"When Ian Read, an accountant and company lifer, took over as Pfizer's chief executive in December 2010, the drug firm was facing the impending patent expiration of Lipitor, the best-selling drug ever made, and the utter failure of one of the most lavishly funded research laboratories on the planet to develop much of anything. The stock was suffering, and Read's predecessor-Jeffrey Kindler, a bearlike lawyer hired from McDonald's-had just spent $68 billion to buy rival drug maker Wyeth in a Hail Mary strategy shift. Now Read had to make it work. "Class Title

Case Analysis should include:

Determine if PFIZERS business formula corresponds with one of the two theories of creating above-average returns. Explain your response, and outline the steps for the model that best reflectsPfizer's situation.

• Define Pfizer's tangible and intangible resources, and discuss their valueto the organization. Identifythe capabilities and core competencies that support the company's competitive advantages.
• Evaluate the firm's decision-making capabilities. How does Pfizer locate attractive pharmaceutical opportunities and select its strategic approach when pursuing promising market opportunities?
• Consider Pfizer's competitive strategy. Assess the fitness of the firm's organizational structureand controls to help the company achieve its strategic objectives. Can you identify any problem areasthat may develop as the company faces oncoming competitive forces or previous poor decision making?
• Make proposed recommendations for achieving,sustaining and advancing its competitive advantage and ability to add value into the future.