Medical Student Blog

Strategic management is an ongoing process that allows an organization to balance the internal organizational culture with the external environment (Hunger & Wheelen, 2007; Ginter, 2004). This process is an essential management tool that allows organizations to respond to external changes as well as to position themselves within the environment in order to gain a competitive edge. Strategic management includes analyzing the internal strengths and weaknesses of an organization while simultaneously assessing the opportunities and threats from the external environment (Hunger & Wheelen, 2007; Preble, 1997; Fottler, Ford & Heaton, 2010). Continue reading »

As technology advances, the faces of communication and society have changed. Likewise, technology has significantly served to reshape the business world and competitiveness in multiple ways. Businesses must compete on many levels, including competing for the top talents within a field. Technology has changed the way that organizations compete for their workforce, offering increased options for mobility through cell phones, telecommuting through remote server access, and increased security within the internal and external digital information lines (Reed Business Information, 2004; Hornung, Rousseau & Glaser, 2008). Just as employees expect more digital flexibility and security (Barr, 2008), so too do the consumers served through e-commerce. Continue reading »

Physicians and caretakers are often faced with difficult dilemmas that require assisting patients and families to choose a specific course of action. Few environments are as demanding on the professional relationship as within medicine; treatment plans, end-of-life decisions and day-to-day recommendations balance risks with the patient’s best interests. Especially in the medical field, providers’ recommendations must maintain ethical standards. Ethical is defined at Dictionary.com (n.d.) as: “being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice, esp. the standards of a profession”.

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Psychology has profound effects on decision making. Within the business world, psychology can explain the processes through which organizations and individuals develop fraudulent and unethical behavior. Through analysis of the psychology behind the decision making and considering examples of corruption within the corporate world, precautions may be made to prevent similar fraudulent practices from occurring within the medical field.

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