Major Problem/ Secondary Issue Case Study Sample

Background statement

This case is about business meeting held by the president of All Children’s Pediatrics, Dr. Quon. This meeting is especially held for his specialty group which has lots of topics to discuss including issues of health insurance etc. The main issue under consideration is about marketing strategies of ACP as it is the age of competition and health care industry is booming day by day providing patients more facilities with the passage of time. The world is now moving form production orientation to the marketing orientation. Therefore, the participants of the meeting are concerned about the marketing efforts of ACP. The question of establishing marketing strategies is arisen due to the serious competition concerns. More players are entering in this field fostering enormous competition and the marketing strategies integrated with the business create an unparalleled competitive advantage. Group headed by Dr. Quon is deciding that whether they should not they should not adopt marketing strategies and advertisement. Dr. Carter and Dr. Stein are in an argument that is marketing of institution of health care is ethical or not. Because American Medical Association has been stopping doctors to advertise them because they thought that it was unethical. Another doctor Dr. Harp was of the point of view that they should take more steps to increase the strength of new born patients at ACP. At which Dr. Quon shared his concern that they are not targeting well a particular niche whose demands ACP is meeting. According to Dr. Quon, ACP is providing trusted MDs instead of ancillary caregivers (Freedman, Dietz, Srinivasan, Berenson, 2009).
ACP is flexible enough to accommodate different children according to the demands of their parents every other day. On Saturday, they accommodate households with two working parents which is a plus factor for ACP. Also, Dr. Quon confirmed that from the last decade patients have been incredibly happy and satisfied with the service provided by the ACP. Many marketing strategies from giving advertisements on newspapers, radio, television, newsletters were given. Moreover, ACP website was also a powerful source for marketing. One of the doctors also suggested that group should take part in different types of seminars relating to cancer and other diseases. In this way, doctors and patients will have more time to come together and know each other as well as the policies of ACP. At the end of the meeting, Dr. Carter suggested to hire a marketing consultant to know exactly about marketing strategies and ACP’s position in the market at which the remaining board instantly agreed. Also, Dr. Harp who was seen much excited during the whole scenario offered to be an intermediary between ACP and the marketing consultant. Another suggestion was made by Dr. Stein that they should work with marketing healthcare professor and his team in order to help in implementing the marketing strategy and plan for the ACP (Brouilette, Hanson, David, Klemka, Anna, Fernbach, Hunt, 2004).

Major problem faced by ACP is fierce and neck to neck competition which is causing them to lose their customers to their neighboring hospitals who are providing patients with easy and immediate services. These competitors are offering many non-price advantages and attracting more customers. Moreover, ACP has failed in getting the attention of specified niche that they are targeting as their services are according to the demands of that niche. The strategies of the ACP are not harmonizing with the niche they have selected to target. Secondly, problem faced by the ACP is that they are targeting a specific segment of the society rather than increasing their customer base by providing new facilities which is demand of modernization. They have to reconsider the target market. In other words, they are catering to those customers only to whom they were serving years ago. They have not worked on the development of the market and their services. ACP firstly and most importantly needs to solve the issue relating the retaining of the specific niche targeted by them. In this way, they will be able to save their previous patients as well as patients from same background. They will only need to work on their marketing strategies to do so. Secondly, ACP needs the target new patients to have strong and bigger market share. This problem can become a serious threat in future for ACP. Because when their competitors will be working on attaining new patients, these people will be fighting for retaining their patients. These situations will not give enough time to ACP to plan ahead of time which is a major need of most of the organizations of modern times. So, they will need to deal with these two concerns side by side to bring them back to the competition and race to earn more patients as well as profits (Gozal, 2008).
Role selected by me is of Consultant. Reason behind the choice of consultant as compared to other options is being a consultant will give me insight of problem internally as well as externally. I will have more expertise to tackle the problem of ACP as I would have previously worked as consultant with other similar organizations as well. Advantages of choice of consultant are better marketing knowledge, idea of competitor’s strategies of ACP, previous relevant experience. Disadvantages include less know how about ACP and its internal environment, lack of knowledge of financial structure of ACP, may find it difficult to work and adjust with management and staff of ACP.

Organizational strengths and weaknesses

Strengths
ACP is providing patients with MDs rather than ancillary caregivers who are being provided by most of the medical institutions who are its competitors which is a trusted source rather than ancillary caregivers.
ACP is flexible enough to accommodate those parents who wish to have checkups of their children on the same day which has been very rare in this industry and in the age of competition
ACP is giving opportunity to working parents of checkups of their children on Saturday till noon. This can be considered as the competitive advantage of ACP as it is the only hospital which is providing such services to comfort their patients.
ACP is providing best services to their patients which are a positive thing as they are satisfying their customers (Brouilette, Hanson, David, Klemka, Anna, Fernbach, Hunt, 2004).

Weaknesses

ACP does not have any marketing strategy in order to sustain their customers as well as attract new customers to increase their market share.
ACP is following traditional ways of attending their patients and has been unable to adopt new techniques and change with the time.
ACP is lacking strategies relating to economies of scale which its competitors are happily and easily providing causing ACP to have threat of losing its patients.

Alternatives and recommended solutions

Solution suggested by the ACP is best according to the needs and demand of the hospital but they may need to improve their marketing strategies to come back in market of competition. The marketing strategies adopted by the business should be drawn after careful analysis of the competitive environment in which business is operating. Following are some of the other alternatives which will cause them to increase their market share (Gozal, 2008):
Advertisement on television will get attention of lots of new customers as it is the age of globalization and people are always connected with television to keep themselves up to date.
Compiegne on social media relating mental awareness will attract young generation who are now target market of many organizations as they are the ones shaping the future.
ACP needs to hold more and more seminars on the topics of mental awareness of children which will enable them to know the expectations and demands of their existing and possibly new patients. In this way, ACP can plan and work according to the standards made by the patients.
These are some of the feasible strategies that ACP may adopt in the absence of strategies mentioned in the case. These options will bring ACP back into the competition of doing better as well as more and more parents and parents to be will know about the services which they are providing. But these strategies also have disadvantage that these strategies are far from traditional and conventional ways adopted by ACP before. ACP may find it difficult to adopt these new strategies and certain new challenges may come in their way, for example, identifying correct target audience on both television and social media or can have financial problems because apart from marketing, ACP will first need to conduct research which would demand tons of funds. This is not very easy for a hospital which has been very much traditional in doing the business (Brouilette, Hanson, David, Klemka, Anna, Fernbach, Hunt, 2004).

Evaluation

ACP will need to get feedback in order to know that how well they are doing with marketing strategies. In order to get feedback on all possible levels, they will need to have managerial supervisors on everything they are doing, from researchers to market consultants to people of information technology hired by ACP. ACP will need to supervise each and every step of their marketing plan. They can make different feedback sheets and rotate them within the hospital as well as the consultants and other people hired by ACP. They must set goals which are realistic as well as according to the standards of the hospital. Following are examples of some goals which can be set by the ACP;

Marketing consultant should give results within the three months after marketing research.

Surveys should be circulating in order to know trends of the young as well as old people.
In short, if ACP adopts right type of marketing strategies while keeping in mind the demands of patients, they surely will tackle all of the problems faced by them (Freedman, Dietz, Srinivasan, Berenson, 2009).

References

Freedman, D. S., Dietz, W. H., Srinivasan, S. R., & Berenson, G. S. (2009). The relation of overweight to cardiovascular risk factors among children and adolescents: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics, 103(6), 1175-1182.
Gozal, D. (2008). Sleep-disordered breathing and school performance in children. Pediatrics, 102(3), 616-620.
Brouilette, R., Hanson, D., David, R., Klemka, L., Anna, S., Fernbach, S., & Hunt, C. (2004). A diagnostic approach to suspected obstructive sleep apnea in children. The Journal of pediatrics, 105(1), 10-14.