betapharm - Be Different or Die

Authors: Habisch, Andrew; Kaiser, Stephen; Kinzl, Petra; Roome, Nigel
Source: European Academy of Business in Society
Year: 2008
Number of pages: 20

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Abstract:

After a two-day workshop in 2005 with his top management team, Peter Walter, the founding CEO of betapharm, was wondering what he should do. betapharm, he knew, was a different kind of company: during the last 10 years, the generic-drug company developed and had been celebrated as a model corporate citizen and a socially responsible company. This recognition had positively reinforced betapharm’s culture and was a major source of inspiration for its employees. However, market conditions had changed, causing cost and marketing challenges to arise as well as new business opportunities. Walter was uncertain what that strategy should be: not only did he need to preserve the values that underlay the company’s culture and unique morale, but he had to do it in a profitable way both for the generic drug business as well as for potential new business opportunities.