ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS
MHSA 7880 – Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations II
3 graduate credit hours
Fall 2013
This document is subject to alterations as the course develops.
It was last revised 8/7/13
Learning Facilitator:
Janet R. Buelow, PhD.
MEETING TIME &
LOCATION:
Tuesdays, 5:30 – 8:15, Hawes Hall 102
OFFICE HOURS:
Due to the small course size, we will not meet in the classroom
every week. Check the Weekly Schedule to note dates of
classroom meetings. These dates are highlighted.
Students are expected to check their D2L course site
at least once/week for announcements and e-mails.
Tuesday – Thursday 10:30 – 2:00
I welcome appointments as realize students may need later
times to meet
CONTACT NUMBERS:
Prefer all correspondence regarding course in D2L course e-mail
Phone: 912-344- 3075
Course Description
This is part 2 of a 2 part capstone course sequence requirement
for all MHSA students. This course addresses strategic
management functions within various health services
organizations. It focuses on the planning and implementation
phases of the strategic management process; including service
delivery strategies, support activities, and action plans. The
service delivery strategies will include pre-service, point-ofservice, and after-service functions. The support strategies will
include organizational culture, structure, and the strategic
management of financial, human and technological resources.
Course Objectives
Learning Objective
Understand the organization as an
adaptive unit, functioning within a
larger environment and within interorganizational networks.
MHSA Program Competencies
2.C. Leadership, Systems Based
Thinking
Assessment
- Chapter Reflections
- External Readings
- Strategic plan
Learning Objective
Identify organizational stakeholders
and analyze their needs and
expectations.
MHSA Program Competencies
Assessment
5.E. Business Knowledge and
- Chapter Reflections
Skills, Strategic
- External Readings
Management and Marketing - Strategic plan
Develop and demonstrate critical
and strategic thinking capabilities in
order to anticipate organizations
needs and opportunities and develop
plans to respond accordingly.
5.A. Business Knowledge and
Skills, Critical
Thinking/Decision Making
- Chapter Reflections
- External Readings
- Strategic plan
Develop service delivery strategies,
financial analysis, support activities
and operational plans which match
strategic plans
5.B. Business Knowledge and
Skills, Financial Analysis
and Management
5.C. Business Knowledge and
Skills, Human Resources
Management
5.D. Business Knowledge and
Skills, Organizational
Design and Behavior
5.E. Business Knowledge and
Skills, Strategic
Management and Marketing
5.F. Business Knowledge and
Skills, Information Systems
and Management
5.G. Business Knowledge and
Skills, Quality/Performance
Improvement
5.A. Business Knowledge and
Skills, Critical
Thinking/Decision Making
5.E. Business Knowledge and
Skills, Strategic
Management and Marketing
- Chapter Reflections
- External Readings
- Strategic plan
1.B. Communication and
Relationship Management,
Presentation Skills
- Chapter Reflections
- External Readings
- Strategic plan
- Formal Speaking
Develop strategic alternatives and
recommendations for health care
organizations that integrate the
findings from internal and external
environmental analyses as well as
the organization’s directional
strategies.
Effectively communicate his or her
ideas, analyses, recommendations,
and conclusions
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- Chapter Reflections
- External Readings
- Strategic plan
Learning Objective
MHSA Program Competencies
Effectively communicate
1.D. Communication,Technical
information, and positions through
Communication,
professional presentations, including
Presentation Skills
oral and written presentations. This
includes preparing visual aids
Assessment
- Chapter Reflections
- External Readings
- Strategic plan
- Formal Speaking
Required Course Materials
Swayne, L. E., Duncan, W. J, and Ginter, P. M. (2009). Strategic Management of Health Care
Organizations, Sixth Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Journal Articles and Reports found in D2L
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING ASSESSMENTS
Chapter Reflections
Each week students are to read an assigned chapter and two selected articles related to the
chapter’s content. Articles related to specific areas of strategic management are provided on
D2L, however students are welcome to find their own articles too. Students are also to review the
PowerPoint slides for the week. After reading each weekly assignment, students are to answer
selected questions identified in the weekly schedule in a word document. These documents are to
be submitted to the assignment drop box. It is imperative that students complete all of the
reading assignments and assigned questions each week. The purpose of these assignments are to
ensure that students are initially “processing” the material presented in the textbook and in the
readings so that they will be better prepared to apply the material to their strategic plans.
Grading rubric:
1. Fully answer each question, so answers reveal in-depth consideration of multiple aspects of
topic.
2. Provide at least one reference from attached PPT slides (or their links) within answers (can
note slide #).
3. Provide textbook page references for all answers
4. At the end of document, provide a summary of two articles. Each summary should state the
findings or thesis and how one could apply this content to the chapter’s topic. If article is not
provided in D2L, then attach article in dropbox. Provide full APA reference for all reviewed
articles.
Strategic Plan – part1, midterm, part 3 and final
At the beginning of the semester students are to select a health care organization they will use to
develop a strategic plan. The organization must be approved by your professor and each student
should be working on a different organization (first requested, if want same organization). This
strategic plan will end up being a major report and will meet one of the requirements for
graduation from the MHSA program. Detailed guideline rubrics are provided and students are
required to present components of their plan four times throughout the semester. Grades and
feedback will be given and students will have an opportunity to improve sections for their
midterm and final strategic plan grades.
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Frequently, students are frustrated during the development of their plans, but have a real sense of
satisfaction when an outstanding plan is developed. I have even had students bring their plans to
job interviews --- with impressive results and non-traditional students use the tools in their
department proposals, again with positive results.
Four overlapping grading rubrics will be provided for your strategic plans. Students will receive
feedback and grades for each component, but also will have the opportunity to improve their
work for following submissions.
Formal Presentations
A significant component of successful career building is being able to present your ideas
powerfully and persuasively. Students will be given supplementary readings on expert speaking,
as well as a grading rubric. Then multiple judges who are experts in public speaking will observe
and participate in grading midterm and final strategic plan presentations.
HONESTY POLICY
Academic dishonesty, as defined in the AASU Student Handbook, is strictly prohibited in this
course as in all others at AASU. Students are reminded that, as AASU students, they have a
responsibility to adhere to and have knowledge of the principles of ethical conduct for AASU
students as it applies to academic dishonestly. Violations of any of these principles will result in
the student receiving an “F” in the course as well as the potential for further prosecution for said
violations by AASU and its respective governing bodies.
Plagiarism is stealing someone else’s words and/or thought and is a serious matter on college and
university campuses. Some students plagiarize materials with full knowledge of their act, and
some students plagiarize materials in complete innocence. In any case, plagiarism can have
grave repercussions from the guilty party failing an assignment to failing a course to being
dismissed from the program or university (see AASU Student’s Illustrated). A few simple rules
may help you to avoid plagiarism. See the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association for more detailed information on citing references.
If you quote anything directly from printed materials, then you must place that quote in quotation
marks (or an indented stand-alone paragraph in the case of long quotes over 40 words) and cite
your source. The citation should consist of an author, the title and year of publication and the
page number. Make it clear that the words are not your own.
GRADING POINT DISTRIBUTION
Chapter Reflections (20 x 10)
Strategic Plan, part 1
Strategic Plan, midterm
Formal speaking - midterm
Strategic Plan, part 3
Formal speaking – final
Strategic Plan, final report
200
35
95
50
50
50
115
Total Points
595
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GRADING SCALE
A = 90 – 100%
B = 80 – 89%
C = 70– 79%
D = 60 – 69%
GRADING PHILOSOPHY
In this course points are yours to earn throughout the course based on your performance. Do not
expect to earn 100% of the points for any assignment unless you delivered an outstanding
document or performance. Your work is evaluated based on the rubrics given for this course.
Outstanding work would have all required components and reveal extra depth and
comprehensiveness of analyses, support for your statements and recommendations, as well as
professional writing, formatting and presenting.
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Students with disabilities who need accommodations in class should present an Advocacy Letter
to the professor from the AASU Office of Disability Services. Accommodations can be arranged
by contacting Amelia Castilian-Moore, the Director of Disability Services, for an intake
appointment and providing documentation of your disability to her. The Office is located in the
Division of Student Affairs, MCC 207. Phone number is 912 344 2744 and website is
www.sa.armstrong.edu/Disability
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Weekly Schedule
Due Dates
Topic & Assignments
Due Dates
8/13
Introduce self , read over cases and submit preference
for strategic plan
Due in D2L mailbox, Thursday (8/8)11:59 PM
8/20
Chapter 1: Overview of Strategic Planning
Questions 1,11,12,16 and 17 (page 31)
Due in assignment drop box, Tuesday 11:59 PM
8/27
Chapter 2: External Environmental Assessment
Questions 5,6,7,9, and 11 (page 71)
Due in assignment drop box, Tuesday 11:59 PM
9/3
Chapter 3: Competitor Analysis & Operating
Environment
Questions 1,4,5,8, and 11 (pages 120-121)
Due in assignment drop box, Tuesday 11:59 PM
9/10
Informal Presentation of Strategic Plans, part 1
Email documents by noon
9/17
Chapter 4: Internal environmental analysis; Competitive
Advantage
Questions 1,3,5,8, and 11 (pages 156-157)
Due in assignment drop box, Tuesday 11:59 PM
9/24
Chapter 5: Directional Strategies
Questions 1,5,6,9 and 11 (page 191)
Due in assignment drop box, Tuesday 11:59 PM
10 / 1
Formal Presentation of Strategic Plan, midterm
Email documents and PPT by noon
10/8
FALL BREAK
10 /15
Chapter 6: Strategic Alternatives
Questions 1,8,11,14, and 15 (pages 240-241)
Due in assignment drop box, Tuesday 11:59 PM
10/22
Chapter 7: Determining Strategies
Questions 1,3,4,15, and 18 (pages 290-291)
Due in assignment dropbox, Tuesday 11:59 PM
10/29
Informal Presentation of Strategic Plan, part 3
Email documents by noon
11/5
Chapters 8 & 9: Implementing Strategies w/ value
adding service and support strategies
Questions 1,3 and 4 page 326
Questions 3 and 5, page 363
Due in assignment dropbox, 11:59 PM
11/12
Chapter 10 : Communicating the Strategy and
Developing Action Plans
Questions 1,2,4,6, and 8 (page 388)
Due in assignment dropbox, 11:59 PM
11/19
Formal Presentation of Strategic Plan
Email documents by noon
11/ 26
Strategic Plan final submission
Due in assignment dropbox, 11:59 PM
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