SWOT Analysis: David Christopher, an Orthopaedic Surgeon

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Table of Contents

Synopsis
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Solutions to the problems
Conclusion
Recommendation
Solution implementation
References

Synopsis

In every field of study or business, there exist the external and internal factors that you can either have control over them or not. In this case, one can have a problem-oriented approach to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats in the life of David Christopher according to the book OM, third edition by David Alan Collier and James R. Evans.

David Christopher ventured in the business of Orthopaedic Surgery Clinic. By taking the problem-oriented approach, this paper analyses the case study to identify the main problems. The writer then suggests solutions to the existing problems. In this case, the weaknesses and the threats are discussed as the major problems. However, there are solutions to the problems as in the case of David Christopher.

Recommendations have also been made and the best solutions chosen from the proposals. The theory used in this case study analyses the business using the approach of SWOT analysis. Discussions of the findings are incorporated together in the SWOT analysis and at the end of the case study; there are details of the solution and implementation.

Strengths

These are the capabilities or the successes in a business that are helpful in accomplishing the mission. In Christopher’s business, the owner ventured in a business that is in line with his profession. He uses the knowledge he has to ensure best service delivery. Christopher obtained medical degrees from Universities of Kentucky and Virginia. He has experience in orthopaedic surgery obtained from Duke University Medical Centre.

Christopher has employed 12 support personnel including X-Ray technicians, nurses, accounting and office support. Evidence shows that the employees are committed because the orthopaedic surgeons are working long hours a day. The clinic’s typical workweek shows that employees work for 10 hours excluding lunch hour.

David Christopher’s clinic has many customers because of the overload of the surgeons. The clinic has good reputation among the customers because there are so many patients requiring the orthopaedic surgery and therefore David Christopher has thought of employing more orthopaedic surgeons.

The clinic offers the best quality services to the customers free of medical and surgical errors. David Christopher’s workweek shows the set up and changeover times for the orthopaedic surgeons. This ensures that the surgeons get enough time to rest after attending to a patient and before the next patient.

In the clinic, treatments of fractures have always been successful. Osteoporosis is a condition that leads to the fractures. Through Orthopaedic surgery clinic, the fractures of the hips, wrists, and the spine are treated successfully. Their services are perfect. This is strength in David Christopher’s clinic.

Weaknesses

Weaknesses are those qualities that hinder the accomplishment of the mission and the achievement of the full potential. These are the controllable internal factors. In David Christopher’s clinic, there are only two orthopaedic surgeons including him and another one hired recently. The number of patients increases day-by-day forcing both orthopaedic surgeons to work for extra hours a day. This is a controllable internal crisis because David can decide to hire more orthopaedic surgeons.

Opportunities

Opportunities are the chances in a business that when utilized, the business can gain competitive edge over others. A trained orthopaedic surgeon treats extremities and spine by preserving, investigating and recovering their initial forms and functions. The surgeon achieves this through medical, surgery and the physical handling (Collier & Evans, 2012).

This is an opportunity to Christopher since one orthopaedic surgeon can handle so many problems including the muscular, spinal, nerve, tumours, and congenital deformities. This wide variation of treatments is an opportunity requiring utilization by the clinic to gain more profit.

Health related businesses are good opportunities since potential customers do not have otherwise but to seek treatments. Health is life and without life, there is no existence. Orthopaedic surgeons deal with fractures and therefore, patients have no option but to visit the surgeons for treatments (Collier & Evans, 2012).

Another opportunity in Christopher’s clinic relates to the skills the surgeons have. When the surgeons are not in the clinic working, they rest, teach at the nearby medical training school or go to surgeon’s meetings and conferences. Through these interactions, surgeons improve and update their skills in their field of study. This guarantees good quality provision to the patients. David and the fellow surgeon utilize the opportunity in these functions and apply the learned skills in the clinic.

Threats

Threats are external influences that are uncontrollable and can jeopardize the profitability of the business. David Christopher faces a threat of the employees leaving the clinic to work in other places because they are over loaded with the work they are doing.

The surgeon especially can leave because he works for ten contact hours a day, the same number of hours as the owner of the clinic works. The exposure to other surgeons in the professionals’ meeting, conferences and the nearby medical schools where he attends guest lectures, provides the avenue to leave the clinic (Collier & Evans, 2012).

Solutions to the problems

To curb the problem of insufficient surgeons, David Christopher has thought of employing more orthopaedic surgeons. This will reduce the number of hours one surgeon works a day leading to the improved quality of service delivery.

For improved service delivery, David Christopher has set up changeover times in his clinic’s typical workweek. The surgeons sit down between surgery sessions to relax. Some orthopaedic surgeons go from one patient to another quickly, which according to Christopher leads to medical and surgical errors (Collier & Evans, 2012).

Conclusion

From the findings and discussions above, it is clear that orthopaedic surgery as a business faces both external and internal threats. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats constitute internal and external analysis of the clinic as a business. It is therefore important to use the strengths and opportunities to solve the weaknesses in the business.

Recommendation

From the solutions provided above, the following recommendation is important for David Christopher. For the business to succeed, David has to employ more qualified and experienced orthopaedic surgeons because once many orthopaedic surgeons are employed, the workload will be shared and hence the daily contact hours will reduce. Employing the skilled orthopaedic surgeons ensures provision of high quality services, which leads to more profits for the business.

Solution implementation

The person to implement the above solution recommended should be David Christopher who is the Chief Executive of the clinic. While the customers still value the services offered by the clinic, David should implement the solution immediately. The number of the surgeons hired will depend on the current financial status of the clinic (Collier & Evans, 2012).

Advertisement of the positions should be done through the print media and interviews carried out to select the best candidates. Criterion for selecting the best candidates should involve the previous work experience, educational level and the attitude towards work.

References

Collier, D., & Evans, J. (2012). Operations management. Florida Gulf Coast University: Cengage Learning.

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