JET2 1Financial Analysis UniversityWGU

JET2 # 1
Financial Analysis
Michelle Harris
Western Governor’s University
WGU #: 000262388

A1a: Horizontal Analysis As previously mentioned, this medical center is a vital contributor to its surrounding area. As such a large corporation, this medical facility has a wealth of waste produced to maintain current operations. This facility also utilizes a lot of finite resources in its daily operations such as power, and water. Although this company does consider its carbon footprint on society, current procedures demonstrate that this is low on the agenda. Many improvements are possible within this medical center. Some of these include, increased recycling, reduction of pollution, and increased energy efficiency. As a medical facility there are many things that are recyclable. However, this center does remarkably little to promote recycling. Currently, there is aluminum can recycle reciprocal in the break-rooms. Other items the medical center salvages is cardboard, and paper. This business is currently doing the least amount of reprocessing possible to say they are recycling. Recommendations to grow the company’s recycling program is to adopt some new practices. These one of these new programs is blue wrap reprocessing. Blue wrap is specific to medical facilities. It has been adopted by a few hospitals in California. Blue wrap is a medical pseudo cloth that comes in rolls or sheets. It is used to wrap instrumentation for sterilization. This wrap keeps the integrity of its content until opened. At Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in California reprocessed 5,595 pounds of blue wrap in one year with an average monthly rate of 466 pounds (Health Care Industry Waste Reduction and Recycling, 2007). As the focused medical center has three main surgical facilities along with multiple procedure rooms that toss vast quantities of blue wrap daily. The next program to adopt is a pharmaceutical waste disposal program. This program will include the recycling of unused drugs and full sharps containers. The current practice is to discard of these medications in the trash or dump them down the sink. These drugs pollute landfills and the surrounding waterways. Sharps containers currently are taped, boxed and incinerated amplifying emissions. Seattle Children’s Hospital started recycling both of these products in 2009 and reduced 30 tons of waste and 16,144 pounds of emissions in the first year (Seattle Children's Press Release, 2010). The final recommendation is to just simply buildup the number of everyday items for reprocessing. Items can include, batteries, light bulbs, plastics, and organics for compost. Recycling is just one of many ways to reduce this company’s carbon footprint and heighten their social responsibility. Medical Centers produce copious quantities of waste and pollution compared to other organizations. It has been estimated that medical centers can cause 5.9 million tons of waste yearly with only 10% recycled (Rastogi, 2010). The other staggering truth is that twice as much energy is used in medical facilities per square foot versus an office space (Rastogi, 2010). As the focused facility incorporates three hospitals along with as many as eight satellite medical offices, it is certainly arguable that this corporation takes the majority of power in the area. This company’s sole power is based on electric which comes from the abundance of hydroelectric power supplied by the local PUD, public utility districts, multiple dams. North Central Washington has the most inexpensive power in the nation because of the dams on the Columbia River. Because of the price of power, no known efforts have been made public about the use of solar or wind as an replacement power supply for this business. However, if there is a power outage the backup is via generators that run on gasoline. The recommendation is to incorporate solar and wind energy to supplement the hydroelectric and gas generators. If the medical center incorporates these alternatives, the company can give power back into the grid and reduce harmful emissions from gasoline. The PUD currently sells excess power to other states including Oregon, Idaho, and California which in turn will reduce other carbon emissions around the US therefore embodying a moral leadership role.
A1b: Vertical Analysis Leadership in any organization has the responsibility to influence and mold the ethics any business will follow. A corporation can generate a code of ethics, but unless management imparts these values it is just another pretty piece of paper. The medical center of discussion currently has a code of ethics that embrace the values of taking care of the patients’, and employees’ safety. It also discusses providing a needed community service that promotes viability not only for the company but also the community. The leadership of this facility incorporates these values from the CEO to the night shift supervisor. The downfall this organization contains within its administration staff is the environmental component to these values. It stems from lack of knowledge, lack of importance to the issues, and whom the company conducts business. This facility embraces their current values and with some recommendations they will gain a holistic value set. The first concern is the company’s lack of knowledge about the subject matter. When this company looks at any topic, they question is it safe, and then is it worth the cost. The question is not asked how this process can be greener, or is it safe for the environment. This mindset is not part of the daily operations at this facility. The recommendation is to integrate this mindset into the current code of ethics. First by discovering the resources within the community for recycling, and reusing of products. The second component is to hire a consultant to train the leadership staff on how to think green when making business decisions. These suggestions will start the process of understanding what is available and how to incorporate it into practice. The next concern is after educating the leadership staff and making greener concepts part of the set value core of the company, obtaining buy into the importance of the issue. Leaders can go through the motions of what any facility wants them to accomplish. However, if that a leader does not see the importance of the issue, their subordinates will not either, and the whole purpose is a waste in company effort. To prevent this concern, the recommendation is to require every department to participate in a green improvement project. Meaning that each department must develop a greening solution to a current practice either within their department or companywide. Upper administration will reward the department with the best idea with some form of incentive. The next suggestion is to incorporate green audits within the organization to see how the departments are doing and help them improve. These recommendations will demonstrate the leadership’s commitment to this process. The final issue is the companies in which the current leadership on this medical center conducts their business. As a medical facility, it is already known for the good it does helping the sick or injured. It is also known for the amount of waste they produce in the accomplishment of this goal. This medical facility needs to be known for how they are helping the environment in the accomplishment of their objectives. This said, one way to display this target is the choice of companies they contract for services. Leadership has a strong hand in the daily business transactions with outside companies. This organization currently conducts a lot of contracts locally to display a commitment to the community. They also need to conduct business with organizations that are committed to the environment. One way to accomplish is goal is to develop a tool or checklist to determine if the outside company in question displays the needed characteristics or values. It is true that people will judge people based on the company they keep this is no different in the business world, and the leadership of an organization is the best to accomplish this end.
A1c: Trend Analysis The best intentions of saving the environment, helping people, or just downright doing the right thing does not do any company any good if they cannot stay in business. A balance in all of these things must occur to create the maximum benefit for all parties. The medical center is exceptionally adept at maintaining their bottom line. Currently they have processes in place such as LEAN, PIP, Performance improvement projects, and ROIs, return on investment, on all capital expense of $25,000.00 or more in the annual budgets. However, there are several recommendations to improve the current practices as well as incorporating new initiatives to provide a holistic approach to this organizations viability. The first goal in improving the company’s longevity is to improve on the current practices of LEAN, PIP, and ROIs. The LEAN process is a way to examine all aspects of workflow and attempt to make it more efficient. PIP is a project that every department must complete for their work areas with LEAN considerations, or patient safety as part of their annual performance report. Each department’s employees’ cost of living raise percentage is based on their report. These methods on their own are very good; however, with additional programs incorporated will improve the bottom line. By adding sustainability reports to all LEAN, and PIP developments will show the longevity of these methods. At present, all of these activities demonstrate up to one year of data. The sustainability report will increase the data set to include other components for consideration instead of the bottom line. For example, an operating room can save money in a LEAN report by utilizing disposable hospital gowns for all outpatient surgical patients in the course of one year. However, by adding the sustainability report to this LEAN process will show the increase of waste along with the increasing cost of disposal of the gowns making this concept no longer viable. The next concept is ROIs. ROIs are an informative tool, but the efficacy of this is improved with the incorporation of an LCA, life cycle assessment. An ROI will tell a company when the cost of an item has paid for itself. This information alone will ensure an organization stays in the black, but in this day of awareness that is no longer enough. To assist this company’s continuation of maintaining a profit, but also look at the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit the recommendation is to add the LCA to all budgeted items not just capital requests. Finally, this company does not provide any direct press releases with regards to their contributions if any to the environment. This organization is remarkably transparent about any negative or positive impact involving patient safety or the acquisition of a new facility. After review of their website for the last 5 years of press releases there is nothing about any environmental impacts. They have remodeled and built new structures within that time, but they do not discuss any effect outside of patient care. This medical center has almost a complete monopoly of North Central Washington as it entire organization covers an area the size of the state of Rhode Island. It is unfathomable to consider a business of this size having regular updates to the public on sustainability of the surrounding community or environment. The recommendation is to include information with regards to the inspections from all the regulatory bodies such as EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, in at least one press release a year to prove that they have nothing to hide.
A1d: Ratio Analysis A2: Working Capital
A3: Internal Controls
A3a: Weakness Corrective Actions
A3b: Risks
A4: Compliance
A4a: Noncompliance Corrective Actions