Amerijet Annotated Bibliography

Amerijet Annotated Bibliography

Thompson, T. (2021). Amerijet handled pharma challenges long before COVID-19. American Journal of Transportation.

The pharmaceutical industry is often characterized by a myriad of challenges, especially based on the products' sensitivity and the emergence of new products for export. Nonetheless, the article states that Amerijet, a company established nearly 5 decades ago by a man who had prior experience in business especially serving the Latin American market through its Miami headquarters, was well placed to deal with the challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the company is well placed to supply pharmaceutical products to major cities in Latin America, including San Juan, Panama City, and New Mexico, despite the industry's challenges.

The article of study has several highlights that pertain to the strategies that Amwerijet Company employed to defeat the challenges presented by the COVID-19 virus in the pharmaceutical challenges. However, five main highlights are of interest to this study as presented below:

1. First, the article states that the airline was established 50 years ago by an entrepreneur who had prior business experience in Latin America and the Caribbean. Therefore, despite the company's long experience doing business in the region, the founder and former CEO, David Bassett, had rich knowledge about doing business in the region. Therefore, it was not quite difficult to find ways to strategize on countering the challenges presented by the pandemic. The business idea created by Mr. Bassett formed the basis on which the company can easily operate in Latin America today. 
2. The second major highlight of the article concerns the nature of the pharmaceutical products and why an effective strategy is necessary for ensuring that they reach their destinations on time. Pharmaceutical products are quite time-sensitive and might get spoiled before even becoming consumed. Besides, they are lifesaving and are at times needed to cover for emergencies. Most importantly, the pandemic presented the industry with the challenge of reaching remote areas on time to deliver products required to cater to emergencies. Therefore, the preparedness by the airline was a major boost to the world in terms of dealing with the pandemic.
3. Another important point presented in the article concerns the presentation of the license to operate in the San Juan region, which came timely enough before the pandemic's peak to cover the area in terms of dealing with the effects of the virus. The article states that according to the present CEO of the company, Tim Strauss, it acquired a license to operate in the area barely 18 months before November 2021. Therefore, this timeliness was also a boost to the company's continued operations in the region, considering that San Juan is a crucial departure point to supply pharmaceutical products in the region. Nonetheless, this also brings up the issue of trade restrictions in the region and the challenge posed to Amerijet Company so far.
4. The company formulated a strategy that enabled it to operate sufficiently in the Latin America region without any flaws. The strategy was to identify key epicenters as the main departure points to serve the region with pharmaceutical products even in the wake of a pandemic. As a result, it identified Panama City in Florida, San Juan in Puerto Rico, and New Mexico. Therefore, despite operating from Miami, it had key epicenters that could be used as epicenters to serve the region. Most companies downplay this strategy which can help them during times of difficulty. As such, most companies in the pharmaceutical industry ought to emulate the steps made by the company in handling this highly time-sensitive product. 
5. Finally, it is also highlighted within the article that these strategies came as a result of the realization of the company that the United States does not form the backbone of its operations. The article states that Mr. Strauss confirmed that components for drugs emanating from Latin America serve the rest of the United States. Therefore, it seems that this realization formed the major element that the company used in formulating its strategy in preparation for any pandemic such as COVID-19. Besides, the CEO also mentioned that the airline has a network of interline partners that enable it to reach other parts of the world.

One of the situations evident from the article is that most airlines find challenges handling pharmaceutical products due to their time-sensitive nature. Therefore, there is a great need for airlines' efficiency in delivering services. Another problem is that the failure of airline companies to deliver products to their destinations on time is due to a lack of interline network. Nonetheless, having a strong network is just one of the strategies. More needs to be done. Finally, it is clear that if airlines are well managed, they can formulate better strategies that will see them deliver better services and save people's lives, especially during pandemics such as COVID-19.

In conclusion, the world is aware that pharmaceutical products are time-sensitive and need to reach their destinations on time. However, airlines seem to find it difficult to develop strategies that will allow them to solve this problem and become more productive. At the same time, it is clear that one of the strategies that have made Amerijet more efficient is the presence of an interline network. Therefore, other airlines need to emulate this strategy. Finally, as demonstrated by Mr. Strauss, good management is needed if airlines have to meet the needs of people in the supply of pharmaceutical products worldwide.

References

Thompson, T. (2021). Amerijet handled pharma challenges long before COVID-19. American Journal of Transportation.