The whole towns sleeping Essay Example

The whole towns sleeping Paper Throughout this essay I intend to compare and contrast the effectiveness of the different narrative styles used in the two short stories, A Terribly Strange Bed and The Whole Towns Sleeping. The stories were written about one hundred years apart, The Whole Towns Sleeping in 1950 and A Terribly Strange Bed, much earlier in 1856. This means that not only will the portrayal of the stories vary based upon the individual styles of writing of the authors but also the social history of the times of writing will be quite different. A Terribly Strange Bed is a story written in the first person narrative, which means it is written as a personal account of the events within the story from the point of view of the main character. It is usually written as a character recalling the story to someone else after the events have taken place. The Whole Towns Sleeping on the other hand is a story written in the third person narrative which means it is written from the point of view of an invisible bystander who plays no part in the actual story. It is written as the events take place and is much like a fly on the wall kind of perspective. The outline of the story in The Whole Towns Sleeping is that there is an air of tension building in a small town as a man nicknamed the lonely one is going around killing women But the others strangled four of them, their tongues sticking out of their mouths, they say. The main theme of the story is about the reactions and feelings of three maiden ladies as they walk through the town in the dark of night to visit the cinema. We will write a custom essay sample on The whole towns sleeping specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The whole towns sleeping specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The whole towns sleeping specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The tension and fear of the story is increased as the women find the body of a friend who has been missing, Eliza Ramsell, and their response is not to return to the safety of their homes, but is to continue with their plans to walk on, to the cinema. The ladies even flout the advice of the police to return home immediately after the film showing and end up walking through the town at midnight when nearly all the other residents are safely locked up in their homes asleep. The climax of the story comes when the ladies have to separate as they reach their individual homes and Lavinia Nebbs is left to walk the last five minutes alone through the deep, deep and black, black ravine. The story ends with a twist as Lavinia finally reaches the safety of being inside her home. A Terribly Strange Bed is a story about a gambler who visits, as blackguard a place, by all respect, as you should ever wish to see. This is a dirty gambling house where the subject of the story has an astonishing run of good luck and is fortunate enough to break the bank. Whilst playing he is befriended by a rather suspicious specimen of an old soldier. This soldier later gets the subject drunk and leads him to a room where the terribly strange bed is situated. As the subject tries to sleep he becomes aware that the bed he is lying on is closing down upon him, threatening to suffocate him. He just manages to escape with his life, by rolling from the moving bed and leaving the gambling house via his bedroom window and then slipping down a water pipe into the street below. The plots of the two stories are quite different but the themes of creating an atmosphere of fear and tension are very similar. In both stories there is a protagonist who is domineering and who is confidant of themselves and the moves that they take. They do not listen to their peers and dont accept advice very well. However, the tension of the two stories is developed in quite different fashions. In The Whole Towns Sleeping there is a slow accumulation of many events each adding to the tension before the climax is reached when Lavinia, the protagonist, crosses the ravine. In contrast, in A Terribly Strange Bed there isnt as much build up of tension and less events happen prior to the moment when the antagonist attempts murder on the protagonist. However, there is a greater use of language and dialect making the story as long as The Whole Towns Sleeping, but less busy. From the very start there are clues as to what the stories are about, A Terribly Strange Bed starts to build a disturbing atmosphere with a very detailed description of the gambling house which the protagonist and his friend visit. Phrases like,here there was nothing but tragedy and the spectacle was something to weep over, suggests a perfect setting for harm to befall the character. The use of these phrases in the first person shows both opinion and emotion. This is an effective way of setting the scene because an image of a dirty, dimly lit room with badly dressed, unshaven tramps sitting and leaning against walls is immediately thrown into the mind of the reader, creating a sense of trepidation. In The Whole Towns Sleeping the first hint of fear is suggested by the title of the movie the ladies are to attend Welcome, Danger!

Pre-Darwinism Views Essays - Biological Evolution, Sexual Selection

Pre-Darwinism Views Essays - Biological Evolution, Sexual Selection Pre-Darwinism Views Before November 24, 1859, many people simply believed that species were created by God in their present forms, or that it was possible for organic matter to be spawned from inorganic matter. However, Charles Darwin used these ideas to create his thesis, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. The first true theories on evolution arise during the classical Greek period. On a handful of Greek philosophers believed in the theory of evolution and natural selection. Unfortunately, the two philosophers who influenced western civilization the most, Plato and Aristotle, opposed any theory of evolution. Plato believed that there were two worlds, one real world, and one imperfect world that we perceive with our senses. Any variations in life were imperfect images of their ideal forms. However, Aristotle didnt believe in two worlds; instead, he believed in a scale of nature. Each life form was arranged on a type of ladder. It started at the bottom with the least complex organism and continued up to the most complex organism. Each organism had a pre-determined rung, which allowed no ability to move up, and no open spaces for a new organism to fill. According to Neil Campbell in his book, Biology: Fourth Edition, Juedo-Christian culture fortified anti-evolution theories. (p. 400-401) The creationist-essentialist dogma that species were permanent and created for a specific purpose became deeply embedded in Western thought. Any person who dared to theorize or believe in theories about evolution were instantly labeled heretics. The medieval church saw evolution as saying that God did not exist, that we are not the supreme creation, and that humans could just be evolutionary mistakes. However, in the later 1700s and early 1800s there was a scientific revolution taking place. People began to use scientific experiments to explain what they had always put faith in. According to Campbell, the first big step in the development of the theory of evolution was made by Carolus Linnaeus. (p. 400-401) Linnaeus was the founder of taxonomy and developed the naming system for organisms that we still use today. He grouped organisms based on similar characteristics. This, for Darwin, would become a focal point of his theory of evolution. When Darwin began his research aboard the H.M.S. Beagle in 1831, he had some pre-constructed ideas. The first was that he rejected Platos, Aristotles, and the Churchs ideas that organism were made the way they are, and will never change. The second was about Linnaeus filing system; Darwin believed that similar species must of evolved from similar ancestors. During his trip on the Beagle, Darwin collected 13 different types of finches that he believed were different species. When he returned to Great Britain in 1836, he learned from ornithologists that the 13 different types of finches he collected, were indeed separate species. This discovery led Darwin to theorize that if a species was isolated, then it would adapt to fit its surroundings; just like how the finches adapted new beaks depending on their native types of food. Finally in 1844, Darwin wrote an essay on his theory of natural selection and the origin of species. When Darwin finished his book on evolution, The Origin of Species, he had two major ideas: the first was that evolution was the explanation for lifes unity and diversity; the second was that natural selection is the cause for adaptations. Darwin provided numerous example of his theories, but he was still doubted. However, on of his modern day supporters named Ernst Mayr has provided his own theories and proof of Darwins ideas. With respect to Darwins ideas on natural selection and adaptation, Mayr used an closely related group of insect species to prove this point. In Malaya round, pink flowers are common; so the mantid native to Malya is round and pink. However, in Central America, most plants have green, oval-like leaves; so the mantid to Central America is green and oval-like in shape. This example shows how species of common ancestry have adapted to fit their individual surroundings. With respect to Darwins ideas on evolution, we will look at the mustard plant. The mustard plant is the evolutional ancestor of six different vegetables: cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi. Breeder have been able to prove this by focusing on one particular part of the plant to accentuate. The process of accentuating the plant parts by breeders is evidence of evolution, except that humans are manipulating the results to meet their own needs. There really is not much more information on

How Might Corporate Social Responsibility Impact on an Organisation Term Paper

How Might Corporate Social Responsibility Impact on an Organisation - Term Paper Example Corporate Social Responsibility is the responsible relationship borne by business entities towards their stakeholders, community, and the environment. The stakeholders include customers, suppliers, employees, investors, and the communities. CSR is the realization of business contributions to sustainable development goals (World Bank, 2007), through the alignment of business operations with social values (Coors and Winegarden, 2005). Broadly, CSR can be measured by its contribution to society through its core business activity, social investment, and philanthropic activities. In business parlance, CSR is often termed as Corporate Citizenship. Corporate Social Responsibility emerged as a field of management studies in the 1950s (Banerjee, 2007). It is increasingly being accorded importance worldwide. CSR is important because an enterprise uses public money and survives on public money. As such, it has to invest a measure of its profits in the public. This investment in physical infrast ructure and social capital has become a necessary part of doing business. CSR promotes fairness and justice in society. Corporate Social Responsibility promotes sustainable development by bearing greater accountability towards issues of environmental and societal importance. CSR has come to be adopted as a sound business practice for small and large organizations. A company’s social responsibility and the activities carried out thereof are well-documented in the CSR reports that are often released along with Annual Reports. Nourick and OECD (2001) point out that socially responsible behavior is not limited to multinational organization alone, but is as relevant to SMEs (Nourick and OECD, 2001). Corporate Social Responsibility is different from other philanthropic activities like charity, making donations, employee welfare, etc. Corporate Social Responsibility far transcends the traditional methods of doling out donations and making charities used to carry a more public savvy image.

Book smarts with intellectualism and street smarts with Essay

Book smarts with intellectualism and street smarts with anti-intellectualism - Essay Example By agreeing with his premise, this student will retrace Graff’s logic and provide a level of external analysis that will provide the reader with a more informed understanding and logical progression with respect to how Graff’s transformation took place. Firstly, before delving directly subject matter, it must be understood that scholars and societal stakeholders alike oftentimes to distance intellectualism from anti-intellectualism. It is without question that there is tension and strife between these two points of view; with both intellectuals and anti-intellectuals being distrustful, spiteful, and downright cruel to one another. Lunch has with regards the way in which individuals of different classes have separated themselves, lunch in the same way that individual races have been sidelined within American society, Graff argues the fact that intellectualism has separated itself from anti-intellectualism, and vice versa, to such a degree that these two distinct groups have come to an even further level of conflict within the current world. However, these social constraints aside, it is clear and apparent that the similarity that exists between these two groups is greater than the dissimilarity that they purport to espouse (Fridlan 890). For instance, Graff represents the early childhood disagreements, arguments, and disputes that he had with fellow adolescents in his youth. Instead of serving as mindless and un-intellectual banter, as many might assume, these levels of argumentation encouraged and coaxed the stakeholders into providing a level of substantiation, facts, and representative understanding with respect to the position that they espouse. Although they most certainly did not understand it at the time, the need to substantiate their beliefs and promote a level of understanding concerning their points of view was

The Comparison of Automated and Manual Control System Essay Example for Free

The Comparison of Automated and Manual Control System Essay Nowadays, with the development of information technology, almost every company has involved in the widely used of computer technology to deal with their daily business transactions. From this point, the control framework has mainly divided into two basic categories: one is manual control which requires an operator to activate or deactivate the control device. Another is automated control which regulates the business activities without much human intervention (Protiviti, 2011). In this section, we discuss the benefits and shortcomings of these two methods and compare them. Automated control The standardized, computerised automated control system is no doubt a good choice in terms of the large companies. It can reduce the risk result from the external and internal influences so that the company can save the unnecessary cost (Protiviti, 2011). One of the examples is Nordic bank, which applies more than 5,000 internal and external controls in its processes that dealing with technology, operation and financial. The total yearly saving is about 2,905,000 (Dutta, A. amp; Dopp, D. , 2011). However, the limitation of automated control is also obvious. Because of the complexity of the application of this system, companies should take special training for personnel so that people know how to use it. This comprises a relatively high cost for the entity. Manual control The manual control system is most widely used in the small business because of its simplicity and great sense of control that gives to the business owner. This could be illustrated by using the example like grocery which only carries a small amount of business date to process. For simplicity, the owner can easily keep track with daily business transactions by using a manual system and there is no need for the owner to spend time and money to learn the complex software. Furthermore, the manual control system is also likely to give the business owner an impression that every transaction is in control. Instead of using computer to deal with the orders, the owner could manage the process on his own (Carr, J. amp; Cohen, G. ,2008).. However, the disadvantages of manual control can also be obvious. Firstly, it may require massive labour force to maintain. It may needs continuous monitoring to make sure that the inventory is sufficient and every transaction has been correctly recorded. Secondly, human errors are unavoidable as the system relied heavily on the actions of people. As a consequence, additional cost is likely to happen in the proc essing of correcting (Carr, J. amp; Cohen, G. ,2008). Recommendations From the analysis above, it shows that both manual and automated control has advantages and disadvantages but they achieve the same goal. It’s almost impossible to decide which one is prior to the other. It depends on the scale of the business to choose the proper size. Small and medium businesses may prefer manual control due to its limited cost and simplicity. However, large corporations is likely to apply automated control system, which is more efficiency and helpful to minimize mistakes made by operators.

security :: essays research papers

The use of computers within the business and government sector has said to have ‘rapidly increased over the last fifteen years’; this therefore provides a whole new prospect for a distinctive criminal to prosper, and in most cases, to go utterly undiscovered. It has been anticipated that, unless this particular problem is tackled head on, losses from the computer crime may eventually reach $50 billion per year. One expert in the field has estimated that, under present law the chances of a computer criminal being convicted are 1 in 500, and of going to jail as 1 in 1000. The possibility of corporations or banks going bankrupt as a result of computer theft is very real. W. John Taggart, â€Å"Computer Law in Australia†. There are many forms of computer abuse, yet they have come to many solutions. Many penalties if the criminals get caught and yet there are many weaknesses in computer law. With the expeditions rate of advances in technology, coping with those classi fied as ‘computer criminals’ who are always one step ahead, is virtually impossible. They may ‘patch up’ faults in previous systems, however do not recognise faults in latest systems until it’s too late. Computer crime involves the unauthorised and unlawful use of a computer. Given growth of technology in our society, the incidence of computer rime is a matter of considerable concern for our law-makers. The cost of computer crime in the United States has been estimated to be at least $5000 million a year. (Cudmor, Greg â€Å"Computer Law†, page 8). Who would be classified as a ‘computer criminal’? It is said that often the ‘computer criminal’ is a trusted employee and the problem for organisations seems to be internal security. The community considers computer crime, as being less serious than other crimes against property, such as burglary or car theft, as it is not violent or public. In many instances computer crime is not always reported, due to the complexity of information systems. It is sometimes possible for offences to be concealed and often victims are unaware that an offence has even been committed. A reason for computer crime not being reported is when the crime is discovered companies defrauded of tremendous sums of money are sometimes ashamed to report a breach of security. Another reason is that the offender is sometimes and employee of the company and if the harm is not significant the company may discipline or dismiss the offender.

Walgreens Analysis

Walgreens Strategy Analysis Retailing: MKTG 3740 B April 7, 2013 I. History and Mission Statement Walgreens has grown from a small, neighborhood-oriented drug store to a trusted, national pharmacy. Founded in 1901 by Charles R. Walgreen, the company bloomed from a commitment made to perseverance. Walgreen came from Dixon, Illinois at the age of sixteen, working an unpleasant job at a drug store after he lost a portion of a finger that left him incapable of continuing a career in athletics.He left with an ambition of entrepreneurship as the flourishing city of Chicago welcomed him with the booming pharmacy business. Devoted to his goal, Walgreen worked his way through gaining experience and financial stability within the growing industry. His work experience through jobs with different pharmacies allowed Walgreen to analyze the strengths and weaknesses in their business operations. Focusing on the gaps in service and the needs by customers that were not being met, Walgreen had an oppo rtunity to capitalize on the industry’s shortcomings by opening his own pharmacy.After earning enough money to put a down payment on a loan for the store that he was working in at the time from Isaac Blood, Walgreen finally owned a store in a great location just south side of Chicago in a prosperous area. He renovated the space, employed a colleague, broadened the selection of products offered, and priced at a fair rate to improve efficiency. One of the differentiating strategies that Walgreen implemented was through utilizing his development of the â€Å"two-minute† drill.This service allowed a local customer to call Walgreen’s store, request an item, and have it delivered by one of Walgreen’s handymen within two minutes of the customer calling. The good reputation of his service spread quickly among the community. The next chapter in Walgreens store innovation and competitive edge was his idea to sell hot food items during the winter, cooked by his wife , Myrtle Walgreen. The trend of that time for many businesses was to have a soda fountain that served cold drinks and milkshakes, which Walgreen also served during the hot summer months.His approach to customer service carried through to winter months with the hot food serving, while his competitors failed to keep up with what would eventually become an essential part of drug store business. Walgreen’s store was growing at a strong pace. By 1929, he had 525 operating stores, 633 in 1975, and hit one thousand open stores in 1984. Today, Walgreens opens around 425 new stores, on average, each year. Through the company’s mission statement, Walgreens strives to be the most trusted and innovative pharmacy with health and wellness solutions and serve consumers across the U.S. Walgreen set out to help people get well and stay well. With constant innovations in technology and customer satisfaction, the company is expected to continue to soar. II. Key events that shaped the com pany Over the past century, there have been economic conditions, changes in demographics, technological advancements, and competitive pressures that Walgreens has had to face and overcome. The first major event that shaped the company was the featuring of the soda fountain in the store in 1909, which lead to the introduction of the malted milkshake that became an American icon.Although a minor triumph at the time, the milkshake attributed to the growth of the company overall. The next event to affect the company hit hard. The Great Depression was a difficult time for most businesses and many were dying out and closing. Walgreens, though vulnerable itself, was able to push through this time by implementing the value of marketing. Through smart advertising and innovations in customer service, Walgreens not only survived the depression but also was able to help by employing workers and added to its testament of always being able to adapt to the changing times.After the death of Charles Walgreen in 1939, his son took over the president position in the company. Fast-forwarding to the next significant even in 1950, when Walgreens opened its first small, self-service store. This event is representative of the innovation and move toward the future that Walgreens will continue to see. A jump to 1975 is a marker of importance as the company reached $1 billion in net sales. In 1999, Walgreens. com opened, offering a convenient shopping experience for its customers online.Today, them most influential growth strategy Walgreens has implemented is the partnership with Alliance Boots to form the world’s first pharmacy-led enterprise. The two brands coming together will position Walgreens for growth in the long-term by transforming Walgreens drug stores into a community, daily living destination while expanding across new avenues of markets and reinventing cost structures. III. Key Financial Data The financial highlights from the income statement of Walgreens Co. n 2012 include a net sales figure of $71,633 million; a decrease of 0. 8% from the previous year. Net sales combined with a cost of sales of $51,291 million lead to a gross profit of $20,342 million; again, down from the previous year by 0. 7%. A net earnings comparison shows a 21. 6 % decrease from $2,714 million in 2011 to $2,127 in 2012. Some in-store sales figures help explain some declines with a prescription sales decrease of 3. 1% and front-end sales increase of 3. 6%.These key financial figures represent a trend in diminishing profits for Walgreens in prescription drugs for the past fiscal year, but a growth in front-end sales, which is an indicator of pharmacy-related issues. IV. The drug store industry analysis As an industry that has been around since the late 19th century, the drug store is comprised of staples and pharmaceuticals retailing. History of the industry recalls the first drug store being opened in 1823 and strictly worked with pharmaceuticals under the first regist ered pharmacist. As the tores became more popular and customers’ needs grew for different products, the industry transitioned into including staple items. Today, the average retail products include (but not limited to): prescriptions, food, cosmetics, toiletries, and tobacco products, but dominate in the pharmaceutical department that holds the highest profit. Chain drug stores currently possess the greatest market share in the industry when compared to independent stores and the majority are incorporated at 76% of all drug store firms. Among the top three company chains are CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid.This segment within the industry is highly competitive with demand growing. V. The future of drug stores With demographics changing, especially within the U. S. , the future of drug stores is expected to transform their product offerings. A shift to concentration on prescription drugs sales, as the general public grows older, will be responsible for a decline in products that are no longer demanded as staple items (ex. beauty aids and fragrances). A growing trend seen in the current market is self-diagnosis and self-treatment along with the addition of generic drug sales.Customers are being offered a generic drug alternative for a lower price and are becoming more inclined to self-treating without the help of a pharmacist. Another movement towards the future includes implementing advancements in technology. Many stores currently use self-serve checkouts and photo printing booths. Advancements in electronic prescription filling and ordering refills online are playing a big role in development. Therefore, a broader depth of target market research and differentiation in product offering based on research results may be beneficial to the survival and growth of the drug store industry.VI. SWOT analysis of Walgreens Strengths and weaknesses Walgreens, as mentioned before, is one of the leading examples of success within the drug store industry. A continuous ne ed for improvement and adaptation to the changing market keeps Walgreens alert and attentive, in step with customer wants, which serves as one of its major strengths. The past 3 decades for Walgreens have been those of growth and exceeding competitive sales. The use of technology incorporated in Walgreens store operations allows the company to receive and analyze real-time sales data and customer interaction.Systems such as the POS (Point of Sale) and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) generate up-to-date information on impact of certain store displays on sales and record marketing data needed to maximize profits. In order to serve customers more effectively, Walgreens offers convenient services online, such as photo printing and prescription call-ins. The implementation of technology as a tool for tracking data and servicing is another strength of the company. Walgreens offers a loyalty program to its customers to further improve on customer satisfaction.The reward program, call ed Balance Rewards, is a point-based system that gives discounts and coupons to customers whenever they use the loyalty card and earn points. Many ways to earn points include filling prescriptions, purchasing certain items in-store and online, using the mobile app to purchase items, and a Steps with Balance Rewards that tracks when the customer is living a healthy lifestyle. The customer can redeem his or her rewards for more coupons and discounts on future purchases. While the success of Walgreens is prevalent, weaknesses within the company prevent Walgreens from reaching perfection.A major weakness and concern for the company is opening too many stores. This may seem strange, considering the growth in demand for more stores is perceived as a positive characteristic, but cannibalizing their own market at the growing pace could lead to a mass reduction in sales and revenue by stealing customers from their current top selling stores. As Walgreens is always adapting to its market and looking for new opportunities, an important factor to look into would be limiting how many new stores they are opening and evaluating their product portfolio. Threats and opportunitiesThreats are inherent in any business. Competition would not be possible without external threats. The biggest threat to Walgreens is the rise in grocery store and supermarket discounters. Before, drug stores competed against other drug stores and pharmacies in a highly competitive market. Now, stores like Target and Kroger are offering prescription drug services and are able to do so at a discounted rate. Since these stores carry a much larger assortment of products and more SKUs than a typical drug store, they operate at lower costs and charge a cheaper price.The current economic state poses a threat to businesses everywhere. Within the drug industry, the cut from Medicaid in 2007, by $3. 6 billion, impacted many pharmacies and affected the sales of generic drugs in the U. S. Today, uncertainty around the long-term viability of the Affordable Care Act is threatening the insurance industry, or at least the affordability of coverage. Currently, about half of the states in the U. S. are refusing to participate in the new insurance exchange program, which is driving insurance rates up drastically.Moving away from the challenges of business, opportunities also present themselves within the industry. One opportunity that Walgreens may be looking into is how to market more towards the generation it has been growing with: the baby boomers. This market is the general population that is now getting older and has the most experience with Walgreens. As this generation ages, their needs change and require different products. More prescriptions for aging health issues need to be filled and less beauty supplies are being purchased, for example.The opportunity to transition and focus on this particular market could benefit Walgreens’s sales. Further prospects for Walgreens includes going global. International business opportunities offer drug stores an entire new market, which if executed correctly, can be a major growth possibility. It’s easy to oversaturate a market when operated domestically, as is the case is for Walgreens in the U. S. , so expanding past our borders to different nations may be a prospective move for the company. If there was only one opportunity Walgreens should take on, it would be most important to increase the sales of non-prescription items.Although marketing towards the older generation and profiting from more prescription fills is demanded, incorporating the sales of items that people will buy, as a related product to their main purchases, will boost profit. VII. Competitor’s strengths and weaknesses Walgreens’s biggest competitor is CVS (Convenience, Value, and Service). CVS Caremark is the largest, most profitable drug store/ retailer in the U. S. Strengths CVS Caremark operates under three different retailing segm ents: the CVS pharmacy, Caremark pharmacy services, and its MinuteClinic.Under these three segments, CVS is able to offer its customers lower prices, loyalty programs, cover over two thousand healthcare plans, and operate a walk-in clinic service. Through their services, CVS is able to hold the strongest market share at almost 20% of the prescription drug market. It also has one of the largest loyalty programs for customers; more than 500 million customers who use the loyalty card through the Extra Care program. CVS has made substantial investments in technology and incorporating it into their programs.The company’s strengths have lead them to push a revenue of over $100 billion and net income of $4 billion. Weaknesses The only complaints to come from a customer’s point of view at CVS is that the store consistency varies occasionally, meaning one CVS store may be too different in product offering than another CVS store, which confuses some customers. The employee turno ver rate is also higher than ideal for a large company operating many stores, meaning focus should include keeping employees happy with more benefits. VIII. Key competition comparison SimilaritiesBoth Walgreens and CVS have loyalty programs that they use to reward customers and offer valuable customer data. Using a customer rewards program to offer coupons and discounts builds loyalty to that company’s brand and image. This incentive strategy has worked well for both companies. However, they differ in the way each one works. At CVS, when a customer purchases multiple items in one transaction, the reward points/ coupons are split amongst the items within the one transaction. The customer receives more incentive with each purchase whereas at Walgreens, the reward is based on the number of transactions only.A customer can purchase the same number of items in each store, but receive more reward points/ coupons at CVS. Differences When compared to CVS, Walgreens carries more of a â€Å"mom and pop† store reputation, which benefits their image. The company’s stores are all linked, making it easier for customers to get prescriptions filled at any Walgreen store, which is an advantage over CVS. Walgreens also offers prescription labels and in-store advertising in other languages and is open 24 hours in many locations across the U. S. , another incentive that CVS does not offer.These distinctive traits represent Walgreens’s commitment to pleasing its customer and fulfilling needs. CVS is differentiated from Walgreens through store layout and product offering. CVS stores are known to be larger and customer more customer-friendly in space and appearance than Walgreens. CVS has also brought in more net revenue, over $100 billion as compared to Walgreens at $75 billion, leading by about $25 billion. As mentioned earlier, Walgreens has seen a diminishing performance, financially, while CVS is rising. IX.Recommendations The first recommendation fo r Walgreens to move towards better sales and profits in the future would be to capitalize on the baby boomer generation. As explained before, this would require readjusting the marketing platform to appeal to more prescription sales and aging health products. This strategy has potential for short-term and long-term growth. The second recommendation would be to become aware of cannibalizing its own market. This strategy would lessen the investments in real estate space being made currently.Instead of opening more and more new stores each year, the company should focus on evaluating and expanding the current services in each existing store. Innovations in store layouts and product differentiation in the existing stores may help individual store sales and not oversaturate the market with too much of the same thing. The final recommendation for Walgreens is to enhance its customer service through the convenience factor. Developing more online services will help also help the aging gener ation as it becomes more difficult for them to get in a car and drive to a brick-and-mortar store.This kind of innovation is what customers like to see in businesses and the company will be benefiting from the multichannel strategy. X. References CVS Caremark |. (n. d. ). CVS Caremark |. Retrieved April 7, 2013, from http://info. cvscaremark. com/ Page Through Our Past: Page 4 | Our History | Walgreens. (n. d. ). Welcome to Walgreens – Your Home for Prescriptions, Photos and Health Information. Retrieved April 7, 2013, from http://www. walgreens. com/marketing/about/history/hist4. jsp