Thriving Amidst Complexity: the Dynamics Within the Market of Parallel Imports of Pharmaceuticals in Sweden

Sammanfattning

Theory on competition within free markets is well developed and creates a fundament on which operational and strategic decisions rest upon. Regulations, such as in the pharmaceutical industry, create a dimension which strongly affects the operations of all organisations within the industry - and thus also the competition. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the business environment and competitive forces within the highly regulated industry of parallel imports in Sweden. An abductive research approach has been used to analyse qualitative data gathered through five interviews of industry personnel. The concepts from Hill's model have been applied, interpreted and extended to the context of regulatory environment. Order winners and qualifiers can be utilised to describe and explain how regulations affect the industry of parallel imports. This concept can be used to create alignment in operations strategy, but also to give insights into how regulations can be constructed to incentivise market operators to the desired behaviour. Through this process, the need for segmentation of products within the industry of parallel importation becomes clear. Finally, the market drivers are further investigated, where regulations on both EU and national level are identified as major drivers.