Chapter 1

The Problem and Its Background

This chapter includes the introduction, statement of the problems, conceptual

framework, and theoretical framework, significance of the study and definition of term.

Introduction

Researchers much focuses on their attention in studying the problems of some

drugstores in Baliwag, Bulacan. As of today, more and more people must buy medicine

for their daily needs. Since the demand is growing, the potential of the pharmacy business

is brighter than ever. The popularity of inexpensive generic medicine has also opened up

new opportunities. Less capital is needed for generics and they are also more profitable to

sell than branded medicine. A drugstore is not an ordinary business because it directly

involves the health of many people. It is this opportunity to be of service, besides the

profit motive, that should be the objective of those who plan to go into this business.

Drugstores have sprouted in almost every street corner, with some generic chains

now spending millions advertising on prime time televisionan indicator that they have

large profits to spend. All of this point to generic medicine as a booming business. But

before you put up your own generic drugstore, you must learn what differentiates it from

the usual drugstore. Its strategy is focused on selling mainly generic medicines, although

it can also carry branded items. From the viewpoint of a small or medium scale

entrepreneur, a generic drugstore is far more attractive than the normal drugstore. The

capital needed for a generic store is just a fraction of what is necessary for a full line store

because generic medicines are much cheaper than their branded counterparts. Another

1
advantage of generic drugstores is the high profit margins. Mark-ups of one hundred

percent and more are common, unlike the usual five to ten percent mark-up on popular

branded medicine. Drugstores are very popular nowadays due to the growing demand for

affordable medicine, but operating them is not simple. You can opt to buy a franchise or

you can start a drugstore yourself. And like any other businesses, opening a drugstore

may have some problems that cause it to become one of the hardest to operate since

health is its number one issue. Thus, we, the researchers are opt to have a thorough study

on what are some of the common problems faced by entrepreneurs having a drugstore

business in Baliwag, Bulacan and also, as an additional learning from this study are some

ways on how these entrepreneurs manage to handle those problems that leads them to

where they are now.

Even if you are not a pharmacist, you can own a drugstore, since you can just hire

the services of a licensed pharmacist. To those who are planning to start a generic

drugstore from scratch instead of buying a franchise, here are some tips on how to

operate one:

Get an excellent location. Medicine is usually bought where it is most convenient.

Although a generic drugstore can survive on lesser sales because of the higher margins,

you must not forget that branded medicines are far more popular. A good location is

critical to get sufficient sales.

Source generics directly, but branded items through wholesalers. The nearer you

are to the source, the cheaper the price. Unfortunately, branded medicine is very

expensive and there are minimum amounts needed to purchase from the main distributor.

If you are just starting, it would be better to get branded medicine from loose stocks from

2
a wholesaler even if they are slightly more expensive, in order to lessen your

investment.

Get a Point of Sale System. Do not be left behind by technology. Trying to

manage your inventory and purchases with a manual system will leave you with too little

time to focus on other aspects of the business. With the help of additional modules, a

good POS will also help monitor your personnel, automate your accounting and other

functions.

Have your store designed by a professional. A well-designed store is not only

attractive to customers, but also the layout should be functional. The cost of renovation

should also be considered.

Study the ideal product assortment. You must have the right product mix. To

attract customers you must carry some branded medicines and other products, but the

bulk of the profit will really come from the generics

Plan your pricing strategically. A great deal of your profits will come from how

well you do your pricing. You must be able to maintain a high profit margin on your

generic items. However, you must do this while maintaining an image of reasonable

prices. The well-known branded items must be priced competitively.

Generic drugstores are very popular nowadays due to the growing demand for

affordable medicine, but operating them is not simple. You can opt to buy a franchise or

you can start a generic drugstore yourself. If you want to save on capital or simply want

more profits by starting your own drugstore, it would be best to attend a seminar first to

see if it is really for you.

3
Statement of the Problem

The study focuses on the Common Problems of some drugs store in Baliwag,

Bulacan. Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:

1. What are the problems of Small Medium Sized drugstores in Baliwag,

Bulacan?

2. What are the solutions being practiced by these drugstores?

3. What are the different strategies being practiced by Small - Medium Sized

drugstores to be more competitive?

4
Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework used in the study is found in figure 1, the research

paradigm of the study.

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Questionnaires
evaluation.

Owner of Practices to solve

Response of the
drugstore profile their problems
respondents

Customers Conclusion on what

satisfactions Evaluation on the they did if they in
problems that situation.

Strategies they
applied for better
drugstore

Figure 1. Research Paradigm of the Study

There are many things affecting drugstores. Some of these factors are

workplace, benefits for employees and the problems of the drugstore that anyone really

want to solve. There are arrows in the conceptual framework to show causality.

As shown in figure 1, the respondents of the study are the Small Medium Sized

Drugstore in Baliwag, Bulacan. The researchers attempted to determine if the

respondents are satisfied in terms of workplace, and benefits. Also the Practices that they

do to facing these kind of problems.

5
 Figure 1 also illustrates that after determining the insights of the respondents from

each factors, the next thing to figure out is the factors that motivates the drugstore as well

as the co-worker for better work performance.

Theoretical Framework

Abraham Maslow has been considered the Father of Humanistic Psychology.

Maslow's Humanistic Learning theory is based on the notion that experience is the

primary phenomenon in the study of human learning and behavior. He placed emphasis

on choice, creativity, values, self-realization, all distinctively human qualities, and

believed that meaningfulness and subjectivity were more important than objectivity. For

Maslow, development of human potential, dignity and worth are ultimate concerns.

Maslow rejected behaviorist views and Freud's theories on the basis of their

reductionistic approaches. He felt Freud's view of human nature was negative, and he

valued goodness, nobility and reason. Also, Freud concentrated on the mentally ill, and

Maslow was interested in healthy human psychology.

Maslow and his colleagues came to refer to their movement as third force

psychology, the first two being psychoanalysis and behaviorism. The third force is based

on philosophies of existentialism and humanism.

He is famous for proposing that human motivation is based on a hierarchy of

needs. The lowest level of needs are physiological and survival needs such as hunger and

thirst. Further levels include belonging and love, self-esteem, and self-actualization.

6
 Queuing theory was developed by James Sherman to one of the source of to

having a competitive advantage. Everyone has experienced waiting in line, whether at a

fast-food restaurant, on the phone for technical help, at the doctors office or in the drive-

through lane of a bank. Sometimes, it is a pleasant experience, but many times it can be

extremely frustrating for both the customer and the store manager. Given the intensity of

competition today, a customer waiting too long in line is potentially a lost customer.

Understanding the nature of lines or queues and learning how to manage them is one of

the most important areas in operations management.

Queues are basic to both external (customer-facing) and internal business

processes, which include staffing, scheduling and inventory levels. For this reason,

businesses often utilize queuing theory as a competitive advantage. Fortunately, Six

Sigma professionals through their knowledge of probability distributions, process

mapping and basic process improvement techniques can help organizations design and

implement robust queuing models to create this competitive advantage.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

The study focuses on the Common Problems of Small Medium Sized drugstore in

Baliwag, Bulacan. The Respondents of the study is composed of 9 selected drugstores.

The study surveyed the selected Small Medium Sized Drugstore in Baliwag, Bulacan in

terms of workplace, benefits, problems and solutions, and how they properly manage

when they are in these problems.

7
 The study will not cover the large sized drugstores in such as mercury drugstore,

manson and watsons.

The study will only covered small-medium drugstores in Baliuag, Bulacan.

Significance of the Study

The Study focuses on how drugs store in Baliwag, Bulacan can handle

their common problem. To know, how long it takes to be back it in normal drugs store. It

is a natural problem for them or what effective solutions they do if they in that situation.

The researchers therefore believe that this study will be of great to the following:

Owners. The findings of this study will give information whether the employees

are satisfied or not. The drugstore will know how they will improve these factors to

satisfy, recruit, attract customer and retain employees.

Pharmacists. This study will disclose the pharmacist feelings regarding to what

they receive. This study may also serve as awareness to the regular employees of what

benefits they shall have and they shall receive.

Definition of Terms

Prescription - a written message from a doctor that officially tells someone to use a

medicine, therapy, etc.

Consumer -a person who purchases goods and services for personal use.

8
 Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature and Studies

Related Studies

This study was designed to address the issue of compliance of physicians and

drug stores to the provisions of Generics Act of 1988. Furthermore it aims to explore the

awareness of consumers on generic medicines to explain current trends and practices in

drug prescribing, dispensing and use. Factors that positively affect generics prescribing

behavior are patients welfare, compliance, patients financial situation, and fear of

punishment. Quality concerns, lack of regulation by FDA, poor recall, patients

preference, and personal experience are factors that negatively affect generics prescribing

behavior. Less than half of the consumers were offered with generic alternatives, and

even less number of consumers actually asked for the alternative. There is preference for

branded medicines over generics. The consumers more likely to purchase generic

medicines consulted a public facility, knew the requirement to write generic name, and

was influenced by friends and relatives. Because there is already high compliance from

drug prescribers, government efforts should now focus to the drugstores and consumers.

Drugstore compliance should be regularly monitored, and consumers empowered on their

right to know alternatives. Bioequivalence tests should be done to finally put an end to

concerns on the quality of generic medicines.

Batangan, et. al. (2005) from the Institute of Phil. Culture, Ateneo de Manila

University performed a national survey on prices of medicines in the Philippines. They

discussed that pharmaceuticals are expensive in the Philippines in comparison to prices in

9
neighboring countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The implementation of

the Generic Drug Act of 1988 requiring the use of generic labeling, advertising, and

prescriptions has led to a limited penetration of generic drugs in the market, estimated

currently at around 5%. This situation is mainly attributed to poor public perception of

generic drugs by both consumers and providers reinforced by aggressive promotion of

branded products by the industry. The study looked into the availability, price, and

affordability of medicines in the country. Availability of drugs was measured by defining

the percentage of establishments where individual medications are found. This was done

for both private and public facilities.

The study found that lowest price generics had higher availability in the public

sector while innovator brands were more available in the private pharmacies. In terms of

price, the data show that consumers pay approximately three times more for innovator

drugs compared to generic counterparts in both public and private pharmacies. The

components of the price of medications were also identified which include

finance/banking fees, quality control testing fee, import/tariff duty, national corporate tax,

transport costs, wholesale mark-up and retail mark-up. Computing for the additional cost

these factors added to the price, plus insurance and freight price, these could add as much

as 273.24% to the costs of the drug. Hence, the authors of the study recommended efforts

to increase awareness of the issues on drug prices and to encourage advocacy for

lowering the price of the medications. They also brought up the need for policies on

improving government procurement and in encouraging the use of generic medicines.

The price components and mark-up data for this survey was gathered from various

secondary sources. The study was limited in the difficulty in getting the necessary data

10
from primary sources in government agencies and in the private sector. The government

agencies approached informed the research team that they cannot release the data

requested because of disclosure and confidentiality limitations. The private sector sources

approached would not want to divulge trade secrets but were willing to refer the

research team to other data sources. Another study investigating the price components of

medicines through case studies of a small selection of essential medicines was done by

Ball and Tisocki in 2009. The standardized methodology of the WHO/HAI was used as a

basis of the survey. Starting at the point of sale in a retail outlet, the price data is traced

back through wholesalers/distributors, importers and government agencies using invoices

and interviews to determine the components which go towards making the final price.

They found out that there is a lack of transparency in the pricing of generic and originator

brand medicines in the Philippines within the private sector that appears to be

underpinned by suspicion of the acts of competitors and the government and a desire to

preserve commercial secrets. The study also noted that the 12% VAT adds significantly

to the cost of medicines and often has a larger effect than expected when mark-ups are

based on the price including VAT from the supplier in the distribution chain. They also

found out that public pharmacies tend to charge fixed retail mark-ups which may be as

high as 30%. Moreover, the method of implementation of the senior citizens discount

(and now that for disabled persons) has the effect of raising medicine prices in such a

way that the effect of the discount is largely negated where it is offered and any actual

discount that may exist is paid for by patients, not by healthy members of society. Also,

the market structure and market segmentation in the Philippines continues to support the

observed pricing structures. If the Bureau of Food and Drugs were to rigorously ensure

11
the quality of generic medicines on the market, this would help to increase the use and

acceptability of low-priced generics. The authors recommended that interventions are

needed to improve medicine pricing mechanisms and affordability. Specifically, the VAT

on essential medicines and the use of regressive mark-ups at public pharmacies should be

examined. They also suggested that mechanisms to increase utilization of low-priced

generic medicines need to be explored and enhanced. Finally, the authors suggested that a

reliable medicine price monitoring system should be established for essential medicines

to monitor the effects of any policy or regulatory changes intended to affect medicine

prices. Resistance from distributors and manufacturers/importers about divulging

information on their prices and pricing structures limited the study

That prescription-required medications are sold without accompanying prescription

forms is not in question, a new study concludes. The practice is endemic in the emirate

of Abu Dhabi as confirmed by evidence from this study.

Common reasons given by pharmacies for breaking the law were that everyone was

doing it, and if they didnt satisfy customers then the nearest rival pharmacy would.

Patients said bypassing a doctor was cheaper and simpler, it was easy to obtain what they

wanted, pharmacists didnt mind, all their friends were doing it and they had suffered no

physical harm.

The combination of the buyers and sellers reasons exacerbate a complex situation

of easy access to medicines and the potential dangers of taking medicines without

medical supervision, said David Yeboah, a professor of epidemiology at Abu Dhabi

University and co-author of the study.

12
Researchers questioned 73 pharmacies: 57 in Abu Dhabi city, 15 in Al Ain and one in Al

Gharbia. All admitted selling prescription medication over the counter.

Of 131 patients in the study, 126 said they regularly bought prescription medicine

without a prescription. About 10 per cent of these were under the age of 15.

Only one patient had ever been refused, and none had ever been told by a pharmacist

about the dangers involved. Only about a third, 51, knew it was unlawful.

Common prescription drugs bought over the counter were Daonil and Metformin to treat

Type 2 diabetes, Exforge and Concor for hypertension, and various antibiotics.

Haad, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi, refused to comment.

Pharmacists are not doctors and what they are doing is not providing professional care,

and patient safety and patient care are compromised, the study report says.

At best, when they diagnose, prescribe and dispense, they are only addressing the

symptoms of the medical condition. The actual condition remains unattended to, placing

patients at risk.

The study says the law prohibits the sale of prescription-required medication without an

appropriate prescription form completed by a qualified and registered medical

practitioner.

So the question everybody is asking is why is the practice of selling medicines without

prescription so rife albeit there is legislation against doing so?

13
Prof Yeboah suggested random but regular spot checks by police to crack down on the

problem.

Despite the results of the study, pharmacies in Abu Dhabi said on Tuesday they would

never sell drugs without a prescription.

No we do not dispense without a prescription, said DrAsif Khan, of Al Safa pharmacy

on Muroor Road.

It is the rule from Haad. Without a prescription you can not dispense drugs such as

antibiotics. Only products such as Panadol, only products like this.

He said he would always advise people to visit a physician first. If some people come

here and ask for some products like antibiotics I say a physician can prescribe it. A

physician knows about these products not us.

DalabAshour, who works at Modern Urban Pharmacy near Hamdan Street, insisted he

would not sell prescription drugs without authorisation from a physician.

We are not selling like this, he said. All the prescription have to come from a doctor.

MrAshour, however, said he believed other pharmacies may sell prescription drugs

without the proper documentation.

14
Literature Review

To the best of our knowledge, the earliest application of simulation modeling in

pharmacy management appeared in Mukherjee. The author presented a simulation study

of operations in the pharmacy of the University of Tennessee hospital at Knoxville to

analyze the activities in the night shift, and determine standard times for activities after

computerization of work in the pharmacywhich had led to utilization of a computer

database for maintaining patient profiles and generating labels for medications. The

model accounted for the flow of regular, critical, and outdoor orders through the

pharmacy; and focused on the turnaround times for these orders and telephone calls as

well as the utilization of the pharmacy staff (pharmacist, computer technician, and order

technician) for the purpose of performance measurement.

The experimental results included examining different scenarios for collecting

regular orders, assigning pharmacists to various shifts, and prioritizing the different types

of orders and phone calls. The study was concluded with a sensitivity analysis over input

parameters such as the percentage of regular orders that need clarification from the

prescribing physicians. In Wong et al., the authors applied simulation modeling to

quantify and evaluate the advantages of utilizing an electronic medication ordering,

dispensing and administration process compared with using a manual process in a

hospital pharmacy setting at the Sunnybrook Campus of the Sunnybrook and Womens

College Health Sciences Center located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Medication delivery

failure rates, turnaround times, and resource requirements (physician, nurse, pharmacist,

and order entering and dispensing pharmacy technicians) were chosen as performance

measures for assessment purposes. Their comparative analysis showed considerable

15
reductions in average turn-around times and failure rates in favor of the computerized

system. Spry and Lawley developed a simulation model for inpatient pharmacy at the

BroMenn Regional Medical Center in Normal, Illinois, to find the work schedule that

helps the hospital keep up with a target turnaround time of 120 minutes for a prescription

order. Their experimental results showed that adding evening staff (IV technicians)

improves the turnaround time in the evening and into the early morning.

The model also examined the timing of a daily medication cart exchange between

the pharmacy and various areas in the hospital as well as the frequency of filling the

machines that are located in the nurses area and dispense commonly used and

emergency medications. The results were not conclusive about the timing of the cart

checking operation, but the authors suggested that the hospital should try to change to a

once in the morning filling of the medication dispensing machines. The objective of

Yurtkuran and Emel simulation study of a regional hospital pharmacy in Bursa, Turkey,

was to minimize the turnaround time of the medication orders using the available

resources. The study examined two alternative scenarios in comparison to the existing

system. In particular, these scenarios were based on changing the starting time of

preparing the daily medication packages at the pharmacy, and relaxing the timing

restriction on order entries by the nurses and physicians.

The experimental results showed that modifying the software of the hospitals

computer system to allow for more flexibility in order entering, and transferring a

technician and a pharmacist to the dayshift improve the system performance and decrease

the turnaround timeresulting in a higher quality service. Noting that hospital

pharmacies in the US are experiencing inventory problems that result in waste, shortages,

16
and delays for drug substitutions, Villa-Parrish et al studied inventory control in a

hospital pharmacy. The objective of their study was to determine the inventory level for

perishable pharmaceuticals that could minimize wastage and holding costs while

maximizing timely access to the drugs. The development of the inventory control policy

in their study was based on a Markov Decision Process model which accounted for

demand as a function of patients conditions. However, faced with computational

intractability of the analytical model, the authors used simulation to evaluate two types of

base-stocks inventory control policies. Considering the above, it is clear that the current

simulation studies of pharmacy management have solely focused on hospital pharmacy

settings.

17
 Chapter 3

Research Methodology

This chapter presents the method of research used, the population frame, sample

size, research instrument and data gathering. The further descriptions of the respondents

were not given due to company security reasons.

Methodology

The researchers used the descriptive method of research defined by Project Talent

(U.S. Office of Education), as study that seeks to find answers to questions through the

analysis of variable relationships. In other words, descriptive research may be defined as

a purposive process of gathering analyzing, classifying, and tabulating data about

prevailing conditions or situations, practices, beliefs, processes, trends, developments as

well as cause-effect relationships and then making adequate interpretation about such

data or information with or without the aid of statistical methods.

The method was employed to gather information about the problem of small-

medium sized drugstore in Baliwag, Bulacan.

Research Instrument

This study utilized questionnaire as the main instrument in data gathering.

The researchers formulated the questionnaire based on their review of related studies.

The questionnaire has two parts namely: 1.) personal data and 2.) survey questionnaire.

18
 Part I includes all the information about the profile of the owner or

representatives of the drugstores in terms of years of operations and the amount of initial

investment.

Part II of the survey questionnaire includes the Problems, Solutions and

Strategies of Drugstore in Baliwag, Bulacan.

The mean responses were interpreted using the following scale.

Range of Mean Values Scale Verbal Interpretation

2.34-3.00 3 Strictly practiced

1.67-2.33 2 Slightly practiced

1.00-1.66 1 Never practiced at all

Data-Gathering Procedure

The researchers composed a surveyed questions to be answer by the

small-medium drugstores in Baliuag, Bulacan. Also, the researchers has made a letter of

request to the respondents and have it signed by Mrs. Navoa.

The researchers personally undertook the data gathering procedure in distribution and

retrieval of the questionnaires. The researchers interviewed a total of 9 respondents and

tallied the results according to formula.

19
Statistical Treatment of the Data

The data collected from the questionnaires were organized, tabulated,

analyzed and treated statistically using the following:

1. Percentage (%). This was used to describe the profile of the respondents.

The percentage was taken from the frequencies.

% = No. of respondents who answered the question

No. of respondents surveyed

Source: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Companies. 2000. Principles and Applications. 6th edition.

2. Weighted Mean. It is an arithmetic mean in which each value in the

collection is not simply summed-up, but is weighted by some measure of importance.

This was used when the options to the items of the questionnaire have assigned points.

20
 Chapter 4

Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation of Data

This chapter deals with the presentation, analysis and interpretation of the data on

the study The problems of small- medium drugstores in Baliwag, Bulacan and How they

properly managed.

Table 1: Frequency and percentage on respondents profile in amount of investment

Profile Frequency Percent

Amount of investment Range

Less than 100,000 2 22.22%
101,000 - 150,000 1 11.11%
151,000 - 200,000 3 33.33%
201,000 - 250,000 0 0%
251,000 - 300,000 2 22.22%
300,000 and above 1 11.11%
Total 9 100%

As presented in Table 1 there are only 9 drugstores as the respondents of the study.

Out of 9 respondents, presented in Table, 2 or 22.22% of owners of drugstore start to

invest less than 100,000, 1 or 11.11% of owners of drugstore start to invest 101,000-

150,000, 3or 33.33% of owners of drugstore start to invest 151,000- 200,000, 0 or

0% of owners of drugstore start to invest 201,000- 250,000, 2 or 22.22% of owners of

the drugstore start to invest 251,000- 300,000, 1 or 11.11% of owners of drugstore

start to invest 300,000 and above. This shows that most of the owners of the drugstores

start to invest at 151,000- 200,000.

21
 An aspiring business man doesnt need to have much money to have a drugstore

business.

1. Which of the following problems have you experienced or are experiencing?

Table2: Frequency and percentage in problems that they experience

Problems Frequency Percentage

Customer complaints 2 22.22%
Loss of customer 1 11.11%
Medicine stocks get expired before they are sold 7 77.78%
Your prices are high compared to other stores 3 33.33%
Store location 0 01%
Problems with staff(Saleslady/salesman, Cashier, bagger) 2 22.22%
Problems regarding issuance of medicine without prescription 3 33.33%
Financial 1 11.11%
Shortage of Inventories 4 44.44%
Other problem/s experienced 0 0%

As presented in the table 2, the problems experienced most is the medicines

stocks get expired before they are sold with the percent of 77.78% then shortage of

inventories with 44.44%, problems regarding issuance of medicine without prescription

and your prices are high compared to other stores get 33.33% then followed by

customer complaints problems and problems with staff (saleslady/Salesman, cashier,

Bagger) with 22.22% ,the problems that some drugstore they not much experienced is

the financial with 11.11% and the problem that small-medium sized drugstores in

Baliwag, Bulacan is that never experienced is the store location.

22
 Customer is always right. What a customer wants should be always given because

it is their health which is the biggest matter in this business.

As a student researcher and if you are putting a business like this you should

know where the market place is safe and demandable. Of course how do you gain

money if youre trying to put a business in no one else is know youre place.

2. Which of the following are you practicing to solve your problems?

Table3: Weighted mean and verbal interpretation on determining which the small-

medium sized drugstore much practiced.

Practices Weighted Verbal

Mean Interpretation
Practice the first in, first out in disposing medicine 3 Strictly practiced
Have more choices of medicines than competitors 2.67 Strictly practiced
Check medicines expiration regularly 2.67 Strictly practiced
Have a manual list of medicines 2.67 Strictly practiced
Conduct employees training/seminar for good 2.44 Strictly practiced
customer relations
Issue receipts for every transaction 2.44 Strictly practiced
Set medicine prices lower than competitor 2.22 Slightly practiced
Transfer store to another location 2.22 Slightly practiced
Install a POS (Point of Sale)Program 2.22 Slightly practiced
Have a staff assigned only for checking inventories 2.22 Slightly practiced
Set up a CCTV camera inside the store 1.78 Slightly practiced
Borrow money from a financial institution 1.44 Never practiced at
all
Borrow money from relatives or friends 1.44 Never practiced at
all
TOTAL 2.26 Slightly practiced

23
 As presented in the table 3, most of small-medium sized drugstore in Baliwag,

Bulacan are strictly practiced the First in, first Out in disposing the medicine, the

choices of medicine than competitors, checking medicines expiration regularly, the issue

receipt for every transaction, conduct employees training/seminar for good customer

relations and having a manual list of medicines.

While set medicine prices lower than competitors, install a POS (Point of Sale)

Program; have a staff assigned only for checking inventories, set up a CCTV camera

inside the store and transfer store to another location are the slightly practices that they

did to solve or fixed any kind of problem they encountered.

Also showed that borrow money from a financial institution and borrow money

from relatives or friends are the practices that small medium sized drugstore in Baliwag,

Bulacan never practiced at all.

3. What are the different strategies being practiced by your drugstore to be more

competitive?

Table4: Weighted mean and Verbal interpretation of determining which strategies

much small medium sized drugstore in Baliwag, Bulacan did.

Strategies Weighted Verbal

Mean Interpretation
Give free check-up to loyal customers 2.33 Slightly practiced
Put tarpaulins in strategic locations 2.22 Slightly practiced
Set quotas to motivate employees 2.11 Slightly practiced
Give pamphlets or flyers 2.11 Slightly practiced
Make sure that medicines are always available 2.00 Slightly practiced

24
Make sure that employees are approachable and 1.89 Slightly practiced
knowledgeable about your medicines
Give incentives or bonuses to employees 1.78 Slightly practiced
Give discounts and promos to customers 1.44 Never practiced at all
TOTAL 1.78 Slightly practiced

As presented in the table4, small-medium drugstore in Baliwag, Bulacan didnt

strictly practiced the given strategies but they slightly practice the strategies of set quotas

to motivate employees, give incentives or bonuses to employee, give pamphlets or flyers,

give free check-up to loyal customer, put tarpaulins in strategic locations, make sure that

medicines are always available and they make sure that employees are approachable and

knowledgeable about the medicines. Giving discounts and promos to customers is never

practiced to strategize by small-medium sized drugstore in Baliwag, Bulacan.

25
 Chapter 5

Summary of Findings, Conclusion and Recommendation

This chapter includes the summary of findings, conclusion and recommendation

of the data on the study The Problems of small- medium Drugstore sized in Baliwag,

Bulacan and How they are properly managed.

Summary of Findings

In this research, entitled The Common Problem of the Small-Medium Sized

Drug Stores in Baliwag, Bulacan, the researchers were able to have an insight of what

an owner of small-medium drugstores in Baliwag, Bulacan is experiencing. The data

represented showed that most of the medium-sized drug stores owners in Baliwag,

Bulacan start their investments in the range of 151,000- 200,000. These drug store-

respondents are located in different places around Baliwag, Bulacan

It is not that easy to start up a business like this one. Like in any other businesses,

there will always be some problems that a businessman will encounter. There are also

different effects depending upon how a working businessman perceive and manage these

problems to perform well and give the most for their daily customers.

1. What are the problems of Small Medium Sized drugstores in Baliwag, Bulacan?

Data showed that almost all of the respondents are experiencing the expiration of

medicines before it were sold. Also, problems regarding shortage of inventories are also

present as well as the problems regarding issuance of medicine without prescription and

26
higher prices compared to others. Problems with regards to customer complaints, staffs,

loss of customers and financials are also present but only in few of them.

2. What are the solutions being practiced by these drugstores?

As the results showed, they practiced a lot of solutions but with different levels.

Among those which are strictly practiced are the first in, first out disposal of medicines,

having more choices of medicines than their competitor, checking medicines expiration

regularly, having a manual list of medicines, conducting employees training for good

customer relations and issuance of receipts for every transaction. Slightly practiced are

the settings of prices of medicines lower than their competitors, installing a POS

program, having a staff assigned only for checking inventories, having a CCTV camera

inside the store and the transferring of store location to another. Borrowing money from

financial institutions, family or relatives belong to those which are never practiced at all.

3. What are the different strategies being practiced by Small - Medium Sized

drugstores to be more competitive?

As the results showed there was none of the strategies was strictly practiced

however, they slightly practice the strategies of setting quotas to motivate employees,

giving incentives or bonuses to employee, giving pamphlets or flyers, giving free check-

up to loyal customer, putting tarpaulins in strategic locations, making sure that medicines

are always available and they always make sure that employees are approachable and

knowledgeable about the medicines while giving discounts and promos to customers

were never practiced by small-medium sized drugstore in Baliwag, Bulacan.

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Conclusions

Based on the findings of the study, the researchers concluded that starting up a

drug store business doesnt need a large capital. You just have to consider some things

like the location. However, there will always be some problems that we cannot prevent

from happening. But as all people say, in every problem there is a thousand solutions.

Just keep in mind that whats most important above anything else is the safety of the

customers. A store owner must first consider its customers, they must provide what their

customers need and want. Another importance must also be given to those who work for

the business, the staffs. They must be given the right compensation and benefits.

With regards to the strategies and promotion, the researchers find out that there is

a tight competition between these small-medium sized drug stores. One factor is their

location, their nearness to one another. Though these stores did not strictly implement

some strategies to promote their stores, the researchers could conclude that every one of

these drug stores is eager to win the loyalty of their everyday customer.

Recommendations

The researchers therefore recommend to those who want to put up a drug store to

considerations everything before starting the business. They must look for a more

strategic location where they can have more customers.

The researcher also recommend to them to have a pharmacist who will be always

in the store to check all the medicines and prescriptions to their customers.

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 Also for those who already have their drug stores, the researchers recommend to

them to implement rules or strategies for promoting their stores as strictly as possible.

That way, they can possibly have more customers and will make them loyal to their

stores.

The researchers also recommend to those who owns and to those who want to

own a drug store to always look for their staffs needs. Are they getting the right amount

of compensation and benefit, do you have a good employer-employee relationship. That

way, they can have a good foundation and trust for one another and can also lessen the

possibility of having a theft employee.

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 References

Book

WG Mangold, G Brockway . Journal of Small Business Management, 2005

Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Companies.2006.Principles and Applications. 6th edition.

Unpublished Thesis

Arceo-Rubio. Level of satisfaction of some selector employees of Cj Corporation (2015)

Internet

A SIMULATION-BASED STUDY PLAN FOR PHARMACY MANAGEMENT

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http://www.nedsi.org/proc/2010/proc/p091120002.pdf

Queuing Theory and Practice: A Source of Competitive Advantage

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Consumer response to retailer use of cause-related marketing: Is more fit better?

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022435907000310

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Opportunities
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https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-6643484/the-sales-conversion-

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Theories of Leaning on Educational Psychology

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http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/humanist/maslow.html

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