Competitive Advantage of Small-Scale Soap-Making Companies of Metro Manila

Bismarck  M. Dela Rosa,

Competitive Advantage of Small-Scale Soap-Making Companies of Metro Manila

Abstract:

Soap is the most popularly used detergent for washing and for general cleaning purposes In the Philippines specially in Metro Manila, where busy people have limited time in choosing the best brand of soap in the market. Some just look for soap with a popular brand which offers a lot of benefits and which is reasonably priced. The availability or demand for soap either powder, bar, or liquid depends on the average usage of the people within Metro Manila. This area has a large population and basically uses these 3 kinds of soap products and with this large demand, the number of suppliers of producers has definitely increased. Such multinational, medium and small-scale (including household) soap makers are forced to be competitive in all aspects of operation. The competition exists only in Metro Manila and most multinational and medium producers have enough capacity to supply soap in other areas of the Philippines.

The researcher used the descriptive/technical analysis method in presenting the data gathered from 100 respondents composed of different small-scale soap factory employees and employers 21 to 45 years old. The descriptive research describes a behaviour or condition. The data are collected using questionnaires, observations and/or interviews.

Other small-scale producers need to be competitive in any aspect of the operation in order to survive or probably penetrate the market. In this study, the factors being considered were the product itself to primarily serve the basic needs of the customer, the capacity to supply the market if the demand is increased, the sales needed to generate much income, the market style or strategy to promote the product, and finally the management approach that provides efficient operation together with some factors like environmental concern which is one of the regulatory requirements in soap and soap products manufacturing.