PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM GROUP RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT – PBHL 0497  FALL 2026  The group research assignment is designed to challenge students to develop a strategy to address ethical and legal issues at a health care facili

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY

PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM

GROUP RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT – PBHL 0497 

FALL 2026

 The group research assignment is designed to challenge students to develop a strategy to address ethical and legal issues at a health care facility. To successfully complete the group research assignment, you must address the key factors involved and forces that affect the situation using key terms and theory from the course textbook. 

You will form teams of approximately three students to address the issues involved and prepare an appropriate response. Each team member will receive the same grade, so each member is expected to do their part to contribute to the success of the assignment. There will be a peer evaluation form where you will score, provide feedback, and express concerns and/or praise for your team members. This peer evaluation form is due at the time of submission and will determine the final class participation grade for each student. Be sure to notify me if there are any questions, comments, or concerns so that I may intervene as early as possible.

 Ethical and Legal Environment

 You have recently joined the management staff of UMBC General Hospital. You are an affiliate of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and you want to build the best set of credentials in the shortest possible time. Your long-term plan is to become a Chief Executive Officer. 

You are assigned responsibility for several support departments as well as some clinical areas. You quickly realize that the HSO is very political. Much of what happens at the senior level is the result of personal relationships.

One of your departments, Maintenance, is responsible for the grounds. You determine that grounds crews were being sent to the homes of senior members of the Governing Body to maintain their lawns, shrubs, and trees. You asked the Maintenance Director to explain and were advised that the practice had a long history. The Maintenance Director suggested that it would be best not to make any changes. When you asked for a cost estimate of the grounds work being done at the private homes, the Maintenance Director refused to give it. The Maintenance Director said they didn’t want to incur the wrath of the Governing Body members who were benefiting. 

Shortly after speaking with the Maintenance Director, you have lunch with the Laboratory Director. Without discussing specifics, you describe the problem in Maintenance. The Lab Director exclaimed, “That’s nothing!” and described how two Governing Body members were selling reagents, supplies, and equipment to the Laboratory at what seemed like higher than market prices. When you asked if they had done anything about it, the Lab Director replied that their predecessor had questioned the practice and had been fired. 

Please respond to the following questions in developing your strategy to deal with this situation:

1.     Identify each of the ethical problems concerning the Governing Body members and the senior managers. List all parties that could be involved in this situation (directly and indirectly). Do similar problems face those not directly involved? 

2.     Are the grounds maintenance and the sale of reagents, supplies, and equipment to the laboratory ethically different? State your reasons. Are the two likely to be distinguished in the “real world”? What questions would you, the manager, have and who/what would you ask?

3.     What steps should managers like you take if they have the moral courage to risk their jobs to try and solve the problems? Short of risking their jobs, what steps could they take? Draft 3-4 courses of action (or nonaction). Describe the desired ethical results. List the consequences of action and nonaction. Identify the morally superior course.

4.     What sources of assistance are there for you outside of the organization? How should they be involved? Identify them in the decision-making process.

5.     Summarize the overall situation and the expected outcome as a result of each action (or nonaction) taken.

The assignment must be at least 10 pages in length, double spaced, no more than 20 pages. The format will include a title page, applicable charts/graphs, subtitles identifying each topic addressed and a bibliography/works cited page. Multiple references should be utilized in order to provide details and perspectives from all vantage points. These references should include the course textbook.

The assignment is to be an expression of the group’s research efforts, creativity of ideas, an indication of their understanding of the material covered in the course, and comprehensive outside research.

As each team member will receive the same grade, it is imperative to alert the instructor if any member is not participating fully, so that appropriate action may be taken.

The assignment is worth 225 points as indicated in the course syllabus. Late assignments are subject to a reduction in points.

I am available as needed to assist you with any question regarding the assignment.

The assignment is due Tuesday, November 24th. UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY

PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM

GROUP RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT – PBHL 0497 

FALL 2026

The group research assignment is designed to challenge students to develop a strategy to address ethical and legal issues at a health care facility. To successfully complete the group research assignment, you must address the key factors involved and forces that affect the situation using key terms and theory from the course textbook. 

You will form teams of approximately three students to address the issues involved and prepare an appropriate response. Each team member will receive the same grade, so each member is expected to do their part to contribute to the success of the assignment. There will be a peer evaluation form where you will score, provide feedback, and express concerns and/or praise for your team members. This peer evaluation form is due at the time of submission and will determine the final class participation grade for each student. Be sure to notify me if there are any questions, comments, or concerns so that I may intervene as early as possible.

Ethical and Legal Environment

You have recently joined the management staff of UMBC General Hospital. You are an affiliate of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and you want to build the best set of credentials in the shortest possible time. Your long-term plan is to become a Chief Executive Officer. 

You are assigned responsibility for several support departments as well as some clinical areas. You quickly realize that the HSO is very political. Much of what happens at the senior level is the result of personal relationships.

One of your departments, Maintenance, is responsible for the grounds. You determine that grounds crews were being sent to the homes of senior members of the Governing Body to maintain their lawns, shrubs, and trees. You asked the Maintenance Director to explain and were advised that the practice had a long history. The Maintenance Director suggested that it would be best not to make any changes. When you asked for a cost estimate of the grounds work being done at the private homes, the Maintenance Director refused to give it. The Maintenance Director said they didn’t want to incur the wrath of the Governing Body members who were benefiting. 

Shortly after speaking with the Maintenance Director, you have lunch with the Laboratory Director. Without discussing specifics, you describe the problem in Maintenance. The Lab Director exclaimed, “That’s nothing!” and described how two Governing Body members were selling reagents, supplies, and equipment to the Laboratory at what seemed like higher than market prices. When you asked if they had done anything about it, the Lab Director replied that their predecessor had questioned the practice and had been fired. 

Please respond to the following questions in developing your strategy to deal with this situation:

1.     Identify each of the ethical problems concerning the Governing Body members and the senior managers. List all parties that could be involved in this situation (directly and indirectly). Do similar problems face those not directly involved? 

2.     Are the grounds maintenance and the sale of reagents, supplies, and equipment to the laboratory ethically different? State your reasons. Are the two likely to be distinguished in the “real world”? What questions would you, the manager, have and who/what would you ask?

3.     What steps should managers like you take if they have the moral courage to risk their jobs to try and solve the problems? Short of risking their jobs, what steps could they take? Draft 3-4 courses of action (or nonaction). Describe the desired ethical results. List the consequences of action and nonaction. Identify the morally superior course.

4.     What sources of assistance are there for you outside of the organization? How should they be involved? Identify them in the decision-making process.

5.     Summarize the overall situation and the expected outcome as a result of each action (or nonaction) taken.

The assignment must be at least 10 pages in length, double spaced, no more than 20 pages. The format will include a title page, applicable charts/graphs, subtitles identifying each topic addressed and a bibliography/works cited page. Multiple references should be utilized in order to provide details and perspectives from all vantage points. These references should include the course textbook.

The assignment is to be an expression of the group’s research efforts, creativity of ideas, an indication of their understanding of the material covered in the course, and comprehensive outside research.

As each team member will receive the same grade, it is imperative to alert the instructor if any member is not participating fully, so that appropriate action may be taken.

The assignment is worth 225 points as indicated in the course syllabus. Late assignments are subject to a reduction in points.

I am available as needed to assist you with any question regarding the assignment.

The assignment is due Tuesday, November 24th.