Case Study: Kramers Pharmaceuticals Inc

Case Study: Kramers Pharmaceuticals, Inc

Professor Walsh

November 12, 2015

Estefany Gonzaga, Luis Munoz

Facts

• Kramer was a manufacturer of prescription drugs for the medical and dental professions.
• Kramer had over 500 detailers that regularly called to hospital personnel such as doctors and dentist to talk about the product line and try to persuade them to prescribe their medication to patients.^[a][b][c]
• A detailer was responsible for about 200 Physicians and hospitals accounts within an assigned geographic territory and were expected to call six - nine doctors or hospitals per day
•   Bob Marsh was a 32-year-old manager of a prescription department in a major drug store in Toledo, Ohio before joining Kramer in 1966 ^[d][e]
• After working for Kramer for one year, Meredith, Marsh's manager drew up a written appraised  in which told him best^[f][g]
• Marsh's seeming lack of attention to organization planning and follow up and his tendency to question the logic of some of the company's major promoting.^[h]
• During the years (1966-1977) Marsh's salary was increased by one thousand each year.^[i]
• In 1974, Jim Rathbun  (young) became the new Marsh's manager, he found that Marsh was not using the selling assets to its fullest advantage.^[j]
• Under Rathbun management Marsh's went on probation - failure to improve within 90 days would lead to dismissal. During the probation time, Marsh had more organized detail bag and automobile. Several goals were reached in a different hospital.^[k][l]
• In 1976, Vince Reed became the new manager (much newer and younger). Marsh's organization was still deficient for him.^[m]
• Under Reed supervision, Marsh's rating went from satisfactory to completely unsatisfactory. Once again Marsh's was on probation.^[n]
• 1977 One more time a new manager but he did not give any opinion about Marsh's performance because he was only two days in the field.^[o][p][q][r]
• Ted Franklin (1978) the new supervisor instructed Marsh to improve his sincerity, company loyalty, job interest, enthusiasm, cooperation, deference to supervision and his work habits.
• In 1978, Pete Mallick, the new zone manager, and Ted Franklin fired Marsh for not meeting their expectations.^[s][t][u]
• Doctors, Physicians, and pharmacists did not understand the dismissal of one of the finest and most important career detailers in the area.^{[v][w][x][y][z][aa][ab]}

Issues

1) Managing a boss

2) Leadership

3) Personality Style

4)Management Inconsistency