SWOT assignmentSWOT Analysis Instructions: https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet02-xythos.conten… What is a SWOT A SWOT is basically a strategic analysis of some scenario in which a decision is needed. The acronym SWOT stands for Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats. What we want to do is develop a listing of all the factors in a situation that fit in the Strengths category the Weaknesses category the Opportunities category and finally the Threats category. Read the following excerpt and place all of the factors you can find in the proper category. Example: Executive Summary This business plan has been developed to present NovOculi Inc. to prospective investors and to assist in raising equity capital needed to begin production and to continue research and development of its patented products. The Company NovOculi Inc. is a start-up company that has designed and plans to develop and market ophthalmological surgical tools and techniques. During the past two years NovOculis principals have had extensive experience with refractive correction techniques (both laser and non-laser based). Building on this experience the principals have developed and begun testing a unique method of incisionless refractive correction dubbed NICS (Non-Invasive Corneal Sculpting). Current refractive techniques including LASIK PRK and Intacs all require destruction of at least a portion of the protective epithelial layer overlying the cornea of the eye and are accompanied by complications resulting from this loss of protection. The principals have developed a method involving iontophoresis an ionic dye and a wavelength-specific laser to accomplish effective refraction without the troublesome destruction of epithelium. Using NICS NovOculi plans to take advantage of the opportunities for market development and penetration in the field of laser refraction in which demand is nearly doubling each year. Based on the detailed financial projections prepared by the companys management it is estimated that equity investment is required to begin the companys operations successfully. Funds will be used to produce test and market NICS as well as provide initial working capital for the first two years. Market Potential A massive potential market base exists for the laser refractive surgery industry. It is estimated that approximately 54% of the U.S. population (~162 million) has refractive errors approximately 90% of which are eligible for correction using current techniques or those on the near horizon (Federal Air Surgeons Medical Bulletin). In contrast only 900000 Americans have had LASIK (the most popular laser correction technique) as of two years ago. This represents only 0.6% of the total current market leaving the other 99.4% untapped. (“Bye-Bye Glasses” EyeCare Business Online). Furthermore the demand for laser refractive surgery is approximately doubling annually (“Bye-Bye Glasses” EyeCare Business Online). The company has contacted nine of the leading ophthalmological medical institutions in the U.S. Seven of the nine have expressed interest in participating in collaborative research and given encouraging research results performing NICS commercially once it is available. Institutions expressing interest include: John Hopkins Harvard Stanford Oregon Health Sciences Duke University and the University of California at San Francisco. NovOculis principals have also conducted a preliminary market survey at a local grocery market in the Durham NC area. Fifty consumers with refractive errors were randomly selected outside of a local grocery market and asked the questions in the survey. A copy of the survey and a summary of its findings may be found in the Market Survey topic. Technology The principals have developed and patented a revolutionary technique NICS and two novel devices which are used to accomplish incisionless refractive correction. The patented technique involves driving an ionic dye from its patented polymeric vehicle into the cornea of the patient using the patented iontophoretic device (a device that creates a charge which then repels or attracts other charges). Once the ionic dye has been effectively driven into the cornea and away from sensitive structures a laser tuned to the wavelength of the dye is then used to target the dyed cornea and alter its shape much as is done with current laser refraction protocols. After the procedure is completed the iontophoretic device is reapplied this time with opposite polarity and the dye is drawn from the cornea due to the attraction of opposite charges. Through the use of the patented device and technique the ophthalmologist performing the procedure will be able to avoid the most troublesome and complication-ridden aspect of current laser refraction surgery: the corneal incision. Over 90% of all complications of current laser refraction surgery are related to difficulties associated with the incision and the subsequent healing process virtually all of which could be avoided with NovOculis technology. Strategy The key element in NovOculis strategy is to market its technology to both those performing the procedure as well as to those on which the procedure will be performed. Once research data and publicity have been generated the sales force will step in to encourage the initial investment in the laser and equipment required for the procedure creating a “demand push.” After this investment has been made a “demand pull” will be generated for the components required for institutions to perform the procedure through marketing directly to patients. The sales team will begin with six seasoned sales personnel and swell to forty-four members by Year 5. The sales team will work closely with laser manufacturers in to promote the technology to patients and surgeons. Ophthalmologist training for the NICS procedure will be available at six sites throughout the U.S.: San Francisco Boston Atlanta Philadelphia Kansas City and Durham NC. Each site will have in-depth training sessions led by a prominent ophthalmic surgeon. Those performing the procedure will be able to charge a premium for providing patients with access to this superior technology. NovOculi will extract approximately half of the nearly $1000 premium through licensing fees associated with its patented procedure and sales of the individual components. Regulatory Issues As with its predecessor LASIK the companys product will not need to wait for FDA approval prior to widespread use. LASIK had been performed on almost 900000 patients without approval by the FDA as of two years ago (Current Trends in Refractive Eye Surgery 128th Annual Meeting of APHA). This was made possible due to the fact that the “FDA does not approve procedures only the equipment used in them” (“Eye centers set their sights on LASIK surgery growth” Houston Business Journal July 16) and the components of the procedure have already been approved by the FDA for medical use. NovOculi will not need to obtain approval to market their patented technique and devices due to the fact that the FDA has approved similar devices for medical use in the following arenas: 1) The 440 nm laser has been approved for dermatologic uses. 2) Iontophoretic devices has been approved for drug delivery on the epidermis. 3) Polymeric contact lenses have been approved and are commonly used as an external aid for refractive correction and 4) The targeting dye tartrazine is the most ubiquitous food coloring additive on the market to date. Major Milestones The following are key milestones for the startup period: Assignment: https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet02-xythos.conten… Now you try it!! Develop your own SWOT for the following: HCA was founded in 1968 in Nashville Tennessee by Dr. Thomas F. Frist Sr. Jack C. Massey and Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr.. Frist Sr. is the father of former U.S. Senate majority leader Bill Frist. Milton Johnson is the CEO of HCA. The first hospital that HCA owned was Park View Hospital near downtown Nashville.[3] The small group of founders worked out of a small house not far from Park View for the first few years of operation.[4] In 1969 HCA conducted its first Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).[3] As HCA grew the small house that served as office space for the company no longer provided enough space. In 1972 the company built a new office to house corporate operations behind Centennial Park in Nashville.[5] Parkview Hospital circa 1968 Growth & merger During the 1970s and 1980s the corporation went through a tremendous growth period acquiring hundreds of hospitals across the United States which numbered 255 owned and 208 which HCA managed. In 1988 the hospital operator was acquired for $5.3 billion in a management buyout led by Chairman Thomas F. Frist Jr.[6] and completed a successful initial public offering in the 1990s. In 1993 HCA merged with Louisville-based Columbia Hospital Corporation to form Columbia/HCA. In April 1998 Birmingham Alabama-based HealthSouth Corporation announced it was acquiring the majority of HCAs surgical division. Fraud & investigation In 1997 the company was part of a fraud investigation initiated by a number of governmental departments in the United States. Later that year Rick Scott resigned as Chairman. He later became the 45th and current Governor of Florida. The case was settled in 2002 at a reported cost of $2 billion to HCA. This made it the largest fraud settlement in US history. On March 19 1997 investigators from the FBI the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants at Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso and on dozens of doctors with suspected ties to the company.[7] Following the raids the Columbia/HCA board of directors forced Rick Scott to resign as chairman and CEO.[8] He was paid a settlement of $9.88 million and left with 10 million shares of stock worth over $350 million mostly from his initial investment.[9][10] In 1999 Columbia/HCA changed its name back to HCA Inc. HCA also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition they gave doctors “loans” never intended to be repaid free rent free office furniture and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.[11][12] After Scott stepped down Frist Jr. returned as chairman and CEO. He called on longtime friend and colleague Jack O. Bovender Jr. to help him turn the company around. Frist and Bovender who became CEO in 2001 pulled off what Fortune magazine called a remarkable corporate rescue.[13] In settlements reached in 2000 and 2002 Columbia/HCA pleaded guilty to 14 felonies. They admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable striking illegal deals with home care agencies and filing false data about use of hospital space. Corporate office in 1972 In late 2002 HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million plus interest and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims.[14] In all civil lawsuits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle by far the largest fraud settlement in US history.[15] The name subsequently reverted to “Hospital Corporation of America.” HCA abandoned the use of its name in its home market and instead promotes its Nashville hospitals under the TriStar brand. On July 1 2005 Senator Frist sold all of his HCA shares two weeks before disappointing earnings sent the stock on a 9-point plunge. Frist claimed that he sold his shares to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest if he ran for president. Other executives sold their stock at the same time. Shareholders sued HCA alleging that the company made false claims about its profits to drive up the price which then fell when the company reported disappointing financial results. Eleven of HCAs senior officers were sued for accounting fraud and insider trading. [16] HCA settled the lawsuit in August 2007 agreeing to pay $20 million to the shareholders.[17] Recent history In 2006 Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Bain Capital together with Merrill Lynch and the Frist family (which had founded the company) completed a $31.6 billion acquisition of the hospital company making the company privately held again 17 years after it had first been taken private in a management buyout. At the time of its announcement the HCA buyout was the first of several to set new records for the largest eclipsing the 1989 buyout of RJR Nabisco. It would later be surpassed by the buyouts of Equity Office Properties and TXU.[18] On Friday May 7 2010 HCA announced that the corporation would once again go public with an expected $4.6-billion IPO. As of 2012 HCA operated 162 hospitals and 113 freestanding surgery centers located in 20 U.S. states and London.[2] The London sites include The Harley Street Clinic The Lister Hospital London Bridge Hospital The Portland Hospital for Women and Children The Princess Grace Hospital and The Wellington Hospital. In July 2007 HCA sold its hospitals in Switzerland.[19] The Princess Grace Hospital specializes in breast cancer and surgery aided by Professor Kefah Mokbel and Dr. Nick Perry who in 2005 founded The London Breast Institute. HCA Holdings Inc. (HCA:US) the biggest for-profit U.S. hospital chain by patient volume raised its 2014 earnings forecast and said it would announce second-quarter earnings that are higher than analyst estimates. HCA expects 2014 earnings excluding certain items of $4 to $4.25 per share compared with a previous forecast of $3.45 to $3.75 per share the Nashville Tennessee-based company said in a statement today. Second-quarter profit excluding some items will be $1.07 per share compared with 92 cents average estimate of 21 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The results “exceeded our internal expectations both in terms of our core operations and healthcare reform” said Milton Johnson HCA’s chief executive officer in a statement. HCA is scheduled to release its full second-quarter results on July 29. HCA expects second-quarter net income of $904 million 12 percent above a year earlier according to its statement. HCA shares (HCA:US) rose 10 percent to $60.99 at 4 p.m. New York time the most since 2012. HCA Corporation SWOT analysis: