Nestle
NESTLÉ: THE INFANT FORMULA CONTROVERSY
1. What are the responsibilities of companies in this or similar situations?
Send donations or work in an hospital organization to help the babies and their mothers
Sponsor events that have as theme the nutrition of infants
Nestlé needs to learn from its mistakes and should look like they care and are responsible for its issues
Must reposition their products
2. What could Nestlé have done to have avoided the accusations of ‘’killing Third World babies’’ and still market its product?
Support breast feeding and present its benefits
Search and learn about the culture of every possible market
Free tests for HIV
3. After Nestlé’s experience, how do you suggest it, or any other company, can protect itself in the future?
First of all, Nestlé or other company, should be informed about the culture, traditions, economic status of the potential market
Secondly, they should do more medical research/tests of their products before to launch them
Also, for the Third World countries, they should pay more attention to the healthy eating of pregnant mothers and babies and to offer them doctors, in case of urgent situations
4. Assume you are the one who had make the final decision on whether or not to promote and market Nestlé’s baby formula in Third World countries. Read the section titled ‘’Ethical and Socially Responsible Decisions’’ in Chapter 5 as a guide to examine the social responsibility and ethical issues regarding the marketing approach and the promotion used. Were the decisions socially responsible? Were they ethical?
5. What advice would you give to Nestlé now in light of the new problem of HIV infection being spread via mothers’ milk?
Continue to promote breast feeding
Do research on how to reduce the risk of mother to child transmission
Provide education (workshops) for the women in the Third World cuntries
1. What are the responsibilities of companies in this or similar situations?
Send donations or work in an hospital organization to help the babies and their mothers
Sponsor events that have as theme the nutrition of infants
Nestlé needs to learn from its mistakes and should look like they care and are responsible for its issues
Must reposition their products
2. What could Nestlé have done to have avoided the accusations of ‘’killing Third World babies’’ and still market its product?
Support breast feeding and present its benefits
Search and learn about the culture of every possible market
Free tests for HIV
3. After Nestlé’s experience, how do you suggest it, or any other company, can protect itself in the future?
First of all, Nestlé or other company, should be informed about the culture, traditions, economic status of the potential market
Secondly, they should do more medical research/tests of their products before to launch them
Also, for the Third World countries, they should pay more attention to the healthy eating of pregnant mothers and babies and to offer them doctors, in case of urgent situations
4. Assume you are the one who had make the final decision on whether or not to promote and market Nestlé’s baby formula in Third World countries. Read the section titled ‘’Ethical and Socially Responsible Decisions’’ in Chapter 5 as a guide to examine the social responsibility and ethical issues regarding the marketing approach and the promotion used. Were the decisions socially responsible? Were they ethical?
5. What advice would you give to Nestlé now in light of the new problem of HIV infection being spread via mothers’ milk?
Continue to promote breast feeding
Do research on how to reduce the risk of mother to child transmission
Provide education (workshops) for the women in the Third World cuntries