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An Opportunity Opens Up – Will Pharmacy Leaders Grab It?
As pharmacists and coalface health practitioners we accumulate a lot of knowledge that other health practitioners do not have access to. This is because we are the only health profession that does not require a payment from a patient to access our physical pharmacy space. In addition, pharmacy culture has always allowed pro bono professional…
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Pro Bono Pharmacy Services Create a Social Dividend
Pharmacists have always embraced a culture where service provision for health problems have been provided free of charge to local communities, while the physical product that resulted as a solution to those health problems attracted a monetary value. In contrast, GP’s charged for their services (consultations) and basically avoided selling products. Given that pharmacists and…
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A New Year Brings Change
A new year often brings new beginnings. I was intrigued to discover how one company used a novel way to motivate employees to think about new ways of doing things. Here is the approach practiced by Chiyoji Misawa, who founded the largest home builder in Japan, Misawa Homes, more than 50 years ago. He “died”…
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Scotland’s Pharmacist Practitioner Champions
Perhaps it is because of my Scottish heritage, but I am continually dawn to the Scottish business model for community pharmacy, funded and developed in a genuine partnership between community pharmacists and government. One of its lesser publicised components is the funding of “Practitioner Champions”. It’s not a lot of money (£300,000 funding for this year),…
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Honesty, integrity, values – not optional
A dejected father confided in his pastor with a problem: his youngster had been caught cheating on a test at school. He was crushed, feeling like he had failed as a father, concerned it would saddle the child with a reputation for dishonesty. “The worst thing that can happen to a youngster starting school,” said the father,…
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MARKETING FOCUS -1. 2017 HAS BEEN A CHALLENGING TIME 2. BREAK FROM THE HERD 3. UNQUALIFIED SATISFACTION 4. UNTHINKING ARROGANCE 5. VALUE COMES AT A COST 6. THE GREAT DIVIDE – THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
1. 2017 HAS BEEN A CHALLENGING TIME Another year is about to conclude. It has been a challenging time. 2017 has seen numerous business floored, and highlighted the flaws of many others. A lack of true, integrated strategic plans, inflexibility, poor malleability and out-dated, expensive business models have contributed to contracting sales, squeezed margins and inadequate…
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Why do we need a sense of urgency?
The founder of a highly successful company was asked what it took to succeed. He answered: “The same thing it took to get started; a sense of urgency about getting things done.” The people who make things happen share the same sense of urgency. Ask any entrepreneur to list the keys to getting their company off…
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The Productivity Commission Recommendation to decouple pharmacists from dispensing mirrors a progressive Scottish community pharmacy culture
Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) is the organisation which represents community pharmacy owners throughout Scotland in almost every aspect of their working lives, and is the voice of these vital healthcare professionals north of the English Border, as they deliver pharmaceutical care to the people of Scotland. It is therefore, the Scottish equivalent of the Pharmacy…
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The Paradise Papers – Tax Evasion by The World’s “Elite” and a Payments System that buys “Decisions”
Recently, a leak of 13.4 million documents showed the scale of an offshore empire that involved a large number of the “rich and famous” that includes everyone from the Queen to Facebook. The leak has been titled “The Paradise Papers” and manifests as a special investigation by 96 media partners worldwide, (and includes Australia’s Four…
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Analysis of new and Existing Global Retail Market Entrants and Their Effect on all retailers and Australian Pharmacy, and the Privatisation of Health
Indications are that at least two global retailers are in the process of setting up shop in Australia – Amazon, and the German-based Kaufland group (both having selected distribution sites in Melbourne), and a third, Costco, recently arrived in Australia, has major expansion plans. Aldi, established in Australia since the year 2000, has significantly altered…