According to Investopedia.com (2015), corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a corporation’s initiatives to assess and take responsibility for the company’s effects on environmental and social wellbeing. More specifically, CSR involves a business identifying its stakeholder groups and incorporating their needs and values within the strategic planning. Failing to be “responsible” is regarded as a business risk. On the other hand, too responsible is also a risk (Klein, 2012). Thus, effective CSR is important to increase competitive advantage, increase sales, mitigate risks, enhance reputation, and contribute to business results to align the company with its business purpose and values (Ragan, Chase, & Karim, ,2015). Walgreens is the second-largest …show more content…
retail pharmacy chain in the United States. We provide services ranging from prescription medications, health and wellness products, beauty products, and photo services. Walgreens headquarter is located in Deerfield, Illinois. As of August 31, 2016, Walgreens operate a total of 8,175 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands. Walgreens’ purpose is to champion everyone’s right to be happy and healthy (Walgreens Mission, n.d.). Through corporate social responsibility, it enables Walgreens to do what is fair and beneficial to others (Social Responsibility, n.d.). Walgreens’s CSR are divided many pillars: community services, environmental sustainability, supplier diversity and disability inclusion, and product integrity.
Since 2013, Walgreens donated $100 million and teamed up with AARP to provide free screening for today’s leading diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart diseases. Through Take-a-shot, Give-a-shot program, Walgreens has partnered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide more than $10 million in preventative vaccination annually to uninsured and underserved patients. Lastly, Walgreens’ local community leaders create many programs for the community such as fundraising walks and toy drives to raise awareness as well as raising money for local and national organizations (Community Social Responsibility, …show more content…
n.d.). Through environmental sustainability, Walgreens created many projects such as Green Projects, Recycling, and Energy Savings.
In Energy Savings, Walgreens installed active rooftop solar panels to provide 15 to 20 percent of power at Walgreens stores. In addition, any stores are redesigned to reduce energy consumptions. Walgreens also installed electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to many stores across the country to help meeting the needs of customers who embrace environmental sustainability. Lastly, recycling program reduce the use of plastic packaging and recycling cardboard to help save the environment. More importantly, Walgreens also teamed up with Feeding America and local food banks by giving unused merchandise new life (Environmental Sustainability, n.d.). In supplier diversity, Walgreens partnered up with many small businesses by promoting entrepreneurship. In fiscal year 2016, Walgreens documented approaching $2 billion in combined spend with small business, minority, and women owned businesses. Walgreens also create strong commitment to equal opportunity through disability inclusion. As a result, these efforts enabled individuals with disabilities the opportunities to perform work standard across variety of work settings (Disability Inclusion,
n.d.). Lastly, through product integrity, Walgreens is committed to ensure the quality and safety of the products they offer for sale. With stringent requirements and proactively work with vendors, Walgreens identified and addressed areas of opportunity for improving product safety, integrity, and transparency. Additionally, Walgreens’ own brand, Oology, is the first retailer brand offered nationally that is formulated to be free of chemicals of concern (Product Integrity, n.d.). Altogether, Walgreens CSR allow the company to increase competitive advantage, increase sales, and enhance reputation that contribute to the company’s success and align with the organization’s goals and visions.
This paper draws on primary source information provided by 2014 Walgreens Annual Report, 2013-2014 Alliance Boots Annual Report, 2014 CVS Annual Report, and published prescription reimbursement rates of England, France, and Germany. Additionally there is secondary source material. As the first firm to ever state that their firm’s definition is that they are the first global pharmacy-led, health, and wellbeing Corporation, the literature review on the subject is not even present. Thus this literature review is of the inputs that comprise how can Walgreens Boots Alliance make the global healthcare delivery model profitable?
Since 1901, Walgreens has had a strong passion for customer service. The founder, Charles Walgreens, goal was to create a drugstore that was like no other. He said that for as many drugstores as he had worked at, he had never worked for one that had a focus for good customer service and low prices. Walgreens has grown by leaps and bounds since 1901 and is now recognized as the leader in the market with over 7000 stores. Charles Walgreen had an eye for good managers. He said he was able to pick people that he knew were smarter than him so to promote them and make them the heads of his drugstores. As a store manager, not only is it your job to run a store which includes ordering, customer care, and inventory control, but also it is your job to manage the staff. As a part of managing staff, it is their responsibility to hire, train and develop, and terminate if need be. While there are many jobs to choose from when it comes to HR and employee staffing, I choose this one because it is by far to me the most intense.
Walgreens ensures to have high quality products and solutions by making it convenient for clients to get in and out with what they actual need, enhancing its beauty products and stimulate the convergence of health care by putting everything together. In addition, by utilizing over-the counter health service and providing wellness products, the company helps its customer to find more seamless solutions. Employees are trained to make friends and build relationship internally with their customer. Beyond accelerating the products in the physical store, delivering well experiences to customers also need highly engaged employees offer superior customer care in every community. In addition to provide outstanding customer service in retail stores, the company started a piloting program where people are able to order their prescriptions through phone and takes advantage of convenient curbside pick up. In essence, this action partly shifts Walgreens from a retailer to a service based organization. As a result, through the functional strategy in the company, customers can undergo the differential shopping experiences compared to other drugstore in the industry, and the company can improve its positive reputation and customer
Partnering with Vendors. In April 2013, Walgreens has entered into an innovative long-term partnership with AmerisourceBergen, one of North’s America’s largest pharmaceutical services companies (“Walgreens and Alliance Boots Announce Strategic,” 2013). The relationship has provided Walgreens and AmerisourceBergen benefits from greater opportunities to improve their service levels and efficiencies, while reducing costs and increasing patient access to pharmaceuticals (“Walgreens and Alliance Boots Announce Strategic,” 2013). Also, Linda Filler, chief merchandising officer at Walgreens, delivers a presentation that she loved partnering with suppliers at the 2015 NACDS Annual Meeting in Palm Beach (Walden, 2015).
Walgreens was founded in 1901 and provides convenient access to consumer goods and services, pharmacy, health and wellness services (Walgreens.com). Walgreens has a conglomerate diversification business strategy which means they expand not only in pharmacy services but unrelated businesses such as health care clinics and in some areas Walgreens hosts 800 E.V. chargers. This type of business strategy helps to minimize risks due to fluctuations in one industry (Bateman, Snell 85). This type of corporate strategy is working very well for the Walgreens organization. The ability to service customer’s needs in a variety of needs is significant to a successful business. The Mission of Walgreens, “To be the most trusted, convenient multichannel provider and advisor of innovative pharmacy, health and wellness solutions, and customer goods and services in communities across America. A destination where health and happiness come together to help people get well, stay well and live well,” (Walgreens.com). This mission statement can be seen throughout the organization. The front line clerks are exceptionally helpful when a customer needs to locate an item, as well as the pharmacy staff explaining the directions of prescriptions to the patients.
Walmart was the first organization to introduce product life cycles for all of its products. This caused its competitors to follow shortly after. Walmart reasoned that by providing product life cycles, it provided the company with sustainability factors which they could use to track the movement of products. How does sustainability affect Walmart’s bottom line? With sustainability, Walmart can see what products consumers want more of and could have those products readily available at all time and in all locations for their loyal customers. Today, Walmart’s technology has become the key enabler for customer service. The lifecycle
In October, Scott announced a preposterously ambitious goal to transform Wal-Mart into a company that runs on 100 percent renewable energy and produces zero waste. Since then, he has impressed greens with specific commitments to cut the corporation's greenhouse-gas emissions by 20 percent over the next seven years, double the fuel efficiency of its truck fleet within 10 years, reduce solid waste from U.S. stores by 25 percent in the next three years, and double offerings of organic foods this spring, selling them at prices more affordable to the masses.
Walgreens corporate idea first choice was in health and daily living for everyone in America, and beyond. They provided more than 6 million customers the most convenient access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America (Wagner, 2013). Walgreens choice of pharmacy services includes retail, medical facility, mail service, and specialty services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public.
These days’ people are interested in the latest technologies more than in past times. So, the demand and supply of Walgreens products will remain at high level for a long period, which in turn will have the impact on the country 's economy. Walgreens does not have to fear its competitors because they all use factories with similar cost structures and labor practices. On the contrary, they are likely to be afraid of them, since its market power and higher profitability rates provide it with the opportunity to take the initiative in changing industry practices, which other companies would be pressured to emulate the effectiveness of the system would require the two groups to play key leadership roles large better bridges between private profit and public
Inventory Control and Material Management: One of the largest Drugstore chain Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) saw net deals for the 2015 second from last quarter were $28.8 billion, an increment of 48.4% versus the practically identical quarter in the former year. Amid the quarter, the WBA put $247 million in capital consumption, making a sum of $890 million for the initial nine months of the year. Contributing to drive future development is the organization's first need for capital arrangement, both as far as capital consumption and specific M&A, as per WBA. "Key territories for capital speculation keep on being store ventures and in addition IT and advanced capacities, which are basic to fabricating and keeping up a maintainable upper
Tangible benefits were not the only benefits Walgreens saw, they also saw intangible benefits. For example, Walgreens is known for hiring those with disabilities. In doing so they are creating good perceptions of their company to current and potential customers. This can lead to tangible benefits like increased sales.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the set of regulations that an organization makes to protect and increase the society in which it functions. There are three areas of social responsiblity: Organizational stakeholders, the natural environment and general social welfare.
While keeping in mind they are a business which rely on profits. Walmart is a popular company that is known for their low prices. This corporation is also known for giving back to communities by making charitable contributions of 100,000 grants annually, as well providing disaster relief to various countries burdened by disasters and donated $100 million dollars to neighborhoods and law enforcement agencies. They also provide employees with college grants to obtain a two or four year college degree, Walmart is investing in their employees by giving them an advantage in their future. Walmart has also found ways to reduce waste by creating materials that are nontoxic and are recyclable friendly. With the use of sustainability, strategic philanthropy, causing marketing, shared values and stakeholder that is why this company was ranked number one by Forbes list in
There was a great article, written by Advocacy Editors titled “Whirlpool Corporation: Invested in Diversity” (September 3, 2013), that goes into great detail explaining how Whirlpool maintains its diverse workplace. Whirlpool employs more than twenty-two thousand workers in the United States, which puts in perspective just how massive this corporation truly is. The article speaks on Whirlpool’s support of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community, and their efforts to make sure they experience a friendly and accepting work environment. In an attempt to create a more accepting and tolerant work environment, Whirlpool has been holding seminars for its employees, praising the importance of diversity in the workplace. Whirlpool
Walgreens is a well-known pharmacy name that has been around for years and there is a store on every corner in the city. Many people go there daily to get their medications refilled, food, and other supplies as needed. Another plus for the customers is the company made most Walgreens flexible and open twenty-four hours a day to the public. This is a convenience for the customers and their personal needs. However, Walgreens has announced it will partnering with another drugstore chain by the name of Alliance Boots. The brand name is known as a British pharmacy and the partnering is in hopes of lowering taxes for the company. After the American people found out Walgreens plans they decided not to relocate the main office, but still partner with