MNL2601 Assignment 2 Semester 1 ANSWERS 2026 - Due April 2026

MNL2601
ASSIGNMENT 2
DUE DATE: APRIL 2026

, MNL2601 ASSIGNMENT 2 2026
DUE APRIL 2026




Question 1: Critically discuss who the stakeholders are in the case study. (6
marks)


A stakeholder is defined as any person or group who has an interest in an
organisation's activities and can affect or be affected by its operations. The study guide
defines stakeholders as "those persons who have (or claim to have) ownership, rights or
interests in an organisation and its activities in the present, past and future" (MNL2601
Study Guide, Unit 9, p. 111). Based on the case study, the key stakeholders of Unilever
are:


Shareholders/Investors: They have an interest in financial returns and long-term value.
The case study notes that "some investors were of the view that the purpose-led
approach... was at their expense" and that "a minority of investors... give two hoots
about Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan" (Unilever case study, p. 5). This aligns with
the study guide's identification of shareholders as primary stakeholders (MNL2601
Study Guide, Unit 9, p. 112).


Employees: The 169,000 employees are internal stakeholders who execute the
company's strategy. The case study states that Polman instructed "Unilever's 169,000
employees to embed the company's extensive social commitments into their business
targets" (Unilever case study, p. 2).