Wk 3 MHA 626

SWOT Analysis

Malodree Johnson

MHA 626 Strategic Planning And Marketing in Health Care

Instructor: Tanya Scherr

April 8, 2019

Cleveland Clinic SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Strength is internal organizational resources that can be used for the benefit of an organization. They are controllable factors which imply that an organization can directly and single-handedly manipulate them in any desirable way. With respect to Cleveland Clinic, the following are the strengths.

1. High-quality products and services

One of the greatest resources that Cleveland Clinic enjoys is the high quality of the products and services but it offers to its clients. This is made possible through its highly trained professionals who are experts in different areas of specialization in the field of healthcare (Sadler, 2003). In addition to this, the organization also has high quality tools and equipment which enable the professionals to deliver the best services. This is a competitive advantage because it keeps the organization ahead of others in the industry. Organizations should utilize their internal strengths to build a strong Foundation that will make them more competitive in whichever sector or industry that they operate.

2. Strong brand name

Cleveland Clinic also boasts of its strong brand name. The organization is recognized globally due to its outstanding performance in the Healthcare sector. Over the years, it has managed to build a strong public Image leading to international recognition. This is a strength especially against new organizations because it enables the company to be easily recognized unlike the newcomers whose popularity has not grown.

Weaknesses

These are internal limitations that work against an organization's ability to achieve its goals and objectives. In other words, they are the challenges that negatively affect an organization's chances of succeeding or achieving its goals. Below are some of the weaknesses facing Cleveland Clinic.

1. Complex organizational system

Due to its size, Cleveland Clinic has a large and complex organizational system given the fact that it has so many departments and sub departments which are connected. Its health system is equally complicated and this implies that individuals have to be highly trained for them to effectively fit into the system. This is considered a weakness because new members of the workforce find it difficult understanding how the system operates, therefore, they are not productive for the first few moments. This is a weakness because the organization has to maintain them while they are not productive to it. Simply, the complexity of the system limits the performance of the inexperienced staff (Sarathi, 2015).

2. High cost of care

Cleveland Clinic is one of the most expensive Healthcare organizations especially in terms of imaging and laboratory testing. This is considered a weakness because the organization has lost potential clients to rival organizations that offer similar services at a cheaper cost. Despite this, the company has a chance to review its operations so as to offer affordable services to its clients. For effective competition, organizations need to price their services fairly. This enables them to attract and retain customers.

Opportunities

Opportunities are chances in the external environment that an organization can exploit for its own benefit. Depending on the nature of an organization, the opportunities that exist vary. Generally, opportunities can be exploited to increase an organization's competitive advantage. The following are the opportunities for Cleveland Clinic.

1. Technology

Cleveland Clinic has the opportunity to utilize advanced but simpler technology to run its organizational as well as its health system. This follows the fact that the current system is complex making it difficult for new members of staff to use or understand it. However, there are many simple technologies that can be used to serve the same purpose. This will make the new staff members more productive. It is the responsibility of an organization's management team to take advantage of the opportunities in the environment to increase productivity.

2. Mergers and acquisitions

The organization has the opportunity of joining efforts with other Healthcare facilities within the area to expand its market. Through mergers and acquisitions, Cleveland Clinic will be able to combine its efforts with those of the new partners for the interest of increasing their strength in the healthcare sector. Mergers and acquisitions are opportunities that businesses can use to increase their resources so that they can have a bigger impact on the market (Morden, 2016). With more resources and combined efforts, organizations are able to do more thereby being more productive and competent.

Threats

Shrinking population

The greatest threat faced by Cleveland Clinic is the shrinking of the Cleveland population. As a Healthcare organization, Cleveland Clinic is established to serve people especially those from within its locality. Given the fact that the population in Cleveland is shrinking, this basically implies that the organization is losing its clients. This is a threat because it causes the organization to lack clients especially within its neighborhood. To handle such a threat, the organization has to market itself beyond its immediate environment so as to have clients.

Recommendation

With respect to the SWOT analysis, Cleveland Clinic is a competent organization that is doing well in the Healthcare sector. This is because the organization is applying various strategies that are effective within the area in which it operates. However, for the organization to realize the best returns, various recommendations must be considered. For the interest of ensuring that the organization’s resources are not wasted, the marketing plan will be frequently audited to monitor how the resources have been used. It is also recommended that effective and efficient strategies are replaced in the marketing plan to make sure time is well spent. It is also recommended for market research to be conducted extensively so that the marketing can be effective and efficient.

Actualizing these recommendations will enable the company to reduce its weaknesses as well as enhance the exploitation of the opportunities that exist in the external environment. It will be better positioned to compete effectively.

References

Morden, T. (2016). Principles of Strategic Management. London: Routledge.

Sadler, P. (2003). Strategic Management. London: Kogan Page.

Sarathi, P. (2015). Business Environment and Strategy. New Delhi: Books Camel.