Reference no: EM13841011

Presentations in Module 04 and Module 05 Instructional Materials pages in Moodle "Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions and Leadership Styles and Cooperation" "Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices in Third World Countries" and
HBS Case on Ciba-Geigy

1. The following questions are based on the article entitled "Leadership and Cooperation in Marketing Channels: A Comparative Empirical Analysis of the U.S., Finland and Poland" as well as the Video Module discussion of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions both of which went above and beyond the textbook description and application of Hofstede's theory.

a) Define and discuss in substantive detail each of the five dimensions of culture as identified by Hofstede.

b) In your opinion, does Hofstede add to our understanding of culture? If so, what are his contributions to the literature on national culture?

c) Discuss the limitations of Hofstede's theory. (You may conduct additional research and use external sources of information to support

your answer, but be sure to cite all your sources of information after each answer.)

2. Provide a substantive summary of the article, "Leadership and Cooperation in Marketing Channels: A Comparative Empirical Analysis of the U.S., Finland and Poland" authored by Mehta et al. (2001).

a) Separately, define and discuss the concepts of three leadership styles, cooperation and performance as discussed in the article.

b) Separately, explain how the dimensions of culture influence the relationship between leadership and cooperation.

c) Based on your reading, can the three leadership styles be used on a standardized basis to manage the relationships between manufacturers and their international distributors, or based on the findings of the study, do they need to be adapted to the cultural dimensions of each country market?

3. Provide a substantive summary of the article, "Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices in Third World Countries" by Smith and Quelch.

a) Identify and explain some of the marketing practices that have been the subject of criticism. What other marketing practices can you identify that are controversial?

b) Do you agree or disagree with the core thesis of the article? Why or why not? Explain your opinion in detail.

4. Pharmaceutical companies have been facing severe (and some say highly unfair) criticism for price gouging, i.e., charging extraordinarily high prices for drugs for treatment for diseases such as AIDS. In your opinion, are drug manufacturers justified, and do they have a right to charge astronomically high prices because they have patented a drug? Why or why not? Explain your perspective in substantive detail. (This is not a loaded question, as you do not know the instructor's position on this issue. You may conduct additional research and use external sources of information to support your answer, but be sure to cite all your sources of information after each answer.)

5. Do you also think that pharmaceutical companies are being unethical for marketing drugs at high prices in Third World Countries where poorer people die because they cannot afford the drugs? What strategies can drug companies employ to mitigate accusations that they are of being especially unethical in Third World Countries by marketing lifesaving drugs at high prices? Are pharmaceutical companies morally responsible because they know fully well that many people die as they cannot afford lifesaving drugs made by their firm that are readily available on the market? Provide substantive answers to these questions. (You may conduct additional research and use external sources of information to support your answer, but be sure to cite all your sources of information after each answer.)


6. The following questions are based on the HBS Ciba-Geigy (CG) case.

a) Based on your assessment, identify the central problem facing CG.

b) Identify as exhaustively the pros and cons for launching Fevex. In your assessment, do not forget to consider the impact of the environmental variables (economy, political-legal, etc.).

c) Based on your assessment of the pros and cons and the environment, would you recommend for or against launching Fevex? Justify your answer with a detailed explanation.

d) Even if you recommended against the launch of Fevex, identify and discuss each of the following:

i. What target market do you suggest that CG should pursue for Fevex in Nigeria?

ii. What product strategy do you suggest that CG should use for Fevex in Nigeria?

iii. What promotion strategy do you suggest that CG should use for Fevex in Nigeria?

iv. What pricing strategy do you suggest that CG should use for Fevex in Nigeria?

v. What distribution strategy do you suggest that CG should use for Fevex in Nigeria?

Reminder: When analyzing HBS cases, please do not conduct additional research either on the Internet or in the library nor introduce additional information from external sources. Introducing additional external information will only contaminate the case. Base your answers on the information contained in the case. That is the information the case author(s) have provided you, as managers or consultants, to make your decisions and recommendations. Besides conducting external research on the HBS cases will circumvent your learning as well as attenuate the development of your judgment and decision making skills (That is also plagiarism!).

INSTRUCTIONS

Underline and/or use boldface to highlight the key/crucial points of your answers.

If you feel that some questions are repetitive, be on the safe side by answering the question again, expanding on it as necessary.

Please check/edit your assignment answers, ensuring there are no grammatical mistakes.

Answer all questions in one file.

For ease of readability, type each part of the question in bold and then answer the question.

Please number each part of all questions and answer them in chronological order, as it makes reading easier for everyone.

Provide citations at the end of each part of every answer