Week 1 Case Analysis
Goal: To match the financial data with the company descriptions. Also, try to explain the differences in financial results across industries.
Health Products
Companies A and B manufacture and market health-care products. One firm is the world’s largest prescription-pharmaceutical company. This firm has a very broad and deep pipeline of ethical pharmaceuticals, supported by a robust research and development budget. In recent years, the company has divested several of its non-pharmaceutical businesses, and it has come to be seen as the partner of choice for licensing deals with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms.
The other company is a diversified health-products company that manufactures and mass markets a broad line of prescription pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter remedies (i.e., nonprescription drugs), consumer health and beauty products, and medical diagnostics and devices. For its consumer segment, brand development and management are a major element of this firm’s mass-market-oriented strategy.
Analysis: First, I identified the two companies that related to health products from the list given. Reading the descriptions of the two companies above, I matched the companies with ones from the list. I decided Pfizer was the first company described (deep pipeline of pharmaceuticals) and the second company (consumer health and beauty products) was Johnson & Johnson. Next, I looked at the financial data to match it to each company. As far as assets go, Company A total current assets is much more than Company B, which means company A would carry a wider selection of products. This makes me think Company A is Johnson & Johnson. Company B intangibles is more than double Company A, which implies Company B has a lot of invested research. This makes me think Company B is Pfizer.
Conclusion: Johnson & Johnson (second company described) is company A and Pfizer (first company described) is Company B.
Beer
Of the beer