MSN6216 – Advanced Finance and Operations Management
Unit 7 Assignment
Budget Negotiations and Communication
Professional Context
Negotiating budgets and communicating financial needs to stakeholders are vital skills for nurse leaders. Given today’s numerous constraints on funding and highly competitive environments, the ability to win support for your budget proposals hinges on being able to present a compelling argument based on well documented needs, accurate financial information, and a justifiable business case.
This assignment provides an opportunity for you to examine the mission and goals of a health care organization in order to justify a budget proposal. A persuasive argument requires thoughtful justification and rationale for the expenses required to support your proposal. A proposal that supports the organization’s mission and goals strengthens your argument and is much more likely to get you what you need.
Scenario
The financial department has reviewed your unit’s operating budget and has asked you to submit an executive summary that provides support for your budget proposal. Your challenge is to position your unit favorably within an environment of competing demands for limited funding.
Instructions
Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the Budget Negotiations and Communication Scoring Guide, so be sure to address each point. You may also want to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. Additionally, the Guiding Questions: Budget Negotiations and Communication document, linked in the Resources, provides additional considerations that may be helpful in completing your assignment.
Write an executive summary of the operating budget you designed in Unit 5. Make a compelling case for why funds should be allocated for your budget.
Outline a strategic plan that ensures profitability and fiscal success.
Present a plan to meet staff productivity goals, while staying within budget parameters.
Justify equipment and service costs.
Analyze department, unit, or project alignment with the organization’s mission and goals.
Write clearly and concisely, using correct grammar and mechanics.
Integrate relevant and credible sources of evidence to support your assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using APA style.
Note: Remember, you can submit all, or a portion, of your draft paper to Smarthinking for feedback, before you submit the final version for this assessment. However, be mindful of the turnaround time of 24–48 hours for receiving feedback if you plan on using this free service.
Submission Requirements
Format your paper using APA style.
Use the APA Style Paper Template linked in the Resources. An APA Style Paper Tutorial is also provided to help you in writing and formatting your analysis. Be sure to include:
A title page and reference page. An abstract is not required.
A running head on all pages.
Appropriate section headings.
A minimum of five properly-formatted citations and references.
Your paper should be 3–5 pages in length, not including the title page and reference page.
Portfolio Prompt: You may choose to save this learning activity to your ePortfolio.