Power of networks : a study of health franchises in resource limited settings
Name
618532196-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
2.63 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
44ff1526284662090ec25edfabcfdbcc
Author(s)
Sankar, Ramya
Advisor(s)
Anjali Sastry.
Alternative Title
Study of health franchises in resource limited settings
Date Issued
2009
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Billions of dollars are spent to develop drugs for infectious diseases in developing countries. How will these drugs along with clinical services be delivered to the patients who currently do not have access to them? Health franchises have been around since early 1990s, creating networks of shops and clinics that provide specialized care to low income individuals. This thesis attempts to understand the underlying mechanisms of successful health franchises. Two cases are taken into consideration, CFWshops in Kenya and Mi Farmacita Nacional (MFN) in Mexico. Both are pharmaceutical shops with small clinics attached to them. The two cases were examined through a framework derived from successful commercial franchises and franchise theory. The elements that were addressed include operational structure, marketing strategy, product and service offerings, monitoring of businesses, and financial structure. CFWshops and MFN had some stark differences in how they addressed each of these elements. Unlike typical commercial franchises, health franchises aim to provide social benefits to the population. This goal requires franchises to not only create a business strategy to be financially sustainable and take advantage of networks, but also show health improvements in the community. The success of a health franchise is dependent on the health impacts it provides because its mission is not to generate a profit for the stakeholders but rather the value added to the customer by providing access that was not there before.
(cont.) The comparative case analysis suggests several key recommendations. Health innovations in resource limited settings should create networks with other public and private health groups to leverage existing knowledge and best practices. This reduces cost and time of learning and allows businesses to utilize existing channels to provide access for drugs and services to individuals who currently are not receiving them.
Description
Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2009.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-64).
Subjects
Engineering Systems Division.
Technology and Policy Program.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division
Technology and Policy Program
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
