Discussion

/0 Comments/in /by

Discussion Topic

A large academic medical center was interviewing candidates for the position of marketing director.  One interviewee was a vice president of marketing for a large consumer food product firm.  During the interview, the interviewee was asked what skills he had for the position.  He responded, “I’ve sold products all my life and have been successful.  Marketing a food product is no different than marketing a hotel, airline, or hospital.”

 

(a)   Is this view naïve?  Why or why not?

 

(b)   How is healthcare marketing similar to marketing other products or services?

 

(c)   How is it different?

 

Source: Chapter 8 Problems (Essentials of Health Care Marketing  – Berkowitz)

 

Discussion

/0 Comments/in /by

Discussion Topic

Answer the following question in your first post:

Mary Hayes is the director of patient engagement in a relatively large city in the upper Midwest. In a strategic planning committee meeting, the marketing director presented an overview of the latest demographic projections of the region, which were somewhat disconcerting. “The region is showing a large outgrowth and decline among several important demographic groups,” the marketing director noted. “There is a 1.6% decline in the important demographic of 26- to 40-year-olds reflective of our declining economic opportunities for jobs, and there is a decline in the 60- to 75-year-olds, who are moving to retirement locations.”     

The group agreed that this was a situation facing many similar communities in the upper Midwest, but the hospital had two competitors of good size in the region. Provide your recommendations as to strategies to consider at this stage of the life cycle for the organization and the market.

Source: Chapter 12 Problems (Essentials of Health Care Marketing  – Berkowitz)

Discussion

/in /by

Discussion Topic

Answer all of these questions in your first post:

A new group of primary care physicians have decided to locate in a suburb of Washington, D.C.  After conducting some primary market research on the area, the group’s research firm has characterized the community as comprising Boomers, Gen-Xers, and a significant number of N-Gen white-collar workers, all employed by high-tech and consulting firms located in the outer belt that surrounds Washington, D.C.  What are the implications of this market profile in terms of how:

  1. How the office setting might be configured?
  2. How office scheduling and hours should be constructed?

 

Source: Chapter 6 Problems (Essentials of Health Care Marketing – Berkowitz)

Please put together complete and wewell-thought-outesponses. I am looking for original input so please share your thoughts and experiences so we can all learn from them. Please make sure that you back up the posts with factual information from the textbook, research, work/life experiences, etc.

I am looking forward to some great discussions!

Discussion Grading Criteria:

Thoroughly answered all of the questions: 40 points possible Quality response to at least two classmates and/or Instructor: 30 points possible References to text and/or other sources:  10 points Spelling/Grammar at the college level: 10 points possible Posted on 3 separate days:  10 points Total: 100 points

 

Book Report on Loving each other by Leo Buscaglia

/in /by

Leo Buscaglia undertakes an in-depth study of loving relationships in his 1986 book titled Loving Each Other: The Challenge of Human Relationships. The study follows an increasing trend of broken relationships and loneliness among people. The answers sought by Buscaglia are how to form loving relationships as well as nurture them to grow. In addressing this issue, he avoids appearing subjective by taking into account the thoughts of the subjects in his study. Through questionnaires, the subjects present the main qualities that they believe contribute towards a loving relationship. These mainly include communication, joy, honesty, and forgiveness among others. Buscaglia then expands on these qualities. This book forms a basis for self-reflection given that these are issues that everyone faces. Many of these qualities resonated with me while I held a few reservations about others.

Communication is vital for a loving relationship. Buscaglia (1986) states that it is the most essential skill in forming and maintaining a loving and growing relationship. However, this skill is continually being ignored. Ironically, communication is an issue, yet technology allows us to talk to anyone at any time from anywhere in the world. It goes to show that the communication channel is not all that is needed but also that communication skills are just as important. In my relationships, both primary and secondary, I have encountered challenges when I needed someone to listen to me. It appears that many people want to talk but few want to listen. Buscaglia (1986) argues that sharing, which is vital in a loving relationship, stops when one senses that they are not being listened to. Deriving from personal experience, I know that sometimes listening is hard. There are times when a friend tries to share thoughts but I find myself distracted or worse, disinterested.  However, after reading this book, I intend to be a better listener as I would want the same to be reciprocated.

Honesty is yet another major quality for nurturing loving relationships. The author argues that dishonesty leads to a web of distrust that eventually destroys a relationship (Buscaglia, 1986). Yet, being entirely honest is a big challenge. Many times, lying seems to be a better option than hurtful truths in our relationships. Buscaglia (1986, p.78) captures this by stating that “We engage in these untruths, we say, in order to protect others from pain, from harm or to spare the innocent.” This is the case with most of us. I have had experiences where I had to lie because I believed that the truth would only result in great damage to my relationship. Also, not everyone is the same and people handle the truth differently, especially when it is painful. Therefore, I slightly disagree with Buscaglia on this point. This does not mean that I do not value the truth. On the contrary, I have experienced the rewards of a relationship based on honesty. The trust, security, and warmth of such a relationship are striking. However, there are things that I would prefer not to know, especially if they only lead to painful feelings. I refer to this as a few cases of omission in telling the truth instead of outright lying. Aside from that, I generally believe that honesty is crucial in a loving relationship.

There is love in forgiveness. Buscaglia (1986) argues that forgiveness has the power to heal, soothe, reunite and recreate. However, this is yet another challenging quality besides honesty when it comes to relationships. The challenge is captured by Buscaglia’s words that “Asking for forgiveness and forgiving others is a complicated process that involves our deepest empathy, humanity, and wisdom” (Buscaglia, 1986, p. 95). We have all been wronged or felt betrayed at one point or the other. Judging from my experience, I think that the ease in forgiveness depends on how we view the magnitude of the wrong done to us. It also depends on the remorsefulness of the person. In the past, I have found it very difficult to forgive those who were not willing to apologize for their mistakes. However, I like Buscaglia’s point that forgiveness should be unconditional hence the presence or absence of an apology is not an issue. Also, I have understood that we forgive for our benefit, and not that of others. I have felt pain before after being wronged by my loved ones. This only served to deny me peace and joy until I chose to let go of those negative feelings by forgiving. Hence, forgiveness, although challenging, is a quality that resonates with me and I intend to be more forgiving even when it is very hard.

The quality of Joy also resonated with me. Perhaps it is because I value my happiness dearly. Also, I believe that one of the goals of a relationship is joy. Buscaglia (1986) however, cautions us that happiness comes from within. It is wrong to expect your lover, for instance, to entirely make you happy. I have fallen into this category of expectations several times. Hence, I aim to bring my happiness into the relationship, which will then be nurtured through positive expressions such as constant laughter.  Ultimately, joy will enable me to live fully and improve my health and wellbeing as well as the lives of those with who I build relationships.

Loving relationships need to be formed and nurtured. Leo Buscaglia’s book on Loving Each Other forms the basis for self-reflection on such relationships. Many of the qualities addressed resonated with my personal experiences. These include communication, honesty, forgiveness, and joy. Having gained this insight, I look forward to nurturing my relationships with an emphasis on love.

References

Buscaglia, L. F. (1986). Loving Each Other: The Challenge of Human Relationships. Ballantine Books.

Exploring the Catholic Theological Tradition

/in /by

 

Section One

Meditating upon Luke 24: 13-35 has been an extraordinary experience. During the first occasion, I had some difficulties concentrating. However, gradually as I thought about the passage, I was able to enter into meditation. I lost awareness of my surrounding environment and I felt relaxed. My focus shifted to this day when Cleopas and his companion were headed to Emmaus. Although the good news of the rising of Jesus Christ had already been told, this information had been received with disbelief. Therefore, the apostles and other followers of Jesus were still in a sorrowful and hopeless stage.

The different meditation experiences evoked feelings of empathy within me. For instance, in my first meditating occasion on verses 13-17, I could relate to the anxiety that the two disciples were experiencing and the uncertainty about the future. I could not help but think about times when things were very uncertain in my life. Verses 18-21 teach us that the disciples had put all their hope in Jesus as their redeemer, but now he had been killed ((New International Bible, Luke 24. 18-21).  While meditating on this part, I could remember numerous times when I felt hopeless.

I learned several lessons from meditating. Normally, it is likely to read verses like any other story. However, meditating allowed me to see the story of the two disciples in a different light and much clearer. It helped me think deeply about the scripture and how it impacts my life. I have also realized that it differed from the other type of meditation commonly practiced in yoga, which I have tried several times to relax. Unlike the yoga meditation, this time my objective was not only to relax but also to learn and relate deeply with the scripture.

Meditating upon this scripture has impacted positively on my life. I feel more spiritually nourished and better connected to the Holy Spirit. It is also comforting to know that despite those hopeless and anxious moments, Jesus will be in the midst of it all. Although there are numerous scriptures that one can meditate upon, Luke 24: 13-35 is suitable because it depicts one of the most important occasions in Christianity: the rising of Jesus Christ. It also contains several teachings that helped me meditate upon my life, such as the issues of hope, anxiety, difficulties in life, and matters of faith. Before meditation, I viewed these verses as just one of the several times Jesus appeared to his disciples after rising from the dead. After the practice, however, I now understand that Jesus’ aim was not only to appear to these two disciples, but also to impact teaching in them, and all of us. The scripture, therefore, acted as a guide in my meditation enabling me to reflect deeply upon my life. For instance picturing the two journeying to Emmaus saddened, anxious and hopeless enabled me to meditate upon a time when I was in a similar situation (Luke 24.13-21).

Loyola Marymount University offers many serene sites suitable for reflection. I chose to perform the practice at different locations including the Fountains on Shea Terrace and the Sacred Heart Chapel. The sound of water at the fountains masks other disruptive sounds that could have hindered my meditation. Additionally, the plants at the sites helped maintain that calm state for even deeper meditation. The other place of meditation, the Chapel, offered a very suitable environment due to its sacred nature. However, I experienced a few cases of distractions as a few activities went on within the premises, but these were minimal. Given these merits, if I had to do the practice again, I would still choose these venues. Regarding the time of meditation, I decided to do some of the occasions in the morning and the rest in the late afternoon. I believe that both times of the day had something unique to offer. The morning hours offered a freshness of the mind, while the late afternoon offered the golden sunset hour which also enabled me to meditate deeply.

Section Two

Some of the foremost theological issues in my mind include the preservation of the gospel in an ever-increasing secular world and the church’s stand on matters of marriage, sexuality, and gender. Regarding the preservation of the gospel, I feel that there are so many issues that threaten the exclusivity of the gospel. We live in a digital age where information of all kinds, which in most cases is secular, is readily available. Also, the church is threatened by greed which hinders the spread of the gospel and goes against the Bible.

The matter of marriage, sexuality, and gender is of deep concern. On one side is the bible which is our guide and is supreme hence cannot be challenged. On the other, is a changing contemporary society that faces emerging issues that might not have been acknowledged during the writing of the scriptures. Balancing these two aspects is a huge challenge for the issue. However, I believe that an amicable solution can be arrived at. Aside from that, if I had the opportunity to study catholic theology further, I would be interested in undertaking Christology to understand better the works and nature of Jesus Christ.

 

Work Cited

The Bible. New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984.