Case
Teaching Notes
Abstract
Pharma giant Johnson & Johnson announced plans in November 2021 to split its pharmaceutical and medical devices divisions and its consumer products division into two publicly traded companies. The month prior, Johnson & Johnson also created a spin-off company which immediately filed for bankruptcy, a savvy but ethically dubious way of sidestepping the growing number of lawsuits against the company over its role in the opioid crisis and the alleged cancer-causing agents contained in its baby powder. This case covers J&J’s latest strategic maneuvers and asks students to discuss them through the lens of strategic management and ethics.
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