CASE 1.

ALMA ELECTRONICS: Ill dream of you

Mr. Andy Mallari opened a small shop selling transistor radios in 1979. His
store was located at one corner (Gen. Luna St.) of the entire stretch of Burgos
Avenue, the main thoroughfare of Cabanatuan City.
The demand for electronic parts made him carry a wide assortment parts that
are used in the assembly and maintenance of radios, tape recorders, amplifiers, and
various related appliances.
By 1990, Mr. Mallari was able to save enough money for the purchase of a
300 square meter lot along Del Pilar Street. He constructed a 10x15 meters twostorey building on the lot. The ground floor is used as his store where sales are
made to customers which grew in number month after month. The second floor is
used as his residence.
Mr. Mallari thinks that he can duplicate his feat in the other big towns of San
Jose City, Gapan, and Guimba. He has already started operating his stores in those
towns and sales are already picking up. His current operations cover sales and
repair. There are five sales ladies in Cabanatuan attending to the various needs of
the customers. Those who bring their appliances for repair are served by one of the
six technicians. The parts used come from the stocks maintained at the store.
Those who purchase parts from the store consist of technicians from the
various towns of Nueva Ecija. Sometimes, the technicians send somebody to do the
purchasing of parts.
Mr. Mallaris perspective has changed drastically after he met his former
classmate Estelito Chan in a class reunion at Araullo University. Mr. Chan has a wellestablished appliance assembly plant in Manila. He indicated that he did not start
big but rather as a subcontractor for a large assembly plant. Slowly, Mr. Chans
business picked up until he was able to establish his own factory.
Mr. Mallari thinks that he can follow the footsteps of his friend. As he is
already 47 years old and his oldest child is about ready to enter college, he thinks
this is the best time for him to consider sending his son to an engineering school.
His decision will center on which school and which engineering course. He feels that
his children are keenly interested in whatever career he will ask them to take.
Mr. Mallari has three sons, all belonging to the top ten in their respective
classes. He thinks all three have the potential to help him realize his dream of
establishing his own assembly plant. His immediate concern now is to identify the
right college courses for his children.