The Pharma 'Mini-MBA' Distance Learning Programme

Course overview

The impact of major patent expires, the growth in strategic alliances and partnerships, the drug development crisis and consolidation are just a few issues currently confronting the top pharma executives. The question facing most of those executives is whether, within their organisations, the skill set exists that is needed to drive the business forward in this tough environment.

In order to succeed it is vital that as an individual working within the pharma sector you develop, not only the expert technical skills required, but also the key business and management skills needed to ensure that you can take a dynamic approach to overcoming each challenge.

This 14 module distance learning programme offers the unique opportunity to develop your key skills as a high performance business leader within the pharmaceutical sector at your own pace, in your own space without the additional costs of travel and time away from work.

How does this distance learning programme work and what do you get?

• Fourteen modules, each requiring between 3 to 4 hours study to be completed as you choose
• The course and its modules start at any time to suit you
• Modules may be downloaded to study on your PC or to print hard copies. (You may also opt to receive them printed-and-bound from us.)
• Each module has self-assessment progress questions and model answers
• The course has an optional on-line multiple choice assessment at the end, with a certificate of completion being awarded

The benefits of taking this course will:

UPDATE you on the external and internal strategic pressures facing organisations within the pharmaceutical sector

ADVANCE your strategic planning with current rolls and techniques relevant to your industry

IMPROVE your strategic financial awareness to enable you to have a direct impact on the bottom line

BOOST your knowledge of key competitive marketing techniques and tools that are being used successfully within the pharmaceutical sector

DEVELOP your skills as a leader and manager within the sector, benchmark your approach against current best practice and leading thinking in the area

PRACTICALLY focus on the essential theory, practice and techniques needed to be a high performance manager in the pharmaceutical sector

SAVE one or even two years and the huge costs involved in enrolling for a more traditional executive management development programme

Who should enroll on this programme?

• Executives and managers across the pharmaceutical sector who want to increase their understanding of successful strategic management within the sector.
• Those who want to enhance their performance as individuals and improve the performance of their business by developing their combined knowledge of key business management skills with Pharma industry trends.

Course modules

MODULE 1 – INTRODUCTION TO PHARMA

• Why a Pharma 'Mini-MBA'?
• Application of standard management techniques
• What is distinctive about the pharmaceutical industry?
• Original brands and generics
• The international dimension in pharmaceuticals
• US v Europe
• Emerging markets
• The need for specific techniques for pharmaceuticals

MODULE 2 – STRATEGY IS THE KEY

• The value of generic strategic techniques
• Selected generic techniques and their usefulness to pharma:
  • The Boston Matrix
  • PEST
  • SWOT
  • The product-life cycle concept

MODULE 3 – STRATEGY IN PRACTICE IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR: PART 1

• The target product profile
• Key milestones in development process
• Portfolio management in the pharmaceutical industry

MODULE 4 – STRATEGY IN PRACTICE IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL SECTOR: PART 2

• Mission statements
• Portfolio strategy
• Strategic alliances
• The range of alliance types
  • Guidelines for successful pharmaceutical alliances
  • Practical points in partnering
• Mergers and acquisitions

MODULE 5 – MANAGING YOURSELF AND OTHERS

• First learn to master yourself
• Performance management
• Communicate and motivate
• Effective coaching
• Tackling poor performers
• Managing your team
• and also your time
• Ensure that all meetings are positive
• How to be assertive, not aggressive

MODULE 6 – LEARN TO BE A LEADER

• What do we mean by management?
• A survey of leadership styles?
  • Sun Tzu
  • Sensitive leadership
  • Exemplary leadership
  • Inspirational leadership
• The leader as mentor
• Decision-making in leadership
• Management and leadership, essentially a team effort

MODULE 7 – LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

• Acquiring, managing and retaining talent in a competitive world
• Employee engagement
• Leading through uncertainty
• The importance of corporate culture
• Managing cultural change and transition
• Developing leadership at every level
• Learning and leadership: selfawareness and self-development

MODULE 8 – MASTERING PHARMA MARKETING: INTRODUCTION

• How marketing works
• Pharmaceutical market research
  • Data sources
  • Competitor analysis

MODULE 9 – MASTERING PHARMA MARKETING: MARKETING STRATEGIES

• Global marketing
• Marketing strategies
• The marketing plan
• Brand management
• Pricing
• Distribution

MODULE 10 – MASTERING PHARMA MARKETING: PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES

• The role of the salesforce
• The role of advertising
• Other media
• Duration of promotion
• Codes of practice

MODULE 11 – DEMYSTIFYING FINANCE: ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE

• Understand basic accounts
  • Profit and loss
  • Balance sheet
  • Assets and liabilities

• How to analyse performance
  • Balance sheet measures
  • Finance ratios

• Working capital management
• Detailed case study
• Accounting principles
  • Fixed assets and depreciation
  • Long term liabilities
  • Owner's equity
  • Notes to the accounts

MODULE 12 – DEMYSTIFYING FINANCE: BUDGETING AND DECISION-MAKING

• The budget
• Setting a budget
• Reviewing a budget
  • Zero-based budgeting
  • Monitoring your budget
• Management accounting
• External analysis: the press
  • Understanding the Stock Market
  • PE's, yields and market cap

• Analysing costs
  • Break-even
  • Building up costs
  • Decision-making and golden

• Making sense of the future
  • Techniques for decision-making
  • Rate of return and payback period
  • Time value of money
  • Discounted cash flow

MODULE 13 – DEMYSTIFYING FINANCE: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN THE PHARMA INDUSTRY

• What drives business – pharma is just a money making machine – or is it?
• What is a P&L account or an income statement?
• What is a balance sheet?
• The importance of cash flow
• Accruals, depreciation, deferred income and stock valuation explained
• What does the future hold? – the importance of budgeting
• Financial strategy
  • Costing – price volume and margin issues
  • R & D expenditure
  • Project appraisal – use models to make better decisions

• Understanding finance is vital

MODULE 14 – SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATION TECHNIQUES AND TACTICS

• Legal foundation for negotiation
• Freedom to negotiate
• Agreements of the parties
• Duty to disclose information
• Representations, promises and puffery
• Duress and undue influence
• Exclusion clauses
• Unfair contracts
• Best practice negotiation rules and principles
• Managing the relationship
• Effective expectation engineering
• Supporting documents and evidence
• Platform building
• Taking defensive measures
• Identifying time bombs
• Developing corporate, general and personal relationships
• Negotiation tips and tactics