Merck- Ethical Background

The company that I chose to research is Merck & Co., Inc. Merck is the leading research -driven pharmaceutical products and services company. Merck

discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of innovative products to improve human and animal health, directly and through its joint

ventures. Merck is a publicly traded organization that has expanded globally.

The mission of Merck is to provide society with superior products and services by developing innovations and solutions that improve the quality of life and satisfy customer needs, and to provide employees with meaningful work and advancement opportunities, and investors with a superior rate of return. The Values of Merck are five fold: 1. Our business is preserving and improving human life. All of our actions must be measured by our success in achieving this goal. We value, above all, our ability to serve everyone who can benefit from

the appropriate use of our products and services, thereby providing lasting consumer satisfaction. 2. We are committed to the highest standards of

ethics and integrity. We are responsible to our customers, to Merck employees and their families, to the environments we inhabit, and to the societies we serve worldwide. In discharging our responsibilities, we do not take professional or

ethical shortcuts. Our interactions with all segments of society must reflect the high standards we profess. 3. We are dedicated to the highest level of scientific excellence and commit our research to improving human and animal health and the quality of life. We strive to identify the most critical

needs of consumers and customers, and we devote our resources to meeting those needs. 4. We expect profits, but only from work that satisfies

customer needs and benefits humanity. Our ability to meet our responsibilities depends on maintaining a financial position that invites investment in leading-edge research and that makes possible effective delivery of research results.

5. We recognize that the ability to excel -- to most competitively meet society's and customers' needs -- depends on the integrity, knowledge,

imagination, skill, diversity and teamwork of our employees, and we value these qualities most highly. To this end, we strive to create an environment of

mutual respect, encouragement and teamwork -- an environment that rewards commitment and performance and is responsive to the needs of our employees

and their families.

Merck recognizes the importance of open dialogue and two-way communications with both internal and external groups and constituencies that

have a stake in how they conduct their business. These stakeholders have an

interest in their policies, programs and performance on a variety of issues,

including financial, social and environmental. The companies stakeholders are

as follows: patients, customers, employees, community/environment,

shareholders, suppliers/distributors, peers and the Board of Directors.

(SEE INDEX FOR LIST AND DESCRIPTIONS) Patients: Helping to

improve the health and well-being of people everywhere by discovering,

developing and bringing to market breakthrough medicines is at the core of what

they do. They support global initiatives designed to better educate patients

about their health and treatment options through collaborations with patient

advocacy groups. Their efforts also center on securing greater access to

medicines for patients across a number of fronts: from advocacy for

comprehensive Medicare reform to the establishment of innovative partnerships,

such as the African Comprehensive AIDS/HIV partnership now underway in

Botswana. They are also an active member and participant in initiatives

sponsored by the World Economic Forum and the United Nations. Employees:

Fostering a work environment that brings out the best in their employees is a top

priority at Merck. They design and implement strategies to enhance the abilities

of their managers and employees to respond successfully to the changing

business environment and enable Merck to become a top-tier growth company

over the long term. They actively seek feedback and dialogue by surveying their

employees to determine their opinions on how well they are achieving their

mission to maintain a satisfying and productive work environment, and to treat

people fairly and with respect. Customers: They feel it is critical to identify

customer needs and rapidly respond to them by delivering innovative and lasting

solutions as well as constantly improving their products. Shareholders: They

maintain ongoing communications with their shareholders through a variety of

initiatives aimed at providing relevant information that is often customized to

each group's interests and needs, such as their annual report, annual

shareholders' meeting, and regular meetings with market analysts to report on

their financial performance. Community/Environment: Building trusting

relationships with their neighbors in the communities in which they operate their

facilities and where they live and work is an integral part of their commitment to

being