Assignment:

Exercises: 

What competitor information categories are useful in competitor analysis? Are these categories appropriate for health care organizations? How can these information categories provide focus for information gathering and strategic decision making?

Why is it important to clearly define the service area? How does managed care penetration affect service area definition?

Professional Development: 

Conduct a service area competitor analysis within your community. Keep it fairly small in scope (i.e. laser hair removal business, extended care facility for ventilator-dependant patients, etc.) so that it is manageable. Begin by introducing the macro issues (general and health care) and then use this outline as an initial guide:

Specify the Service Category

Delineate the Service Area. 

General

Economic

Demographic

Psychographic

Health Status

Perform a Service Area Structure Analysis 

Threat of New Entrants

Intensity of Rivalry

Threat of Substitutes

Power of Customers

Power of Suppliers

Do a Competitor Analysis/Identify Service Category Critical Success Factors

Competitor Strengths and Weaknesses

Critical Success Factors

Strategic Groups

Map Competitors

Likely Responses of Competitors

Identify and Map Strategic Groups

Provide a Synthesis.

Ginter, P.M., Duncan, W.J., & Swayne, L.E. (2013). Strategic management of health care organizations (7th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.