Organizations have a particular purpose to achieve which, to a great extent, helps them to survive and prosper. They are regarded as open systems because they cannot exist without exchanging information with their environment. Both the internal and external environments of an organization create uncertainties for the organization. Therefore, one way or another, a threat to the organization will inevitably emerge. On the other hand, the future can present potential opportunities. In order to confront the threats and take advantage to any future opportunity, managers should closely monitor, analyze, and assess developments in both environments and formulate an appropriate strategy (i.e., apply strategic management) so that their organization can survive and prosper.
This chapter:
Analyzes and assesses the internal and external environments of a health-care unit and includes a useful SWOT analysis of the health of the health-care sector
Examines in depth how strategies are shaped and implemented in health-care units
Analyzes how strategies are assessed and provides useful insights about the process of strategy assessment and its significance