Assignment (MAJ)

Introduction to Major Course Assignments

Over the next 7 weeks, you will write a 6–10-page evidence-based executive report that outlining a communications outreach campaign. The paper is a term-length project. It will be written in installments, as described below, and will form the foundation for your persuasive voiceover presentation, which is due in Module 7.

In this week’s discussion, you have outlined a management-focused communications goal for yourself. I encourage you to use this project to work toward your goal. If you have any questions on how to do this, or would like to talk with me about options, please do not hesitate to contact me! I am here to support you in all of your work this term.

You may select one of two options to complete your paper:

Option 1

Think about the health care organization you work in, or an organization in your community with which you are familiar. Assume that you are a mid-level manager and want to implement an outreach campaign to target a particular group that is not accessing your services. You want to develop a communications plan to create awareness of and cultivate buy-in for the service. An example might be making hospice services available to the Native American community. You will need to present this plan before your Board of Directors for approval. The fiscal climate is challenging, so you will need to use available data to develop an evidence-based persuasive paper.

In your paper, you must address the following areas:

· Describe the organization, including services provided and service region.

· Describe for the board of directors the target group you want to bring in. If you are targeting a particular service or product for the group, describe that as well.

· Include demographic data for the region served by the organization, with particular focus on current numbers and projected increases for certain cultural groups, if any. You may look at many facets of culture here, including but not limited to ethnicity, race, age, socioeconomic status, or gender. This data can be found on your state's health department website.

· Identify current communication technologies that you plan to use for this target group, and explain your choices. If you cannot find a technology that is culturally or environmentally appropriate for the group, explain why and describe other ways to reach out to the group.

· Provide a rich and detailed description for your communication campaign to the board and request approval. Your presentation should sell the Board on the communications campaign for the target cultural group using what you consider to be the best currently available technology.

Option 2

Think about the health care organization you work in, or an organization in your community with which you are familiar. Assume that you are a manager for a hospital surgical unit and want to implement an outreach campaign to market the availability of a new medical procedure, such as a heart, liver, renal, bariatric, neurological, or other surgical procedure. You want to develop a communications plan to create awareness of and cultivate buy-in for the service. An example might be robot-assisted cardiac surgery. You will need to present this plan before your Board of Directors for approval. The fiscal climate is challenging, so you will need to use available data to develop an evidence-based persuasive paper.

In your paper, you must address the following areas:

· Describe the organization, including services provided and service region.

· Describe for the board of directors the new service you want to market. Identify for the board the projected numbers of new patients and the procedures related to the new service, including pre-surgical, surgical, and post-surgical procedures.

· Include demographic data for the region served by the organization, with particular focus on current numbers and projected increases for certain cultural groups, if any. You may look at many facets of culture here, including but not limited to ethnicity, race, age, socioeconomic status, or gender. This data can be found on your state's health department website. If you intend to target your outreach to certain groups, please provide demographic data specific to these groups.

· Identify technologies to be used for communications outreach, and explain your choices. If you cannot find a technology that is accessible or culturally appropriate for certain groups, explain why and describe other ways to reach out to them.

· Provide a rich and detailed description for your campaign to reach out to the community and demonstrate how your recommended communication campaign would increase revenue for the organization.

· Close with a request for board approval. Your presentation should sell the Board on the communications campaign for the new service using what you consider to be the best currently available technology.

The paper should be 6–10 pages in length, typed double-spaced in 12-point font with 1-inch margins on all sides. You should use APA (6th ed) guidelines for writing and citations.

· The first part of this assignment will be due in Module 2. In Module 2, you will identify the organization you will focus on and briefly describe the option you have chosen. Provide two references from the Excelsior College Library that you plan to use in your paper.

· In Module 5, you will complete and submit an outline of the option you select for your paper. This will allow the instructor to provide you with feedback on your outline to guide you in successful submission of your major paper.

· In Module 6, you will complete and submit your paper.

· In Module 7, you will use the contents of your paper to develop a persuasive voiceover PowerPoint presentation. Please be sure to allot the necessary time to read the materials on how to develop a PowerPoint presentation and to learn how to use the voiceover feature of the software. Please be aware that you will need Microsoft PowerPoint 7 or newer and a microphone to complete your voiceover presentation.

Instruction for module 5

Submit a bulleted outline for your final paper. Your 1–2 page outline should include:

· A couple of bullet points on what you plan to cover in the introduction section, including a brief description of the organization, service provided, and service region

· Source for demographics data

· Outline of the content you intend to cover on data, cultural groups, and technology

· A couple of bullet points on your conclusions

· Reference list in APA format

Submit your Outline to the assignment dropbox. See the Course Calendar for the due date.

Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor.