Theory, research, and managerial applications

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Case study analysis: Topol, E. J. (2004). Failing the public health -Rofecoxib, Merck, and the FDA. The New England Journal of Medicine, 351(17), 1707-1709
Shortcomings of the Skills and Traits of the Primary Leadership in the Case Study
According to research, a skill is expertise, capability or agility that is attained or established through education or involvement (Bass, 2008). Skills are acquired over time and through practice, while a trait is something that a person has by nature. The traits of a leader are acquired through observing the achievements and failures of others, or even through direct experience and error practices; the experience of a person makes him or her to comprehend what it takes to be a leader (Jago, 2002). There are thus various shortcomings of the skills and traits of the primary leadership in the case study. For instance, the food and drug administration made an approval of a drug into the market yet it knew that the drug had serious negative effects on consumers (Jamshid, 2005). The article shows that the drug had a significant number of warning signs, which could have been avoided early enough. Merck and FDA failed to meet their responsibilities to the public; there was also a failure to submit the data to a peer-reviewed periodical and the cardiovascular information provided in the article were half-finished. As a skilled leader, such issues would not have occurred because of the knowledge the leader had regarding the drug. FDA did not take any skill to ensure that the drug underwent various trials before being approved, despite the fact that it had the command to do so.
A description of the systemic issues and strategies for system improvement utilizing systems thinking
Systemic is the process that leads to almost all of a system is affected instead of a small section of the system. In terms of medicine, systemic implies influencing the whole body instead of one organ or body part (Matteson, 2007). On the other hand, systemic implies that occurring from the structure of the system and influencing the entire behavior of the whole system in systems thinking (Russell, 2010). Therefore, a problem is systemic if the conduct of most or all of its significant sections is affected. The systemic issues from the case study include the consumption of Rofecoxib drug, which resulted into affecting a large number of people who used the drug. Another issue includes the failure of the leadership at the FDA to acknowledge that they are responsible for the health of the public (Topol, 2004). In addition, Merck was only concerned in the sale of Rofecoxib despite its possible cardiovascular toxicity and the robust signs that there was an issue and that a large number of people were being exposed. The most appropriate strategy for system improvement utilizing systems thinking includes altering the essential method a system works, through transforming its framework of its main response loops. Just like from the case study, there was the withdrawal of the drug from the market after realizing it was harmful for public consumption.
References
Bass, B. (2008). The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Jago, A. G. (2002). Leadership: Perspectives in theory and research. Management Science, 28(3), 315-336.
Jamshid, G. (2005). Systems Thinking: Managing Chaos and Complexity – A Platform for Designing Business Architecture. New York, NY: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Matteson, M. (2007). Organizational Behavior and Management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Russell, L. (2010). Systems Thinking for Curious Managers. Boston, CA: Triarchy Press.
Topol, E. J. (2004). Failing the public health -Rofecoxib, Merck, and the FDA. The New England Journal of Medicine, 351(17), 1707-1709