How does the National Health Service (NHS) link to various business management topics

Question

I have been asked to come up with a dissertation question for my top up course in business management - I was wondering if I could write about the NHS but I am not sure of the NHS would come in to business or not ?

Answer

There are a number of different approaches and topics (such as change management, supply chain management, recruitment and leadership to name a few), in which you are able to link together the NHS organisation and various subjects within business management. Firstly, a suggestion to consider would be to investigate the relationship between how good management of the NHS leads to a higher quality of care, lower patient mortality and overall satisfaction. This could be further merged with aspects of leadership and the traits or characteristics they possess, in order to achieve an efficient workforce. Another suggestion would be related to reward management and the motivation of the employees/staff within the NHS. By having well-structured appraisals, where clear objectives are set and if done well, the employee can be left feeling valued by their employer, which can be extremely important for productivity within the workplace. On the other hand, the constant high level of work pressure and stress can often lead to employees becoming demotivated and in turn, higher levels of absenteeism among staff may impact on overall staff morale. One final approach which could be considered as an appropriate topic to investigate into would be change management within the NHS, and the processes that need to be carried out before, during and after the change. Resistance to change from the employees can also be considered a major factor when managing change, and the ways in which management deal with this is crucial to determine the success of implementing change within the organisation. Willingness to change can also vary from person to person.

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