Organization’s directional strategies

In your previous assignments, you examined how today’s health care organizations prepare themselves for the present and the future through strategic management. Specifically, you analyzed how a health care organization’s external and internal environments affect its operations. You also performed a TOWS analysis to help a health care organization identify strategic objectives to drive and improve all aspects of the company.

The next step is to consider the directional pathways health care organizations take to achieve their strategic objectives. Creating a strategic vision for a health care organization involves developing or revising the organization’s mission, vision, and value statements. Here is a summary of these three directional strategies:

• A mission statement captures the organization’s distinctive purpose or reason for being.
• A vision statement creates a mental picture of what leaders want the organization to achieve when accomplishing its purpose or mission.
• Value statements clarify how the organization will conduct its activities to achieve its mission and vision. They frequently reflect common morality and emphasize respect, integrity, trust, caring, and the pursuit of excellence.

In a first-in-class health care organization, these three directional strategies align with the company’s overarching goals. Once strategic leaders are confident the mission, vision, and values are well formulated, understood, and communicated, they then focus on the activities that will make the most progress toward accomplishing the organization’s mission and move it toward realizing its vision. These activities are called strategic goals.

This assignment provides an opportunity for you to create a directional strategies report. In this report, you will analyze the alignment of your health care organization’s current directional strategies (mission, vision, and value statements) with its strategic goals. You will make recommendations for improvement if you identify gaps between where your health care organization currently is and where it wants to go.

By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assignment criteria:

• Competency 1: Analyze organizational structure, design, culture, and climate in relation to environmental forces.
  • Analyze the effectiveness of a health care organization’s directional strategies.
  • Identify gaps between effective directional strategies and an organization’s existing directional strategies.
• Competency 3: Recommend an organizational structure and design to optimize a strategic plan.
  • Analyze the alignment between an organization’s directional strategies and its strategic goals.
  • Propose changes to an organization’s directional strategies that improve alignment between its organizational structure and its strategic goals.
• Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in health care administration.
  • Write a clear, concise, well-organized, and professional directional strategies report that includes conclusions that are supported by relevant evidence.
  • Follow APA formatting and style guidelines for citations and references.

Scenario

Your boss is pleased with the thorough and impressive work you have done to date. However, she notes that the TOWS matrix findings do not align with the organization’s directional strategies. The organization’s structure needs to more closely align with its strategic goals, so that the organization can be more efficient, competitive, and profitable. She asks for your help once again.

Her next task for you is to examine the organization’s current mission, vision, and value statements and compare them to the TOWS matrix. She requests that you recommend revisions to the organization’s mission, vision, and value statements so that they more closely align with the organization’s strategic priorities.

Knowing your boss, you understand that she wants your directional strategies report to be insightful, substantive, and brief—all at the same time. You also know that your boss is a visual person. It will serve you well to include appropriate images and diagrams, such as your TOWS matrix, in your report to highlight key information.

Instructions

Write a directional strategies report that examines the alignment of a health care organization’s current directional strategies with its strategic goals.

Report Requirements

The requirements, outlined below, correspond to the grading criteria in the Directional Strategies Report Scoring Guide, so be sure to address each point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.

• Analyze the effectiveness of the organization’s directional strategies.
  • Use the Mission, Vision, and Values Analysis Questions document, linked in the resources, to determine how effectively the existing directional strategies currently fulfill the requirements of effective directional strategies.
• Identify gaps between effective directional strategies and the organization’s existing directional strategies.
• Analyze the alignment between the organization’s directional strategies and its strategic goals.
  • Examine the strategic fit.
    • How well does the directional strategy fit the environment?
    • How appropriate is the organization’s direction, given the environmental analysis you completed in Unit 3?
    • Which strategic goals make the most sense at this time? Growth? Maintaining the status quo? Or does contraction make the most sense right now?
• Propose changes to the organization’s directional strategies that improve alignment between the organization’s structure and its strategic goals.
  • Recommend changes you think the organization needs to make to establish a foundation necessary for the organization’s current structure and strategies.
  • Be sure to support your recommendations with references to current, scholarly, and authoritative sources.
• Write a clear, concise, well-organized, and professional directional strategies report that includes conclusions that are supported by relevant evidence.
• Follow APA formatting and style guidelines for citations and references.

Document Format and Length

Prepare your report using a familiar and appropriate document format used by health care organizations, such as business report or white paper.

Your report should be 4–6 pages in length (double-spaced).

Supporting Evidence

Health care is an evidence-based field. Consequently, readers of your report will want to know the sources of your information, so be sure to include applicable, APA-formatted source citations and references.

Submission Requirements

Proofread your document, before you submit it, to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on the substance of your report.

Portfolio Prompt: You may choose to save your directional strategies report to your ePortfolio.

Resources

• Directional Strategies Report Scoring Guide.
• Mission, Vision, and Values Analysis Questions [DOCX].
• ePortfolio.

Watergate scandal

A June 1972 break-in to the Democratic National Committee headquarters led to an
investigation that revealed multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration. Watch
the video below to learn more about the Watergate scandal. You can also refer to the
“Watergate” subsection in Chapter 26 The Conservative Turn. watch this video to do it

Questions:
1. Given what you know about other impeachment proceedings from the class
(Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, Donald Tump (1 & 2)), where does this fall
historically? Was this something that one should have been impeached, why
or why not?
2. In times of war, how much power does the president have domestically? Was
impetus for the Watergate Scandal domestic or foreign policy? What did
Nixon stand to gain from it?
3. Nixon ultimately stepped down before he could have been removed from
office. Was this something that should have happened? Would it have been a
good or bad thing for the president of the United States to stand trial for
crimes? Why or why not?
Sufficient = 300 words, substantive and addresses the prompt

Anxiety Disorder/OCD

Lauren has been diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder and experiences obsessive thoughts that result in compulsive behaviors. This has a major impact on her life and day to day functioning.

Instructions

View the videos segments 1, 2, and 3 for Lauren.

Notice how the nurse continues to gather information to assess the extent of Lauren’s illness. The content relates to the objective that you will be able to describe the symptoms of anxiety and OCD.

Create a document which contains this information:

• Describe at least three clinical signs of Anxiety observed in the videos.
• Describe at least three Obsessive-Compulsive behaviors observed in the videos.
• Explain at least three therapeutic communication techniques used by the nurse in the videos.
• Discuss at least two nursing interventions appropriate for Lauren. Support your choices with rationales.
• Support your ideas with at least two credible resources.

Note: In Weeks 1 and 2, you submitted Parts 1 and 2 of your Company Profile. This week, you will complete Part 3 of the profile as well as your recommendations to the managers of the mutual fund.

As a reminder of the scenario, you have been hired by a mutual fund as a management consultant to evaluate a publicly held company that the fund is considering adding to its holdings. Specifically, you will appraise the company’s work environment/organizational culture, financial stability, domestic and international financial growth opportunities, ethical practices, diversity/composition of its board of directors, corporate social responsibility practices, and evidence-based decision-making practices. Based on your evaluation, you will develop an 8- to 10-page report (in total throughout Weeks 1–3) for the managers of the mutual fund that will include your recommendations as to whether this company aligns with the mutual fund’s investment philosophy, which emphasizes companies that are recognized for their practices related to ethics, social responsibility, and global expansion.

In your report, be sure to include relevant citations from the Learning Resources, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your work.

To prepare for this Assignment: (Module 1 is attached)

• Return to your Module 1 Assignment Template to complete Part 3 of your Company Profile, as well as your Recommendations to the Mutual Fund Managers.

Submit your evaluation of value to shareholders, to include the following:

Company Profile, Part 3 (1 page)

• Evaluate the company on its value to shareholders in the following area, being sure to provide relevant examples, details, and citations to support your evaluation:
  • Evidence-based decision-making practices

Recommendations to Mutual Fund Managers (1–2 pages)

• Based on your assessment of the company, synthesize your recommendations of whether or not to add the company to the holdings of the mutual fund. Be sure to justify your recommendations, with appropriate supporting details and references to relevant sources.

Refer to the Week 3 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

****Complete Part 3 ONLY of the attached Module 1 Assignment Template. I also attached Assignment from last week if you need it to look back on. Company used is PepsiCO.

POL-SCI 101- CHANGES IN VOTING LAWS

With the landmark ruling Shelby County v Holder (2013), the authority of the federal government to
monitor state level changes to election processes was eliminated.  Many attribute this single act as
the cause for increased voter suppression efforts seen in recent elections, and in the run-up to the
2022 election. Given voting rights are fundamental to our democracy, it is important to understand
what is currently occurring at state level through an exercise related to the topic.

TASK: CHANGES IN VOTING LAWS

PART A. You will research four (4) major issues affecting elections (see below).  Follow the
directions for each issue listed. When researching, consider only events/changes and laws that
came after the 2020 elections or in the run-up to the 2022 midterm.  All four categories require a
minimum of 250 words for a total of two (2) pages minimum using the formatting guidelines at the
end of the document.
1. Obstacles for voters: In a number of states, new laws making it harder for individuals to
vote are on the books.  They can include items such as stricter voter ID requirements,
reduced voting hours, minimized eligibility for mail-in ballots, limited number of drop boxes,
no early voting, etc.  States with notable restrictive practices include Arizona, Florida, Texas,
Georgia, and Wisconsin.
a. Select two states from the above list or from your own research and outline the
range of methods employed to obstruct or limit people’s ability to vote in each
state. Provide some detail on each, for instance ~ how it works, who the obstruction
is targeting, the reasons given for the new obstacle and if the reason is valid, etc.
2. Changes in how the vote is counted and certified:  A number of states have enacted or
proposed changes in laws that takes power away from those normally charged with
counting and certifying elections, and instead giving the role to state legislatures who are

often partisan or over-represent one party.  Approximately eight states have enacted these
laws: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.
a. Select two states from the above list or from your own research and outline the
change in each, how it will be implemented and how it can impact the election.

3. Gerrymandering: Altering district lines after the census to favor one political party over
another, or to marginalize/discriminate against a group of voters has been a long tradition
in our nation.  However, these efforts ramped up considerably after the 2020 election and
census.  Some states with new, gerrymandered district lines have been challenged in court
and include North and South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Arkansas, Ohio, Texas.
a. Select two states from the list above or from your own research.  Explain how each
state was gerrymandered, and the impact the changes have on the state political
process.  (Gerrymandering is explained in your text, but if you want an easy YouTube
version click the 3-minute video – Gerrymandering, explained | The Washington Post –
YouTube )

4. Voter/election worker intimidation: There have been numerous reports of citizen groups or
individuals intimidating both election workers and actual voters.  These incidents have
ramped up in recent weeks.
a. Find examples from two states of either voter or election worker intimidation and
describe the method used. Include, if possible, who is responsible and what the
federal, state or local authorities are doing to help stop these efforts.

PART B.  Final Question
Please add a section of at least 250 words detailing` the larger lessons you learned from completing
the assignment.

FORMATTING AND SUBMISSION:  See outline below
Name:  Only at top
Format:  1-inch margins, 11-12 font, 1.5 spacing
Pages:   Total, 2.5-3 pages and separate bibliography page, MLA format
Points:    Approx. 45

Useful Sites to Explore:  ACLU, COMMON CAUSE, BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE, DEMOCRACY
DOCKET

EXAMPLE OUTLINE
YOUR NAME_______________________________________
Introduction:    2-3 sentences
PART A:  ISSUES
* Issue 1:  250 words, 10 points
* Issue 2:  250 words, 10 Points
* Issue 3:  250 words, 10 points
* Issue 4: 250 words, 8 points
PART B:  YOUR TAKEAWAYS
* Your views: 250 words, 7 points
*  Bibliography:  Separate page in MLA format, note the source by issue
TOTAL POINTS:  45 points