GlaxoSmithKline and AIDS Drugs in South Africa

eGlaxoSmithKline

As per our previous discussion, there is little doubt anymore but that our HIV / AIDS drugs are well positioned to go to the next level of modern emergent medicine. Whatever treatment modalities that will arise in the future will be ICT-based (Information Communication Technology) and will be executed in practice utilizing mHealth (mobile) practices that are part of a network of eCare (electronic), eServices, eSurvellience and eLearning structures (Sorenson et al., 2008). The past prediction appears accurate that by this year (2012), half of all people in remote but developing areas of the world will have access to mobile technology (Singh, nd). It is therefore incumbent upon GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to establish itself as a leader in facilitating how these efforts can complement our pharmaceuticals interventions, particularly since it is now well accepted that antiretroviral interventions are the only known approach for slowing the disease progression in infected individuals. GSK's motto is Do More, Feel Better, Live Longer for a reason, and the next step for us has solid business and community grounding in the ICT medical care sector (GSK, 2012).

RECOMMENDATIONS & ANALYSIS

Because GlaxoSmithKline is not a technological company, the recommendations provided below are to allow us to undertake an assessment of the global impact potential of what our corporate structure may be able to do to facilitate the development of a plan for mAction (a mobile-based action plan). It is expected that the end result will incorporate a broad array of medical, distribution, and treatment components, including at a minimum an internal exploration of the potential for the use of gene therapy and nanotechnologies that are now part of our biological studies strategies (Singh, nd). These advances will eventually play a role in mCare and our recommendations are designed to ensure the company is well placed for that future.

The following recommendations form the basis of a corporate reorganization to prepare for these eventualities. They will be undertaken using a team approach involving the entire GSK corporation as part of an eGSK transformation:

eRecommend 1: Conduct a corporate-wide assessment of the organizational potential of GSK for integrating eAction elements to the greatest predictive benefit possible (assuming we have to make some assumptions that will need to be predicted);

eRecommend 2: Use that analysis to develop a structural diagram of the key organizational elements that the company's structure offers as potential leadership domains for eAction;

eRecommend 3: Outline specifically what it would take to identify an inspirational leader for the evolution of a community-accepted structure;

eRecommend 4:Begin determining who the appropriate South African (priority one) and global partnerships organizations should be, given that a fair degree of ICT advancement in eMedicine and eCare has already begun; and, eRecommend 5: Estimate the projected cost and funding streams sufficient to develop and sustain the mGSK initiative.

ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS

E1: The first step in this process will revolve around doing further preparation on what constitutes an effective organization that is purposefully developed to take advantage of proven organizational theories (Laguerre, 2010). GSK is already well grounded in this regard, but moving to an eGSK requires contemplating how existing resources can be focused complimentarily on multiple objectives. Our goal should be to not interfere with existing operations or personnel, but instead to tag the new e-model on to what already works well. ICT has the ability to profoundly scale the impact value of what already exists, and it is clear that this project can be an exceptional example of multiple a bottom line ROI (GIIN, 2012). We should be able to extract from each department enough of what is needed for this eLearning experience to ensure that in the future it cannot be easily separated from the other profit-making priorities of the company. An appropriate eTeam (okay, enough of the e's!) will be created to mirror each of the critical departments; and space will be preserved for including either internal or external stakeholders who may be shown to otherwise be excluded because of our business configuration. The team will include lower- and upper management representatives, scientific professionals, operational experts, and creative representatives of stakeholder departments. HR and IT representatives will either be included and/or specialized technical expertise in these and other hands-on components will be made available to the team.