Commercial or communal: Why is outsourcing taboo for churches and pharmaceutical companies?

"...consumers believe that some organizations (like churches and pharmaceutical companies) should be focused on communal rather than market-based principles." (Article)

I understand where consumers are coming from here. Though I am an employee of a pharma company, I still hold the consumer mindset close to my heart. Unfortunately, pharma companies are in the business of making money off sick people. In a perfect world, this would not be a business. This would be a social program everyone has access to. Pharma companies SHOULD be held to the highest ethical standard possible, and so should every other business!

Drug Scarcity’s Dire Cost, and Some Ways to Cope

This article truly hurt my heart and made me tear up. I’ve done bits of work connected to a shortage, possibly one mentioned, and I alwaysalways hustle a little harder and prioritize those highest because I think about the people like the woman in this story out there… I always know they’re out there, they have to be, but I really never hear stories, until I randomly start perusing my favorite section of the NYTimeses on a Monday night… I realize this is more for the consumers, but they should have an Opinion business article about how manufactures need more back up plans and locations, because these are lives you are dealing with, not just numbers with dollar signs in front that you crunch in an office. I pray I keep this mindset.

Advice.

Someone asked me for some advice on the high school to college transition, and I think a lot of it can apply professionally as well. Here is my life advice!

• Trust yourself. I think most people don’t know what they’re capable of. Apply to those “reach schools.” More often than not, you don’t know your chances of landing something good because you don’t know your competition. This applies to jobs too…
• Don’t bother thinking about what anyone thinks. I know, it’s hard. I didn’t really start living that way until this summer. When I was a freshman at the crazy expensive school, my roommate told me how she didn’t really like the school either but wanted to “stick it out” to show that she could handle it. It was a competition for her. My sister asked me if I thought I could be happier elsewhere. I told her I probably could. These are conversations I remember from over three years ago. I trusted myself, didn’t give a fuck what my roommate thought, packed my shit and left after a year. I don’t consider that quitting. I consider that being smart and realizing better is probably out there. That original school has since been ranked on schools with the worst ROIs (Return on Investment, meaning you give a lot ($$$) and get little back back i.e. job wise), I landed a great job (pay, task, and people wise) in a respected corporation with full-time prospects (thanks to the new school), while that freshman year roommate is working at Massage Envy and a casino in Atlantic City. 
• Talk. To everyone. I became outgoing like no other freshman year. I didn’t know anyone, and I felt so lonely the first weekend. To remedy that, I tried to meet as many people as possible the first semester. I made friends. I made friends that were friends of friends. Soon enough, I had formed a group of friends who then brought in their own friends and made one big group. They’re still all friends (I was the only one that transferred) and that makes me really happy. 
• Don’t go home every weekend… or any weekend. :) It’s hard at first, but seriously, don’t. Campuses that are a dead zone on weekends blow. Luckily, the friends that I made DIDN’T go home, and I think that’s why/how we became friends. 
• Try to be an “open options” major for as long as possible.Thankfully, as a business major, I had a ton of room to move around and was able to take a lot of lower level classes before deciding on anything. (I did blow a few thousand on 2 classes at that first school that were “core courses” JUST for that school, meaning they didn’t transfer over. I’ve come to terms, and I don’t regret it now. In hindsight, they were very important to me…). Take courses that can apply to a lot of different majors at first. You might learn you hate microeconomics your first semester but LOVE macroeconomics your second. You might take more econ courses and decide on econ until you get to econometrics and realize there’s more than just theory involved… 
• Don’t forget why you’re there. Each individual class costs X amount of dollars (do the math, it’s a lot). Every time you skip, it’s like you’re giving away that amount of money. I forget where I read this, but there was research done on how every class you miss reduces your grade on an exam by a certain percentage… it was significant. Also, read the textbooks. I’m ashamed to admit it took me awhile to realize I had to do this. I NEVER read the books in high school. And buy used (and sell - possibly for profit…) on Half ;)
• Say yes to everything & join clubs. Do not waste your time sitting around. New experience? Do it. Even if it isn't as good as expected, you’ll realize what you’re capable of suffering through. Chances are, it won’t be too bad … Plus, new experiences are always good!
• Go the extra mile as often as possible. I hate to admit this too, but I got wait listed when I applied to the school I’m enrolled at now. A great prof told me to get my ass into Admissions and tell them how badly I wanted to go here. I did, immediately after that class. Admissions suggested I change my major to get in (I assume he was suggesting I then change it back to business once I got in…). I almost cried. Instead I told the truth and said I just couldn’t afford it. The next day, I got a phone call (to this day, I have never heard of an Admissions office making a phone call like this) saying someone declined their offer and he “thought of me and my enthusiasm” and wanted to offer me a spot. If I hadn’t made that one visit…

Payments to Doctors by Pharmaceutical Companies Raise Issues of Conflicts

I have posted about ethics in the pharmaceutical industry, and I will continue to do so. It is consistently a hot issue with a varying degree of topics.

"Drug companies pay medical professionals for a wide range of activities, from speaking engagements to consulting. While legal, the practice raises questions about potential conflicts, and whether the interests of patients may be compromised." (Article) Though it is technically "legal," does that make it moral? I don't think so. Doctors should not be paid by pharma companies. If they truly believe in a medication and want to speak out about it, they should be doing that on their own time.

What to Do While Searching for an Entry-Level Job:

·      Scout your resources. Are you still in school? Visit your school’s career center and meet with a counselor.  Learn about the internal job search system. Most schools have one in place.

·      Attend the career fairs. Wear a suit.  When in doubt, fall on the side of more conservative.

·      Start looking early. Many corporations recruit in the fall. If you’re a senior, you should be looking for the jobs you want to apply for as early as the end of the summer. Many job postings appear at this time.

·      Search for jobs on other sites as well. Even typing in keywords to Google can pull up great leads. (Example: “entry-level professional writing”)

·      Create a LinkedIn account. Fill your profile out fully and include all professional experience. The site is including a new Recruitment feature, which will surely increase the already stunning statistic: 86.6% of businesses recruit on LinkedIn.

·      Pass out that resume! Get a few good eyes to check out your resume. Too many people viewing it can be overwhelming. Ask a career counselor for help. If your current boss is aware you are searching for a job, ask them for help.

·      Don’t skimp on the cover letter. Easier said than done, right? If you really want to catch the eye of the recruiter, spend some time explaining why you are right for the job, what you can contribute, and why you are interested in that particular company. Spend time on editing. A cover letter (or resume) with typos will easily get thrown in the trash.

Article on Social Media Recruiting 

Drugs & Ethics: The Fine Lines

There has always been a fine line between business and ethics. Take a client out for lunch and how much is too much? Many companies have limits on what their employees can spend on clients and how big of a gift an employee can accept. Add pharmaceutical drugs and patients' health into the mix, and you've just brewed up one fine batch of fine lines. 

GlaxoSmithKlein, a UK based pharma company, has recently been in the news (Glaxo Settles Cases With U.S. for $3 Billion - NYTimes) for settling a three billion dollar case in the United States after accusations saying "the company had paid doctors and manipulated medical research to promote the drug." I think that it's safe to say a line was crossed here and the punishment was necessary. 
I personally am thankful we have such stringent laws against drug promotion. Paying off doctors is unacceptable, as is altering medical research to make yourself look better. This case should be made an example of to sway other companies to do one thing: the right thing.

I'm thankful to work for a company the places ethics on such a high pedestal.  Maybe we don't always make as much money as we could, but we do the right thing, and in the end, the customer loyalty is the biggest payoff of all.

J&J Recalls

J&J has had a variety of recalls within the past year, and even now, many months later, some products remain missing from the shelves of pharmacies and grocery stores alike. In some cases, a dozen products are missing. In 20120 alone, McNeil, a subsidiary of J&J, "recalled about 288 million items, including about 136 million bottles of liquid Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl for infants and children" That number is simply giant. Many items recalled were found to have pieces of metal in them or smelled of mold.What is a customer to do?

The choice many consumers are making is switching to generics. One would imagine if a product was missing for a short period of time, customers would just return to the pricier name brand they have come to trust, but what happens when the product is missing, for months, or even over a year? This is where J&J will run into a problem. Once it fills J&J shelf space again and all is well in that regard, the company"must persuade millions of disappointed customers to once again pay a premium for products that may no longer seem to be of any higher quality than the less expensive store brand." Not an easy task to say the least.

My prediction is that J&J marketing will play the largest role in this production. They will need to tap into the emotional gut of the public and remind them about the products they grew up with and let them know that they took great care (as well as great time...) to ensure quality products are back in business. It won't be an easy task, but with a name like J&J, it will be possible.

Can Johnson & Johnson Get Its Act Together?