Page 7 - CIMA SCS Workbook November 2018 - Day 2 Suggested Solutions

CIMA NOVEMBER 2018 – STRATEGIC CASE STUDY

Accomodation

Here, Novak would accept responsibility for its actions and agree to make the changes demanded
by the pressure groups. It would stop any testing on animals immediately and find alternative
ways to carry out drug trials.

In some respects this is already happening in the pharmaceuticals industry. Advances in
technology have made the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), computer simulation and DNA
sequencing much more common in the early stages of testing, speeding up the process and
avoiding the need to test on live subjects. This represents a “win-win” for both the drugs company
and the animal rights groups; shorter research cycles means less cost to the manufacturer, and
virtual techniques without harming animals is what the activists are demanding.

This is already being practiced by Novak, and a public statement should be issued to remind
people that this is the case. In the ideal world there would be no testing on animals, and that is
what Novak is committed to achieving. However, advances cannot happen overnight and, where
there is no alternative, a degree of testing on live subjects will still be required.

Proaction

Under this approach pharmaceutical companies would never have started with animal testing in
the first place, correctly anticipating that it would be a very contentious issue. A business that
adopts a proactive stance is one that anticipates future expectations by doing more than is
currently expected, and therefore shapes its business to act in a way that it believes all
stakeholders will find acceptable. In effect, the company is looking to shape society.

Trying to claim such a stance would be to ignore the last 170 years or so of Novak’s history. The
fact is that it has been involved in animal testing and, until technology allows otherwise, is likely
to continue to do so.

Conclusion

The most appropriate response would be a mixture of defence and pro-action. Novak should
acknowledge the concerns of animal welfare groups, and highlight advances it has made in the
last few years in alternative testing techniques. It is committed to eliminating all animal testing in
the long term; however, until that is possible, a small degree of live testing is unavoidable in order
to continue to improve healthcare provision to human beings.

68 KAPLAN PUBLISHING