Regulatory Excellence For Better Health - Therapeutic Goods Administration Essay.

TGA's Vision and Mission

Question:

Discuss about the Vision Mission And Strategic Goals Of Therapeutic Goods Administration.

The vision of Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is to provide better health and wellbeing to all the people in Australia with the help of regulatory excellence. This vision is directly linked to the vision of the Department of Health (Tga.gov.au, 2018). The mission statement is to provide protection to the health and safety of the community of Australia by the regulation of therapeutic goods. The focus of the company is of three main factors that include purpose, principles and priorities (Tga.gov.au, 2018). The strategic goal is to regulate with the norms of the Therapeutic Goods Act of 1989.

TSA has to manage the products that are required for the protection of the health of the community. The products of the company usually include the health care services that are required for curing the community. According to Brown (2018), the suppliers of TGA usually consist of the medical houses and medicine-manufacturing units. Some of the top suppliers in the country take care of supplying TGA with the best quality medicine. TGA has its branches all over Australia and because of this, the geographic dispersion of the company lies in the different states of the country. The supply market of the company comprises of the medicinal factories that exist in the country. As stated by Chopra (2014) the sourcing services can help in enhancing the quality of services. Services rendered outside the regular demography can help in analysing the quality of service. This, in turn, can help in improving the existing service of the company. The suppliers of the company are selected based on the availability of the suppliers and the amount of time required for delivering the materials. As such, the development practise program of TGA includes forming a supplier analysis by raining an interactive program with the main suppliers of the company. Analysis has shown that TGA has the worst supply chain management strategies. This proves a major challenge for the company to outsource its supply in the outside world (Diaconu, 2014). Thus, this requires proper analysis by the managers of the company.

The sales market of the company is the medical centres that are located in the Canberra region. Despite its poor supply chain management, TGA manages to get the best deals in terms of medicines from the region of Canberra. The therapeutic goods are available in a few regions of the country and capitalisation of the sources is the main aim of the company. The customers are not differentiated as TGA targets customers suffering from any type of disease. Therefore, the geographic dispersion of the customers of TGA includes customers from all over the country (Estenson, 2016). This provides the company with an opportunity to grow in the market of Australia. The demand forecasting technique that is used by TGA is the survey method. The survey can help TGA to understand the thoughts and ideas of the customers. This is required for improvement and different sales market are analysed by the application of this technique. The inventory management technique used by the company is the Just In Time technique. According to Grimm (2013), this technique provides the company with the required materials a few days before its dispersion. This is a risky technique and is one of the reasons behind the poor supply chain management of the company. Thus, some of the inventory management challenge faced by the company includes keeping less cash tied up for the purchase of materials. More loans can hamper the chances of purchasing valuable goods in the future.

TGA's Supply Chain Management System

Hugos (2013) claimed that the lack of clarity of the goals of the company to the stakeholders might hinder the progress of a company. In the case of TGA, the goals need to be clearly stated to the stakeholders that include the suppliers. The supply chain of TGA is the worst in the business sector and hence, improvement is required in this part to ensure that it is continued in an effective manner. The Bullwhip effect can be used as a distribution channel for the company that can forecast the supply chain inefficiencies. This can also help the company to understand the price fluctuations in the economy and take remedial actions. TGA can remedy the causes of the Bullwhip effect by reducing uncertainty and variability. As such, the use of modern information technology tools can help TGA to continue its communication with the suppliers. According to Myerson (2015), the use of online conference method and cloud computing are some of the best methods that can be used for maintaining a proper supply chain management. The impact of the application of these tools for TGA include can help in improving the supply chain management. It has been seen that communication plays a major barrier to TGA and lack of communication is the reason for the improper supply chain management. The collaboration of TGA with its suppliers and customers include areas in which solid foundation can be formed. Proper infrastructure is required to ensure that the collaboration is done in a proper manner for enhancing opportunities.

The supply chain of TGA is showed as poor and is unable to meet the demands of the market in an effective manner. Pagell and Wu (2017) stated that the poor supply chain of the company has led to incurring unnecessary costs of outsourcing. The target of the customers is not met due to the poor outsourcing is done by the company. TGA also need to maintain good communication with the suppliers and within the various departments of the organisation. The inventory management of the company has also been poor due to the lack of proper supply chain management. At the same time, collaboration with other pharmaceutical company is avoided by TGA while purchasing injections. Hence, after analysing the supply chain management of TGA using the 9-step framework model it can be said that the level of integration of the company is the third stage. The third stage comprises of validating the baseline model. It consists of two phrases that provide an understanding of the different aspects of improvement in the supply chain of an organisation. In this regard, the Triple-A supply chain management model can be applied. According to Wang and Disney (2016), TGA is agile in the market as the company seeks opportunities for engaging in collaboration with the suppliers. The adaptability of the company is also important as the changes in the Australian economy can fluctuate and it is necessary that alignment with these changes be done so that TGA can improve its supply chain system.

TGA's Sales Market and Inventory Management Techniques

The procurement and sustainability practises of TGA include a systematic analysis of the manner in which the sustainability can be developed. The competition among the employees in the market is high and therefore, TGA needs to select the best people that can help in the improving the supply chain strategies. According to Christopher (2016), the supply chain management of the company is outdated and the sustainability of the company collaborating with various organisations that promote sustainability. The promotion of the sustainability can help TGA to ensure mitigating the threats posed by the new entrants. As such, a link between the supply chain sustainability approach and total business value can be maintained that can help TGA achieve its desired sustainability in the market.

By applying the Trigger’s model of sustainability, the implementation of the sustainability practices in TGA can be analysed. According to Seuring and Müller (2008), the model is used to analyse based on the motivation and ability of the organisations. In the case of TGA, the company is seen to be placed in the high motivator, low ability category as the sustainability issues of the company is high, and it provides a huge disadvantage for the improvement of the company. Thus, the sustainability factors of TGA need to be improved to gain effectiveness in the market.

The analysis of the issues sustained by TGA shed light on the fact that the supply chain management of the company is worse and this is the main reason for the failure of engaging with the stakeholders (Stadtler, 2015). The demand of the customers is not met and to meet it TGA can use the Dynamic Alignment model. The dynamic alignment model can help TGA approach the situations in a structured manner. The inventory and stockpiling of the company are also out of control due to the poor supply chain system. Therefore, the EpiPen had to suffer due to the loss of control over the inventory management (Monczka et al., 2015). The architect of the model is to establish clear goals and structures that are necessary for driving performance. Another important aspect of the procurement is that TGA serves as a monopoly company. Despite its collaboration with the suppliers, the company does not get involved with other pharmaceutical companies while selling injections. The inability to identify the shortage problem is another big concern for the company. The effectiveness of producing and selling the items in an effective manner is necessary for the functioning of TGA. Thus, as stated by Hugos (2018) it is necessary that the supply chain of the company be well maintained to optimise the good, services and capital involved in the organisation.

TGA need to ensure that the inventory is controlled so that the goods can be used in the future and stocks can be used to avoid a shortage of the items. At the same time, the communication of the company needs to improve so that misunderstanding does not take place. According to Mangan, Lalwani and Lalwani (2016), the communication between the top managers and juniors is required for conducting effective workplace. In the case of TGA, the company the lack of clarity of goals of the organisation has been a major problem for the company. This can disable the participation of the employees in the matters of the company. One of the important considerations that are required to be taken by TGA is the fact that the patients of the company must not know about the mission and vision. With the issues in the supply chain management, the stockpiling of TGA cannot be procured with the efficiency of the system. Brindley (2017) observed that the creation of stockpiling and an undefined relationship between the employee and the management can lead to shortage problems. Thereby the suffering caused by the EpiPen injections of the patients is a prime example of the importance of stockpiling. It is necessary to unlock the potential of the workers and sustain the enthusiasm of the employees. This can be done by elevating the leadership and management practises so that the value and model of the partnership can be driven by culture. At the same time, the sustainability can be a major issue for the company, as it needs to ensure that a proper environment is maintained that can help in gaining the support of the communities. TGA uses outdated supply chain strategies for procuring and categorising the products. Every product is handled differently so that the company does not have to suffer from lack of proper identification of products.

Improvement in TGA's Supply Chain Management

The improvement programs that can be implemented for ensuring the strategic development of TGA include enhancing the coordination between the company and the suppliers. The challenge is bigger as the pharmaceutical companies do not cooperate well and work in a united effort. As such, the mitigation techniques that can be used include creating a benchmark so that TGA can understand from other companies about the supply of drugs. The supply needs to be such that it meets the requirement of the customers and ensure that the medicines are delivered on time according to the needs. Wisner, Tan and Leong (2014) claimed that maintaining a compliance with the regulations of the laws of the country could be an effective way to enhance the supply chain. The regulation effects of the medicine can be enhanced by understanding the manner in which top companies supply the medicines. Collaboration with other pharmaceutical companies can help TGA to continue to work in an environment that can serve the community better. However, as stated by Brandenburg et al. (2014), TGA need to ensure that the temperature of the medicines and within the premises is maintained so that it helps the patients. Technology can be improved so that it can help in enhancing the manner in which assistance is provided to the patients. At the same time, the company need to keep in mind that the vision, mission and strategic goals so that the changes implemented does not have any negative effect on it.

As established earlier, the mission of TGA is to protect the community of the region it serves. The vision of the company is aligned with the Department of Health and it includes providing a better lifestyle for the people of Australia (Tga.gov.au, 2018). Thus, the strategic goals of the company include regulating with the legislation that is involved in the Therapeutic Goods Act, 1989. Hence, the application of the new programs can help TGA to improve its vision, mission and strategic goals. Interaction with the suppliers can help in understanding the community. This is because the suppliers interact with the local people and have full knowledge about the manner in which the people can respond to the changes in the environment. The vision and mission statement of the TGA aim at improving the lives of the people and as per the rules of the Department of Health, the company can align its strategic goals for the improvement of the community. The improvement in the supply chain management of TGA can help in better managing of inventory and resources. The application of the benchmark process can help the company to understand the manner in which supplies can be made (Tga.gov.au, 2018). These two factors can assist TGA in ensuring that the mission and vision are achieved along with the strategic goals. Thus, the new program is effective for creating a complete change in the aim of the TGA.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that supply chain management is important for every organisation. In a health, care centre such as TGA, the application of a proper supply chain management can help the company gain more customers. The factors that lack in the company about the supply chain management include the lack of communication and guidance. Thus, with the effective implementation of these two factors, TGA can ensure that the mission and vision are achieved by proper strategic goals. Hence, the improvement of the company is necessary for continuous service to the Australian community.

References

Brandenburg, M., Govindan, K., Sarkis, J., & Seuring, S. (2014). Quantitative models for sustainable supply chain management: Developments and directions. European Journal of Operational Research, 233(2), 299-312.

Brindley, C. (Ed.). (2017). Supply chain risk. Taylor & Francis.

Brown, A. (2018). THE AGE. Retrieved March 5th, 2018, from Theage.com Australia: https://www.theage.com.au/national/act/epipen-shortage-hits-canberra-allergy-patients-20180309-h0x996.html

Chopra, S. (2014). Supply Chain Management (Strategy, Planning, and Operation). New Delhi: Pearson.

Christopher, M. (2016). Logistics & supply chain management. Pearson UK.

Diaconu, D.-M. (2014). Strengths And Weaknesses Of Current Supply Chain Management. Management Challenges For Sustainable Development, 15.

Estenson, J. G. (2016). Anaphylaxis . Melbourne: RFG publishers.

Grimm, C. (2013). Supply Chain Management Research. Emerald Insight, 20.

Hugos, M. H. (2013). Essentials of Supply Chain Management. Barriely Publishers.

Hugos, M. H. (2018). Essentials of supply chain management. John Wiley & Sons.

Jacobs, F. R., Chase, R. B., & Lummus, R. R. (2014). Operations and supply chain management (pp. 533-535). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Mangan, J., Lalwani, C., & Lalwani, C. L. (2016). Global logistics and supply chain management. John Wiley & Sons.

Monczka, R. M., Handfield, R. B., Giunipero, L. C., & Patterson, J. L. (2015). Purchasing and supply chain management. Cengage Learning.

Myerson, P. (2015). Lean Supply Chain and Logistics Management. Burglue: Herlad Publishers.

Pagell, M. & Wu, Z., (2017). Business implications of sustainability practices in supply chains. In Sustainable Supply Chains (pp. 339-353). Springer, Cham.

Seuring, S. & Müller, M., (2008). From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain management. Journal of cleaner production, 16(15), 1699-1710.

Stadtler, H. (2015). Supply chain management: An overview. In Supply chain management and advanced planning (pp. 3-28). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

Stevenson, W.J. & Sum, C.C., (2015). Operations management. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Tga.gov.au. (2018). Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Retrieved 18 April 2018, from https://www.tga.gov.au/

Wang, X. & Disney, S.M., (2016). The bullwhip effect: Progress, trends and directions. European Journal of Operational Research, 250(3), pp.691-701.

Wisner, J. D., Tan, K. C., & Leong, G. K. (2014). Principles of supply chain management: A balanced approach. Cengage Learning.