As told to your correspondent
By the head of a therapeutic area marketing team
“It’s to find out how patients respond. Doctors ask patients how it’s going. We analyze the feedback and present the findings at CPhi Milan.
“Yes, we invite participating doctors and pay their expenses – including partners.
“Yes, we reimburse them for the extra time with patients – and conference attendance.
“No, it’s not a clinical trial.
“EFPIA Code? Seeding trial? Inducement? What nonsense! This is standard.
“Anyway, what’s it to you? I need a survey provider and you need to find the lowest price.”
By a defence contracting officer
“You live in Switzerland, eh?
“I had a great week’s skiing there last year. Super hospitality.
“With a defence contractor, yes
“No, not what you’re thinking. The supplier was celebrating 50 years since its founding. I was one of six customer-organizations they invited. It was really memorable. It must be a great place to live.”
By a fleet manager
“We don’t have BMWs any more. Quite a change. We leased nothing but, until last year.
“Yea, we were told to run competitive tenders before renewing the fleet-lease.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I am sure we were getting the best deal possible.
“But I don’t know how to tell my wife we’re not going to Wimbledon this year.”
Their behaviour was suspect. Their ethics alarm was off. Inexcusable?
Most of us recall learning to ‘glow-up’ reports, realizing what was ‘common-practice’, and when it was better to keep questions to ourselves.
Be loyal - but to whom: a partner, the team, your employer?
And how far does it go?
Do these trivial incidents help us in any way to sympathize with miscreants who later claim it was a slippery slope, a Faustian bargain, entrapment, grooming?
“Nah, no sympathy whatsoever…! (You didn’t expect me to agree, did you?)
“Err…what’s the discussion link for the 23rd April?”
I’m very late here. When Walmart took over Asda supermarkets in the UK, they imposed strict gift/entertainment policies. In practice, nothing more than a Christmas card was acceptable. Quite right, in my view.
Anything more is an inducement to give business.