Task You are required to produce a 10-minute individual Powerpoint (or equivalent) presentation based on the Unilever Case Study and on the three questions shown below; you must then also create a...

Task

You are required to produce a 10-minute individual Powerpoint (or equivalent) presentation based on the Unilever Case Study and on the three questions shown below; you must then also create a video of you delivering that presentation.

You must upload the video to Youtube as an “unlisted” video and post the link together with a copy of your powerpoint slides on your Personal Journal.

You must show the video in person during an allocated seminar workshop – you must attend the seminar in person in order to answer questions from your tutor and other members of the seminar about your material.

Any video which exceeds this strict time limit by more than one minute will be penalised.

Your video should demonstrate your ability to apply a range of strategic change and leadership models to gain a constructive insight about the change process within Unilever plc.

The 3 questions which you must address:

1) Apply Balogun and Hope Hailey’s Change Kaleidoscope and Lewin’s Forcefield Analysis models to the case and use these to discuss the strategic change context before 2009.

Note: you should discuss what the most inhibiting aspects of the change context were and what were the most enabling or helpful aspects.

2) Critically evaluate the change process that took place at Unilever by applying the following two models, namely:

· applying Johnson’s Cultural Web and McKinsey 7-S models to the case and using them to compare and contrast the culture of Unilever pre-2009 and post-2009. You must create a table so you can apply both modes once for pre-2009 and once for post-2009.

Note: in your video, you should discuss the most significant similarities and differences between pre-2009 and post-2009; when applying Johnson’s Cultural Web and the McKinsey 7S models, you should also discuss how the cultural changes were achieved.

3) Using Lynch’s Five Elements Model and Crossan’s Transcendent Leadership Model, critically evaluate Paul Polman’s leadership of Unilever.

Note: you should discuss the style of change leadership, setting stricter performance targets, the need to create greater economic value and improved organisational capability.

Points to note about your videoed presentation

Quality and structure of the videoed presentation

Only use information that appears in the case study. You are not required to undertake independent research. Students should refer to Chapter 15 in the core textbook Johnson G
et al
(2017) Exploring Strategy, 11^th
Edition

You must appear in the video yourself at least 50% of the time. Your power point slides must appear in the video.

You must upload the video onto Youtube as an “unlisted” video and post the link plus a copy of your powerpoint slides on your Personal Journal.

Use of diagrams or tables

For each question, you must apply one or more strategic change or leadership models (as per the questions on pages 2-3 above). You must create a table or diagram on your slide containing each element of the model and populate it with data from the case study using bullet points. There are marks awarded for “application of key models using relevant data from the case”.

Discussion of diagrams and tables

It is not enough to just populate the diagram or table. For each diagram or table, you must also discuss your findings in your videoed presentation. Do not mention everything in the diagram or table. Tell the audience what the most important factors are based on your analysis. You can use the prompt notes in the questions to help e.g. to focus your discussion on the most critical aspects of Paul Polman’s leadership of Unilever for Question 3. There are marks for “Discussion of findings demonstrates depth of understanding of the case and the theory and some originality in thinking.” So, if you just have tables and diagrams without discussion in your videoed presentation, or discussion without tables and diagrams, then you will lose valuable marks.

Evidence of academic reading

For every question, you must demonstrate some academic reading about the model you are using (academic text books or academic journal articles rather than internet sources).

However, you should not describe the models in detail, but you should summarise each model in 2 or 3 lines in order to introduce it. You should reference your academic reading using the Harvard system (at least four different academic sources). An example could be to use the text book by Lynch and find a quote where the author explains the purpose of his own Five Elements Leadership model. Books and articles that will help with this are listed from page 11 onwards of this briefing.

There are marks awarded for
“evidence of academic reading. At least four different academic sources cited”
so you will lose marks if you don’t do this. You must include references within the main body of your videoed presentation, and show an end reference list. You will lose valuable marks if you simply list four different books at the end of your videoed presentation.

Conclusion of videoed presentation

Marks are awarded for
“evidence of critical reflection on the theory and the case”.

The conclusion section of your videoed presentation (see detail below on ‘videoed presentation structure’) provides a good opportunity to reflect on:

· the main points from each of the three questions;

· how well leadership and the implementation of strategic change was managed; and

· the usefulness of the models e.g. any strengths or limitations.

Indicative Structure for Videoed Presentation

Please note that the link to your videoed presentation should be supported by a Student Self-Assessment and Feedback Coversheet specific to this assignment, a blank template of which has been posted on Weblearn. Once you have completed page 1 of your Coversheet, you must post it to your Personal Journal on Weblearn.