Strategic management assignment. See attached assignment and business case

Strategic management ASSIGNMENT

Topic 2

Your assignment should not exceed 10 pages of content, excluding the cover page, table of contents, list of references and the reflection template.

This assignment tests your ability to critically evaluate some of the building blocks associated with strategic planning, and apply the relevant theory to a case study. You need the following resources to complete the assignment:

Case Study 1: “Mediclinic’s stride towards a better future”

It is important to reference your sources using the Business Management Harvard Referencing Method.

Assignment

Strategic direction, external environmental analysis, strategy selection and strategic control are some of the building blocks of strategic planning.

You are required to answer the questions that follow in an essay-style format.

Refer to Case Study 1: “Mediclinic’s stride towards a better future”.

Do not attempt to contact Mediclinic or ANY employee, directly or indirectly involved with Mediclinic or any other company mentioned in the case study – ONLY make use of the case study provided and the prescribed material.

1 The vision statement and values of a company lay the groundwork for strategy selection and implementation.

1.1 Evaluate the vision statement of Mediclinic in terms

of the characteristics associated with an effectively worded vision statement. Use examples from the case to motivate your answer.

1.2 Explain the purpose of a value statement, and

			comment on its importance in the case of Mediclinic.
2	Critically comment on Mediclinic’s commitment towards
	corporate social responsibility (CSR). In your answer:
	Explain the business case against CSR.
	Explain why the business case against CSR is not
			applicable to Mediclinic.
3	Discuss the industry life cycle and how it relates to
	Mediclinic. In your answer:
			Provide a broad explanation of the term ‘industry life cycle’.

	Identify the phase of the private health care industry
			life cycle Mediclinic is confronted with.
	Explain the business strategy normally associated
			with this phase.
	Provide two examples from the case confirming
			Mediclinic’s intentions of following this business
			strategy.
4	Critically discuss which one of Porter’s generic strategies is
	followed by Mediclinic. In your answer:
			Describe the strategy followed by Mediclinic and
			substantiate the discussion with two examples from
			the case.
		Explain what shift in this strategy is likely to occur,
			and the danger associated with it. Use an example
			from the case to substantiate your explanation.
5	Given the limited information, comment on Mediclinic’s
	corporate strategy. In your answer:
		Identify and discuss the core		elements of their
			incorporation of Al Noor
	Argue which corporate trategy		should Mediclinic
			follow in the South African healthcare market.
			Ensure that you identify and discuss the core
			elements, and provide two examples from the case
			study to substantiate your answer
6	“Strategic control is the last phase in the strategic management
	process.”

6.1 Differentiate between the four different types of strategic control.

6.2 Explain which type (or types) of strategic control is employed by Mediclinic. Provide an example to substantiate your explanation.

Technical requirements:

Table of contents

Short overall Introduction Structure, writing style

Short overall Conclusion Technical specifications In-text referencing

List of references

ANNEXURE C: Case Study 1 – Mediclinic’s stride towards a better future

Mediclinic is an international private healthcare group founded in 1983, with operations in South Africa, Namibia, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. Subsequent to the combination of Mediclinic International Limited and Al Noor Hospitals Group plc in February 2015, the Company’s primary listing is on the London Stock Exchange, with secondary listings on the South African Stock Exchange and the Namibian Stock Exchange. The registered office is based in London, United Kingdom.

The vision of Mediclinic is “To be respected internationally and preferred locally”, and proclaim their values to consist of five core values: Patient safety; client focus; mutual trust and respect; teamwork; and being performance driven.

The corporation is focused on providing acute care, specialist-orientated, multi-disciplinary healthcare services. Their core purpose is to enhance the quality of life of their patients by providing comprehensive, high-quality healthcare services in such a way that it will be regarded as the most respected and trusted provider of healthcare services by patients, doctors and funders of healthcare in each of its markets.

The South African private healthcare market is well-established, well-equipped and has been growing steadily, although recently at a declining rate. The market offers incremental growth opportunities to expand existing hospitals, and establish new hospitals and day clinics.

Challenges include lowering healthcare costs across the value chain in a fragmented market, whilst at the same time improving outcomes for patients, attracting and retaining qualified staff and investing in infrastructure and medical technology. Furthermore, the government is seeking to address the shortcomings of the public health system through the phased introduction of a National Health Insurance system.

Mediclinic’s commitment towards sustainable development is characterised by various measures in place to minimise water consumption, including reclaiming water, monitoring hot water consumption and installing water meters and control sensors. Stringent protocols followed led to a 49% increase in tonnes of waste recycled compared to 2014/2015.

The attraction and retention of high-quality medical professionals is fundamental to Mediclinic Southern Africa’s sustainability. “Having the services available of high-quality doctors, nurses and support staff is critical to the success of our business,” stated non-executive chairman, Dr Herzog, regarding the challenge of continuously staying competitive.

The CEO, Danie Meintjies, confirmed this approach by declaring that “…[A]cross all our operating platforms, we seek to be the first choice for patient experience, and to provide superior clinical outcomes…” but also acknowledged that “[T]he affordability of healthcare is a matter of pressing public policy concern. This is one reason why it is so important for us to grow our scale, optimise our cost base and ensure that we offer cost-effective quality care to our patients.”