Problem
Case Study:
Netmeds, founded in 2015, was preparing a plan to target 1.5% of the Indian pharmaceutical market by 2018. As an Internet-based company, the focus was to offer beneficial and affordable healthcare choices, mitigate risk associated with dispensation, and as part of that provide a reliable stream of drug information for its consumers. As a small company, the leadership group comprised of four key individuals, two of whom were executives and two board members. The company was initiated by a larger Chennai based pharmaceutical company with more than 100 years of medicine distribution in India. Netmeds.com would be its online portal to expand its reach throughout India. Given the legacy of the parent company, the Netmeds plan reflected a fair bit of experience in what was required - product details, buying process, privacy details, refunds and returns, consumers to target, and competitors to fend off. The newer dimensions to the operations reflected the use of technology, the distribution of drugs through fulfilment centres and through the post office, the promotion of the offers, and how to fund and finance the ongoing operation. In many ways, Netmeds.com represented a path followed by many established companies to update their operations in the era
Task
• If you examine the story through the lens of Figure 4.1, what aspects of the proposal would generate support versus opposition from the market?
• Again, if you examine the story through the lens of Figure 4.1, what factors would make a consumer less or more important?
• In examining the potential for threat or cooperation, are there aspects of the company's plan that would seek to maximize the occurrence of Type I (Supportive) stakeholders versus Types 2, 3, and 4?