Merck company

At present, the company is organized into three divisions: 1) pharmaceuticals focusing on innovative prescription drugs; 2) pharmaceuticals centred on generic prescription drugs; and 3) consumer health comprised of different activities such as health and medical nutrition including genetic engineering and the development of products. 2) The pharmaceutical industry is characterized by stiff competition. The international competitors of Merck are international, research-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that also sell branded, patent-protected, prescription medicines. However, because Merck is ahead in research and development, specifically in technologies, these create leverages for the company to be at the top. Technologies help the company ease working loads; make them faster and more accurate. 3) Research is advancing at a rapid pace. The application of research provides the opportunity to improve productivity, quality, and cost control in education and research, security of health-related information, and reimbursement through new product development at Merck. While these advances in research promise huge benefits such as higher quality medicine, enhanced workflow and increased efficiency, there is also the potential for precious resources to be squandered and the added pressure of patient welfare at stake. While Merck’s research systems were intended to steam line financial management and automate manual processes, Pharmaceutical Industries now require much greater functionality. The modern Pharmaceutical Industries is expected to link administrative, laboratory, financial and clinical data to provide faster diagnosis and better treatment. The application of research at Merck would highlight the potential benefits of new product development in increasing access, improving quality, and reducing costs. While there is consensus that result will result in substantial cost savings, new product development can quantify the magnitude of the savings of Merck in a way that is scaleable to nationwide implementation. 4)  With the mission statement of Merck, the company aims to provide high margin generic drugs. This objective resonate their mission of lowering or controlling the costs that they would pass onto their consumers. In order for Merck to achieve their objective, they must be able to find ways of lowering their production costs so that they will be able to lower the cost that they will pass onto their consumers. One of the policies that they implemented to see this through is by focusing on research to develop and maintain technologies. For example, Merck invested in information technology. This allowed them to create a web-based system that improved the company’s management of inventories and orders by enhancing their speed and accuracy. By lessening the margins for errors, Merck will also be able to lessen their production cost. 5)  The website of Merck is able to adhere to the basic rules so as to ensure that the website created will be accessible.   The patients and caregivers website of Merck is easy to read, easy to navigate and easy to find.   In addition, the layout and design of the web is consistent throughout the site, plus the website and the needed information regarding the medicines is quick to be downloaded. This absolutely contributes to understanding Merck’s product line. REFERENCES Corporate Responsibility: Committed to make a Difference. Retrieved May 23, 2007 from http://www.merck.com Patients & Caregivers: Comprehensive medical resources to keep you educated and informed. Retrieved May 23, 2007 from http://www.merck.com/product/patients_caregivers.html       Merck Company IntroductionThe healthcare industry is composed of many different players who have the same goal which is to ensure the well-being of people, particularly with regards to their health.   One such player in this industry is pharmaceutical companies.   This paper will be analyzing the products of Merck Pharmaceutical Company concentrating on the importance of research in the development of their products.   It will also be presenting the company’s mission statement and how consistent the company is in relation to its mission statement.   Furthermore, it will analyze on whether the company’s patient and care-givers site is helpful to the company’s target audience or otherwise.Overview of Merck CompanyIn order to analyze Merck Pharmaceutical Company comprehensively, an overview about the company and its mission statement must first be established.Merck & Co. Inc. was established in 1891 with the concern on prioritizing the needs of patient that have been othe rwise not met during this period.   The company primarily produces vaccines and medicines as well as delivering these to those who need them the most (â€Å"About Merck† 2008).Merck & Co. Inc. is also a global research pharmaceutical company.   Its mission is â€Å"to provide society with superior products and services by developing innovations and solutions that improve the quality of life and satisfy customer needs, and to provide employees with meaningful work and advancement opportunities, and investors with a superior rate of return† (â€Å"Mission Statement† 2008).   The company is committed to the preservation and improvement of human life by maintaining high standards in its ethics, particularly in research in order to attain their mission (â€Å"Mission Statement† 2008).Products of Merck CompanyBecause of their continuous research, the company has been able to release new products for the betterment of today’s society.   The most r ecent product of the company that was licensed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States was Gardasil, a cervical cancer vaccination.   The company announced the release of the vaccine on March 19, 2008 (â€Å"Product News† 2008).Gardasil is a vaccine that was developed in order to prevent the development of cervical cancer, dysplastic lesions and genital warts among females from age nine to twenty-six.   Based on their research, they had discovered that these diseases were caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 (â€Å"Product News† 2008).Importance of Research to MerckResearch is extremely vital to the progress of Merck as a pharmaceutical company.   Through their constant and meticulous research, the company is able to create medicines that have become important in today’s society.   The company’s research resources include the acquisition of the most advance tools in the market, chemistry, genomics and computeriz ed molecular modeling.   These resources allow the company to remain at the forefront of discovery in their industry (â€Å"Our Research† 2008).Because of the technology advancement and their meticulousness in hiring employees in their research and product development department, the company is able to create products that are able to satisfy the needs of their customers.   At the same time, the availability of the most up-to-date technology allows the company’s researchers to work in an environment for them to create meaningful and advancement opportunities. As a result, they are able to improve and preserve human life in today’s society as well as meeting the company’s mission statement and values (â€Å"Mission Statement† 2008).Patient and Caregivers’ SiteSince the company produces vaccines and medicines, there is always the possibility that it may be inappropriately administered which would cause adverse side effects to the patient w hich would not just aggravate the medical condition of the patient, but may also cause the caregiver to lose his or her license to practice.In order to prevent this, the company had provided a patient and caregivers’ site in order to properly educate the consumers of the company’s products on side effects, dosage, manner of administration and situations when the product could not be used.   The website is extremely helpful for both patients and caregivers.   The main page presents the names of the products so that the patient or the caregiver is able to locate more information about the medicine or vaccine.The page that discusses the medicine or vaccine is presented in two forms: one is written in a simple and straight-to-the-point manner so that the average individual without any background in medicine would be able to understand information about the product comprehensively.   It is also presented in a more technical and scientific way which can be comprehended only by someone who has a background in medicine such as a caregiver (â€Å"Patient & Caregiver U.S. Product Web sites† 2008).ConclusionFor a company such as Merck & Co. Inc., research is extremely vital in its operations since it is only through research that the company would be able to create products in order to meet their mission which is to provide superior vaccines and medicines in order to improve the quality of human life.   One such example of this is the release of Gardasil, a vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer and other diseases among females from occurring.   For patients and caregivers who would need information with regards to their products, the company provided a website where information about a particular vaccine or medicine would be understood by both patients and caregivers.ReferencesMerck & Co., Inc. (2008). About Merck. Retrieved on 08 April 2008, fromhttp://www.merck.com/about/.Merck & Co., Inc. (2008). Mission statement. Retrieved on 08 April 2008, fromhttp://www.merck.com/about/mission.html.