for DR.SAMUELSON only!!!

MHCM 6330 Capstone: Business Strategies

Final Exam Instructions for Week 8

Final Exam Instructions - Next Week The last question of Major Exam III includes the following case study, "Professional Behavior -

The Bumping Game", and the method required for your analysis.

Use the following for making your analysis:  Identify the main characters in the case.  Trace the chronological series of events.

 Isolate the problem (s) or situation (s).  Propose the solution (s) to the problem (s) based on facts in the case and your personal

experience.  Ask, "What options might be available?"  Identify what possible political and policy challenges are not being taken into consideration in

proposing a solution.  Explore for a root problem. Occasionally, the identified problem(s) are symptoms rather than

a root problem. Dig deeper, when you identify the first root problem then ask yourself "why does it exist?" If this provides you with a deeper root problem, then ask yourself "why does the new root problem exist?" and, etc., until you cannot find any new meaningful root

problem. Root solution (s).  What is the most feasible solution/option to the root problem? (which is usually different

from the problem identified in step 3) Your assessment of the case studies will depend on the argument, and the extent of your personal and educational experience

Case: Professional Behavior—The Bumping Game Background Dr. Gable, chief of anesthesiology, said to vice president Arthur Phillips and human resource

director Carl Miller, “There are no two ways about it. We’re going to have to raise the pay of our nurse anesthetists by at least 10 percent. With Don Williams leaving us and going to Midstate Hospital for a lot more money, we’re going to have to pay more than we’re now paying to fill

that spot. Of the nine hospitals in this city our nurse anesthetists are by far the lowest paid.”Carl Miller said, “Since we spoke of this a week ago I personally surveyed every hospital

compensation manager in town. We’re not the lowest paying of the nine. In fact, we’re the third highest paying. ”Dr. Gable shook his head. “That doesn’t wash,” he said. “Some of our people moonlight at other hospitals and they’ve told me the hourly rates they’re getting for part-time

work. They said they’d bring in pay stubs to prove it.”Arthur said, “A week ago you said you were going to bring in some of those pay stubs from other places. Did you get them? ”No. They

forgot.”Carl said, “Moonlighting rates aren’t relevant. Most of these places pay their part-time or casual nurse anesthetists a rate that amounts to more than their full-time employees get. That’s

because these casuals work only when called and they don’t receive vacation, sick time, or other benefits, and they don’t get retirement credit. “Arthur asked, “How about Midstate? I understand they have more than one scale for nurse anesthetists, with a second scale that might not readily

be shared with other places.”Carl nodded and said, “That’s right. Midstate is the highest paying hospital in the area, based on this sort of hidden scale that it applies to some of its people. It

pays up to 15 percent more for this one small group, all of whom have agreed to an extra-long work week and a certain amount of weekend call. But it’s not really comparable to our situation.

“Arthur said, “In all the years I’ve been here, it seems I can depend on this same exercise coming up every time one of our nurse anesthetists leaves. I’ve also come to count on it happening with the pathologists and radiologists every few years—they go to work on one

hospital to get their compensation increased, then they use this new pay leader as a wedge to get the other hospitals to pay more.”Carl said, “I’m sure that all of the nurse anesthetists in

town know what the others earn. All it takes is a few people in one hospital to get a strong advocate to go to bat for them, and the pressure to bump pay rates is felt throughout the region. ”Dr. Gable said, “I take it that you’re seeing me in that strong advocate role.” Miller did

not respond. Arthur said, “Anyway, Dr. Gable, you obviously see the nurse anesthetist pay rates as a problem and we’re willing to listen to any potential solutions that you may have to offer.

However, the budget year is barely one-third over and there is no more money to play with until the first of next year. As a first pass at the problem, we’ll be happy to take a close look at any creative solutions you can come up with that lie within the limits of this year’s budget.” (case is

also located in the textbook at the end of Chapter 15, p 522)