John D. Blair

Chapter 11: Strategic advantage and social anathema?

The United States is at a crossroad in its treatment of Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, which deals with reorganization of “bankrupt” organizations. It is vital that the issues surrounding the debate be properly framed. This paper attempts to do just that by reviewing the evolution of bankruptcy law, assessing the impact of Chapter 11 leniency on societal stakeholders, considering bankruptcy as a strategic option, and addressing the ethical and societal issues that arise from the use of Chapter 11 to avoid massive litigation or to abrogate labor contracts. Serious threats to the underlying fibers of the American system of enterprise are exposed and an assessment of these threats is offered.

THE BIOTERRORISM FORMULA: FACING THE CERTAINTY OF THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE

This paper presents an overview of the articles used in this edition of Advances in Health Care Management. The beginning of the article gives the reader a history of bioterrorist activity within the United States, and how these events have led to current situations. It also provides a model for health care leaders to follow when looking at a bioterrorist attack. The model includes descriptions of how the articles within this book relate to an overall bioterrorist formula. Through this, the reader shall be able to deduce which individual article fits into the vastness of healthcare research pertaining to bioterrorism.

A Stakeholder Management Perspective on Military Health Care

Expectations of the U.S. military health care system are becoming more numerous and complex. A managerial approach that encompasses recognition of economic, political, and structural variables is required. The article presents a stakeholder management perspective that incorporates a classification of types of stakeholders and details strategies for dealing with each type. This is illustrated through the Coordinated Care program that the Department of Defense is planning to implement for CHAMPUS (Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services).

Chapter 4 Fit as Moderation and Matching: A Test of Strategy and Structure Congruence in Relationship to Performance

Many researchers and executives have viewed fit as a key to organizational survival and high performance (Summer et al., 1990). However, the type of fit and how it can be best achieved may often be in question (Venkataraman, 1989). The current study empirically examines both external and internal fit as predictors of firm performance where: (1) external fit is the alignment of, or congruence between, the organizations strategy and/or structure and the task environment, and (2) internal fit is the multidimensional matching of strategy with structure. The argument presented here is that both internal and external fit can, and do, occur simultaneously. Further, the presence of one type of fit may compensate for deficiencies in the other. Using fit in terms of both matching and moderation, hypotheses are tested to determine the nature of both internal and external fit of strategy and structure. Testing of the hypotheses is conducted using data from the medical group industry. Findings support the influence of individual strategy and structure variables on medical group performance. However, fit found between strategy and structure, be it as matching or moderation, shows little influence on performance. Implications for medical groups and the broader health care industry are discussed.

COCKTAILS, DECEPTIONS, AND FORCE MULTIPLIERS IN BIOTERRORISM

Terrorists’ threats pose a grave danger to the health care environment in which we live. In the following paper, we look at how bioterrorist plots can effect a given population and show ways to dissect terrorist actions. We look at variables that use various cause and effect relationships, and lead the reader down a path of being able to use information presented in a real life or fictitious bioterrorist attacks. We seek to inform the reader reasons why preparedness is essential in dealing with the likelihood of the following scenarios.

MODELING THE ENVIRONMENTAL JOLTS FROM TERRORIST ATTACKS: CONFIGURATIONS OF ASYMMETRIC WARFARE

When modeling environmental jolts from terrorist attacks, various aspects should be analyzed in order to properly present an accurate configuration. The following article discusses how asymmetrical warfare has an impact on the outcomes of a terrorist attack. The several dimensions of terrorist attacks can be extracted to deduce the ways that asymmetrical warfare can damage the health care system. The article will relate real life terrorist attacks and hypothetical scenarios to better inform the reader about the weak attacking the strong, and then explain how this relates to health care providers.

NOTES FROM THE EDITORS

A Note from the Editors of Bioterrorism, Preparedness, Attack and ResponsenThis thematic volume on preparing for bioterrorism, bioterrorist attacks, and the response to such attacks is, in part, the collective response of both the authors of specific chapters as well as that of the three editors to the events of September 11, 2001.

From stakeholder management strategies to stakeholder management styles: Serendipitous research on organizational configurations

How health care managers make sense of stakeholders and act strategically within these inter-organizational relationships has significant impact on organizational survival and performance. Existing research on stakeholder management has focused on managing dyadic relationships with individual stakeholders. We propose, based on serendipitous findings from a prior research study, that organizations exhibit distinct configurations — stakeholder management styles — in the ways in which they manage their kwy stakeholders. To explicate this notion, we review potential theoretical configurations of stakeholder management styles, including a well-known stakeholder typology, which focuses on the concepts of threat and cooperation. Based on this review, we develop a typology that shifts the focus from individual stakeholders to a focus on the organizations and their orientation toward managing a portfolio of stakeholders. We use secondary data analyses of a national sample of 686 medical group executives to conduct an exploratory study of how and whether stakeholder management styles are likely to impact multiple indicators of organizational performance. We conclude with propositions for future research, as well as implications for managerial practice.