Les Laboratories ("Les") is a listed pharmaceutical company in France. Les manufactures and sells a range of medicine and drugs worldwide. Jean Lavigne established the company, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, with the vision to manufacture quality pharmaceutical products that are economically viable for customers while providing value to investors, all within a supportive and rewarding work environment for employees. The products are made and sold by two main categories: . Patented drugs: these are products developed by Les' research and development department and are protected by patents for a period of time. . Generic drugs: these are products that are not protected by patents and made and sold by competing pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Companies in the industry are facing keen competition. For the generic drugs market, the fastest- growing companies are those that can offer the best prices. Les is also under tremendous pressure from medical and health authorities to keep their patented drugs price down reasonably for the general public. Although patented products are protected and enjoy a higher profit margin, only 15% of products under development can get through all clinical trials, obtain official approval, and eventually reach the market. Companies face difficulties in obtaining official approval and registration for new patented products. There is strict regulation over the development and sales of drugs. The average length of time taken to develop a new product, clinical trials, and finally obtain regulatory approval are long. There is also a concern about new regulations affecting the length of time it takes to develop a new drug and get regulatory clearance for launch in the market. Another problem that Les faced is the demand appears to be higher than Les can produce at the moment. The company was nowhere operating near full capacity due to shortage and unstable direct material supplies. The company's financial performance during 2020 was disappointing.Emma, the chief operation officer, has many concerns about financial performance, dividends, and pricing. REQUIRED (a) During the board meeting, Emma suggests that the board should monitor the short-term profits and shareholders' return. Jean, however, holds a different view that the emphasis should be placed on other non-financial performance indicators (NFPIs) rather than hinged on those financial performances. Do you agree with Jean's view on non-financial performance indicators? Explain and illustrate with examples. (9 marks) (b) Explain the importance of non-financial performance measures. (6 marks) (c) Identify TWO critical areas of non-financial performance measures that you think the board should monitor. (6 marks) (d) At the same time Emma put forward a new pricing proposal, prices should be set at a level similar to the price charged by competitors. Target costs should then be set for all generic products that provide a profit margin of 15% and 40% for the patented drugs. Jean agreed that the pricing of products should be reviewed, while the board should consider introducing a new pricing/costing policy. Jean believes that Les will be able to lower the price to some extent without affecting the gross margin. Advise Jean and the board whether Les should adopt Emma's suggested pricing strategy. (6 marks) (e) A new patented drug is being evaluated. After conducting market research the new patented drug should sell 50,000 units at $231 per unit. As Emma suggested it, Les wants to earn a margin of 40% product cost. It is estimated that the lifetime costs of the product will be as follows:. Research and development costs $800,000 . Manufacturing costs $150/unit . End of life costs $50,000 Emma estimates that if it were to spend an additional $280,000 on research and development, manufacturing costs per unit could be reduced. (i) Compute the target cost of the patented product. (2 marks) (ii) If the additional amount were spent on research and development, what is the maximum manufacturing cost per unit that could be tolerated if the company is to earn the required mark-up? Advise. (4 marks)