Due to the changes in the environment of pharmacy industry, consumers have slowly altered their mode of consumption from going to the pharmacy for the treatment of illness to going there for the enhancement of health. Products used to be the key concern in traditional pharmacies of which the sales-oriented objective results in seeking for the sales of products, but now pharmacies tend to adopt a multifunctional managing strategy, which is demand-oriented aiming at the fulfillment of customer needs by providing the best-selling products while eliminating the dead stock. The transformation of the mode of consumption fosters the managers of pharmacies to identify the importance of multifunction, professionalism, convenience, chain operation, and computerization. This research adopts both open-ended and focused one-on-one interviews. It examines the factors that would influence the success of strategic coalition between pharmacies in their inner and outer context, and also the discrepancy in the recognition of factors affecting the success of strategic coalition in this industry in different areas. By means of this approach, this research sums up the key factors leading to successful strategic coalition in different areas. The key factors that need to be considered when conducting strategic coalition between pharmacies are obtained through case studies, and these factors are: ¡§the making of governmental policies,¡¨ ¡§the reputation of pharmacies in strategic coalition,¡¨ ¡§an excellent team for business development,¡¨ ¡§developing private brands with a high quality and a low price,¡¨ ¡§the establishment of the web,¡¨ ¡§the administrating and distributing system between businesses,¡¨ ¡§the stipulation of marketing strategies and objectives,¡¨ ¡§the application of finance,¡¨ and ¡§the privacy and trust between businesses.¡¨ Due to the geographical difference among the northern, the central, and the southern areas, chain pharmacies in the north prefer indirect franchise through which all businesses can distribute products together to lower their cost in their market distribution, while in the central area chain pharmacies are usually made of one or two pharmacies, collaborating with each other to create private brands. Pharmacies in the southern area achieve a common ideal through participating as a member in the social meeting for study and learning. ¡§Simplification,¡¨ ¡§standardization,¡¨ ¡§professionalism,¡¨ and ¡§centralization¡¨ must be achieved in strategic coalition between pharmacies with which the professional knowledge of the staff as well as their service would be strengthened to meet the customer needs. The strategic coalition between businesses in different areas requires mutual trust, but the sharing of interest, the information exchange, and how to achieve joint promotion, joint training, joint purchase, joint logo, as well as joint development are all serious issues that should also be dealt with.

Class of 2014 Abstract / Specific Aims: To increase the use of best practices by pharmacy preceptors within their own settings and to identify if live continuing education presentations are considered superior to other forms of CE presentation. Subjects: Pharmacists attending the “Quest for the Best: Best Practices for Pharmacy Preceptors” CE program at the Arizona Pharmacy Alliance 2013 Annual Convention. Methods: Surveys administered before, after, and 6 months following the CE program collected data concerning the use of syllabi for rotations, the type and quantity of expected projects, frequency of student oversight, and feedback opportunities. Follow-up surveys assessed preferred forms of CE delivery. A survey administered six months following the CE’s conclusion identified changes made at the subjects’ sites as a result of the CE. Main Results: Surveys were completed by 20 pharmacy preceptors (mean years of experience = 5.95; SD = 5.36). 86% of the subjects preferred the live CE; 5% would have preferred the CE be delivered as a webinar. Chi-square testing found no statistically significant difference between pre-CE use of syllabus, frequency of student monitoring, and frequency of given feedback compared to 6-months post-CE (p = 0.59, 0.57, 0.30 respectively). Conclusion: The CE program did not demonstrate a difference among attending pharmacy preceptors in incorporating a syllabus at their site, altering monitoring of student, or time provided for feedback. Live CE was found to be the most desired at imparting best practices to pharmacy preceptors. 86% of responders reported changing their site practices as a result of the CE presentation.