Assignment

Details

1) Research a local health care organization of your choice, and complete the following tasks:

• Perform a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, listing at least 2 points in each area.

• Information can be gathered from the Web site or articles about similar organizations from the readings. For example, extended hours of operation could be a strength (internal).

• Choose 1 strength or opportunity, and create a marketing strategy that would promote a competitive advantage for this organization within the community being targeted.

• Determine whether your approach will be market penetration, development, diversification, consolidation, or strategic alliances.
• Are you the market leader, a challenger, a follower, or are you creating a market niche?

2) Using the decision-making model, describe the consumer decision-making process for an individual seeking a new primary care physician.

• Go to a local health care system and under Choose a doctor (or similar wording allowing a search for physicians associated with that center), search for a primary care physician.

• Discuss how the doctor's information is positioned to make him or her a good choice.

• What types of information are included?
• What types of information do you feel are missing?
• Why do you feel this is important from a marketing perspective?
• Make 2 recommendations for ways to influence that decision at different points in the process.
• How would the health care organization you chose conduct a post-purchase evaluation of your satisfaction with this physician and his or her site?

3) Research a local health care facility or organization that has chosen a niche market to target, and address the following:

• Introduce the organization, and identify the overall population it serves.
• Define a niche market and what makes it so. What is the niche market for this facility?
• Explain the segmentation strategy implemented by this organization.
• Explain how the organization adapts its marketing programs to address that target.
• Do you feel that this approach is or has been effective? What tools did you use to make that decision?
• What would you have done differently?