This week’s assignment will
allow you to generate content that you will incorporate into the Market
Analysis section of your Final Project. To prepare for this assignment, read
Chapter 4 of the course text and the article by Simoneaux and Stroud (2011). You
may also want to review the recommended article by Valentin (2001).
During the analysis stage, you consider external factors that pose possible
threats to or provide opportunities for your organization and compare these
factors against your HCO’s internal operation to diagnose its strengths and
weaknesses. Many HCOs have found it useful to conduct a SWOT analysis. SWOT is
an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and
weaknesses refer to elements that are internal to the organization;
opportunities and threats are external to the organization. An effective SWOT
analysis helps the marketing team determine the healthcare organization’s
position in a particular market place as well as the positions of its
competitors. By analyzing the current market and the deficiencies of the HCO’s
competitors, and by assessing the HCO’s internal strengths and weaknesses, the
marketing team can reposition the organization to meet and exceed the needs of
its customers.
For this assignment, you will conduct a detailed SWOT analysis of your chosen
healthcare organization for your Final Project. Discuss your selected
organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and possible threats.
The SWOT analysis should include the following five components:
·
Strengths – An organization’s
resources and capabilities that can be used as a basis for developing a
competitive advantage.
·
Weaknesses – Limitations of an
organization to meet the needs of its determined customer base.
·
Opportunities – External
conditions that may reveal certain new opportunities regarding profit and
growth.
·
Threats – Factors or changes in
the external environment that may present threats to the organization.
·
Summary/Recommendations – After
conducting your SWOT analysis, write a paragraph in which you provide your
recommendations to the CEO of your chosen healthcare organization. Also state
how you will use this information to create a marketing plan that will ensure
the following:
o The
organization’s resources are not wasted
o Time
is well spent
o Marketing
efficiently is improved
The assignment
·
Must be four to five
double-spaced pages in length (not including the title page and references
page) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing
Center.
·
Must include a separate title
page with the following:
o Title
of paper
o Student’s
name
o Course
name and number
o Instructor’s
name
o Date
submitted
·
Must use at least three
scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
·
Must document all sources in
APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
·
Must include a separate
references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the
Ashford Writing Center.
Carefully review theGrading
Rubric for the criteria that will be used to
evaluate your assignment.
