Pfizer Case Study Pfizer Inc. is a large pharmaceutical company that engages in the discovery of new technologies, the manufacture of prescription and "over the counter" (OTC) medicines, as well as the marketing of such products. It operates in three distinct segments that include Human Health, Consumer Healthcare, and Animal Health. For fiscal year 2004, the company generated approximately $53 billion in revenue that contributed to over $11 billion in net income.(Pfizer, 2004) The Cow and Calf division of the Animal Health segment markets its products direct to cattle ranchers. Such products include vaccines, medications, and antibiotics to support healthy and consistent herds of beef producing cattle. It segmented the market into three distinct categories. Hobbyists herd less than 100 cows; Traditionalists commonly carry between 100 to 499, and Businesses are working with 500 or more. (Mohr, 1999) Time spent in the field with the ranchers was allocated based on the volume of product purchased by each individual. Those that spent higher dollar amounts received the most attention (in the form of personal visits, seminar offerings, and trial product samples). Although the ranchers appreciate the visits and the personal attention from the sales representatives they trust their veterinarians opinion over everyone else. Pfizer has traditionally used two distribution channels for its Animal Health products: Veterinarian Offices and Feed Stores. It has also tended to view the rancher as the end user of its product, but due to the size segmentation it may or may not understand each individual customers need, nor does it grasp its role in the larger supply chain (Ranchers-Feed Lots-Meat Packers-Retail-Consumers). At the time of the case, the beef industry was in a state of decline. Increasing consumer sentiment towards the negative health effects of red meat timed with increasing inventories of product supplied from Canada and Mexico as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) had caused prices in the consumer market to plummet. (Mohr, 1999) As a result, ranchers were seeing that their finished product was commanding lesser dollar values while their inputs of feed and medication was remaining the same or rising. Another factor contributing to the shrinking profit margins of beef producers was the overall consistency and quality of the meat. Products such as pork and chicken were beginning to be packaged by Tyson and Perdue as ready to eat meals (Mohr, 1999).
Wesco International is one of the largest hay exporters in the state of Washington. Founded in 1971, it was originally a wool exporter but made the transition to agricultural products with a specialty in hay distribution in 1973. Don Schilling, the owner and President of Wesco Int. has been with the company for over two decades and has seen the ups and downs in the industry. We chose to do our second project on Wesco because one of the group members, Eli, is an employee at Wesco International. We were able to tour the facility and interview Eli’s boss Jordan, and get a great inside look into the daily operation of Wesco.
Hribar, Carrie, MA. Understanding Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and Their Impact on Communities. Ed. Mark Schultz, MEd. Http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/docs/understanding_cafos_nalboh.pdf. National Association of Local Boards of Health, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. .
“As early as the 1870’s, some European governments had begun to ban what they had found to be unhealthy American meat products.” This cause American export to decrease, son in 1891 The federal meat inspection act was passed in attempt to win back their foreign traders. The Federal Stamp would be placed on the shipments to show “ all meats in interstate and foreign sales had been subjected to a pre slaughter inspection.” This swindle lasted for a couple of years. In 1897 “embalmed meat” scandals had resurfaced about the industries un sanitized practice. Some of these Industries supplied the soldiers out fighting in Cuba. They were fed “rotten and chemically adulterated meats. Around that time Teddy Roosevelt was the commander of the Rough Riders, we witness his troops die from illnesses from the contaminated, rotten
A growing issue in the world today is the use of antibiotics and growth hormones in animal production industry. However, for over sixty years Americans have been exposed to hormones on a regular basic when they consume beef. (Organic Consumer Association) On average eighty percent of all feedlot cattle are given hormones to help them grow at an increased rate. (Communication Foundation) “In 1988 the European Union banned the use of all hormone growth promoters.” (Organic Consumer Association)
Background: Merck & Co. is an American pharmaceutical company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. In 1971 the United States approved the use of an MMR vaccine made by Merck, containing the Jeryl Lynn strain of mumps vaccine. In 1978 Merck introduced the MMR II, using a different strain of the rubella vaccine. In 1997 the FDA required Merck to conduct effectiveness testing of MMRII. Initially it was over 95%; to continue the license; Merck had to convince the FDA that the effectiveness stayed at a similar rate over the years.
The Kline v. Pfizer case took place on July 10, 2008 in the United States District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The case involves two parties: Pfizer, Inc., Defendant and Brian Kline, Plaintiff. The Defendant in this case is the prescription drug manufacturing company called Pfizer. One of Pfizer’s product is know as Chantix, which is a prescription drug used to aid individuals who are in the process of quitting their smoking habits. The plaintiff in this cases is Brian Kline, and he was one of the individuals who had been prescribed the Chantix drug in order to quit smoking. As soon as Kline began taking Chantix, he started to get extreme side effects. Kline claimed that he began experiencing and expressing violent, aggressive, and moody behaviors. He was eventually diagnosed with a psychotic disorder and hospitalized for it the same year in August of 2007.
Today the meat industry landscape has vastly changed. Intensive, industrialized, factory farming, they’re all terms that describe modern farming methods. Intensive because animals are crammed together in small spaces to raise productivity, meet quotes, and goals. Industrialized because large, loud machine do all the work instead of humans. Animal production has gone so far from ...
One objection Norcross states in his essay is that “perhaps most consumers are unaware of the treatment of animals, before they appear in neatly wrapped packages on supermarket s...
In this film, “Food Inc” they are showing us how the food industry grew into these mega processing plants, and slaughterhouses. First, let us look at the market force; the definition of a market force is the law of supply and demand. This means basically the price determination within the market; moreover, the price is determined by the level of demand and the quantity that is available. In the Tar Heel Slaughter house in Smithfield, is the largest slaughter house in the world. On the “kill floor”, they kill at least 32,000 a day. This makes meat packing one of the most dangerous jobs. The food system and the few companies that control the meat production industry have turned the food
The drought and drop in the market price of beef caused most of the cattle ranchers to leave Arizona. During the height of the Cattle Boom, ranchers stocked one cow per five acres. However, ranchers in Arizona today stock one cow per 65 acres (Guido 2). Modern day ranchers now are keeping “a keen eye toward future climate challenges, and are tuning their ranch operations to the environment” (Guido 1).
had money to buy beef and cattle which was in great demand. A cow that cost 4
The seemingly simple term “rancher” is commonly misinterpreted. The term rancher may bring to mind a guy riding a bucking bull or horse in a western movie or maybe a tough looking guy without much brains raising cattle on the prairie. Other people think of a farmer. Actual ranchers specifically raise cattle, while farmers raise crops, hogs, and poultry. Modern ranchers are hardworking men and women who live off the land raising cattle for consumers. Despite popular beliefs, it takes a lot of knowledge to raise cattle. American ranchers use business and technology skills to raise cattle. Even with these skills, they are still at the mercy of Mother Nature and gamble with her every year.
The industries would let the farmers raise their animals they wanted to but then it went to the industries, after the industry it was sold to butchers, and after the butchers it was sold to the slaughter house which was then sold to locally owned grocery stores. For the farms that were not being contracted, they had to rent their land to the ones that were. The industries felt that they were producing a product that matched the demand for the public. The farmers felt they were creating a quality product using a humane system. They were not forced to use pesticides, or antibiotics, or forcing vitamins that could tank the product. The industry cared only about mass production and high
An abundance of Americans have no idea that most of the food that they consume are either processed or altered in one way or another. “Almost all beef cattle entering feedlots in the United States are given hormone implants to promote faster growth. The first product used for this purpose is DES (diethylstilbestrol) it was approved for use in beef cattle in 1954. An estimated two-thirds of the nation's beef cattle were treated with DES in 1956. (Swan, Liu, Overstreet, Brazil, and Skakkebaek)” Many people enjoy the various meats that comes from a cow, but that would probably change if the consumers knew that cattle is one of the most processed meat source in the market today because of the synthetic hormones that the cows are given. “ The three synthetic hormones are the estrogen compound zeranol, the androgen trenbolone acetate, and progestin melengestrol acetate. (Swan, Liu, Overstreet, B...
The consumers lacked information and knowledge pertaining to the classification and quality of the meat they were purchasing. As a result, they became vulnerable to deception. Butchers were able to take advantage of the consumer’s ignorance and sell them cheap meat for the price of high quality meat. In order to counter this issue, the terms of classification of meat were published in home economics manuals at the start of the nineteenth century. Consumers were encouraged to educate themselves and learn more about how to distinguish between meats. (Lhuissier,