Current Issue : January - March Volume : 2011 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 6 Articles
Background: Numerous not-for-profit pharmacies have been created to improve access to medicines for the poor, but many have failed due to insufficient financial planning and management. These pharmacies are not well described in health services literature despite strong demand from policy makers, implementers, and researchers. Surveys reporting unaffordable medicine prices and high mark-ups have spurred efforts to reduce medicine prices, but price reduction goals are arbitrary in the absence of information on pharmacy costs, revenues, and profit structures. Health services research is needed to develop sustainable and \"reasonable\" medicine price goals and strategic initiatives to reach them.\r\n\r\nMethods: We utilized cost accounting methods on inventory and financial information obtained from a not-for-profit rural pharmacy network in mountainous Kyrgyzstan to quantify costs, revenues, profits and medicine mark-ups during establishment and maintenance periods (October 2004-December 2007).\r\n\r\nResults: Twelve pharmacies and one warehouse were established in remote Kyrgyzstan with < US $25,000 due to governmental resource-sharing. The network operated at break-even profit, leaving little room to lower medicine prices and mark-ups. Medicine mark-ups needed for sustainability were greater than originally envisioned by network administration. In 2005, 55%, 35%, and 10% of the network's top 50 products revealed mark-ups of < 50%, 50-99% and > 100%, respectively. Annual mark-ups increased dramatically each year to cover increasing recurrent costs, and by 2007, only 19% and 46% of products revealed mark-ups of < 50% and 50-99%, respectively; while 35% of products revealed mark-ups > 100%. 2007 medicine mark-ups varied substantially across these products, ranging from 32% to 244%. Mark-ups needed to sustain private pharmacies would be even higher in the absence of government subsidies.\r\n\r\nConclusion: Pharmacy networks can be established in hard-to-reach regions with little funding using public-private partnership, resource-sharing models. Medicine prices and mark-ups must be interpreted with consideration for regional costs of business. Mark-ups vary dramatically across medicines. Some mark-ups appear \"excessive\" but are likely necessary for pharmacy viability. Pharmacy financial data is available in remote settings and can be used towards determination of \"reasonable\" medicine price goals. Health systems researchers must document the positive and negative financial experiences of pharmacy initiatives to inform future projects and advance access to medicines goals....
The purpose of this study is to examine the possible contributing factors associated with the emergence and growth of Chinese own brands in the grocery sector. This sector represents one of the most rapidly growing market segments in the country. The main method adopted in this qualitative study was in-depth interviews with a panel of sixteen Chinese retail experts using Shanghai, China as the geographic focus. Shanghai is appropriate because it leads China as a trend-setting location due to its economic activity with the West. A technique of thematic analysis was employed in the analysis. Four factors associated with the emergence and growth of Chinese grocery own brands have been identified. The results from the study are intended to offer guidance for future studies in the area of grocery own brand research in China and to build a basis for developing own brand strategy in the non-Western markets. The implications, limitations and directions of the study are also discussed. The study contributes to the literature for the own brand research portfolio in the emerging markets....
The paper examines two important elements in the development and effectiveness of horizontal business networks: governance and management. Case studies were conducted in three horizontal retailer networks in Germany with the aim of understanding how these networks are structured and which internal governance mechanisms support their development. Through secondary data and in-depth interviews, the study shows that the retail networks developed and implemented their own governance mechanisms and management structures to retain and attract a large number of members, facilitate strategic decision making and increase their effectiveness. The results highlight that governance structures are transitional and adapted according to specific contingencies. In the cases studied, the growth and effectiveness of the business networks have demanded changes in the governance structure, with greater autonomy for professional network managers. Although the retail network keeps its cooperative character, there is a trade-off, in which member-firms agree to delegate greater decision making power to managers in exchange for greater network efficiency and competitiveness....
The purpose of this study is threefold: 1) to provide an overview of Baskin-Robbins in Korea; 2) to introduce its three key operations management strategies; and 3) to explain its successful localization in Korea. BR-Korea has enjoyed high recognition and financial success by offering high-quality services and products to customers. The key reason behind its success has been its efforts to better understand its customers� needs. In other words, BR-Korea has clearly understood that, to achieve success, it must not only offer products of the highest quality but also meet the various expectations of its customers....
The research was started with the objective to “Study the buying behavior of Women in the city of Tiruchirappalli District”. The research was carried out with the view to analyze the buying behavior of women with respect to the age, marital status, occupation, professional status factors, etc. to identify the decision maker and the influencer for the purchase made by the women. With the set of objectives in mind, a structured – undisguised questionnaire was administered for a sample of 200 women from the few distinct geographical areas of the Tiruchirappalli city. With the help of the data collected the results were analyzed, tabulated, and interpreted. The inferences were drawn out with the help of the help of statistical analytical tools. From the findings few recommendable suggestions have been opined for the marketers and manufacturers to realize, understand and recognize Women as a lucrative consumer segment and start developing concepts and create products that are women centric, which would reap high growth potentials....
India has a wide range of textiles of varied designs, manufactured by different weaving techniques. Traditional hand woven Fancy Silk is the finest weaves of India and weaving is done in such a skilled way that makes the final cloth extremely translucent, very delicate, and light weight. Traditional hand-woven Fancy Silk sari is so much fine that, 300-340 Khats (a cross pattern design) makes the entire width and each Khat consist eight cotton yarns and six silk yarns. The designing is done through weft yarns which cannot be imitated by power looms. In power loom Fancy Silk sari there are only 240-280 Khats and warp yarn designing is done, which produce low quality and cheap imitated saris. Present study was conducted to know the awareness, preferences and buying behavior of women consumers, as these factors play a most important role in promotion of this art. The study results reveal very poor awareness regarding hand woven Fancy Silk, its hallmark. Floral mode of design, multicolour combinations, and hand embroidery value addition technique were most preferred. Shops were the purchasing venue and displays on shops were the motivating factor behind their choices....
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