• A small hospital in a well-managed healthcare system can consider three ways to obtain clinical support services: “stand alone” (hire its own healthcare professionals); “outsource” (buy services from local providers); and “affiliate” (arrange for training, procedures, and supervision through its system). Determine how the organization should come to a decision regarding which approach to providing CSSs is preferable.

Assignment 2: Required Assignment 2—IT Strategic Planning

Using a company of your choice, determine the strategic business goals. Develop an IT strategy that aligns to the business goals. You can use the balanced scorecard approach or you can develop your own method for defining and aligning the IT strategy to the business strategy. You will need to cite at least two credible sources that will provide justification for your strategy or approach.

Finding a company: If you are employed, it is best for you to use your current place of employment so you can practically apply the concepts in this assignment. Alternatively, you can use a nonprofit organization or any other organization you may have ties or access to.

Your IT strategy should include:

• Business Goals and Objectives
• List at least two or three specific business goals for the next year or two with an explanation of the business’ rationale for the goal.
• List an objective for each business goal to explain what the company needs to do to achieve the goal. 
• IT Strategies aligned with business goals and objectives
• List one or two IT strategies for each business goal
• These should be recommended strategies that would enable the business goals and objectives to be achieved.
• If your company already has IT strategies, you may provide an analysis and justification or new recommendation for each of the strategies
• Organizational Structure
• Describe the structure of the organization including:
• Organizational design
• Organizational culture
• Leadership factors (the types of leadership displayed within the company)
• Business processes
• Physical layout (i.e., how many offices, virtual offices, international locations)
• IT Infrastructure
• Describe the current IT infrastructure including:
• Hardware
• Software
• Network
• IT resources
• This should be a high-level overview
• IT Challenges
• Describe internal and external challenges IT faces in meeting the business needs
• Include social and/or ethical considerations
• Risks
• Describe risks IT might face when implementing change

As you develop your strategy, you may want to consider the following:

• An effective IT strategy will enable the business operations, helping business leaders achieve business goals more efficiently and effectively.
• Focus on top priorities. Take the time to understand organizational issues, how they are related, and how they affect performance. Determine what will happen if nothing changes and where IT can have the greatest, positive impact.
• Identify how IT supports business processes. The business is relying on their capabilities to achieve the business goals. The IT strategy should include a plan for supporting those business capabilities, creating efficiencies, and competitive advantage for the business.
• Define IT priorities and governance for IT. Without priorities and a process for IT governance in place, progress will be slowed. An agreed upon plan for governing IT will enable the decision process.

Understand the challenges. Improving processes and increasing efficiencies through IT implementation also requires behavioral and sometimes organizational change. With these changes come inherent challenges. Understanding and planning for those challenges will increase the chance of success in meeting the business goals.

Write an 8–12-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M5_A2.doc.

By Wednesday, July 5, 2017, deliver your assignment to the M5: Assignment 2 Dropbox.

Go to the following web site: http://oyez.org/about (right click and select “open in new window”) Read about the origin and purpose of the OYEZ Project of Northwestern University School of Law. Browse these materials to the extent that they interest you. On other OYEZ pages you’ll find backgrounds of the US Supreme Court justices and videos about how the court operates.

Next, go to the following OYEZ web page: http://oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2004/2004_03_1693?sort=ideology (right click and select “open in new window”)

Complete the following activities.

1. Read about the case highlighted on this web page.

2. Listen to the oral argument (be sure to click on “Oral Argument” and not on “Opinion Announcement”) made before the U.S. Supreme Court. You will see a link to download an mp3 file of the oral argument. You may listen to this on your computer or download it to your iPod or other mp3 player. It runs about 60 minutes.

Note: You can also read the transcript, but I highly recommend that you listen to the recording. When you read the transcript, you miss all of the very interesting vocal inflections and indications of emotion, sarcasm, impatience, exasperation, interruptions, etc. of the justices. Also note: Be sure you choose the “oral argument” recording and not the “opinion announcement” recording. I want you to hear the presentations of the attorneys representing the litigants. However, you might also find the opinion announcement interesting and you may certainly listen to it as well.

3. Answer the following questions:

a. Did the US Supreme Court affirm or reverse the decision of the appellate court?

b. Was the decision unanimous or split? What was the vote? Who wrote the opinion?

c. What do you think was the most compelling argument of the appellant?

d. What do you think was the most compelling argument of the appellee?

e. Did anything said by the attorneys change your opinion of this issue or open your eyes to something new about it? Explain your answer.

Using the Instrucstions sheet, please complete all of the questions on the questions sheet. Please show all of your work.