License to save? Corporate Social Responsibility activities of pharmaceutical companies in developing countries

Abstract

The intention of this thesis is to investigate why and how pharmaceutical companies perform Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in developing countries. The use of CSR is getting more common in companies, including pharmaceutical ones. It is necessary to engage in CSR activities since it has become a natural part of many businesses where the public expect the companies to act socially responsible. Based on case studies of AstraZeneca and Pfizer, the pharmaceutical industry and its role in how to perform CSR is discussed. The analysis is based on a PESTLE-analysis, an abbreviation for Political, Economic, Socio-cultural, Technological, Legal and Environmental, describing the environment in developing countries and how that affects AstraZeneca and Pfizer. This is complemented with four responsibilities of CSR; economic, philanthropic, legal and ethical. The conclusions indicate that large resources are dedicated to CSR activities in the pharmaceutical industry. Most of the projects concern health issues in Africa where AstraZeneca and Pfizer cooperate with local organizations. However, it might be wise to enhance the cooperation with local governments in the future.