Diversity at Work: Nestl Malaysia

Nestl, a Swiss company, was founded by Henri Nestl in 1866 but today, the company operates in 86 countries worldwide, and employs more than 280,000 people. Nestl's commitment to providing quality products to Malaysians dates back almost 100 years ago. Nestl began in Malaysia in 1912 as the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company in Penang and after its success moved to the capital Kuala Lumpur in 1939. The most popular Nestl brands in Malaysia include Nescaf coffee, Kit Kat chocolate bar, and the drink MILO. Apart from the company's popularity among consumers, Nestl in Malaysia is viewed as an attractive organization to work for which provides exciting new opportunities, benefits, and promising careers to its employees. As Nestl continues to expand, the company realizes that effective diversity management increases the organization's access to the widest possible pool of skills, abilities, and ideas.

Taking advantage of Malaysia's multi ethnic backgrounds and its employees' demographic profiles, the company strives to create products to suit local tastes and cultural flavors. Diversity is even incorporated in the company's corporate values to ensure that the employees understand how diversity is essential to the success of Nestl in Malaysia. The fact that its top management is comprised of people from various ethnic backgrounds and nationalities further enhances the company's ability to promote creativity in its practices and product developments. One of the initiatives made by Nestl in Malaysia, demonstrating the organization's commitment to diversity, was to voluntarily obtain the Halal Certification, awarded by JAKIM (the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia), for all of its food products manufactured in Malaysia. This has played a significant role in charting Nestl's position in the Malaysian halal market. Moreover, Nestl in Malaysia has managed to tap into the local tastes through the development of products such as Maggi 2-Minute Noodles Curry, Asam Laksa, and Tom Yam flavors.

Questions; 1. Identify the key characteristics that Nestl in Malaysia considered to be crucial in maintaining its leading position in countries like Malaysia. 2. Discuss other effective diversity programs that Nestl in Malaysia can apply to ensure the company's continuous improvement.