Pfizer

Pfizer was incorporated in 1942 and is headquartered in New York City. Pfizer, is a global pharmaceutical company, with headquarters in New York City. The company is the world's largest research-based pharmaceuticals firm. It produces the number-one selling drug Lipitor (atorvastatin, used to lower blood cholesterol); the oral antifungal medication Diflucan (fluconazole), the long-acting antibiotic Zithromax (azithromycin), the well-known erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (sildenafil citrate), and the pain reliever Celebrex (celecoxib Pfizer's best-known products include erectile dysfunction therapy Viagra, antidepressant Zoloft, and cholesterol-lowering Lipitor. In addition to prescription drugs, the firm makes OTC remedies, including sniffle-and-sneeze treatments Benadryl and Sudafed. Pfizer also keeps Fluffy and Fido in mind with its animal health products, including Revolution (antiparasitic). Subsidiaries in the Pfizer family include Warner-Lambert, Parke-Davis, and Goedecke.

Pfizer's research and development organization is headquartered in New London, CT. The company has R&D labs in the following locations: Groton, Connecticut, Sandwich, England, Nagoya, Japan, Amboise, France, La Jolla, California, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ann Arbor, Michigan, St. Louis, Missouri, Kalamazoo, Michigan. In 2004, Pfizer invested $7.68 billion in research and development, the largest investment in R&D by private biomedical research organization.

Pfizer received a 100% rating on the Corporate Equality Index released by the Human Rights Campaign starting in 2004, the third year of the report. Pfizer, Inc. engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of prescription medicines for humans and animals, as well as consumer healthcare products worldwide. It operates in three segments Human Health, Consumer Healthcare, and Animal Health. The Human Health segment offers treatments for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, central nervous system disorders, arthritis and pain, infectious and respiratory diseases, urogenital conditions, cancer, eye disease, endocrine disorders, and allergies.

The Consumer Healthcare segment markets over-the-counter medications for oral care, upper respiratory health, tobacco dependence, gastrointestinal health, skin care, eye care, and hair growth. Its principal products include Listerine mouthwash, Listerine PocketPaks oral care strips, Nicorette for tobacco dependence among others

The Animal Health segment discovers, develops, and sells products for the prevention and treatment of diseases in livestock and companion animals. Its products include parasiticides, anti-inflammatories, vaccines, antibiotics, and related medicines. In addition, the company offers empty soft-gelatin capsules, contract manufacturing, and bulk pharmaceutical chemicals. It offers its products to health care providers, such as doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, hospitals, Pharmacy Benefit Managers, Managed Care Organizations, and government agencies

For a company to gain or maintain a sustainable competitive advantage, it must be ever vigilant, watching for changes in the business environment. It must also be agile enough to alter its strategies and plans when the need arises.

* There are fundamental questions that all businesses must ask themselves to play a pro-active role in the competitive environment. Vermont seemed unable to envision the opportunities that would result in asking themselves these fundamental questions:

Ё What to change?

Ё When to change?

Ё How to change?

Ё How FAST to change?

Ё How to ensure the capability to change?

For any high performance organization, knowledge management is the central pillar in its strategic plans. Here we will analyze the effect of various environmental factors and to see what trends are like to affect the industry in which the Vermont is operating in a Brief manner.

* Economic Forces: One has monitor the economic trends like GDP trends, Interest rates, Money supply, Inflation rates, Unemployment levels, Disposable income. Currently in USA there may be saturation. It has to look for the other parts of world there is growth especially in Asian countries. Individual economies becoming interconnected into a global economy.

* Technological Forces: Impact of following factors:

Ш Efficiency of infrastructure, including roads, ports airports, rolling stock, hospitals, education, healthcare, communication, etc.

Ш industrial productivity

Ш new manufacturing processes and drug discoveries

Ш patent regime

Ш new products and services of competitors

Ш new products and services of supply chain partners

Ш any new technology that could impact the company

Internet, virtual online stores and using the Internet effectively to increase the reach and to reduce the cost. Portable Information Devices, Electronic networking, smart mobile robots, increase in the speed of microprocessors will have tremendous impact on business.

* Political Legal regulations: One should also be aware of foreign trade regulations, attitude towards foreign companies as Pfizer wants to aspire to be a multinational company. It has to consider following factors:

* Political climate - amount of government activity

* political stability and risk

* government debt

* budget deficit or surplus

* corporate and personal tax rates

* payroll taxes

* import tariffs and quotas

* export restrictions

* Restrictions on international financial flows

* Minimum wage laws

* Environmental protection laws

* Worker safety laws

* Union laws

* Copyright and patent laws