MOD003463 - Integrated Case Study: Strategic Report on Four Seasons

This report provides an analysis of Four Seasons Health Care's strategic management, focusing on the challenges and issues faced by the organization. It identifies strategic issues such as globalization, technological innovation, lack of funding, and licensing challenges. The report also highlights operational challenges, including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, changes in government policy, inexperienced staff, uncertainty, time management issues, and a lack of performance monitoring. Proposed solutions include strategic planning, adapting to technological changes, securing funding through various means, improving customer relations, and addressing employee turnover through motivation strategies. The report emphasizes the importance of human resource management in recruiting qualified staff and the need for the organization to adapt to changing environmental conditions to improve overall performance and productivity. This resource is available on Desklib, where students can find a wide array of solved assignments and study materials.

Management
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
To run a business effectively there is a need to have proper management and arrangement
of resources, used by managers to develop their business activities. Management is the main
practice of any business that involves proper planning, arranging resources, organizing,
directing, and controlling the business activities for the purpose of growing a business
continuously. If there is a lack of management then it will be difficult to operate a business. The
present report is wholly based on management that needs in Four Season Health Care by
arranging resources and human beings. This supports bring improvement in existing performance
and develop organizational productivity. While the operation has risen of strategic issues and
challenges is natural and directly impacts on organizational productivity. In all, management is
responsible to resolve the problem and handle all functions effectively.
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Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
About Organization.........................................................................................................................1
Strategic Issues................................................................................................................................1
Challenges........................................................................................................................................2
Solutions..........................................................................................................................................4
Implementation................................................................................................................................6
Recommendations............................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
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INTRODUCTION
Management is the administration of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling
functions which is important to run and maintain higher performance. In each function and
activity management is needed as it understands goals and allocates working between people that
support accomplishing business goals. The management of each organization is responsible to
understand goals and get ready their staff by allocating work and providing training to manage
work at workplace. To understand management clearly, Four Seasons Health Care has been
taken that is British Provider of health and social care services (Freedman, 2020). This
organization was founded in 2004 and operates its business at more than 440 locations. This
provides mental healthcare and brain injury rehabilitation as well as care home operator, brighter
kind. This is a large size organization where employees are indulging in multiple functions and
activities. The management of such an organization plays an important role and allocates the
work between employees. The company is facing strategic issues and challenges that rises while
operating and managing functions, affecting business performance. The report covers strategic
issues, challenges, possible solutions, and implementation.
About Organization
Four Seasons Health Care is British health and social provider that understands the
problems of people and gives them a good life. This is a UK-based large organization, that
operates its business or care services at a different location, helping to increase people's lives.
The management of such an organization plays an important role as it conducts analysis and
makes effort to provide the right services. In the current period, it servers about 17,000 residents
and patients and employs more than 20,000 staff.
Strategic Issues
While running a business and managing activities there are different strategic issues
arises that directly impacts on its sales and profitability negatively. Different types of strategic
issue faced by Four Season Health care is defined below:
Globalization is the process integrating countries and organization from different places.
In other words, interconnection of national economies across the world is known as
globalization. The aim of business industry is to expand its business across the world by using
globalization that might be create issue of running business (Schumacher, and et.al., 2021). The
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issue relates to globalization are trade, banking, investment, labour, movement of people, goods,
and services that can affect a business negatively. For example, globalization becoming
strategical issue for Four Season Health Care as having different culture, changing regulation,
and high investment has to follow for operating a business. This directly affects the business
organization and productivity negatively. To introduce something new and attractive there is
need to focus on technological innovation that used to manage business performance.
Technological innovation is the wider concept of innovation that used to introduce new products
and services by using available resources that can help to increase business activities.
Oppositely, technological innovation could be strategic issue for business industry as it uses new
technology and innovation that gets failure, impacts on business organization negatively. Four
Season Health Care face the issue of technological innovation that create high cost and
investment on introducing new services and get fails. This directly affected the business profits
and create challenge to focus on operation (Vermeulen, and et.al., 2020).
To providing good health and arranging new machines there is need to have funds which
used to allocate in different activities and functions. If there is not proper arrangement of fund
and lack of funding, then could be difficult to operate the business. Four Season Health care
faces strategic issue of lack of funding that needs to bring new machine, measure equipment, and
new health care services which creates the problems in administrating health care service and
affected profitability. To run and expand a business getting a licence of operation is becoming
more difficult that directly affects business industry. Four Season Health Care facing the
challenge of licence that creates issue for running a business and affected the productivity
negatively. This is most important for organization to get licence as it requires number of
approval and documentation that consume much time (Doherty, 2020).
Challenges
While running a business it can be explained that there are different types of challenges
that arises while working and affecting business industry. Four Season Health Care is large size
organization that faced many challenges while running their business. Pandemic (Covid-19) is
the explained as major challenges for all business industries and government has declared
lockdown and rate of infected cases is increasing day by day where it became challenging for
organization to operate their business (Medicine, 2020). During Pandemic period, there is lack of
bed, oxygen and other resources haven been reduced that directly affected the business and
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productivity. Change in government policy that also creates a challenge for organization to
operate or continue their business in changing environment. While running a business having
qualified and experienced employees is needed as it understands the expectation of business and
give their contribution in managing the business activities. Four Season Health Care group is
facing issue of inexperienced and unqualified staff due to which they are not able to provide
right health and care services. This make each task lard and impossible to run the business.
Certainty is requiring in business industry where it analysis the business environment and make
right decision to create certainty (Harrison, Skipworth, van Hoek, and Aitken, 2019). In relation
to chosen organization, there is uncertainty in business activities and business leaders where
employees feel lack of supervision and direction, affected business negatively. Time
management is defined as challenges where it became most important that products and services
should be provided timely. Four Season Health Care faced the challenge of lack of time
management as all business function and activity not to managing properly that directly affected
the business negatively. The management is requiring to understand the problem of their patients
firstly and provide them right solution that might be difficult for organization and affected the
organizational productivity and profitability (Brotspies, and Weinstein, 2019).
Lack of monitoring organizational performance is a challenge for business organization
as it need to know how well it is performing. It has seen that Four Season Health Care Group is
not using the performance indicator that creates issue in arising pitfalls, and not collaboration
due to which employees not performing their business responsibilities clearly. Four Seasons
made an operating profit of £13.9m in the third quarter but fell deep into the red after spending
nearly £32m on debt interest payments (Haseeb, and et.al., 2019). Its debt problem has become
harder to address due to the rising cost of recruiting temporary staff, coupled with lower funding
from cash-strapped councils. The rate of employee turnover is increasing within selected
organization due to lack of motivation and guidance that created challenge for running business
and affected the productivity. This became most important for business organization to
understand changing environment and implement in their working that become difficult for
organization and affected profitability (Barbosa, Castañeda-Ayarza, and Ferreira, 2020). In
business environment competition is explained as major challenge that rises because of having
number of rival organization in environment. This is important for each organization to analysis
their competitors and create issue in running their business effectively. Four Season Health care
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organization faces strategic issue of higher competition as it affects business industry negatively.
Lack of decision making, and problem solving skills in management and employees that creates
challenge for organization to operate their business and manage each functions. To handle a
business and its competitors there is need to have good skills such as marketing, problem
solving, and decision making skills that is lack with Four Season Health Care organization
created challenge for running business and reduce productivity.
Solutions
To run a business and solving strategic issues there is need to have strategic planning
which can be used to solve business issues. Firstly, a business concern needs to understand the
problem on their business and share with their employees that can help to get different solutions.
The management is having major role as it conducts environment analysis what happening in
environment and how people will be influenced then kind of products and services. In above
section it has described that many strategic issues and challenges faced by Four Season Health
Care to operate their business and affected the profitability (Schilling, and Shankar, 2019). To
resolve issue of globalization management and employer needs to analysis the environment and
maintain good relation with countries and organizations that can help to operate the business and
maintaining higher performance. To resolve the technological innovation issue, management
needs to adopt changes and new technology by providing right training and insights to people
that can help to bring changes and productivity at the workplace which can help to influence
people and maintain higher performance. Technology is most important for business
organization as it used to introduce new products and services in changing environment that can
help to grow business effectively. With the help of new technology Four Season Health Care can
introduce new services with the help of equipment in their organization, that will help to increase
the brand image and productivity. To resolve the issue of lack of funding, management have
different options such as sale of fixed assets, bank loan, angel investor, and getting loans from
friends and family that could support their business in changing environment and develop the
organizational performance by offering better health care services. This become most important
for organization to understand what is happening in environment and how their customers would
be influenced after getting products and services. In relation to Four Season Health Care,
management can resolve the issue of lack of customer/patient base as it understand the problem
of patients and provide them better treatment with professionals that can help to develop the
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organizational performance and productivity at the workplace. Moreover, the management needs
have knowledge of operation which used to understand the issue and resolve it optimally. This
can help to manage all functions and activities effectively.
To solve challenges of pandemic or any issue there is need to have proper planning and
strategies that could help to accept the challenges and maintain higher productivity. The
management of Four Season Health Care is having proper planning and strategies which used to
understand pandemic and overcome this challenge, helps to increase the business performance
and productivity. The human resource management is playing important role as it identifies the
vacant position and fill it by recruiting and selecting best staff after analysing their skills and
knowledge. In relation to chosen organization, HRM can overcome the challenge of
inexperienced staff by recruiting and selecting best people at the workplace who would provide
best treatment and health care service to their patients. This will help to improve the brand image
and profitability effectively. The organization also needs to accept uncertainty and should be
prepare for all challenges by formulating policies that will help to develop the organizational
performance and productivity. Increasing employee turnover is becoming major challenge that
needs to improve by following employee motivation strategy. For example, by following
Maslow’s, Adam equity, and reinforcement theory to motivation can be used by chosen
organization for the purpose of motivating people and developing organizational performance.
This will help to bring changes in employee’s working and motivate them to work more
effectively (Steiss, 2019).
To overcome the issue of increasing competition, management of Four Season Health
Care needs to bring changes in their existing services and better treatment to patients that would
help to improve people confidence and make decision to opt again and again. To increase
organizational sales and brand image, there is need to use effective marketing strategy and
channel which supports to bring new ideas and technology to influence people and make
decision to leave. This directly support to chosen organization, increase business activities and
performance by managing all functions as well as activities. To improve decision making,
problem solving and collaboration skills employer needs to behave properly and give opportunity
to their staff that put their opinion that helps to make feel them part of organization and they
work well.
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Implementation
The above discussion is explaining Four Season Health Care should implement
government legislation and policies for the purpose of operating their business in changing
environment and develop organizational productivity. The organization should implement
technological innovation at their workplace which can help to introduce the new health care
services that could help to bring changes in their existing services and maintain higher
performance. To resolve strategic issue and challenges, selected Hotel is implementing
motivation theory that used to provide basic motivation and create a feeling of doing more by
managing all activities. To operate a business chosen organization is implementing government
policy and regulations that supported a business to operate and grow it continuously effectively.
The management of chosen organization should be follow strategies to climate change and get
ready their team members accordingly which can help to develop a business and maintain higher
productivity. To expand a business in to other country management needs to understand
problems of environment and bring changes in their performance which can help to manage all
business activities properly. The selected organization should also participate in CSR activities
such as minimum wastages, providing good treatment to society, and managing all functions
accurately that could help to increase the business performance and productivity effectively
(Rossidis, Belias, and Papailias, 2020).
Recommendations
Four Season Health Care is recommended to focus on changing environment and
strategic issue then formulate effective planning that can help to run a business effectively. It is
recommended to selected organization to recruit and select the best nurses, and employees by
satisfying their needs and wants that would help to provide the good treatment to their staff and
would help to operate a business regularly. The professional in Health care needs to provide the
training time to time to their staff that could help to provide the good health and mental care
services to their patients. The organization is recommended to focus on CSR and participate its
related activities that will help to improve insights of people and give opportunity to grow
business continuously as increasing customer base. The another advice is given to Four Season
Health care is to follow ethics principle and standard in relation to operation and managing a
business continuously (Shammi, and et.al., 2021). This can help to increase the business
activities and performance in global environment and put efforts to increase the business
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productivity. The ethical principle is used by management to showing right and wrong activities
and completing business goals in right manner. The management of Four Season Health care
should behave politely with their staff and provide them right guidance which can help to
develop the business by resolving issues. Moreover, management of such organization should
focus over marketing strategies where digital marketing, and social media can be used by health
care industry that will help to improve the business performance by influencing number of
people and providing right information about health care services. This will help to accept the
challenges and managing business performance effectively. The management need to focus on
financial management where funds and available resources should be properly managed and
organised that could help to provide the right services to people and bring improvements in
organizational image (Zhang, Li, and Chen, 2020).
CONCLUSION
From the report it can be concluded that management plays important role in changing
environment that directly affects business industry negatively. Four Season Health Care is facing
strategic issue such as globalization, licence to operate, higher competition and lack of funding
while running their business that directly affects their business negatively. There are different
challenges faced by selected organization such as changing in government, climate change,
change in government regulations, lack of motivation and inexperienced staff that directly
impacts on business industry negatively and affected productivity. To accept changes and
challenges there is need to have proper regulation and policies which used by management to
improve the business performance and profitability. The senior professionals of chosen
organization should provide training and learning programme to their staff which can help to
make them expert and supports to provide right care and treatment. This can help to develop the
organizational performance and productivity effectively by introducing changes and managing
performance.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Freedman, L., 2020. The revolution in strategic affairs. Routledge.
Schumacher, S., and et.al., 2021. Increasing influenza vaccination coverage in healthcare
workers: a review on campaign strategies and their effect. Infection. 49(3). pp.387-399.
Zhang, L., Li, H. and Chen, K., 2020, March. Effective risk communication for public health
emergency: Reflection on the COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) outbreak in Wuhan, China.
In Healthcare (Vol. 8, No. 1, p. 64). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.
Vermeulen, L. C., and et.al., 2020. ASHP Foundation pharmacy forecast 2020: strategic planning
advice for pharmacy departments in hospitals and health systems. American Journal of
Health-System Pharmacy. 77(2), pp.84-112.
Shammi, M., and et.al., 2021. Strategic assessment of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh:
comparative lockdown scenario analysis, public perception, and management for
sustainability. Environment, Development and Sustainability. 23(4). pp.6148-6191.
Doherty, R. F., 2020. Ethical Dimensions in the Health Professions-E-Book. Elsevier Health
Sciences.
Medicine, T. L. R., 2020. COVID-19: delay, mitigate, and communicate. The Lancet.
Respiratory Medicine. 8(4). p.321.
Harrison, A., Skipworth, H., van Hoek, R. I. and Aitken, J., 2019. Logistics management and
strategy: competing through the supply chain. Pearson UK.
Brotspies, H. and Weinstein, A., 2019. Rethinking business segmentation: A conceptual model
and strategic insights. Journal of strategic marketing. 27(2), pp.164-176.
Haseeb, M., and et.al., 2019. Role of social and technological challenges in achieving a
sustainable competitive advantage and sustainable business
performance. Sustainability. 11(14), p.3811.
Barbosa, M., Castañeda-Ayarza, J. A. and Ferreira, D. H. L., 2020. Sustainable strategic
management (GES): Sustainability in small business. Journal of cleaner production, 258,
p.120880.
Schilling, M. A. and Shankar, R., 2019. Strategic management of technological innovation.
McGraw-Hill Education.
Steiss, A. W., 2019. Strategic management for public and nonprofit organizations. Routledge.
Rossidis, I., Belias, D. and Papailias, S., 2020, September. Strategic management and
performance in the international environment. In Book of Proceedings International
Conference on Cotemporary Marketing Issues.
(Freedman, L., 2020. Schumacher, S., and et.al., 2021 Zhang, L., Li, H. and Chen, K., 2020
Vermeulen, L. C., and et.al., 2020 Shammi, M., and et.al., 2021 Doherty, R. F., 2020 Medicine,
T. L. R., 2020. Harrison, A., Skipworth, H., van Hoek, R. I. and Aitken, J., 2019 Brotspies, H.
and Weinstein, A., 2019. Haseeb, M., and et.al., 2019. Barbosa, M., Castañeda-Ayarza, J. A.
and Ferreira, D. H. L., 2020 Schilling, M. A. and Shankar, R., 2019 Steiss, A. W., 2019.
Rossidis, I., Belias, D. and Papailias, S., 2020
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