Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 12500 words

Dissertation Example This study suggests that the explanation as to how information systems contribute to the performance and competitive advantage of the firm may lie within the specific responses, and competitive actions that the firm participates in or the role information systems play in the competitive dynamics of the firm (Eisenhardt 2004). Kenya and most African countries have one thing in common; they all have a large health provision gap, which is growing each year. This provision gap is prevalent mostly in the urban areas. This arises due to rural-urban migration since young men, and women move to urban areas in search of employment. This movement to urban areas has led to the over stretching of the available and limited health facilities. Due to this, many dispensing chemists that at times act as clinics have sprung up in almost every estate, surburb in the city. The health provision gap can be supplemented through such dispensing chemists and pharmacies. Moreover, many households cannot affor d to pay medical bills at the hospitals and see this as a cheaper way of meeting their medical needs. Capital Chemist is one of those dispensing chemists that operate within Nairobi with the aim of making medical supplies such as drugs, and equipment readily and cheaply available. It also offers services such as laboratory tests. It aims to support and reduce the health gap that exists in Kenya, especially the urban areas. Capital Chemist has over 50 employees and has been operating in the pharmacy market in the country for the last 5 years. Its drug dispensing division is one of the most profitable of the overall venture. Despite increasing competition from other dispensing chemists and pharmacies, Capital has maintained a strong position in the drug dispensing market thanks to its attractive, long operating hours, and the variety of drugs and medical equipment it offers. Even though the popularity of Capitals’ long working hours and a variety of services, Capital has manage d to keep and attract more customers due to the strong customer relationship it has. It has also been able to achieve this through its high level of customer support. 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The Capital Chemist, herein referred to as ‘The Chemist’ is a pharmaceuticals drugs and medical equipment retail chain in Nairobi, Kenya. A registered pharmaceutical retail company was incorporated in 2007. It has branches in several parts of the city. Its presence manifests itself in almost every estate, in the city. Administratively the chemist is served through all its 12 branches across the city. It has its headquarters in Nairobi’s Central Business District. These branches aim at meeting the goals, and mission of the company. All operations are regulated and controlled by the headquarters in Nairobi. It aims at providing quality, readily available medical drugs to its client when needed and whenever needed. Synchronizing the management and operations of these branche s to ensure efficiency in service delivery, and profitability has become a nightmare. Currently each of the 12 branches has its own management system that is limited to point-of sale management only. The other process such as inventory management, price control, and diagnosis are manually handled using spreadsheets. Given that daily sales and purchase quantities are high and are forecast to increase, tracking and