Assignments will be due on Sunday by 11:00 pm CST. Your assignments should be submitted as MS Word or Excel documents. Be sure to include your name both in the file and in the file name. Detailed instructions for completing the individual assignments and the grading rubrics are provided in the week assigned.
[Adapted from: Simendinger, E. (2003). In Search of a Course Design and Teaching Methods to Improve Critical Thinking. Journal of Health Administration Education, 20(3), 197-213.]
Do each case analysis without discussing it with other students prior to class. For online classes instructor will allow students to select two (2) cases for written submission from the case book.
For each case, write the following information and number it 1 though 8 and use section headings:
1. Your name.
2. Case title, and class date.
3. A summary of the case. [1 paragraph] This will require you to read the case several times. Do not just copy sentences from the case. Instead, express in your own words the essence of the case.
4. A list of what you think are the 10-15 most important facts/factors in the case.
5. The most important health administration/planning/marketing problem/issue to be solved in the case. [1 sentence].
List other secondary problems in the case.
6. Your recommended solution for the case (a.-d. below). Make clear specific realistic recommendations. There must be a clear logical sequence to your thoughts and recommendations. [2-3 pages]
a. At least three possible realistic alternative solutions for the most important problem (stated above for 5).
b. Criteria to evaluate possible alternative solutions. For example: acceptability to stakeholders, needed resources, legality, timing, cost-effectiveness, ability to implement, side effects, qualifications, statistical data, financial data, ethical considerations, fit with case facts, likelihood of actually solving the problem, etc.
c. Evaluation of the possible alternative solutions (6a) using the criteria (6b).
d. Your recommended solution for the problem, based on 6a, 6b, and 6c. Justify your recommendation
7. Specific MHA tools, methods, techniques, principles, theories, models, etc. from MHA courses that you used for this case. List specific tools (e.g., cost-benefit analysis, market segmentation, etc.). Do not list general subjects (e.g., finance, leadership).
8. Answer any case study questions that accompany the case. If a case question is answered by what you already wrote for 3-7 above, then just note which part of your case analysis provides the answer.
Grades will be based on how well case analyses use case information, MHA tools, and critical thinking to do 3-8 above. Each case analysis is worth a total of 10 possible points.
