Introduction Taking an organization from good to great is not an easy feat. In fact, it is quite rare because many great companies were already great to begin with. There was not journey, they did not start off as good; they were simply great all along. The reason it is so difficult to transition from good to great is because many people are satisfied with good. Good is, well, good enough. There is no need to become great. Of course, there is always an exception to the rule. In his book “Good to Great” Jim Collins tells us what it takes for a company to make the leap and transition from good to great. For the purposes of this paper, Walgreens will be the focus. The paper will discuss how Walgreens turned from good to great in all …show more content…
In the case of Walgreens, that meant getting out of the restaurant business. This could not have been an easy decision for Cork as some of the restaurants were even named after him. Also, Walgreens invented the chocolate malt so it was not as if they were unsuccessful in the restaurant business, (Collins, J., 2001). What it came down to was that in order to be the best at what they did, Walgreens had to focus on just one business – the one they did best – and that was the convenience drugstore business. Cork’s decision was not popular among the other leaders within the organization but Cork was successful at getting the rest of the executives on board with his decision. Within five years Walgreens was completely out of the restaurant business and able to put all of their focus into their …show more content…
The technology Walgreens put into place helped to accelerate their success and put them well ahead of their competitors. The developed an “application of satellite communications and computer network technology, tailored to the unique needs of specific demographics and locations. A big investment on a satellite system that links stores together, like one giant web of a single corner pharmacy” (Collins, J., 2001). “It's important to let technology he a resource for you. We see it as another tool in our tool belt to help us he more efficient,” (The CEO and the Future of Technology, 2004). The technology was used as a tool to aid them in becoming the best and making their lives easier. They did not utilize technology for the sake of utilizing technology; they utilized the tools that were at their fingertips to make them
This article from the Harvard Business Review was an intriguing piece on how an established organization has to change their mindset in order to change their organization. Campbell Soup Company has been a heavyweight in the food industry for over 145 years. The article portrays how Campbell Soup began to fall behind its competitors and needed to change. They did this in two very important ways. Decision making and courage were the two aspects of the company that they changed in order to grow within their industry.
Although this force has the least concern, it might be the key for Walgreens to position itself as the number one pharmacy retailer. Currently, Walgreens cannot rival the overall cost leadership strategy like Walmart. Walgreens has offered the differentiated medical services that customers can find convenience. However, if Walgreens can lower bargaining power of its suppliers, Walgreens would be able to use combination strategy that integrate overall low cost and differentiation together. The combination or hybrid strategy has been proven that can remain successfully better than overall low cost and differentiation strategies alone (Baroto et al.,
With the Walgreen's proposed acquisition of Rite Aid, we posed 3 questions to our members. Here are the questions and the results:
Mr. Walgreen knew if he was going to be successful in the pharmacy business, he had to learn as much as he could from other pharmacists. Mr. Walgreen worked a series of jobs with the top leading pharmacists named Samuel Rosenfeld, Max Grieben, William G. Valentine, and Isaac W. Blood. However, Mr. Walgreen found that these pharmacists were teaching him old fashioned complacent methods of running a drugstore. He asked himself, “where was the selection of goods that customers really wanted and what about the customer service?” Mr. Walgreen c...
Roberts, Bryan. Berg, Natalie. Walmart: Key Insights and Practical Lessons from the World's Largest Retailer. Kogan Page Limited, 2012. Print.
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.
There is a lot that goes into being a successful company, and making the Fortune 500 list is most every business owner’s dream. Sam Walton is credited with being the founder and first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Wal-Mart. Walton and other CEO’s of the company were able to shape the success of Wal-Mart by implementing strategies that would revolutionize the way retail stores do business, all while pushing Wal-Mart to the top spot on the Fortune 500 list. This paper looks at a few different strategies Walton implemented that ultimately benefitted the company to increase revenue. How did Wal-Mart become the retail giant that it is today? T.A. Frank of Washington Monthly gives a brief history of Wal-Mart in his article Everyday Low Vices.
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
When Jim Kilts showed up at Gillette in 2001, the first outsider to run the Boston-based company in more than 70 years, he found a business with great brands losing market share. Its acquisitions of Duracell and Braun were not delivering. Sales and earnings were flat, the company had missed its earnings estimates for 15 straight quarters, the stock had plummeted, and Wall Street had lost patience. Yet two-thirds of the top managers were getting top ratings. People were being rewarded for effort; performance, under Mr. Kilts regime, became the new measure.
We strive to be the number one provider in the United States by investing not only in our company and technological advancements, but also in the communities in which we serve. Whether our customers are new to this world or our veterans, we know that our company can provide them with the newest and most effective products and services, while promoting the healthy communities in which they live. Through our valued employees, CVS is able to provide quality services and quality products. Retail Pharmacy Growth Strategy: CVS has managed to grow considerably in the past few years with the help of acquisition of beneficial companies and integrated the operations of these companies by creating synergy to drive higher margin and greater economies of scope. CVS is building more and more pharmacy stores in convenient locations.
To demonstrate the above stated principles this researcher chose two companies. I chose Wal-Mart as my visionary company within the mass-market discount retailing industry. I chose Target Corporation as my comparison company since it serves the same market as Wal-Mart and has been doing business for a similarly long time. Based on the research presented, Wal-Mart has clearly out performed Target in all categories that lead an organization toward visionary status.
In business, the mantra that success comes to those who can recover from setbacks is widespread all over the world. One of the organizations that poignantly illustrate this element is Costco. Costco is a warehouse firm that was founded in 1976 in San Diego. Although many people may envy the company as its owners enjoy huge success in the warehouse and retail industry, what the majority of individuals do not know is that in the first year of operations, Costco lost $750, 000, but after 3 years, the company had $1miilion in profit, 900 employees, and 200000 members. This shows that in business, the strategy can be the difference between success and failure. This essay describes how Costco has undergone evolutionary changes from its inception
Dillard’s is an excellent example of what can go wrong when a management model from yesteryear is applied to modern day advancement and technologies. They are not growing with consumer desires or employee needs, and they are becoming an outdated brand. Instead of stressing satisfaction rates, they stress the bottom line profits. While this formula has made the company successful and allowed national growth at the turn of the century, it is also dropping employee morale, which is known to drive down customer attraction and satisfaction rates.
The purpose of this memo is to show the affects of how Albertson’s is trying to implement many strategies in order to try, and compete with its powerhouse competitor Wal-Mart. This memo will contain information on steps Albertson’s is taking to gain back some of the market share that Wal-Mart has swallowed up. It will also describe Albertson’s planned innovations that will be what determines their success. Lastly it will discuss how through IT as well as a successful implementation of satisfying consumers demands, will possibly allow them to compete with the ever so powerful Wal-Mart.
In this paper some of the sound management practices that Trader Joe’s utilizes in the daily operations have been highlighted. Through the effective application of these management practices, Trader Joe’s has morphed into the great company that it is