Navigating the Unchartered Path to Shared Value at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in the Philippines

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a multinational pharmaceutical company, has, for many years, produced a medicine for acute management of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It is predominantly marketed in a multi-dose inhaler canister that is generally unaffordable for the majority of people living in poorer countries. GSK has recently relaunched a single unit dose presentation of this medicine for acute management of asthma and in salbutamol capsule in an inhaler device as an affordable solution. In developing this product, the company has sought to generate social outcomes (in terms of improved healthcare outcomes for poor people, whilst making a profit on the sales of the product. Based in the Philippines and with salbutamol capsule in an inhaler device as the foci, this case provides a detailed account of the executive motivations and tactical challenges of pursuing a shared value strategy in the Philippines. The case provides students with an understanding of the macro context of operating in emerging markets and offers managerial insight and the strategic rationale of Creating Shared Value (CSV).