Technological University of the Philippines

Ayala Blvd. cor. San Marcelino St., Ermita, Manila

College of Engineering
Civil Engineering Department

BES 4 – M
Engineering Management

Assignment No. 1
Case 1: ALMA ELECTRONICS: I’ll Dream of You

Submitted by:
De Jesus, Ralph Jerard L.
BSCE-3A
TUPM-19-1621

Submitted to:
Engr. Arnolfo Arcibal

Date of Submission:
October 7, 2021
 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 (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 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 10x15 meters
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 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. 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. Chan’s 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.
 CASE ANALYSIS

This is a story about a businessman named Mr. Mallari. He started small by selling
transistor radios and as time goes by, it grew little by little. After a few years, his business
already covered two parts, repair and sales, wherein he already has employees like sales ladies
for selling, and technicians for repairing parts. His goal back then was just to grow his business
gradually, until he was inspired by a friend named Mr. Chan. He saw how established and big his
friend’s company is, so he wanted to aim higher which started to change his perspective because
of that he now wants to aim higher and to also make a company that is well-established and
renowned like his friend’s.

This is where the problem of the story begins, wherein he desperately wants to be like his
friend, but he starts to realize that he’s already getting older. In that case, he now wants to put his
dream into his 3 children, thinking that they can turn it into reality. He also assumes that his
children is interested to whatever course he chooses for them. He considers sending them to an
engineering school, so that they will be the ones to continue his plan of creating a big company.
This is a big problem because this hasty decision making can turn into a more problematic
situation wherein his children will not perform the same way because the career they are taking
is not the path that they are passionate about. Doing something you don’t love is a very hard
thing to do.

For me, the case in this story is a form of mismanagement. Mr. Mallari didn’t consider
what his kids wants to pursue or what career they really want to take. I think, in order to solve
this kind of mismanagement, he should not jump into conclusions, and that he should consult his
children first to know what they truly want to be. In order to solve things like this one we should
have the characteristics of a good manager. Characteristics like being a good listener and
learning how to communicate by doing these things, we will get to know the person more. When
we become more open with each other, we also begin to understand each other which will in turn
help us attain good management.