Why is environmental analysis important for an organization?

Part 1, Q’s 1-10

1. Explain why strategic management has become crucial in today’s dynamic health care

environment.

2. What is the rationale for health care organizations’ adoption of strategic management?

3. Trace the evolution of strategic management. Have the objectives of strategic management

changed dramatically over its development?

4. How is strategic management different from health policy?

5. Compare and contrast the analytical view of strategic management with the emergent,

learning approach. Which is most appropriate for health care managers?

6. Why are conceptual models of management processes useful for practicing managers?

7. What is a strategic thinking map? How are strategic thinking maps useful? What are

their limitations?

8. What are the major activities of strategic management? How are they linked together?

9. Differentiate among the terms strategic management, strategic thinking, strategic

planning, and managing strategic momentum.

10. Who should be doing strategic thinking? Strategic planning? Managing strategic

momentum?

Part 2, Q’s 1-6

1. What types of changes are likely to occur in the health care environment in the next

several years?

2. Why is environmental analysis important for an organization?

3. Describe the “setting” for health care management. Is the setting too complex or

changing too rapidly to accurately predict future conditions?

4. Most health care managers would answer “yes” to many of A. H. Mesch ‘s questions

to determine whether an organization needs environmental analysis. Are there other

questions that seem to indicate that health care organizations should be performing

environmental analysis?

5. What are the specific goals of environmental analysis?

6. What are the limitations of environmental analysis? Given these limitations, is environmental

analysis worth the effort required? Why?