Introduction:

1866 NESTLEs history begins back in 1866, when the first European condensed milk factory was opened in Cham, Switzerland, by the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. 1867 In Vevey, Switzerland, our founder Henri Nestl, a German pharmacist, launched his Farine lacte, a combination of cows milk, wheat flour and sugar, saving the life of a neighbours child. Nutrition has been the cornerstone of our company ever since. Henri Nestl, himself an immigrant from Germany, was instrumental in tur ning his Company towards international expansion from the very start. We owe more than our name, our logo and our first infant-food product to our founder. Henri Nestl embodied many of the key attitudes and values that form part and parcel of our corporate culture: pragmatism, flexibility, the willingness to learn, an open mind and respect for other people and cultures. Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Nestl Chairman 1905 The Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company, founded by Americans Charles and George Page, merged with Nestl after a couple of decades as fierce competitors to form the Nestl and Anglo-Swiss Milk Company.

Nestl's relationship with India dates back to 1912, when it began trading as The Nestl Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company (Export) Limited, importing and selling finished products in the Indian market. After India's independence in 1947, the economic policies of the Indian Government emphasised the need for local production. Nestl responded to India's aspirations by forming a company in India and set up its first factory in 1961 at Moga, Punjab, where the Government wanted Nestl to develop the milk economy. Progress in Moga required the introduction of Nestl's Agricultural Services to educate, advise and help the farmer in a variety of aspects. From increasing the milk yield of their cows through improved dairy farming methods, to irrigation, scientific crop management practices and helping with the procurement of bank loans.

Overview
Nestl India is a subsidiary of Nestl S.A. of Switzerland. With seven factories and a large number of co-packers, Nestl India is a vibrant Company that provides consumers in India with products of global standards and is committed to long-term sustainable growth and shareholder satisfaction. The Company insists on honesty, integrity and fairness in all aspects of its business and expects the same in its relationships. This has earned it the trust and respect of every strata of society that it comes in contact with and is acknowledged amongst India's 'Most Respected Companies' and amongst the 'Top Wealth Creators of India'.

Nestl has been a partner in India's growth for over nine decades now and has built a very special relationship of trust and commitment with the people of India. The Company's activities in India have facilitated direct and indirect employment and provides livelihood to about one million people including farmers, suppliers of packaging materials, services and other goods.

The Company continuously focuses its efforts to better understand the changing lifestyles of India and anticipate consumer needs in order to provide Taste, Nutrition, Health and Wellness through its product offerings. The culture of innovation and renovation within the Company and access to the Nestl Group's proprietary technology/Brands expertise and the extensive centralized Research and Development facilities gives it a distinct advantage in these efforts. It helps the Company to create value that can be sustained over the long term by offering consumers a wide variety of high quality, safe food products at affordable prices.

Nestl India manufactures products of truly international quality under internationally famous brand names such as NESCAF, MAGGI, MILKYBAR, KIT KAT, BAR-ONE, MILKMAID and NESTEA and in recent years the Company has also introduced products of daily consumption and use such as NESTL Milk, NESTL SLIM Milk, NESTL Dahi and NESTL Jeera Raita. Nestl India is a responsible organisation and facilitates initiatives that help to improve the quality of life in the communities where it operates.

MISSION
"Nestl is the largest food company in the world. But ,more important to them is to be the world's leading food company

Problem Statement of the org (Why Strategic planning)

http://pitchonnet.com/blog/2012/01/03/pitch-cmo-summit-2011-nestle-keeping-it-fresh/

Pitch CMO Summit 2011: Nestle Keeping it fresh

It is now a clich to call the present generation a fast paced one. However, for marketers, this clich becomes the greatest challenge. Nestle has produced cult brands such as Maggi and Nescafe and with changing times, the meaning of these brands has also evolved. The challenge For Nestle, the challenge has been to keep these brands alive in the minds and hearts of consumers. With uncertainty and change being the only constant, this challenge becomes an obvious reality for brands. Also, in a country like India, complexity is a given with high disparity in behaviour, class and beliefs. Targeting consumers in this complexity also becomes a challenge for a brand like Nestle. It thus becomes important to build a strong brand and maintain it. Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) become the hurdles in this endeavour.

Antonio Helio Waszyk, Chairman & Managing Director, Nestl India

The strategy For Nestle, the understanding of the changing Indian society remains to be the greatest strength. This understanding included viewing India as a diamond rather than a pyramid. It is a diamond both in value and structure. Geometrically, while a pyramid is very static, a diamond is dynamic and consumer opportunities in India are exactly the same- dynamic. The consumers today have very high aspirations, which are independent of the economic class they belong to. However, even if these aspirations are similar, the access to these aspirations is dissimilar. More opportunities are now available for the average Indian consumer. The key strategy for Nestle has been regionalisation, digitalisation and merchandising. To build a brand the Nestle way, it has taken up steps like knowing consumers deeply, inspiring with brand vision and essence, delighting with product experience, innovating and creating engaging brand experience. Nestles consumer insights have helped it to plan the strategy for the brand. It realised that the Indian consumer is she, who is 26 years old and is talking on phone most of the time. Nestle also realised that courtes y the changed role of the woman, it is she and the child who decide what goes into the shopping basket. The male does not have a say in it. It thus became imperative for the brand to target women and children. The implementation There has been a common perception that Indian consumers like goods that are low in price. However, Nestle has come to understand that the Indian consumer appreciates not just price but value as well. A product or a service clicks with consumers not just because of its price but also because of its features, benefit and value; price is a component of value. As price of commodities increases and investment in advertising decreases, brands need to find opportunities in a different kind of communication. Nestle feels that a regional approach to advertising becomes much more effective, both in terms of impact and cost, in such a scenario. Approaching six to seven prominent regions, and having a regional approach rather than having one national spot on a national channel has worked better for Nestle. Also, staying connected with consumers is a must for every brand. Nestle has used the digital medium to connect with consumers. Nescafe created a know your neighbour Facebook page which was a continuation of Nescafes TV campaign starring Deepika Padukone. Around 1.5 million people interacted on the page. The use of Bollywood stars in television campaigns and simultaneous digital campaigns on social media sites is helping the brand connect with the audience.

Merchandising is another strategy that Nestle is taking up. Antonio Helio Waszyk, Chairman& MD, Nestle India, feels, How so much communication you do, what matters is the last square feet. The placement of the product in the shelf, the communicat ion of the experience, the communication of the benefit of the product, and the communication of the values of the product at the point of sale are important factors that contribute to the awareness of a brand. He reinforced the importance of point-of-sale as that is the moment of truth for marketers. For Nestle, reach and frequency are not the factors to analyse the effect of communication. The mantra for Nestle has been to attract and engage. This is because hours on TV do not necessarily mean great impact. If one likes a communication, watching it once will do the trick. Also, repetitive communication on television means a lot of money. Like many other marketers, Nestle has also come to realise that one way communication with the audience results in passive consumers, who do not connect with the brand. It thus becomes important for marketers to listen to consumers and give importance to their voice and opinion. To build a brand the Nestle way, knowing the consumers deeply is of strategic importance. Consumer insights and inputs contribute in the development of the product and the positioning as well. Maggi, which is a cult brand under mother brand Nestle has been developed on the basis of consumer insights. Noodles are not a part of the Indian platter; masala, however, is. Nestle played on this very aspect and interviewed 2,000 consumers to know how they cook their masala. It was after this primary research that Maggi came up with its classic masala offering. Understanding how consumers cook and eat contributed to the innovation. Two years ago, Maggi and Top Ramen were the only brands in the instant noodles category. The category is now growing with three new entrants.

Inspiring with brand vision and essence has also been an important part of Nestles strategy of building brands. Maggis positioning five to six years ago was convenience. The tagline for the brand was Fast to cook, good to eat. With changing times, Nestle realised that convenience became a given, which had to be provided to consumers anyhow. If a marketer did not give convenience, the consumer would not buy the products. With the advent of the health -conscious generation, Nestle moved to Taste bhi, health bhi. Waszyk says, Good marketing for me is not to reinvent every two -three years. For me, it is being consistent. Nestle has kept the brands essence intact and has evolved in terms of communication. Innovation is another factor that has been at the core of Nestles marketing strategy. Another part of Nestles strategy has been to create engaging bran d experiences. This has been achieved through various advertisements that help create brand awareness and brand connect. R&D and differentiation have also been considered as important factors which distinguish players from competitors. According to Waszyk, A competitor will have his focus on the product, the communication, the regionalsation and add value to the category. A player will come, leave the product on the shelf and go. The result Nestle has been successful in maintaining its leadership in the instant noodle category despite the entry of new players. The brand has been able to maintain a strong presence in other categories as well courtesy its strong positioning, regionalisation, digitalisation and merchandising.

SWOT:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/30768475/Swot-analysis-Nestle-Company

Porters 5 Forces Analysis

http://www.mba-tutorials.com/strategy/1671-porters-five-forces-model-of-nestle.html Strategy lifecycle(Planning and Implementation (left) ????

Competitive advantage

http://www.scribd.com/doc/46511099/Competitive-Advantages-of-Nestle

Benefits (Financial and Non-Financial)

http://lasanthaw.hubpages.com/hub/Potential-strategic-financial-objectives-of-an-organization

Learnings
: http://www.nestle.com/csv/ourpeople/safetyandhealth/Initiatives/Pages/Initiatives.aspx#.ULT55ofrx5k Nestl India safety programmes

SAFETY: Antonio Helio Waszyk, Chairman and Managing Director of Nestl in South Asian Region, on the eve of the launch of the Safety Perception Survey in India and Bangladesh.

In 2011, Nestl India launched Safe By Choice, a safety engagement programme in collaboration with DuPont to improve the safety culture in the Nestl South Asia region. The first phase of the initiative, which focused on contractor safety, was rolled ou t at Nestls major construction sites in Ponda, Samalkha, Nanjangud, Manesar and Tahliwal in April 2011. DuPont consultants visited each of the sites several times to coach managers, identify best practices and focus on opportunities for improvement. They have also assisted in the development of standards for high-risk activities such as working at height and excavation. Nestl India has also formed a Safety Council, chaired by the head of the region, which is providing a strategic vision in driving towards excellence. Later in 2011, Nestl India rolled out a safety perception survey, Safety and You. The aim of this survey was to evaluate employee attitudes towards safety and to identify areas for improvement. The survey, the first of its kind in the Nestl South Asian region, was launched in November in collaboration with DuPont, and covered all permanent employees in India and Bangladesh. The results will help them to further reinforce their safety culture and accelerate towards our ambition of zero injuries and illnesses. The Safety and You survey will be rolled out to Sri Lanka in March 2012.

Assisting dairy farmers in India Over 30 years ago in Moga, in northern India, support started with Nestl providing loans at favourable rates to enable farmers to build their herds of cattle. We also worked with the local community to build confidence in the milk trade, without compromising religious considerations. A professional milk agent was established, along with well-equipped milk collection centres. Farmers are advised on good breeding and feeding practices, and on the health of dairy herds. Throughthis assistance Nestl has helped raise the quality, hygiene and value of the milk produced by some 85 000 farmers in this district, helpingin turn to improve people s health,lifestyles and the regions economy.Nestl is also helping with theconstruction of facilities for drinkingwater and lavatories in village schoolsin the Moga factory milk district. This is a partnership with the schools, Another project involves funding medicines for a local tuberculosis clinic.

Health management At the end of 2010, we created a new global leadership position of Health and Wellness Advisor within the Companys corporate safety, health and environmental sustainability function. In 2011, a number of initiatives were launched or enhanced in order to improve our heath programmes and performance. Health survey A baseline survey was carried out to understand the current state of health management across the Nestl Group. The survey identified a number of aspects where current programmes are strong. For example, in addition to providing emergency medical assistance, many sites have also established health centres where sick or injured workers can receive professional care or advice. The survey also identified areas of opportunity, primarily in occupational health, which will form the basis for an action plan for the coming years.

SUGGESTIONS:
http://www.nestle.in/csv/Nutrition/nestle-healthy-kids-programme/Pages/implementing-nestle-healthy-kids-programme-in-india.aspx

Implementing Nestls Healthy Kids Programme in India

Our Healthy Kids programme is conducted in the communities around our factories, through two hour sessions spread across six weeks, ensuring sustained nutrition training of 12 hours for each student. Joint Committees consisting of members from Nestl and our collaborating partners have been established to facilitate and evaluate the rollout. Prior to the launch of the programme, a survey and pilot study was undertaken in Nestls communities around Moga in partners hip with Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). The pilot project covered 1,369 students in the Moga region from May 2009 to December 2009. Once the pilot was successfully completed, the key learnings were used to further fine-tune the final program. The programme for 2011 was successfully concluded, with the roll out of nutrition training to over 11,500 students, with tremendous requests from students, teachers and parents to continue the programme year on year.

http://www.essayswriters.com/essays/Management/The-Role-of-Culture.html
RECOMMENDATION Given the countless concerns that can be experienced due to the incidence of cross -cultures in an international business corporation, it is recommendable that certain solutions with regard to strategic HR policies must be suggested and applied. This is with a view to ensuring efficient serving of customers, superior product quality and guaranteed financial success. Due to having a distinctly heterogeneous workforce, Nestle India and Nestle S.A must engage in frequent activities that promote cultural, personal and team building, in order to enhance communication and better interaction. Consequently, I would strongly recommend that both Nestle S.A and Nestle India engage in superior HR policies in:

Communication strategy-Nestle must adopt a valuable communication strategy to foster productive relationships between the two branches. Efficient training and development-Nestls approach to training and development is critical, as it will foster cross -cultural interaction between the employees of both branches by giving them chances to attend the international training programs. By adopting this strategy, Nestle India and Nestle S.A will overcome the setbacks of cross-cultural differences. Entrepreneurship strategy-Every employee must adopt an independence stance, especially in the business environment. This allows them to engender innovative ideas and implement them, using the companys resources and support. Nestle has constantly encouraged its employee s to be innovative, and it offers its support to all its customers, regardless of their cultural background.

CONCLUSION:
http://www.nestle.com/assetlibrary/Documents/Reports/CSV%20reports/Environmental%20sustainability/Sustainability_review_Engl ish.pdf

While they have developed a strong corporate culture and firm set of business principles during the 135 years of our companys existence, they are not satisfied regarding their current performance, but are dedicated to continuous improvement in sustainability.