The case of Blindness of Merck is one of the good examples‚ which can be used to analyse the four theories of ethic such as Utilitarianism‚ Kantianism‚ Rights and Justice as well as CRS. This essay will be focus on Utilitarianism theory. River blindness is a disease that afflicts around 18 million peoples in Africa and Asia. It is the result of black fly’s bite. Merck is a pharmaceutical company located in New Jersey which is known for productivity of research and development effort. In the
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Stake for Vagelos as CEO and for Merck as a company in deciding whether to invest in Dr. Campbell’s idea Although Dr. Campbell’s idea of a drug (Ivermectin) that could cure River blindness was a path-breaking opportunity for Merck‚ the company was faced with a number of ethical‚ financial and moral issues that forced its CEO to undergo deep thought and contemplation before investing in this idea. * Feasibility: There were concerns about the use of this drug on humans and the potential adverse
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decision (not covered in class?) Based on the pyramid of social responsibility‚ Merck is required to be profitable (base). Since the research of development will never be profitable to shareholders Merck should do develop the drug. Based on Merck’s actual value system‚ it wants to be ethical and even be a good corporate citizen. So Merck should conduct the research. Question 8 - If you were the senior executive of Merck‚ what would you do? (Open question) I would make assessment of the potential costs
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1. How has Merck been able to achieve substantial returns to capital given the large costs and lengthy time to develop drugs? Merck had a 14% increase in sales between 1997 and 1998 and 22% increase in sales from 1998 – 1999‚ and a 13% annual increase in earnings over the same period. Merck’s business strategy consists of two parts: (1) developing and marketing new drugs through internal research‚ and (2) developing partnerships with smaller biotechnology companies. Since 1995‚ Merck had launched
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Pharmaceuticals: Merck Sustaining Long-term Advantage Through Information Technology Hiroshi Amari Working Paper No. 161 Working Paper Series Center on Japanese Economy and Business Columbia Business School December 1998 Columbia-Yale Project: Use of Software to Achieve Competitive Advantage PHARMACEUTICALS: MERCK Sustaining Long-term Advantage Through Information Technology Prepared by Hiroshi Amari Research Associate‚ Yale University William V. Rapp and Hugh T. Patrick Co-principal
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Merck & Co.‚ Inc (A) (The summary is based on the article in Vol. I and does not include the extra readings given by the professor) This case is a classic example of enterprises trying to balance their business of increasing profits and expected social responsibilities. This dilemma is further accentuated when the company happens to be a pharma company whose decisions directly affect people’s lives. The Dilemma: A possible drug for River Blindness‚ a disease which affects almost 85 million
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Case #1: Merck and River Blindness MGT 597: Leadership Ethics Dr. Brandon Randolph-Seng Javiaur Harmon: Winter Mini 2014 - 2015 1. Think about the definition stakeholders—any parties with a stake in the organization’s actions or performance. Who are the stakeholders in this situation? How many can you list? On what basis would you rank them in importance? The stakeholders in this situation were the employees (research scientists doing the R&D)‚ Merck‚ and the target audience which
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How many can you list? On what basis would you rank them in importance? The stakeholders in the Merk case is the people infected with river blindness‚ the community affected by river blindness‚ the employees of Merk‚ the company itself‚ and the Stockholders. In order of importance: 1. The infected people 2. The company 3. Stockholders 4. The employees 5. Community affected by river blindness What are the potential costs and benefits of such an investment? The Scientists were encouraging Merk
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Introduction to the Case First established in 1668 in Darmstadt‚ Germany‚ Merck is currently (in 1978) one of the largest prescription drug producers in the world. After coming off a 10 year drug drought in the late 1970s‚ Merck put a large amount of money into research to continue its dominance in the prescription drug industry. The research-first approach worked and since then Merck has increased sales significantly. Merck’s mission was well stated by founder George W. Merck. “We try never to
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Merck was at the top of the pharmaceutical market for many years. The company made substantial profits almost every year. Not only were they a company that made money but they also made their financial gains in an ethical manor. Fourton magazine even named them the “most admired” company. But in 2004‚ the company would be faced with major challenges that would threaten to end the company’s existence. Their once best selling painkiller Viol had been recalled by the federal government because the drug
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