Discussions

1) Susan Schwartz is an accountant for Pzierk Pharmaceuticals. Her duties include tracking research and development spending in the new product development division. Over the course of the past six months, Susan notices that a great deal of funding has been spent on a particular product for a new drug. She hears "through the grapevine" that the company is about to patent the drug and expects it to be a major advance in antibiotics. Susan believes that this new drug will greatly improve the company's performance and will cause the company's stock to increase in value. Susan decides to purchase share of Pzierk Pharmaceuticals in order to benefit from this expected increase.
What are Susan's ethical responsibilities, if any, with respect to the information she has learned through her duties as an accountant at Pzierk Pharmaceuticals What are the implications to her planned purchase of Pzierk stock?

2) In this module you have explored how leadership and communication styles influence one's authentic leadership approach. In this week's reading, Goffee and Jones (2010) discuss four leadership characteristics that every leader must have. Do you agree or disagree that these are must-have leadership characteristics? Be sure to give examples that support your position. Support and justify your opinions with credible reference sources.

REAL LIFE APPLICATION: Which of the four characteristics stand out to you, as your greatest strength in leadership, and which of the four is your area of greatest need for improvement?

3) You were hired six weeks ago as Director of Data Services at a 250-bed hospital. One of your job responsibilities is to prepare the organization to meet Meaningful Use criteria for health information exchange. There is a private exchange forming in your region, and your CEO has been approached about joining the group. The CEO has asked you to investigate how participation in the newly forming health information exchange will be beneficial to the hospital, and what you will recommend as "next steps" for the hospital. He has requested a report one month from today.

1. What are some of the questions you need to begin asking the external future "partners" at the health information exchange?

2. Who would you need to speak with internally and what types of preliminary questions would you ask?

3. Generally, what type of information do you think is important to include in this report to help the CEO and other administrators move forward effectively in this new venture?