Corporate Governance and Ethical Responsibility Essay

Corporate Governance and Ethical Responsibility - Essay Example Internal stakeholders in a hospital include the patients, the medical staff and management of the hospital and the board of governors or trustees. External stakeholders are those parties that have minimal often indirect influence on the management of the hospital. External stakeholders may include the relatives of the patients and other potential patients to the hospital. Other external stakeholders include the federal government and other hospital of the same class and category (Lebeer, 2002). The most basic function a medical executive should perform in regard to satisfying al stakeholders is controlling, directing staffing and organizing. For the patients, however, Doctor DoRight has the role of democratizing medical services so that all the patients get equal treatment. Equal treatment encompasses equitable distribution of the hospitals resources. For instance, in the case of organ transplant, hospitals can device methods such as receiving an organ in regard to the severity of th e situation. The board of trustees expects that the medical executive prevents the occurrence of law suits, which may tarnish the name of the hospital and cost it a lot of money, that result from the action of hospital employees. Trustees also expect that the president maintains low labor turnover and an excellent cooperate image is paramount. The staff of the hospital expects respect from patients and fellow staff despite their position. Also, the staff expects fairness in remunerated, and adequate timely pay and a safe, conducive working environment (Lebeer, 2002). Potential customers need to feel welcomed to the hospital hence the need for an operational call centre and an efficient customer service. Recently hospitals have also taken on the craze of advertising their products to potential customers. Though an external stakeholder, the federal government, has a strong influence on the running of hospitals. The governments influence is greater when it comes to the legal obligation s of the hospital. For instance, the government may insist that a hospital only use FDA approved drugs. The government, in America, may also specify the types of procedures that a hospital cannot carry out for instance euthanasia is illegal in most states. Competition between rival hospitals is inevitable, with their current status as potential business entities. However, there are certain procedures that must remain intact so as to maintain peaceful coexistence. For instance, a hospital can seek transfer of a patient to another hospital even if they are competing. Doctor DoRight should ensure that there is no slandering of another hospital by his staff through words or actions (Lebeer, 2002). There are six guiding principles that doctor should adhere to in their disbursement of services. These principles include a) Honesty and truthfulness b) Respect for persons c) Justice d) Autonomy e) Beneficence and f) Non-maleficence. These principles mostly guide doctor patient relationships but can also act as a basis for the actions of medical executives. In trying to satisfy the various stakeholders, the manager of the hospital, may experience conflict of interest when the needs of the two stakeholders clash. A good example of a clash of interest is on the issue of euthanasia. The reality of the effects of diseases such as Alzheimer’s is real and devastating. Most patients and families prefer