Strategic Management Essays - Strategic Management, Management

Strategic Management What is Strategic Management? Strategic planning is a process to provide direction and meaning to day-to-day activities. It examines an organization's values, current status, and environment, and relates those factors to the organization's desired future state, usually expressed in five- to ten-year time periods. The organization may be a program, school, school district, public or private agency, or any other institution that wishes to control its future. If the organization existed in a static environment in which no change was necessary or desired, there would be no need for strategic planning. But, our environment is changing -demographically, economically, and culturally. Thus, strategic planning is both a reaction to, and a tool for adapting to, those changes and creating an organization's future within the context of change. McCune describes strategic planning as a process for organizational renewal and transformation. She identifies another difference between long-range planning and strategic planning: in long-range planning, goals and projections are based on the assumption of organizational stability, while in strategic planning; the role of the organization is examined within the context of its environment. Strategic planning provides the means for an organization to adapt its services and activities to meet changing needs in its environment. It provides a framework not only for the improvement of programs but also for the restructuring of programs, management, and collaborations, and for evaluation of the organization's progress in these efforts. (1) What Does It Involve? As a process, strategic planning involves an orderly sequence of activities, each vital to the success of the whole. Strategic planning activities include: 1. Assessing the external environment. 2. Assessing internal capacity. 3. Developing goals and objectives. 4. Implementing the plan. 5. Measuring progress and revising the plan.(1) The planning process depends on a formal information system. The external and internal assessments provide a reality base on which to build future plans. The vision or mission identifies the organization's purpose and its desired future state. The process of internal assessment and future visioning may uncover, with in an organization, differing views of its purpose, its current level of effective ness, and its potential for the future. Thus, consensus building may be an important element of these phases. Once consensus is reached, the practical steps necessary for reaching that future state over a given period of time - the goals and objectives of the organization can be identified and actualized in the implementation phase. Evaluation and revision occur at the end of the planning cycle, but may occur at any stage with in the planning process. Why Do It? In the simplest terms, a strategic plan can help improve performance. School staff or members of any organization, can become so bogged down in routine functioning and daily challenges, they can lose sight of the organization's purpose. A strategic plan cannot only refocus members' sense of purpose, but can stimulate future-oriented thinking based on a shared sense of mission. Collaboration between members of an organization is more effective when everyone is working with in the same set of assumptions and toward the same goals. Today's educational system must cope with changes in demographics, family patterns, and workplace requirements. Many of these changes provide interrelated challenges to the system. Viewing them as a web of problems may be overwhelming; putting them in the perspective of an organized strategic plan allows the organization to deal with them in a coordinated way, addressing pieces of the problems as part of a progression toward a total solution.(3) This allows the organization to influence its environment and take control of its future, rather than reacting to it. Strategic planning is not an appropriate activity for every organization at all times. When an organization is in crisis, when its very existence is in question, the crisis must be addressed before any other activity is initiated. Strategic planning makes no sense when the organization's future is in doubt. Developing goals and objectives. Who, what, when, where, why, and how is not only the mantra of journalists, it is also the guideline for developing goals and objectives. And, the future vision of the organization- the why- is the guiding force in their development.(1) Specific goals, what is to be achieved, are identified to help move the organization from its current

11 Entry Level Jobs in the Healthcare Industry That Are in High Demand

11 Entry Level Jobs in the Healthcare Industry That Are in High Demand you’ve got your degree, or other certification, in the healthcare industry. the trouble is: you don’t have any field experience. yet! but don’t despair. here are 11 jobs with tons of openings throughout the industry- and all of them entry-level. if you’re looking for a jumping off point to start your healthcare career, then start interviewing for one of these positions stat. registered nursethere is such a high demand for rns right now- nearly 200,000 job openings! as long as you have supervised clinical experience (even just as part of your academic program), you’re qualified. you need a nursing license and a degree, but you can make over $65k per year right out of the gate.licensed practical nurselicensed practical and vocational nurses are also in extreme demand. you’ll need to pass the nclex-pn and complete a year-long practical nursing program with some clinical experience, but then you could make about $40k a year.medical health servic es manageryou’ll need a bachelor’s  and a master’s  in something relevant to health services, plus some admin or nursing experience. but not years and years. this job pays extremely well, with a median income of over $88k.certified nursing assistantcertified nursing assistants don’t make as much money, but earn invaluable experience. there are no degree requirements, just a state approved training program.medical assistantsimilar to a cna, a medical assistant only needs an associate’s degree and some on-the-job training to get started in the field.physical therapistphysical therapists require a lot of schooling, usually a doctorate of some kind, plus a residency or internship of at least one year, but then they make a median salary of nearly $80k and demand and growth are both quite high.icu registered nurseto become a registered nurse in an intensive care environment, you need the same training and certification as an rn outside the icu enviro nment. take your pick! where would you fit best?medical secretaryif you have a high school diploma, plus solid knowledge of medical technology and terminology, then you can get started right away as a medical secretary, earning usually over $30k per year.patient service representativeit’s best to have a bachelor’s degree, but sometimes a high school diploma will do. and if you’re good at customer service, you’ll be an asset in this position. the median salary is about $42k.occupational therapistoccupational therapists are a lot like physical therapists in that they work in rehabilitation, but the field is more specific. if you have your master’s degree in ot and have done some work or volunteering in that setting, then you should be good to go! ots make a median salary of over $75k.records info technicianmedical records and health information technicians are in charge of documenting and tracking patient information. if you have an associateâ€℠¢s degree and perhaps a professional certification, you’ll be hirable. it wouldn’t hurt to take a few related medical courses to beef up your application, but you could earn over $30k per year starting out.

Business Administration Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Administration - Assignment Example Fundamentally, the studying business administration equips learners with the skills to operate businesses in an ethical manner. A number of factors have motivated me to choose to pursue Master of Business Administration in the future. First, the unethical practices, which my previous employers exhibited, influenced me to pursue the degree. The employers did not practice the ethical practices needed in the contemporary business world. Second, working in the warehouse with no chances of career growth motivated to choose the degree. Third, poor pay with no appreciation of my efforts compelled me to explore competitive degrees that can lead to well-paying jobs. Finally, the disrespect from employers and constant termination of job coupled with slow work and insufficient time persuaded me to seek to pursue Master of Business Administration in the future. A master degree in Business Administration will equip me with the knowledge regarding business practices that will facilitate the professional execution of my tasks in the future job to satisfy my employers. Similarly, the degree will place me in an excellent position to secure better jobs with competitive pay. I confidently believe that Master of Business Administration will enable me to attain full career and professional  growth.