Make sure your business dealings conform to your broader ideals

Every once in a while I see a company making a strategic decision not because of the money, but because it is the right thing to do.

CVS Caremark recently announced it will remove all tobacco products from its stores by October 2014. The sale of tobacco products is less than 2 percent, but given that the average gross margin on cigarettes is 6 percent, CVS will be giving up a profit of $120 million dollars annually. Multiplied across their 7,600 stores, that comes out to $2 billion in total revenue annually. That is not an insignificant amount, no matter how you look at it.

Granted, many customers will likely migrate to other drugstores where they can still buy cigarettes. Thus far, CVS’ primary competitors, Walgreens and Rite Aid, have shown no inclination to follow suit. In fact, recently in San Francisco, Walgreens went to court to fight in favor of cigarette sales when the city sought to impose a ban.

Clearly, CVS Caremark is making a very bold move, but the company understands being in the health business and selling cigarettes is a major conflict. Though CVS is the only one making this adjustment, Walgreens’ tag line, “At the corner of happy and healthy,” is just as contradictory if it continues selling cigarettes.

I will say that I personally do not like cigarettes and do not like being around people who smoke, but I believe it is up to each person to make their own choice. Many, many years ago even I smoked while I was attending college. That said, my objective in writing this column is not to say I am against people smoking, only to say businesses really need to make sure everything they are involved in is in line with their missions.

CVS Caremark, for instance, identifies itself as a pharmacy innovation company, and its mission says, “Every day we’re working to make health care better.” With all the health concerns associated with smoking, everyone can agree that is a blatant inconsistency.

CVS has been selling cigarettes for a long time, so this change is going to be tough. It is going to be a blow to the bottom line, but it is the right thing to do.

Now go out and ensure you are doing the right thing in all of your business dealings and that all your operations conform to your purpose and goals.

You can do this!

Jerry Osteryoung is a consultant to businesses - he has directly assisted over 3,000 firms. He is the Jim Moran Professor of Entrepreneurship (Emeritus) and Professor of Finance (Emeritus) at Florida State University. He was the founding Executive Director of The Jim Moran Institute and served in that position from 1995 through 2008. His newest book co-authored with Tim O'Brien, "If You Have Employees, You Really Need This Book," is an Amazon.com bestseller. He can be reached by e-mail at jerry.osteryoung@gmail.com.

Tags: Florida Small Business