NRS451 Nursing Leadership and Management
Week 1 Assignment
Professional Resume and Cover Letter
Write an introductory cover letter of no more than 500 words in which you explain your professional objectives, professional interests, and strengths as an applicant.
Create a resume detailing your license(s), earned degree(s), certification(s), professional experiences, previous positions held, membership in professional organizations, publications, and skills.
Both the cover letter and resume should be formally written using a professionally accepted format. Review “Resume Resources,” located at for http://www.resume-resource.com/examples-medical.html for examples of approved formats; however, other professional templates may be used.
Share your resume with a colleague and elicit their feedback. Revise your resume if needed and submit the resume in the assignment section of the course.
APA style is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are not required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.
NRS451 Nursing Leadership and Management
Week 2 Assignment
Benchmark – Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management
In this assignment, you will be writing a 1,000-1,250-word essay describing the differing approaches of nursing leaders and managers to issues in practice. To complete this assignment, do the following:
Select an issue from the following list: nursing shortage and nurse turn-over, nurse staffing ratios, unit closures and restructuring, use of contract employees (i.e., registry and travel nurses), continuous quality improvement and patient satisfaction, and magnet designation.
Compare and contrast how you would expect nursing leaders and managers to approach your selected issue. Support your rationale by using the theories, principles, skills, and roles of the leader versus manager described in your readings.
Identify the approach that best fits your personal and professional philosophy of nursing and explain why the approach is suited to your personal leadership style.
Identify a possible funding source that addresses your issue. Consider looking at federal, state, and local organizations. For example: There are many grants available through the CDC, HRSA, etc.
Use at least two references other than your text and those provided in the course.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.
NRS451 Nursing Leadership and Management
Week 3 Assignment
Executive Summary
In this assignment, you will select a program, quality improvement initiative, or other project from your place of employment. Assume you are presenting this program to the board for approval of funding. Write an executive summary (850-1,000 words) to present to the board, from which they will make their decision to fund your program or project. The summary should include:
The purpose of the program or project.
The target population or audience.
The benefits of the program or project
The cost or budget justification.
The basis upon which the program or project will be evaluated.
Share your written proposal with your manager, supervisor or other colleague in a formal leadership position within a health care organization. Request their feedback using the following questions as prompts:
Do you believe the proposal would be approved if formally proposed?
What are some strengths and weaknesses of the proposal?
Submit the written proposal along with the “Executive Summary Feedback Form.”
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.
NRS451 Nursing Leadership and Management
Week 4 Assignment
Organizational Values Presentation
Prepare a 10-minute presentation (10-15 slides, not including title or reference slide) on organizational culture and values.
Describe how alignment between the values of an organization and the values of the nurse impact nurse engagement and patient outcomes.
Discuss how an individual can use effective communication techniques to overcome workplace challenges, encourage collaboration across groups, and promote effective problem solving. Incorporate how system needs and the culture of health may influence the outcomes. How does this relate to health promotion and disease prevention in the larger picture?
Identify a specific instance from your own professional experience in which the values of the organization and the values of the individual nurses did or did not align. Describe the impact this had on nurse engagement and patient outcomes.
While APA style format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are not required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.
NRS451 Nursing Leadership and Management
Week 5 Assignment
Health Organization Case Study
Research a health care organization or a network that spans several states within the U.S. (Example: United Healthcare, Vanguard, Banner Healthcare, etc.).
Harvard Business Review Online and Hoover’s Company Records, found in the GCU Library, are useful sources. You may also find pertinent information on your organization’s webpage.
Review “Singapore Airlines Case Study.”
Prepare a 1,000-1250-word paper that focuses on the organization or network you have selected.
Your essay should assess the readiness of the health care organization or network in addressing the health care needs of citizens in the next decade, and include a strategic plan that addresses issues pertaining to network growth, nurse staffing, resource management, and patient satisfaction. Provide a comparison to the health care organization or network and the Singapore Airlines. Include any cultural issues that may influence the practices listed above.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.
NRS-451V Singapore Airlines Case Study
(Student paper)
Singapore Airlines was created in 1972 following a separation from Malaysian Airlines. In the wake of reorganization, Singapore Airlines undertook aggressive growth, investing and trading to maximize profitability and expand market share. Through this change, a new company philosophy emerged, “Success or failure is largely dictated by the quality of service it provides” (Wyckoff, 1989). By reinventing the company infrastructure and introducing new initiatives focused on excellence in customer service, Singapore Airlines became a global leader in the service industry, elevating existing standards among competitors.
Evaluation of Workforce Management Program
The strategy widely utilized by Singapore Airlines to ensure differentiation in an increasingly competitive market was its attention to in-flight service. “Good flight service [was] important in its own right and is a reflection of attention to detail throughout the airline” (Wyckoff, 1989). This statement perpetuated the belief that excellence in service was directly tied to the careful selection and individual performance of in-flight crews charged with the responsibility of fulfilling the needs of individual passengers and exuding the levels of service demanded by the organization. Applicants destined to work as flight stewards were drawn from a very young population, typically spanning the ages of 18-25 years of age with high school equivalency against the English system of education. Selection of applications was competitive largely due to the degree of skill, poise, and experience required of its candidates. These policies led to the on-boarding of a highly skilled and youthful workforce with positive attitudes and a willingness to be trained. Critique of this approach revealed several disadvantages.The most significant being the potential for greater turnover when hiring a younger population as opposed to an older, more experienced crew. Experience alone would play some role in the development of new employees, as greater experience would bring greater poise and confidence. However, in light of the predominant population Singapore Airlines catered to, a younger in-flight crew would remedy the awkwardness likely to be encountered by older clients being served by older crew members. In addition, a younger crew would likely be more accepting of new procedures and less cynical of the requirements of employment.
In light of the young demographic most desired in this role, recruitment, training and “conversion” processes were both stringent and comprehensive. All aspects of in-flight service, including training related to terminology, amenities and food preparation were provided in great detail, as were training for emergency preparedness and response to every potential scenario encountered in the air and on the ground. Formalized on-boarding, training and continued development were the hallmarks of the comprehensive workforce program. Even well into a crew member’s employment, on-going training and cyclical evaluation provided a mechanism for employees to be aware of individual performance and gain exposure to methods of continuous improvement. With an on-going plan of evaluation, communication, and development, the workforce was well-positioned for high levels of performance and quality improvements.
Though it would seem that Singapore Airlines’ work management program suited the organization well, it greatly narrowed the pool of applicants and kept many, well-qualified and experienced candidates from positions that would create diversity among the largely homogeneous workforce and place the organization in a better position to serve populations whose ethnic origins were not of Asian descent. If the organization aims to be the leader in an increasingly global marketplace, the workforce must mirror the diverse needs and perceptions of the greater population.
Advertising Campaign
Singapore Airlines is known in the airline industry for its quality of service. This emphasis on customer service and customer satisfaction is largely reflective of the Asian culture for which the company embodies. Attention to detail, impeccable presentation, and care for others are traits synonymous with countries of Asian heritage. Similarly, Asian countries revere conservatism, organization and hierarchy (Allik, n.d.) so, it would follow that young Asian individuals demonstrate the same gracious, caring behaviors to others. The expectation of “gentle, courteous service” is consistent with these norms and with the approaches taken by the organization. So much are these standards and stereotypes linked to Asian culture and the epitome of service, that the symbol applied to the airline is that of a young Asian woman. This image is resoundingly more beguiling and traditional, recognized by nearly 50% of consumers over typical marketing imparted by competitors, with a marginal recognition of 9.6%. In light of the positive impact and recognition of the existing marketing campaign, it was considered advisable to retain the current marketing strategy.
Systems for Measuring Service Quality
Singapore Airlines has two primary components involved in measuring service quality. The first is a system to measure customer complaints and compliments for every 10,000 passengers. The second measurement is a comparative rating of airline services prepared by the International Research Associates (INRA).
The first component, customers’ complaints and compliments, stayed relatively the same despite rapid organizational expansion. This type of analysis has shown a generally high satisfaction level, but could be skewed due to the vast areas the complaints and compliments could cover; from ticket sales and baggage areas to in-flight crews. To address this concern the complaints were split between the areas. However, to get an accurate barometer of customer satisfaction, it was recommended that the airline conduct routine surveys of customers. Often, customers submitting comments fell into one of two categories;those having complaints or those having compliments.
The second component to gauge customer satisfaction involved the INRA surveys. The airline executives paid particular attention to these scores as they indicated levels of satisfaction among the general consumer population and identified areas requiring continuous improvement. In 1973 Singapore Airlines scored 68, in 1974 the company scored 74 and in 1979 they scored 78. The scores of 39 other airlines demonstrated that two other competitors, Cathy Pacific and Thai International, were improving rapidly. This provided one indicator of competitive advantage. In order for Singapore Airlines to stay ahead of their competitors they would need to evaluate their position against industry leaders and determine if changes would be needed to stay competitive, particularly with respect to customer service and customer satisfaction (Wyckoff, 1989).
Plan to Introduce Slot Machines
Singapore Airlines has responded to many changes in order to differentiate itself within an increasingly competitive market place. One responsive action was to remove sleepers, replacing them with a business class section. Reactions from consumers were less than favorable.The move strayed from what consumers came to expect of elite levels of customer service, which were in large part, due to the attention paid to the personal needs of its elite customers. Although intended to be innovative and distinctive, the inclusion of slot machines on transatlantic flights was another idea met with considerable consumer dissatisfaction.While potentially generating a new stream of revenue, the idea only worked to incite passengers with a new category of charges. In addition to generating cost for the consumer, the machines took valuable space away from seats and posed problems in light of weight restrictions (Time, 1981). These changes only compounded issues and introduced new problems such as the potential for in-flight injury, rather than improving in-flight services. While there was some opportunity for revenue, initially, the gains would last for a season and werenot expected to extend out into the long-term.
Conclusion
The Singapore Airlines Case Study highlights both effective as well as ineffective management approaches within the company. The subsequent analysis and evaluation of company operations and strategies offer a compelling glimpse of organizational design and leadership amid change, as well as provide a platform for future discussions of organizational development and change management. Group evaluation of organizational design, organizational decision-making, and organizational process at Singapore Airlines yielded some recommendations for new approaches to address complaints, become more mainstream in an increasingly diverse market space, and become more innovative without losing sight of the customer service focus that has made Singapore Airlines so successful.
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