be challenging for ex-pats who
have previously lived in a developed country, especially if this is their first vacation overseas.
Because it is still a developing country compared to the United Kingdom, Nigeria does not
yet have the same level of social services as the parent country. In another way, expatriates
need to keep an eye on their health and not make assumptions about it. There will be a
work area in Abuja, and the expatriate will have access to all social facilities required for
their stay. Expatriate travel authorization from Unilever is required to receive a repatriation
package.
Secondly, an expatriate would be offered access to a post-arrival package a month before
leaving. If necessary, a brief tour of the city or country will be required to immerse and
comprehend the host country's culture fully.
Pre-arrangement of the expatriate's lodging will be made, ideally near local employees, so
that the expatriate may bond with local workers and learn about the customs and traditions
of their new home nation.
For the host nation's morale and the expatriate, the host country's people on the ground
will provide country security. Employees will be stationed locally to understand cultural
norms better and foster a positive working environment. Please observe all national and
regional laws and traditions.
Employees will need not worry about learning a new language. The majority of the
population can communicate in English. However, they will be some who speak a dialect of
Pidgin English. Local dialects, slang, and even certain English words mix to form Pidgin, a
language all its own.
in conclusion
this paper shows the cross cultural package plan that would be needed in the expatiating of
foreign employees.

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