Assignment:
1) After several years of internal debate, the steig primary group has decided to offer a walk-in clinic for patients. Many of the physicians were not happy with the change as it meant that one day a week, on e of the physicians in the group would be responsible for staffing the clinic's early hour opening, which began at 7:30 a.m. (90 minutes before the office's regular 9:00 a.m. offering). A nurse practitioner and a nurse, along with a front-desk person, supported the physician. The six person would primary care group believed this would help them in the increasingly competitive medical market. Conduct a brief SWOT analysis for Steig's Clinic's walk-in clinic in today's health care environment.
2) You have been hired as the senior marketing officer for a new high-deductible health plan. There are two existing plans in the market that have been operating for the prior 2 years. A midsized insurance company operates one plan. It has been targeting employers in the region with a minimum of 500 employees and has penetrated this market fairly successfully. A nationally based insurance company operates the second plan with a fairly strong brand presence and heavy advertising budget. Its deductible offering is at the $5000 level for singles and the $10,000 level for couples. You are trying to decide how you might establish a differential advantage relative to these two offerings as the third entrant. What are some alternatives to consider?
3) As the marketing director of a major capital equipment manufacturer, you are presenting at an upcoming meeting of the American College of Health Care Executives. Hospital chief executive officers as well as chief financial officers are at this meeting. Occasionally, chief medical officers will attend. You are responsible for two product lines. The first involves technologies that have been in existence for 20 years and are core to the surgical process. The second involves new technologies that will revolutionize the way in which gastroenterological surgeries are performed. The major obstacle to the purchase of the new product line is the initial investment requirements. You expect some initial resistance at your trade booth. Prepare a presentation that you will give to the exhibit staff prior to the meeting as to how they should handle buyer resistance.
4) Consider the following companies from the perspective of the four cells identified in the context of the blue ocean strategy. Each company was discussed in this chapter as being somewhat disruptive innovations. Where would you classify these companies in terms of the four-cell perspective that was presented? The companies are:
A) Theranos
B) Sarrell Dental Center (www.sarrelldental.org)
C) Walgreen's Take Care Health System's Division employer-based health clinics at Intel
D) CarioMems monitoring system