NAME:

STUDENT ID:
MODULE CODE:
MODULE TITLE:
WORD COUNT: 1094
TOPIC: REFLECTIVE ESSAY ON THE INFOGRAPHIC TASK
ON PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED
KINGDOM

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Title Page _________________________________________________________ 1
Table of Contents ___________________________________________________ 2
1.1 Introduction _________________________________________________ 3
2.1 Reflection on the infographic task using the Gibbs Reflection Circle_______ 3

2.1.1 Description _____________________________________________ 3

2.1.2 Feelings ______________________________________________ 5
2.1.3 Evaluation _____________________________________________ 5
2.1.4 Analysis _______________________________________________ 5
2.1.5 Conclusion ____________________________________________ 6
2.1.6 Action Plan ____________________________________________ 6
3.1 Conclusion ____________________________________________________ 6
References _______________________________________________________ 7

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1.1 INTRODUCTION

No doubt, the pharmaceutical industry in the United Kingdom has a rich history. It dates back to
the 19th century (Mikuli, 2023, p. 1). This is also the third largest industry in the UK,
contributing 10% of the country's GDP. The pharmaceutical industry was chosen for this
infographic because the industry is one of the key sectors in the United Kingdom and it
essentially contributes to the growth of the UK economy. The need to investigate the likely risks
that are capable of hampering the industry’s successes and operations necessitated why the
industry was chosen for this study. Using the Gibbs Reflective Circle, this report provides a
reflective statement about the infograph task my group and I carried out on the pharmaceutical
industry in the UK. Infographics are useful learning materials created by learners (Alabdulqader,
2013, p. 355). As it must be noted, the Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle comprises of six stages of
reflection which I will be using to reflect upon the infograph task. These stages include
description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and actions plan (Gibbs, 1988, p. 235).

2.1 REFLECTION ON THE INFOGRAPHIC TASK USING THE GIBBS REFLECTION

CIRCLE

2.1.1 Description
Reflecting back to the early days of the infographic group task, the task was one of the most
challenging practices at school. After being introduced to each and every member of the team,
the group came together to discuss about the model to be adopted in analysing risks during the
task. The SWOT analysis was chosen because the model has the capacity to discern the internal
and external risks that may affect the value chain management of the pharmaceutical industry
(Kurmanov, Zhumanova and Kirichok, 2013, p. 1495). As contended by Takacs and Vaduva
(2017, p. 105), SWOT analysis model allows researchers to evaluate numerous risks by
identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats available for the pharmaceutical
industry to manage it risk effectively. Our major activities during the infographic task were to
identify risks and suggest risk mitigation strategies for the industry. At the end of the exercise,
we were able to discover the following results.

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 Table 1: SWOT Analysis
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
 High return on  Dated  New market  Cyber attack
investment medical trends  Change in
 Low operational equipment  Digitalisation government
overhead and  Emerging policies &
 Robust quality technology diseases regulations
assessment  Reliance on  Emerging  Decrease in the
&quality control a single technologies global population
supplier  Declining
economy

Table 2: Identified Risks

S/N Identified Risks Mitigation strategies (as recommended)

1. Disruptions to global supply Policy change to mitigate the export situation of vaccines
chains of vaccines. during the covid-19 pandemic.
2. Lack of specification Collaboration with a potential supplier to develop the
required specification
3. Non-accommodation for new Review of item specification to accommodate new
suppliers due to lack of item suppliers.
specification.
4. Availability of counterfeit Adopting track-and-trace technologies to improve
drugs inventory management and reduce counterfeit drugs
5. Cyber-attack and insecurity Dealing with third-parties with strong data security and
privacy polies to avoid cyber risk.

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2.1.2 Feelings
The infograph task enabled us to carry out a SWOT analysis on the pharmaceutical industry. The
feeling of chosen the pharmaceutical industry was good and exciting. My team and I were very
eager to embark on the task as we had a feeling that the task will contribute to the growth and
development of the sector. We had this feeling that there are countless opportunities waiting for
us during and after the infograhic research. This is because the pharmaceutical industry will
allow us to make a meaningful impact on healthcare and society at large (Ham, 2007, p. 1).

2.1.3 Evaluation
After reaching consensus on the pharmaceutical industry, it was demanded that we go ahead with
gathering of data and designing of the infograph. My own personal duty was to help the group to
select befitting layout and colour scheme. This opportunity made me to understand the role of
typographer within the infrographic team. My role was to prescribe and incorporate visual
elements such as graphs, tables and smartarts. Such visual elements are essential features of
infographic design (Gebre and Polman, 2016, p. 2667). The major challenge we encountered was
lack of appropriate tool for data gathering and analysis. We later made use of histograms and
smartarts to present the data as shown on the pamphlet. This gave the infograph a befitting visual
element, contributing to the richness of the infographic design.

2.1.4 Analysis
The major problem we encountered during the task is inability of the group members to quickly
agree on selected products for the exercise. This needed to be resolved as posited by Cooper
(2011, p. 88). At the long run, we agreed on carrying out the SWOT analysis on three products
which revolves around generic or brand name, small molecule or biologics and specialty
medicines. It took us time to agree upon these products. If I had agreed upon the selected
products earlier before we did, there would not be any delay in the task. However, the analysis in
the infograph revolves around the number of enterprises for the Manufacturing of pharmaceutical
products and preparations in the UK.

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2.1.5 Conclusion
From this experience, it is glaring that SWOT analysis is suitable for gathering data on risks and
risk management in the global value chain (Kurmanov, Zhumanova and Kirichok, 2013, p.
1462). The group decision on the selection of SWOT enabled us to understand the potential risks
in the global supplier chain for a pharmaceutical industry. It is realised that the SWOT analysis
serves as a better tool for evaluation of internal and external risks.

2.1.6 Action Plan

In the future, I will always apply the SWOT analysis model to discern the potential threats and
risks for future projects. I must say that I still need to learn more about the application of the
SWOT analysis model in the investigation risk and risk management strategies in project
management. I will do this by reading books on how to conduct SWOT analysis. Also, I need to
learn about infograph and how to design pamphlets to communicate necessary messages through
data visualization.

3.1 CONCLUSION

The infograhic group task on pharmaceutical industry in the United Kingdom afforded us the
opportunity to investigate the potential risks that are likely to hinder the operations of the
pharmaceutical industry in the United Kingdom using the SWOT analysis model. Given to the
risks identified above, there is need for collaboration with a potential supplier to develop the
required specification. Also, it is suggested that a review of item specification to accommodate
new suppliers should be done.

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 REFERENCES

Alabdulqader,E. (2013). Visualizing computer ethics using infographics, Proceedings of the

18th ACM Conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education (ITiCSE),
pp. 355-355.

Building supply chain sustainability that can drive revenues and ... - EY. Available at:
https://assets.ey.com/content/dam/ey-sites/ey-com/en_gl/topics/supply-chain/ey-supply-chain-
sustainability-report-2022-007702-22gbl.pdf?download (Accessed: 31 October 2023).

Classifying pharmaceutical products and Placebos for import and export GOV.UK. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/classifying-pharmaceutical-products (Accessed: 30 October 2023)

Cooper, P.T. (2011). Managing situations at work. London: Rufus Publications.

Gebre E. H., & Polman, J. L. (2016). Developing young adults' representational competence
through infographic-based science news reporting, International Journal of Science Education,
vol. 38, pp. 2667-2687.

Gibbs G (1988) Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further
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Ham C (2007) Clinically integrated systems: the next step in English health reform? Briefing
paper. London Nuffield Trust. 1 (2) 1- 4

Kurmanov N.A., Zhumanova B.K., & Kirichok O.V. (2013) Business-Education in Kazakhstan:
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1501.

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Mikulic, M. (2023a) Pharmaceutical Goods Wholesale Revenue in the UK 2008-2021, Statista.
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Mikulic, M. (2023b) Pharmaceutical manufacturing: Number of enterprises UK 2021, Statista.

Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/328054/pharmaceutical-manufacturing-number-
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