BM461: Global Business Environment - Unilever SWOT & Impact

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Unilever's global business environment. It begins with a detailed SWOT analysis, evaluating the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within the international market. The report then examines the impact of key drivers on Unilever's marketing and HR strategies. It explores how technological advancements, lifestyle changes, and cultural factors influence marketing approaches, while also considering how HR drivers, such as employee engagement and legal factors, affect workforce performance and organizational goals. The analysis draws on academic sources to support its findings, offering insights into Unilever's strategic positioning and operational challenges in a dynamic global context. The report highlights how Unilever leverages these drivers to maintain a strong brand image, adapt to customer needs, and achieve its business objectives.

Global Business Environment

TABLE OF CONTENTS
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
1. SWOT analysis:.......................................................................................................................3
2. Impact of key drivers on marketing and HR............................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

MAIN BODY
1. SWOT analysis:
In the business of Unilever SWOT analysis will evaluates the strength, weakness
opportunities and threats of the company. This analysis helps the Unilever to identify the internal
conditions of the business and improve their performance and productivity in the future and
present market conditions. The elements of the SWOT analysis are explained below:
Strength:
In the business of the Unilever they have the strong brand image in the international
markets. They different variety of products which fulfils the needs and wants of the customer and
attract them towards the business (Hamilton and Webster, 2018). Unilever has the ability and
capability to develop the different channels of distribution and covers each and every corner of
the world. They have the flexible pricing policy of their products and services which is the big
strength of their business which leads to the higher sales and higher profits. They have the big
strength of the employees in their business which is around 170000 across the world. According
to the continuous changes in the needs and wants of the customer they always make efforts to
introduce the innovative products and services so that the customer will get attracted towards
them.
Weakness:
The products and services of the Unilever are easily imitable so this is their weakness for
their business. Because of the close substitute of products that the people will easily replace the
products with another products mostly in the developing countries. They have the lack of strong
influence on the customer because they always depend on their retailer and which affects their
customers. The biggest weakness of the Unilever is that they operate their business activities in
the competitive market in which they have to compete with the companies like Nestle and P&G.
Opportunities:
In the business of the Unilever they have the various opportunities to expand their
business in the global market due to the increases in the standard of living which increases the
demand effective products and services at the correct place. In the present days people become
more conscious about their health so it will create the opportunity for the Unilever to gain the
large share of market by producing the healthy products and services (Doh, Luthans and Slocum,

2016). To increase the profits and sales of the business they start promoting their products and
services by giving advertisement on the social media and TV. Social media is the best possible to
influenced the people of the world towards the business.
Threats:
Fluctuation in the currency of the world will affects the effective and efficient
performance of the Unilever business and it is the threats for them. They faces the large level of
competition which will reduces the large share of market. Decrease in the level of the income of
the people because of the economic crisis will also affects Unilever business. When the cost will
increases it will automagically decreases the sales and profits of the company (Ruël, 2017). The
entry of the new companies in the market with the low price products is also the big threat for the
Unilever.
2. Impact of key drivers on marketing and HR.
There are various key drivers of the marketing and HR which helps them to reach the
target of the business in the current situation of the business. Different drivers and how they
affects the effective functioning of marketing and HR are discussed below:
Marketing:
In the working operation of the Unilever new and advanced technology will improve the
strategies of marketing that will helps to the goals and objectives of the business. To satisfy the
customer needs and wants the company make the business more innovative by using the latest
technology in the process of marketing. Technological factors will improve the knowledge and
understanding the people so that they will work effective to increase the sales of the products and
services. Technology will bring the innovation in the process of marketing and helps to promote
the brand effectively so this will maintain the good image of the company in front of the
customer (Tallman, Luo and Buckley, 2018). On the other hand the another driver of marting is
the lifestyle and culture of the people which affects their purchase decision. The marketing
manager will identify the changing needs and wants of the people which affects their standard of
living. The goods and services are produces in the Unilever to maintain the standard of living of
the people which will gain the large base of the customer. The goals and objectives of marketing
is achieved only by identify the taste and preference of the people as per the different cultures of
the countries. The customer are the only one through which the success and growth is depend

upon so Unilever makes effective strategies of marketing which fulfils the requirements of the
customer.
HR:
The essential drivers of the HR which helps them to improve the performance of the
workforces effective and achieve the targets of the Unilever. The manager of the HR will solve
the conflicts of the employees so that it will helps to maintain the good environment in the
organisation. In the Unilever engagement of the employees will improve their skills, ability,
knowledge and experience which maintain the good working condition in the business. With the
help of this driver the HR will allocates the duties and responsibilities to the people working in
the organisation as per their qualification and skills (Kasemsap, 2018). So the next driver of the
human resource which helps them to reach the successful completion of the task is legal factors.
The HR make their strategies to provides the safe and secure workplace which will reduces the
fear of the employees and they work with the full confidence to achieve the business objectives.
As per the rules and regulation of the government HR provides the secure.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Doh, J.P., Luthans, F. and Slocum, J., 2016. The world of global business 1965–2015:
Perspectives on the 50th anniversary issue of the Journal of World Business:
Introduction to the special issue.
Hamilton, L. and Webster, P., 2018. The international business environment. Oxford University
Press.
Kasemsap, K., 2018. Mastering business process management and business intelligence in global
business. In Global Business Expansion: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and
Applications (pp. 76-96). IGI Global.
Ruël, H. ed., 2017. International business diplomacy: how can multinational corporations deal
with global challenges?. Emerald Group Publishing.
Tallman, S., Luo, Y. and Buckley, P.J., 2018. Business models in global competition. Global
Strategy Journal. 8(4). pp.517-535.