Assignment

1. In what ways is the long-term care industry likely to evolve in the future?

2. Are hospitals likely to play a bigger role in the future delivery of long-term care? Why or why not?

3. Is the open-system approach needed only when the organization faces challenges or tries to take advantage of emerging opportunities? Please explain.

4. W.R. Dill identified four external constituents that are necessary for organizational goal achievement: (a) customers; (b) suppliers of labor, materials, capital, etc.; (c) competitors for both markets and resources; and (d) regulators. What contribution, if any, do each of these factors make in enhancing the organizational effectiveness of a nursing facility? What is the interrelationship among these four factors?

5. Both formal and informal processes can be employed to carry out environmental scanning. Discuss one formal and one informal means that a nursing home administrator can employ to identify significant environmental trends.