Case 1.

ALMA ELECTRONICS: I'll Dream of You

Mr. Andy Mallari opened a small shop selling transistor radios in 1979. His store was located at
one corner (General 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 of 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 10-meter x 15-meter two-storey
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 salesladies 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. Mallari's
perspective has changed drastically after he met his former classmate Estelito Chan in a class
reunion at Araullo University. Mr. Chan has a well-established 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. 18 Chan's business picked up until he was able to establish his own factory.
Mr. Mallari thinks that he can follow in 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.