Special Feature
A SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
At Lazz Pharma, customers get what they deserve a friendly service, good price and top quality products.
Economist Milton Friedman, in a 1970 essay, opined that a business as a whole cannot be said to have social responsibilities, even in a vague sense—only people have responsibilities. Well, at Lazz Pharma, a leading pharmacy of the country, both the business itself and the people have responsibilities. The morale of this well-reputed enterprise filters from top down. Morale is faith in the man on the top—and it is evident in every employee who works at one of its four branches. “If someone is honest and hardworking and has people's best interests in mind, he has the blessings from above and is bound to prosper,” says Mohammed Lutfor Rahman, the owner, with conviction. His words are not just empty rhetoric—his pharmacy makes just 1 percent profit on cancer medicines and does not sell any kind of narcotics. If a customer needs any— for example, if a pregnant woman requires Pethidine for her delivery—they buy it from another pharmacy and sell it to the customer.
If you have ever bought medicine from one of its branches at Kalabagan, Panthopath, Pallobi and Uttara, it is likely that you have been a satisfied customer. You are greeted nicely as soon as you walk in, you do not have to wait unattended for long, you get a good price and above all, you know that the medicine you are buying is of the highest quality. At any given hour of the day, their stores are packed with people some of whom are second generation customers.
The secrets behind its phenomenal success are simple: well defined training for the employees, intensive control of how employees interact with customers, high quality of products, and reasonable prices. “I have some principles that I live by as long as running the business is concerned—proper storage for the preservation of medicines, reasonable pricing, and quality,” says Rahman. Behind the scene, the management keeps a tight lid on how they operate. Farzana Shahnaz Majid has been a customer for the last ten years. She says, “The quality of service they have maintained is unparallel. The staff treats all customers equally. No one has to wait for long for service. In most of the stores salespeople are rude. But here they are nice. Anwar Hossain is a gifted person who makes sure that everything runs smoothly.”
Anwar Hossain came to work as a domestic help at Lutfor Rahman's house in 1983. Seeing his potential, Lutfor Rahman's wife suggested he be employed at the store instead. Today he is the General Manager of the company, supervising 127 employees. Although he does not have a university degree, he knows by heart the generic name or chemical ingredients of 98 percent of the 3000 brands of medicines they carry. His work ethic comes from the belief that work has a moral benefit. “Ever since I joined here, I have not closed the store even for a day. I worked 8 hours on Eid.”
At Lazz Pharma, the morale of the employees filters from the top down. Photo: Prabir Das
The company faces tough competition but still, it is considered a pioneer among pharmacies in many aspects. The Panthopath branch is open 24 hours. In addition to conventional medicines, they carry herbal, veterinary and prophetic medicines. A recent addition of health foods, confectionary and toiletries has made the stores more attractive to customers. They have home delivery to certain areas of Dhaka and delivery by courier service to the rest of the country. Zaid Iqbal, a customer for the last two decades, says, “Rare medicines are available here at reasonable prices. When my mother in law was diagnosed with cancer, we brought medicines for her from the States. But sometimes the supplies would get delayed. Anwar would go out of his way to help us. He would consult with the doctor and suggest alternatives.”
Mohammed Lutfor Rahman believes that a business that is socially viable is also commercially viable. Photo: Prabir Das
At sunset on December 31, 1971, Lutfor Rahman got down from a bus from Jessore, his native town, at the bus stop near the New Market. With little money and a newlywed wife by his side, all the 22-year-old had was the address of Bazlur Rahman, a childhood friend and a dream of making it big. “What you make will be enough for both of us,” he told a worried Bazlur Rahman who worked in the weather office. Bazlur started looking for jobs for him. But business was in his blood. His father had a thriving jute business which the Pakistani military destroyed during the Liberation War. Lutfor Rahman started buying different kinds of merchandise from one place and selling them at another for a small profit. One day his wife became “ill”. He took her to a doctor. When the results came out, the doctor started laughing. “You are going to be a father,” announced the doctor happily. The doctor, impressed with his polite manners and determination to excel, gave him a job as a supplier of medicine to a couple of companies. That was the start.
He would go from one shop to another on his bicycle, buy medicine at a cheap price and then sell at a profit. In 1972, he established a pharmacy in partnership called Shotodal Medical Store. “Within one year I got out and established Lazz Pharma in Kolabagan in 1974,” he recalls. The rest is history.
It is said that if your business keeps you so busy that you have no time for anything else, there must be something wrong, either with you or with your business. Lutfor Rahman certainly has time for great things other than running a successful business. At 63, he is also an accomplished author of several best-selling books. His book Khonj has been made into an acclaimed film by Chashi Nazrul Islam. Amriter Shondhane, sort of a guide book for those who go to Mecca for Hajj, is in its eighth edition. Just opposite Lazz Pharma on the banks of Dhanmondi Lake, he has planted medicinal trees like Arjun, Bahera, Haritaki and Amalaki.
Anwar Hossain's work ethic comes from the belief that work has a moral benefit. Photo: Prabir Das
In 1992, he immigrated to Canada to try his luck in a developed country. Always a businessman, he established a convenience store there. However, his love for the country did not let him live there for long. He came back alone leaving his family behind as his two children were attending school there. Later on, he persuaded his son to return home and help him with the family business. He said to his son, “It is not only a business, but also a service to the country. I owe everything I have to this country. So why not give something back?” Lutfor Rahman is one of the few who has always done what he preaches—serving fellow human beings in whatever capacity he has. During the Liberation War, in India, he worked in a Langar Khana that fed Bengali refugees.
Some believe that business is merely utilitarian, it does not enrich or ennoble a human life. Throughout his life Lutfor Rahman has proved that notion wrong. Under his stewardship, Jessore Zilla Shamiti of which he is the secretary has undertaken a project to build a shelter for disadvantaged people of the Jessore area who come to Dhaka for medical treatment. Construction of a modern eye hospital, his pet project will soon start at a location just 16 kilometres from Russel Square toward Savar. There is much to be learned from a man like him, especially at a time when greed rules the business world. Lutfor Rahman shows that a business that is socially viable is also commercially viable and that a commercial enterprise can be profitable by serving a cause greater than its business interests alone.
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