Lifebuoy

CRITICAL SITUATION IN AN ORGANIZATION AND ITS MANAGERIAL SOLUTION

1. CRITICAL SITUATION IN AN ORGANIZATION AND IT’S MANAGERIAL SOLUTION NAME : FAIZAL AHMED REGISTER NUMBER: RA1952001020011 SUBJECT: MANAGERIAL SKILLS COURSE : MBA SECTION : A

2. CONTENTS OF THE PRESENTATION INTRODUCTION THE JOURNEY OF LIFEBUOY THE PROBLEM CRITICISMS AGAINST LIFEBUOY THE SOLUTION

3. INTRODUCTION Lifebuoy  is a brand of soap marketed by  Unilever . Lifebuoy was originally, and for much of its history, a  carbolic soap  containing  phenol  (carbolic acid, a compound extracted from coal tar). The soaps manufactured today under the Lifebuoy brand do not contain phenol. Lifebuoy was introduced by Lever Brothers in 1895 in England. Originally a carbolic soap containing phenol, different varieties were later introduced without the medicinal carbolic smell, such as the coral- coloured Lifebuoy during the late 1950s and Lifebuoy Minty Refresher in 1966 .  Lifebuoy was one of the most popular soaps in the United States from approximately 1923 to the mid-‘ 50s,when perfumed soaps took over the market. It was the best selling medicated/health soap in North America until roughly 1951 ..

4. It was well known for its red and yellow packaging, red color and octagonal shape Lifebuoy's popularity reached its peak between 1932 and 1948. In the mid/late 1960s it saw a popularity surge which would last through 1973. This was caused by the introduction and success of  Lifebuoy White  in the American market. After this decline, the Lifebuoy brand was seen less and less in the American market. It was pulled from American shelves starting in 2003 and was completely phased out of the American market by 2006. Unilever released  Lifebuoy Classic , a modern soap with retro packaging and a medicated scent intended to be similar to that of the 1950s product. It saw novelty success but was never embraced as a staple product in the American home.

5. THE JOURNEY OF LIFEBUOY “ When you go to a doctor, there are some very strict, disciplinarian ones and there are some who make light of the illness. Lifebuoy is the second kind of doctor”, says Amer Jaleel , NCD, Lowe Lintas . Lifebuoy, for long, has been associated with a big, red, chunky bar of soap that keeps one healthy. The heritage brand, which has been around for more than a 100 years now (the first container with Lifebuoy soaps landed on Indian shores in 1895 at Bombay Harbour ), was once touted to be the soap that was everything male and sporty. It has now become a family brand. One of the market leaders — Nielsen data for the last quarter pegs Lifebuoy at 14.5% market share, a close second to Lux’s 14.6% — the name of the brand came from the life-saving buoy thrown out to people at sea to prevent them

6. THE PROBLEM A week after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of certain compounds in antibacterial hand and body wash products, India’s Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) is set to deliberate whether their use in India poses a public health hazard that requires a closer look, two CDSCO officials said on condition of anonymity. The FDA ruled on 2 September that manufacturers had failed to show the efficacy of any of 19 active compounds that go into many over-the-counter consumer antiseptic washing products. As a result, the FDA banned the use of these 19 compounds, including triclosan and related triclocarban . As a result, Lifebuoy had a break and fall in its production and sales. “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water," said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s centre for drug evaluation and research. “In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long term."

7. CRITICISMS AGAINST LIFEBUOY There are 3 kinds of Soap... Bath Soap - For Bathing Toilet Soap - Using after Toilet Carbolic Soap - For Animals Lifebuoy is neither Bath nor Toilet Soap.. It's A Carbolic Soap..!! In America & Europe, Dogs & Donkeys Bath with it..!! But, in India We, Humans, Bath with it..!! First Bath Soaps are Made, Then Toilet Soaps are made & After that from the Waste Products, Carbolic Soaps are Produced..!!

8. An HUL spokesperson said, “In 2015, we started replacing triclosan and triclocarban in our Lifebuoy soap. We no longer manufacture antibacterial soaps and personal wash products with triclosan . We will complete the phase-out of triclocarban across all markets in 2017. None of the other compounds mentioned in the FDA rule are used in Unilever antibacterial soap bars." Queries to the other companies named above had not elicited responses by the time of going to press.

9. While antibacterial products are an over $1 billion industry in the US, the market size in India is fairly small. “The antibacterial liquid hand-wash market is a little over ₹ 500 crore in India and growing 15% annually. Any order by the government banning certain compounds may not entail any significant disruption in the market," said Rajat Wahi . They had taken the perfect step at the right time such that the brand was saved and came into the market with a bang. This makes Lifebuoy still hold a competitive place in the market.

10. BY FAIZAL AHMED