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Look for these traits in successful team players
It was a cold winter. The hedgehogs, realizing the situation, decided to bunch together to keep warm. However, the quills from each hedgehog pierced their next-door neighbors, so they decided to move apart. But then they started to freeze and die alone, so they made the decision to cuddle back together and live with the…
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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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How did we go?
The codeine debacle has come and gone, and I’m not sure if our profession has come out of this squeaky clean. Judging by the number of media queries around the place, it’s timely to look back and see if this issue could have been handled better. And those enquiries and still coming. In retrospect, might…
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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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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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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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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…
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Appreciation increases your value
A man attending a seminar on interpersonal relationships became convinced of the need for him to begin showing appreciation to people. His family seemed like an appropriate place to start. So on his way home, he picked up a dozen long-stem roses and a box of chocolates. This was going to be a real surprise,…