BHA 320 MGT of Health Programs

BHA 320 MGT of Health Programs

Assignment Overview

Assessing the external and internal environments of a health organization is critical to the success of the strategic planning process. The commitment and time dedicated to analysis and understanding strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats will help planners craft a strategy to achieve organizational goals and objectives at an optimal level. This assignment requires you to conduct the Strengths (S), Weaknesses (W), Opportunities (O), and Threats (T) SWOT Analysis. For additional information on SWOT Analysis, visit the following link: 

You should choose an existing organization and geographic market. Students are not expected to contact the organization, but conduct research using literature searches, municipal and health systems websites, etc.

Case 1 Assignment

As the planner for your health organization (selected by you), you will need to prepare a 2- to 3-page document addressing your organization’s internal and external environment to include, but not limited to, forces/trends, key resources, workforce, competitors, collaborators, organizational culture (i.e., values, mission, employee demographics, etc.), stakeholders/shareholders; and conduct a SWOT analysis. You may download an MS Word version of a classic SWOT template at the following link,   or you can be creative and create your own SWOT analysis that is parallel to the one presented in the link.

Assignment Expectations

1. Conduct additional research to gather sufficient information to familiarize yourself with the facts of the case and be sure to justify/support your position.

2. The body of the document should explain in detail your SWOT Analysis and supply rationale to the entries on your SWOT Analysis.

3. Limit your response to a maximum of 3 pages.

4. Support your case with peer-reviewed articles, using at least 3 references. Use the following link for additional information on how to recognize peer-reviewed journals: 

5. You may use the following source to assist in formatting your assignment: .

Required Reading

Berry, L., Mirabito, A., & Berwick, D.  (2004). A health care agenda for business. Sloan Management Review, 45(4), pp. 56-64.

Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., Carrillo, J. E., & Ananeh-Firmpong, O. (2003). Defining cultural competence: a practical framework for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. Public Health Reports. 118(4), 293-302. doi: 10.1016/S0033-3549(04)50253-4

Brugha, R., & Varvasovszky, Z. (2000). Stakeholder analysis: a review. Health Policy and Planning, 15(3), 239-246.

Free Management E-Books. (2013). SWOT analysis. Retrieved from 

Gershon, H. J.  (2003). Strategic positioning: Where does your organization stand? Journal of Healthcare Management, 48(1): 12-14. Retrieved from 

Harrison, J. P. (2012). Chapter 5: Strategic palling and SWOT analysis. Essentials of Strategic Planning in Healthcare. Retrieved from 

Health Research & Educational Trust. (2013). Becoming a culturally competent health care organization. Retrieved from 

Mickan, S. H. & Rodger, S. A. (2005). Effective health care teams: A model of six characteristics developed from shared perceptions. Journal of Intrerprofessional Care. 19(4), 358-370. doi: 10.1080/13561820500165142

Assignment Overview

Assessing the external and internal environments of a health organization is critical to the success of the strategic planning process. The commitment and time dedicated to analysis and understanding strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats will help planners craft a strategy to achieve organizational goals and objectives at an optimal level. This assignment requires you to conduct the Strengths (S), Weaknesses (W), Opportunities (O), and Threats (T) SWOT Analysis. For additional information on SWOT Analysis, visit the following link: 

You should choose an existing organization and geographic market. Students are not expected to contact the organization, but conduct research using literature searches, municipal and health systems websites, etc.