Abstract

The case “Restructuring Unilever” examines the organizational restructuring program at Unilever, a leading FMCG conglomerate. In July 2016, Unilever announced the Connected 4 Growth (C4G) program that aimed to increase its penetration in fast-growing markets, advance its portfolio through acquisitions, and develop more channels through which to sell its products. The C4G program was expected to increase the company’s growth as well as profitability. With C4G, Unilever aimed to achieve long-term sustainable shareholder value creation. The case discusses the C4G program and its different components in detail. It also analyzes the implementation of the C4G program, the benefits of the program, and Unilever’s failed attempt to move corporate headquarters to the Netherlands. The case ends with a discussion on the future strategies of Unilever under its new CEO, Alan Jope.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the changing dynamics of the global FMCG industry.
• Critically analyze the C4G program.
• Examine the strategies adopted by Unilever to implement the C4G program.
• Evaluate the efficacy of the measures adopted by Unilever to improve the financial performance of the company.
• Examine the future strategy of Unilever.

Keywords

Organizational restructuring; Corporate Restructuring; Connected 4 Growth program; FMCG Industry; Competitive Advantage; Acquisition; Diversification; Digital Ecosystem; Kraft Heinz; Product Portfolio; Local Teams; Portfolio Analysis; e-commerce; Organization Structure; Unilever