HSA4938

Strategies selected by the organization should address external issues, draw on competitive advantages, and

All the above

Which of the following are reasons why organizations adopt a reactor posture

All the above

If strategy is to be successful it must be integrated into which of the following systems:

All the above.

Strategic alliances include which of the following configurations:

All the above.

Which of the following is TRUE of unit manager action plans?

Unit manager action plans in aggregate represent the implementation plan for the organization.

The process of developing value-adding strategies involves which of these comparisons:

Compare strategy requirements with internal analysis.

The process of developing value-adding support strategies involves which of these comparisons:

Comparison of strategy requirements with internal analysis.

What are the generic competitive strategies:

Cost leadership, differentiation, and focus

Which of the following is NOT one of the areas of short-term activity not specifically linked by the overall strategy as measured by the Balanced Score Card:

Cultural perspective.

Prospectors remain essentially in their own competitive space and resist efforts to move into and out of new services and markets.

False

Which of the following is likely to favor the use of the matrix structure

Focus is on problem to be solved.

Which of the following is NOT a pre-service activity?

Formalized billing system.

Self-managed teams attempt to eliminate which of the following:

Hierarchy.

Which of the following is NOT an expansion of scope strategy?

Horizontal integration.

Which of the following is NOT what a brand represents

How an organization is structured.

Value-adding support strategies are what type of the following strategies

Implementation strategies.

Which of the following is NOT a fundamental hierarchical design for an organization:

Inversion structure

Which of the following is central to developing pre-service strategies: Leadership. Finance. Marketing. Capital structure.

Marketing

Considering the ends/means chain, the ends refer to:

Mission, vision, values, and strategic goals.

Which of the following is NOT an important question when attempting to link strategic alternatives and situational analysis

None of the above

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic that should be demonstrated by unit objectives?

Objectives should acknowledge the weaknesses of the organization and the strengths of the action plan to be implemented.

Which of the following are components of action plans:

Objectives, activities, timetables, and responsibilities.

Which of the following is NOT part of the culture of an organization:

Organizational policies and procedures.

Program evaluation is appropriate for organizations with which of the following sets of characteristics:

Organizations where market share, service category strength, and competitive advantage are not particularly important or not relevant.

The matrix structure is most appropriate for organizations exhibiting which of the following characteristics:

Organizations with numerous products or projects that draw on common functional expertise.

Which of the following are accurately considered to be health care customers:

Physicians. Patients. Insurance companies. All the above.

Which of the following is NOT part of the organization's value-adding service activities:

Point-of-service activities.

The Q-sort method is one of the methodologies used in what process:

Program priority setting

Strategic goals should:

Related specifically to mission-critical activities.

which of the following would favor a defender posture

Relatively long product life cycle.

Which of the following is NOT a step in the development of action plans:

Scanning the environment to ensure changing conditions have been incorporated into the action plan.

Product life cycle (PLC) analysis can be useful in:

Selecting strategic alternatives based on theprinciple that all products and services go through several distinct stages.

Which of the following terms does NOT refer to implementation strategies?

Sequential plans

It is important to have specific milestones in the strategic planning process to provide updates for all employees, telling them that the process is ongoing and explaining expected timelines for the strategy to be handed over to those who will be responsible for carrying it out.

True

One of the important things about market entry strategies is that regardless of the strategy selected they all require the same resources, competencies, and capabilities.

false

Organizational culture has limited effects on recruiting, efficiency, and innovation

false

Product life cycle analysis is useful in developing strategy alternatives by carefully using the interaction of opportunities and threats in the external environment.

false

Short-term competitive advantages are not easily duplicated by competitors, especially in the service areas.

false

Sophisticated equipment, especially information technology, is the focus of managing strategic technologies.

false

Specifying point-of-service configurations and processes is NOT one of the activities specified by service delivery strategies.

false

Strategic decisions are relatively easy to understand because they provide a clear set of independent choices and only rarely represent a relational hierarchy.

false

Strategic leaders shape the strategic plan less by framing the context than they do by deciding on the content of the plan.

false

Strategic plans are based on assumptions that are considered less likely because in this way plans may always allow the health care leader to make less risky strategic decisions.

false

The adaptive strategy of a not-for-profit organization is independent of and not related to the programs maintained and emphasized by the organization

false

The basic logic behind the development of matrix structures is to organize around the functions in order to resolve recurring issues and problems.

false

The difference between the term "business plan" and "action plan" as descriptors of implementation strategies is that business plan is strategic and action plan is tactical.

false

The engagement of employees is not essential to implementing strategies.

false

Third-party payers can do little to influence the efficiency with which patients are treated because they have limited financial power

false

When using needs/capacity analysis the only major consideration for the value of a program is the needs of the community.

false

A major advantage of the differentiation positioning strategy is that it gives the organization greater control over pricing.

true

A major disadvantage of the positioning strategy of cost leadership is that prices will probably be higher than that of the competition.

false

Although it is an often debated topic as to which come first, there is little doubt that in reality a strategy must follow the organizational strategy.

false

Although there are many strategies available to health care organizations it is critically important that they focus on a single strategy and not pursue more than one strategy simultaneously.

false

An attempt to serve customers in a new geographical area with our existing services is an example of a penetration strategy

false

An effective strategic manager will always view the organizational structure as an impediment to strategy implementation.

false

Cognitive culture consists of intellectual values but does not usually result in behaviors relating to factors such as customer focus, teamwork and quality.

false

Contingency planning is successful when it provides only one clear focus for the health care managers because it avoids confusion with alternative paths to goal accomplishment.

false

Diversification is generally thought of as a risky strategy because it involves entering relatively unfamiliar markets or businesses

false

Even in situations where there is a good match between the characteristics of the current organizational structure and the requirements of the strategy, the present basic structure should not be maintained.

false

In action planning it is important to identify all the activities needed to accomplish and objective but the actual sequencing of the activities is not important as long as one focuses on the objective.

false

In extended portfolio matrix analysis, problem children are characterized by high growth and a high market share but low profitability.

false

In program priority setting the graphics are useful to differentiate between those programs that are important and those that are not important.

false

In the maturing stage of the product life cycle rapid growth accelerates and organizations begin spinning off unprofitable units.

false

Insignificant branding activity in health care has focused on the abstract concepts of promoting and creating identities for health care organizations.

false

Managing strategic momentum associated with adaptive, market entry, and competitive strategies is simply a matter of keeping the organization on track.

false

Market research provides information only about potential customers.

false

Matrix structures require a clearly defined chain of command whereby individuals report to a single individual and focus their attention exclusively on the unit's roles and responsibilities.

false

Normative behaviors are NOT part of organizational culture.

false

Once leaders announce a strategy it is likely to be successful even if it is not in line with resources allocation decisions made at various levels of the organization.

false

What is the characteristic of health care organizations that suggests using extended portfolio matrix analysis rather than BCG portfolio analysis:

An underlying assumption of BCG portfolio analysis is that high market share means high profitability; however, for health care organizations it is quite possible to have a high market share and no profit.

Which of the following is NOT an underlying reason why organizations use a merger strategy:

Block access to a broader market.

How does clinical process improvement (CPI) differ from continuous quality improvement (CQI): CPI and CQI do not differ, they are identical concepts. CQI focuses on improving existing clinical processes for performance improvement while CPI is a contextual and critical appraisal of current clinical processes to identify opportunities for more effectively providing care. CQI focuses on operational efficiency and achieving the lowest possible cost while CPI does not consider cost. CPI focuses on the innovation of ideas, tools, and systems; CQI is a based solely on statistical analysis.

CQI focuses on improving existing clinical processes for performance improvement while CPI is a contextual and critical appraisal of current clinical processes to identify opportunities for more effectively providing care.

Which of the following are steps in the development of service delivery strategies:

Decide to maintain or change pre-service activities. Decide to maintain or change point-of-service. Compare strategy requirements with the results of the service delivery internal analysis. All the above.

Which of the following is NOT true regarding defenders

Defenders are not concerned about cost efficiency

Which of the following organization structures facilitates the development of strategic service units:

Divisional structure

Which of the following things must happen to have effective service delivery:

Service delivery managers must translate broader organization-wide strategies into implementation plans. Service delivery strategies must be developed and managed. Organizations must demonstrate an ability to learn. All the above.

Which of the following methods provides guidance to selecting an aggressive profile, a competitive profile, a conservative profile and a defensive profile

Strategic position and Action Evaluation technique.

Which of the following is NOT a method for evaluating adaptive strategies:

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity, and Threat analysis.

The appropriateness of a specific market entry strategy is dependent upon which of the following:

The external conditions, the pertinent internal strengths and weaknesses based on the organization's resources, competencies, and capabilities, and the goals of the organization. Each of these three areas should be scrupulously evaluated.

Which of the following is the underlying assumption when selecting the liquidation strategy:

The organization cannot be sold as a viable on-going operation.

Within an organization, what is the best choice for developing action plans?

The organizational unit.

Implementation strategies include objectives and plans for:

The organizational units to accomplish the strategies (managing strategic momentum).

By pursuing maintenance of scope strategies, management believes which of the following

The past strategy has been appropriate and few changes are required in the target markets or the organization's products/services.

Which of the following are part of the cognitive assumptions of an organization

all of the above

Which of the following are potential disadvantages of functional structures:

all of the above

Which of the following is the primary responsibility of the strategic planning team:

broad strokes of strategy

A critically important responsibility of the health care organization's leadership is to carefully articulate its strategy to the unit managers.

true

Awareness, anticipation, analysis, interpretation, synthesis and reflection are part of which of the following:

strategy thinking

A brand represents three things: what an organization offers to the market, what an organization does, and what an organization is.

true

An effective action plan, regardless of level, consists of objectives that specify how the unit (division, hospital, pharmacy) is going to contribute to the strategy, what actions will be required to achieve the objectives and within what time period, who is responsible for the actions, the resources required to achieve the objectives, and how results will be measured.

true

An organization that uses internal resources for entering a new market is deploying a development strategy.

true

Cognitive culture includes the organization's stated intellectual values, norms, artifacts, and assumptions and serves as a guide for behavior.

true

Communication from the top down and the bottom up as well as across the organization is required if everyone is to be engaged in the process.

true

Community need is a function of (1) clear community requirements (environmental, sanitation, disease control, and so on) and personal health care (primary care) gaps, (2) the degree to which other institutions (private and public) fill the identified health care gaps, and (3) public/community health objectives.

true

Competitive strategies are corporate-level decisions that specify the organization's scope and focus.

true

Competitive strategies are of two types: one that determines an organization's strategic posture and one that positions the organization vis- à-vis other organizations within the market.

true

Effective strategy implementation requires the same determination and effort as situation analysis and strategy formulation.

true

External analysis is an integral part of strategy formulation.

true

Human resources requirements of the selected strategies will vary considerably depending on whether the organization is expanding, contracting, or maintaining scope

true

In health care, patients often do not participate as customers in the truest sense because they abdicate the purchasing decision to their doctors.

true

Often organizations, when they modify their structure, require some form of a collateral organization (teams task forces, committees, and so on) to supplement the basic structure and bring diverse ideas to the decision-making process.

true

One activity that a strategic manager who wants to create culture change should focus on is to live by the organization's values from the very beginning.

true

Organizational capacity is the organization's ability to initiate, maintain, and enhance its set of adaptive strategy programs.

true

Point-of-service is a transformation process that incorporates an organization's resources - human and non-human, competencies, and capabilities and its assets - into value-added service delivery.

true

Pre-service entails the planning and activities that enable the organization to determine its customers and the services that will be offered to them as they enter the system.

true

Pre-service pricing decisions concentrate on the services offered, the ability of the consumer to pay, and the cost to deliver the service.

true

Program evaluation is especially useful in organizations where market share, service category strength, and competitive advantage are not particularly important or not relevant.

true

Purchase market entry strategies allow an organization to use its financial resources to enter a market quickly, thereby initiating the adaptive strategy.

true

Q-sort is a formal method of differentiating the importance of programs through a ranking procedure that forces choices along a continuum in situations where the difference between the choices may be quite small.

true

SWOT is a systematic investigation that considers the organization's internal strengths and weaknesses and external issues and displays them in a matrix.

true

Segmentation is the process of identifying recognizable groups that make up the market and then selecting a group as the target market.

true

Service delivery strategies and support strategies are not separate but, rather, interact and complement each other.

true

Specialization and cost pressures have taken health care from being totally customized for the individual patient in his or her home to an attempt to treat patients more similarly so as to develop economies of scale.

true

Strategic leaders must focus on both the cognitive and emotional cultures to successfully shape and create an adaptive organizational culture.

true

Strategic posture is the way organizations behave within their market segments or industry.

true

Strategy formulation includes development of strategic alternatives, evaluation of alternatives, and strategic choice.

true

Stretch moves the organization toward its goals by leveraging resources or systematically achieving more than is normally expected.

true

The Balanced Scorecard approach to strategy implementation is compatible with, and complementary to, the value chain concept.

true

The development of the initial strategic plan is usually the product of a relatively few informed and engaged strategic thinkers that can focus on the big picture.

true

The initial strategic plan for an organization is usually the product of a relatively small number of strategic thinkers.

true

The purpose of vertical integration is to increase the continuity of care while simultaneously controlling the channel of demand for health services.

true

The value chain consists of value-adding service delivery strategies that are primarily operations (clinical) and marketing oriented as well as value-adding support strategies that include organizational culture, organizational structure, and strategic resources.

true

Value-adding strategies must accomplish the directional, adaptive, market entry/exit, and competitive strategies and the action plans must accomplish the value-adding strategies.

true

Value-adding support strategies are implementation strategies directed toward the accomplishment of all other strategies

true

When a health care organization grows along its channel of distribution toward the patient it is called backward vertical integration.

true