Each 6SA exercise begins with a case. Those cases will generally present you with a situation that requires a decision or an opinion. The cases are sufficiently rich and detailed to give rise to a number of viable alternatives and there is not one correct answer.
Below, you find a typical example of a short case. Read it. Pay special attention to the writing assignment as it contains relevant information.
Case
Unilever is a large food and consumer product company that sees itself as a leader in corporate sustainability.
One important raw material for Unilever is palm oil. Palm oil is controversial, because it’s production is often associated with forest destruction and the loss of habitat for Chimpanzees. Most of the world’s palm oil is produced in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Unilever has previously stopped buying from a Palm Oil supplier which was not able to guarantee that the palm oil was produced without deforestation. However Wilmar, another supplier had recently expanded its production to Nigeria, and faced criticism there for allegedly causing deforestation.
In reaction to this, the NGO Rainforest Rescue Campaign has formulated a petition letter to Unilevers CEO Paul Polman, demanding an immediate suspension of business ties with Wilmar. However, staff at Wilmar’s sustainable business team regard Wilmar as one of the best performing palm oil suppliers there is.
(This is a shortened version of the original case for demonstration purposes. The full version can be seen in appendix X)
In order to create a realistic and concrete situation, each writing assignment specifies a role that you have to as- sume as an author and contains information about the audience that you are addressing.
6SA Writing Assignment
Imagine you are working in the Unilever Sustainable Business Team. More than 6.000 signed letters from the Rainforest Rescue Campaign have arrived in your office. You have been asked to evaluate the situation for the Unilever CEO Paul Polman, who is committed to Unilever’s sustainability efforts.
Formulate a strategic recommendation on how Unilever should respond to the situation. Communicate your personal position as a member of the Unilever Sustainable Business Team to the CEO. Write your argument in the 6SA format.
Before you start writing your argument, it can help to brainstorm about possible positions that seem viable. What do you think – which is the best strategic recommendation?
