Question

This is not case analysis. There is no case to this. Please answer the following questions for the company Pfizer

1. Find a list of the members of the board of directors for your firm. How large is the board? How many independent (non-employee) members are on the board? Are any women or minorities on the board? Is the CEO also the chair of the board?

2. Who are the largest stockholders of your firm? Is there a high degree of employee ownership of the stock?

3. In reviewing press releases and news articles about your firm over the past year, can you find examples of any actions the firm has taken that, though legal, may be ethically questionable?

4. You have now completed 12 modular assignments about selected firm. You know a lot about its mission, strategies, competitive advantage, and organization. Is this a company you would like to work for? If you had $1,000 to invest in a firm, would you invest it in the stock of this firm? Why or why not?

Answer 1

1. Find a list of the members of the board of directors for your firm. How large is the board? How many independent (non-employee) members are on the board? Are any women or minorities on the board? Is the CEO also the chair of the board? Pfizer is the world's number 1 Pharmceutical Company. Its board composition, number of independent director, women directors, minorities on board is detailed as under:-

(a) Ian C. Read, 64, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Since: 2010: Ian C. Read, Chairman of the Board since December 2011 and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer since December 2010. President and Chief Executive Officer from December 2010 untill December 2011.

(b) Albert Bourla, 56, Director and Chief Operating Officer, Since: 2018: Dr. Bourla, age 56, is currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Pfizer. Prior to assuming the role of COO in 2018, he was the Group President of Pfizer Innovative Health.

(c) James Smith, 58, Independent Director, Since: 2014: James C. Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer and Director of Thomson Reuters Corporation, a provider of intelligent information for businesses and professionals since 2012.

(d) W. Don Cornwell, 70, Independent Director, Since: 1997: W. Don Cornwell, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Granite Broadcasting Corporation (Granite) from 1988 until his retirement in August 2009.

(e) James M. Kilts, 70, Independent Director, Since: 2007: James M. Kilts, Founding Partner, Centerview Capital, a private equity firm, since 2006. Vice Chairman, The Procter & Gamble Company (Procter & Gamble).

(f) Frances D. Fergusson, 72, Independent Director, Since: 2009: Frances D. Fergusson, President Emeritus of Vassar College since 2006 and President from 1986 to 2006.

(g) Stephen W Sanger, 71, Independent Director, Since: 2009: Stephen W. Sanger, Chairman of General Mills, Inc. (General Mills), a packaged food producer and distributor, from 1995 until his retirement in 2008.

(h) Suzanne Nora Johnson, 60, Independent Director, Since: 2007: Suzanne Nora Johnson, Retired Vice Chairman, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (Goldman Sachs), since 2007.

(i) Joseph J. Echevarria, 61, Independent Director, Since: 2015: Joseph J. Echevarria, Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte LLP (Deloitte), a global provider of professional services, from 2011 until his retirement in 2014. .

(j) Helen H Hobbs, 65, Independent Director, Since: 2011: Helen Hobbs, Investigator, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 2002, Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Genetics.

(k) Shantanu Narayen, 54, Independent Director, Since: 2013: Shantanu Narayen, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe).

(l) Ronald E. Blaylock, 58, Independent Director, Since: 2017: Ronald E. Blaylock, Founder, Managing Partner of GenNx 360 Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in industrial and business companies.

(m) Dennis A. Ausiello, 72, Lead Independent Director, Since: 2006: Dennis A. Ausiello, is the Director, Center for Assessment Technology and Continuous Health (CATCH). Physician-in-Chief, Emeritus at Massachusetts General Hospital.

(n) Dan R. Littman,Director Since: 2018:- On March 5, 2018, the Board of Directors of Pfizer Inc. elected Dr. Dan R. Littman to serve as a member of the Company's Board of Directors, effective immediate.

2. Who are the largest stockholders of your firm? Is there a high degree of employee ownership of the stock?: Pennsylvnia based Vanguard Group which is an investment management company is the single largest stakeholder with a littile over 6% share of the company. Yes the employees of the company are offered Pfizer's stock as part of their bonuses and other such increament allowances.

3. In reviewing press releases and news articles about your firm over the past year, can you find examples of any actions the firm has taken that, though legal, may be ethically questionable?: In April 2014, the Chairman of Pfizer called upon the Chairman of Astrazeneca stating the two company's managment should issue a joint press statement about commencing discussions regarding a formal company amalgamation but did not spelt clearly its plac to acquire Astrazeneca. This news release was all over the press even though no any formal discussion was concluded. This news was not condsidered ethical.

4. You have now completed 12 modular assignments about selected firm. You know a lot about its mission, strategies, competitive advantage, and organization. Is this a company you would like to work for? If you had $1,000 to invest in a firm, would you invest it in the stock of this firm? Why or why not?

Yes I would always like to work for Pfizer which is the world's number 1 drug mker or Pharmaceutical company. Being the best in its industry and being a multi national organisation the work culture is extermely harmonious with the employer focussing on overall holistic development of the employee with proper family time. Thus wroking for Pfizer would be a treat with all its in house facilities for its employee apart from the salary structure which is considered best in the industry.

I would invest all my $1000 in the stock of Pfizer since the company dominates the world pharma industry and this company can never go down. With its best HR Practices, Corporate ethics and State of Art Reaserch & Development centres, manufacturing facilities Pfizer has another 20 years of product line planned out to dominate the Pharma Industry.