An "à la Ansoff weak signal" feedforward control for pharmaceutical distribution: A pilot study on standard operating procedure for managing customer complaints

Abstract

Feedforward controls (i.e., preventative controls), as opposed to classical feedback controls (i.e., corrective controls), are based on the early detection of risks and the implementation of solutions before damage occurs. However, despite their inherent advantages (e.g., increasing the flexibility of supply chains), feedforward controls remain underdeveloped in the pharmaceutical distribution sector, largely due to the tediousness of identifying applicable anticipatory indicators. To properly anticipate the achievement of business objectives, in our in-depth case study of a Swiss wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical products we relied on the notion of weak signals as conceptualized by Ansoff to develop a conceptual framework of feedforward. We identified a weak signal that showed more occurrences of error when less versatile employees were involved in executing tasks. The standard operating procedure for customer complaint management was recently adapted to include a feedforward control based on the weak signal. Keywords-error occurrence; feedforward control; pharmaceutical distribution; supply chain management; weak signal I. CONTEXT Supply chain management is the backbone of pharmaceutical distribution. Medicines are dispatched to drugstores, pharmacies, hospitals, doctors, and social healthcare establishments. In pharmaceutical supply chains, medicines and drugs distributed contain expensive active substances that have been carefully traced from origination to destination. However, perhaps for that reason, such supply chains are also exceptionally liable to encounter threats such as counterfeiting, diversion, cargo theft, and the importation of unapproved medicines [1]. For that reason, the European Union and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) have imposed stringent regulations upon pharmaceutical

Identification of Qualitative Weak Signals Coming from Asset Management Working Practices to Feed Forward-Looking Investment Pension Funds Models

“…The objective herein is to describe and explain the social context of the respondents as they describe it. This is an appropriate strategy for the management field if one is seeking information about a particular context, to better understand and interpret it from the perspective of those involved [10]. An inductive approach was therefore deemed most appropriate for this research.…”