Case Study Challenge expands to foster greater skill-development and business acumen in the life sciences

Pharmaceutical Companies Embrace Popular Web-based Skill Development Competition That Goes Bilingual and Expands to include Life Science Managers and Sales Representatives

April 2, 2003 Montreal, Quebec...The second annual Pharmahorizons Case Study Challenge professional development program the for life sciences was launched today with the announcement by company president, Stephen Gregory, that the 2003 Challenge will feature a new learning stream for sales representatives and Challenge cases in both English and French.

The response we had to last years Challenge was exceptionally positive. Participants found the cases instructive, stimulating and highly relevant. The web-based skill development program got great reviews for accessibility, convenience and value," said Stephen Gregory, President of Pharmahorizons. To build on this success, the 2003 Challenge is bilingual and offers two steams: one for life science managers; the other for life science sales representatives."

Last year, 11 major pharmaceutical companies and one national research organization took part in the Challenge. The program is designed to build business skills, teamwork and leadership. It is constructed around a series of case studies written and juried by industry experts. Teams and individuals compete against one another while learning to solve real-life workplace, human resources, marketing, commercialization, regulatory affairs, sales and sales management problems.

Todays successful companies are driven by skilled managers and professionals who demonstrate leadership, teamwork, innovation and continuous learning," said Daniel Livernoche, National Sales Director for Aventis Pharma. We are proud that our Aventis Pharma team was among the top teams in last years event. Our involvement in opportunities such as the Case Study Challenge reflects, I believe, the commitment of our employees to excellence and innovation."

The Pharmahorizons Management Case Study Challenge takes place during a 16-week period from July 14 to November 3, 2003. During this period, 16 cases will be published; eight in each to the two streams. Every two weeks, participants are e-mailed a case to solve. They have 14 days to develop a solution. Competitors will be accepted until September 19, 2003. Competing individuals and teams must complete and submit any three cases of the overall eight cases for a chance to win the Challenge. Answers for each of the cases submitted are reviewed and scored by judges who post the best case" response on the Pharmahorizons web site. Individuals and teams with the highest scores win Challenge trophies, industry recognition and prizes. The winner of the Management Challenge will be announced on November 28, 2003.

Managers in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and diagnostic companies as well as public sector life science managers may take part in the Challenge as individual participants or in teams of three or four. Details of the competition are available at http://www.pharmahorizons.com/ph/web.pdf. The Management Challenge entry cost per individual is $500. The team entry fee is $1000. Postgraduate students, in a life science stream, may take part at a cost of $500 per team.

Pharmahorizons.com is one of Canadas major life science sites. It focuses on career advancement and workforce development in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and healthcare sectors. Pharmahorizons features jobs, training, and recruitment and e-learning technology.
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For more information on the Case Study Challenge, please contact:
Mark Gregory
Vice President, Pharmahorizons.com
1-866-472-4948 (in Canada)    
(905) 844-8318 (outside Canada)
E-mail: mark@pharmahorizons.com