Running head: PFIZER 1

Pfizer Research Project

Daniela I. Ruiz and Daniela A. Salgado

Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito

2016 – 2017
 Running head: PFIZER 2

Content Table

General Description ...........................................................................................................................5

Relation with International Businesses ...............................................................................................5

Method .............................................................................................................................................6

Interview Description .....................................................................................................................6

Timeline .........................................................................................................................................7

Objectives and Organizational Strategies ............................................................................................8

Culture and Fundamental Values ........................................................................................................8

Organizational Structure ....................................................................................................................9

Corporate Social Responsibility ........................................................................................................ 10

Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 11

References....................................................................................................................................... 13

Annexes........................................................................................................................................... 14
 Running head: PFIZER 3

Abstract

This document contains detailed information about a research project carried on to the

international private company Pfizer. It involves different subjects such as the culture, structure,

objectives, corporate social responsibility and its relation with international businesses. In

addition this essay provides a general description about this enterprise and the reason for its

success. The information was obtained through an interview done to a member of the company

and its website. Details of this are also described on a section of this document. After analyzing

all the gathered data the group members in charge if the research concluded that they would like

to work in this company due to its culture, values and the enrichment it would provide to their

professional life.

Keywords: research, international businesses, culture, values, structure, strategies.

 Running head: PFIZER 4

Pfizer Research Project

The reason for this essay is to detail the research done to the international

biopharmaceutical company Pfizer, which has been highly positioned in the market for over one

hundred years. After analyzing the structure, culture, values and organization of this corporation,

three factors that influence its success were determined: well defined objectives, which go

further than just satisfying client’s necessities; a strong culture and values, especially to ensure

the efficient performance of the workers; finally its deep connection with international

businesses and relations, contributing to the progress of the globalization process. This last one is

also the main reason why Pfizer was chosen for this research project.

In order to obtain the necessary information for the analysis the group members got in

touch with a contact inside the company who arranged an interview with the Lead of the

corporate affairs communication H&V area. Thanks to this interview it was possible to gather

fundamental information about the strategy, objectives, culture and structure of the organization.

By making use of all the collected data, not only through the interview but also through the

official website and other internet resources, it was possible to make an analysis of the efficient

functioning of the company to be described in detail in the following pages.

After the research and analyzing process the members in charge of the project concluded

that, because of its well managing methods with workers and the success that the company has

had throughout the years, it would be very productive to work in Pfizer, since its considered that

being part of such a big corporation would be enriching for the professional life and moreover,

would provide a vast insight to the international business world.

 Running head: PFIZER 5

General Description

Pfizer is a private leading global biopharmaceutical company, whose headquarters are

located in New York, which has proven to be successful throughout the years (since its

foundation in 1849). It is focused in the development and production of medicine and vaccines,

involving many medical disciplines such as endocrinology, neurology, cardiology, among others.

For the creation of its products, this company makes use of high technology with a great

expertise for disease area to help the research and production of the best medicine and

therapeutic programs to help the patients (Pfizer, 2016).

As a transnational corporation, understanding the way how it is managed in order to keep

its high position in the market contributes also to the study of business strategies: involving

marketing, alliances, expanding methods, among others; as long as relations, whether it is with

other companies, with the government, or internationally. Furthermore, the comprehension of its

culture represents a great input to the professionalism and personal values of the group members

in charge of the research. Therefore, and after considering these two important facts, it was

decided to dedicate this investigation to Pfizer, as a result of the growing interest on it by the

researchers.

Relation with International Businesses

As it has been explained already, Pfizer is a transnational corporation, which means it has

centrals in many countries all over the world. These centrals are connected by the company’s

culture, forming a global web. Once the company is settled in a new country it starts stablishing

relations with other companies, whether it is to get suppliers or to create strategic alliances to
 Running head: PFIZER 6

create new products. These relations help the technological and medical development of the

country where the central is. After the company enters the market of another country, the process

of selling and buying is, of course, international. The exportations and importations done by it

are directly contributing to the economic movement of the country thanks to the taxes and job

positions it provides. The importance of these actions in the international business world can be

seen easily at the moment of analyzing them, concluding that as a result of expanding a company

to another country can ease not only international trade but also the globalization’s progress (C.

Menéses, personal communication, November 09, 2016).

Method

Interview Description

The interview was carried on November 9th 2016, in the facilities of Pfizer Quito-

Ecuador, Av. Manuel Córdova Galarza km1 Mitad Del Mundo. For the research it was necessary

to make contact with someone inside the company, in this case María Fernanda Ruiz Ibarra, aunt

of one of the group members, was the weak tie that helped with the arrangement of a meeting

date for the interview with Cecilia Alexandra Menéses Corporate affairs communication H&V

Lead.

Cecilia took time to answer some questions about the enterprise. She said that the culture

of Pfizer is named Own it and also the idea of No Jerks; thanks to this the work environment is

comfortable for the employees where everyone maintain a positive attitude. She also explained

the relationship between international business and international relations, because as a

 Running head: PFIZER 7

multinational company that offers a lot of job opportunities all around the world, and helps the

economy.

It was also discussed her personal opinion about Pfizer and how it helps her to grow not

only professionally but also as a person. Another factor reviewed in the interview was the

facilities provided by Pfizer such as, a good work schedule, the economic benefits and the

achievements that are possible to reach by working in this enterprise. Finally there was a small

tour around the company where she described all the departments, the way they work, and

introduced some of the employees who were opened to answer any other doubt.

In order to keep in touch with Cecilia, in case of missing questions or needed information,

the group members were provided with her email address which is: cecilia.meneses@pfizer.com.

She also recommended making use of the organization’s web site (http://www.pfizer.com.ec/),

where important and significant information can be found.

Timeline

Because of the formal nature of this project, the group members were in need of creating

a timeline detailing all the important dates of the planned actions that were carried out. The

project got started on October 3rd, when it was decided that the analysis would be about Pfizer.

After gathering information from internet and making the first connection with a member of the

company, the first draft for this essay was handled on November 7th. The interview was

conducted on November 9th. After this, the group analyzed all the data gotten so far and prepared

a power point presentation for December 12th. Finally the project concluded with the formal

essay meant to be handled on January 25rd (see Annex #3).

 Running head: PFIZER 8

Objectives and Organizational Strategies

It is imperative that the objectives of such a big corporation, as Pfizer is, are well defined,

in the interest of being successful and moreover to have a clear structure of what needs to be

done and define the right methods to do it the most efficient and effective way possible. For this

sake, the organization stablished their goals through their mission and vision statements:

Pfizer will strive to achieve and sustain its leading place as the world’s premier research-

based pharmaceutical company. The company’s continuing success benefits patients,

customers, shareholders, business partners, families, and the communities in which they

operate all around the world. Pfizer’s mission is to become the world´s most valued

company to all of these people (Graham, Roth, & Dugan, 2008).

Of course like every business, whether big or small, Pfizer also faces challenges.

Considering the huge size of the pharmaceutical market, it is necessary to always be innovative

and competitive in order to project an image of trust and respect, and through this, being able to

attract more customers and to keep satisfying clients’ needs. For this reason the corporation is

guided by its four strategic imperatives which are: Innovate and lead, Maximize Value, Earn

Greater Respect and Own Our Culture. The planning process, as long as the production and

leading processes are carried out through these organizational strategies (Pfizer , 2016). For more

information view Annex # 4.

Culture and Fundamental Values

Pfizer culture is diverse saying that workers should respect each other despite their

differences. Their No Jerks culture explains that, the environment of the company depends on
 Running head: PFIZER 9

employers and employees; therefore, they have to respect each other no matter the religion they

believe in, their race, their nationality, and their sexual preferences, among others. The ideas and

thoughts of coworkers should not be criticized but encouraged for the reason that everyone has

the right to think different (C. Menéses, personal communication, November 09, 2016).

In addition, the Own It culture is really important too because it means that Pfizer

belongs to their employees and not the employees to the company. As a consequence of this

ownership feeling the workers will always want the best for the company, its success. The

intention of this idea is mainly that the staff members take care of the company and respect their

work place, with this, the company will have people who work with their blood sweat and tears

and not only for money (C. Menéses, personal communication, November 09, 2016).

Of course to make these cultural ideas possible, strong values are needed. According to

this, the corporation stablished nine Core Values that “reflect the enduring of Pfizer and its

people” (Pfizer, 2011), these values are: Customer Focus, Community, Respect for People,

Performance, Collaboration, Leadership, Integrity, Quality and Innovation (Pfizer, 2011).

Organizational Structure

The reporting line in this company is functional, which means the report is done

regionally and not necessarily to one boss only. One person, for example the head of the human

resources area, might be in charge of a big region involving many countries. This explains how

Pfizer has a matrix organizational structure. Even so, the culture and politics of the company stay

the same, changing only when there is a restriction imposed by the law of each country, in this
 Running head: PFIZER 10

case the most restrictive law is used, whether it is stablished by the company or by the

government (C. Menéses, personal communication, November 09, 2016).

At the moment of managing the personal, it is not only part of the structure but also of the

company’s culture, that a boss has responsibility over the people they are in charge of, not only

the human resources area controls the trait to the workers. Every boss must know the

competences and abilities of the person that reports to him and give them the opportunities so

that they can grow professionally the way they want. The relationship boss-employee is direct.

Nevertheless, telecommuting is also possible for certain tasks or job positions. The results must

be presented as a report through the private network of the enterprise or by email. This kind of

working method is available for single mothers or in case the given tasks can be done from

somewhere outside the organization (C. Menéses, personal communication, November 09, 2016).

Pfizer Ecuador, for instance, works regionally along with other Latin American countries

and it has two work divisions: Pfizer Essential Health Ecuador which works with already

produced and known medicines whose PEH Lead is Ana Dolores Roman. The other one is Pfizer

Innovative Health Ecuador; this division is in charge of the creation of new products and has

three main managers: Patricio Carrion, PIH. Alliance Manager; Adrianella Betancourt, BU. Lead

and Graciela Morales, Vaccines 1st Lead. The complete organization chart was provided by Mrs.

Cecilia Menéses (See Annexes #6 and #7).

Corporate Social Responsibility

Pfizer is deeply committed to satisfy the clients’ needs, their objective is to improve the

health and welfare of people at all stages of their life. Nevertheless, this company doesn’t think
 Running head: PFIZER 11

only about its clients, but it is also very important for it to make an input to the improvement of

the world through its Corporate Responsibility, which believes “that all individuals, everywhere,

deserve access to quality healthcare and the opportunity to lead healthy lives” (Pfizer, 2017).

Through their many efforts, Pfizer is able to impact the public-health area by making

donations and providing volunteers to expand healthcare access to those who lack of the

resources and who are in need of it. All of these efforts are meant to achieve three main things:

Building healthcare capacity, expanding access to medicines and promoting corporate citizenship

(Pfizer, 2017).

Conclusion

As a result of this study, it can be said that Pfizer’s success can be explained through

three different important and very influential factors: well defined objectives, a strong culture

and values and finally its deep connection with international businesses and relations. Moreover,

the company has been able to create its reputation as trustworthy and efficient; not only thanks to

its high quality medicine but also through the image of respect it has managed to create with all

the efforts put in making a meaningful impact in society, via its Corporate Responsibility actions.

Thanks to the gathered information, the group members were able to analyze all the facts

that could influence their decision of working there or not, concluding that they would, indeed,

consider working in Pfizer as an enriching experience. However, the reason goes further than just

a contribution to professional life. Pfizer is a huge corporation that cares about keeping its

employees motivated, so they can feel that they are part of a company that changes the world and
 Running head: PFIZER 12

where they will find freedom, equity, and quality to support their goals. It allows the workers to

grow professionally the way it best suits them due to its strong culture and values.
 Running head: PFIZER 13

References

Graham, M. D., Roth, T. A., & Dugan, D. (2008). In R. a. Graham, Effective executive compentation (p. 73).
New York.

Pfizer . (2016). Proxy statement for 2016 annual metting for shareholders. New York.

Pfizer. (2011). Pfizer. Retrieved from

www.pfizer.com.cn/(S(01v0wzq1lkcemr55kay3nq55))/about/pfizer_s_core_values_en.aspx

Pfizer. (2016). Pfizer. Retrieved from www.pfizer.com/about

Pfizer. (2017). Pfizer. Retrieved from http://www.pfizer.com/responsibility

Running head: PFIZER 14

Annexes

Annex #1: Company Logo

Annex #2: Visit to Pfizer's facilities to conduct the interview

Annex #3: Timeline with detailing the important tasks to be done and the person in charge of it
Running head: PFIZER 15

Annex #4: Chart detailing Pfizer's Strategic Imperatives

Annex #5: Pfizer's Core Values Explained in Detail

Running head: PFIZER 16

Annex #6: Pfizer Essential Health Ecuador's Organizational Chart

Annex #7: Pfizer Innovative Health Ecuador's Organizational Chart