BUSI 428 Week 1 Case Study 1 Example

Reviewed by Laura Hargrove, MPH · Liberty University · Updated

This BUSI 428 Week 1 sample case study answers a question many hospital boards still ask: why should a nonprofit community hospital spend money on marketing at all? It responds to a board member who wants the marketing budget cut in favor of equipment, and it argues that marketing is much broader than advertising, covering how a hospital learns what its community needs, designs services around those needs, sets access and prices and then communicates. National data showing that health services advertising grew from $542 million to $2.9 billion over two decades, with hospitals among the largest spenders, explain why silence is a competitive risk. Jesus's teaching on letting good works be seen frames the ethical case. Liberty University BUSI 428 opens its healthcare administration strategy and marketing course with this brief case, alongside the first forum.

CourseBUSI 428 Strategic Management and Marketing in Healthcare (BUSI428)
Module/Week1
AssignmentCase Study 1
Paper typeCase study response
Lengthabout 436 words, 2 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: at least 300 words in current APA format, supported by 1 scholarly source and 1 biblical integration
FormatAPA 7 student paper
Points70
SchoolLiberty University Online
ProgramBS in Healthcare Administration
Where it sitsModule/Week 1 in Liberty's published BUSI 428 course guide; current sections can differ
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for BUSI 428 Week 1

1

Is Marketing Worth It for a Nonprofit Community Hospital? A Case Response on the Role of Marketing in Health Care

 

[Student Name]

School of Business, Liberty University

BUSI 428: Strategic Management and Marketing in Healthcare

Case Study 1

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

 

The hospital, its board and its numbers are composites standing in for the case the course provides; the textbook, Scripture and the peer-reviewed source cited are real.

Why this part earns its pointsThe case is restated in one paragraph so the response can be read on its own.
2

Is Marketing Worth It for a Nonprofit Community Hospital? A Case Response on the Role of Marketing in Health Care

The Case

At a recent meeting of our hospital's board, a longtime member proposed cutting the marketing department's budget by half and spending the savings on a new ultrasound unit. The member's argument was simple: as a nonprofit community hospital, we exist to care for patients, not to sell services, and every dollar spent on billboards is a dollar not spent on care. The board asked for a brief response explaining what marketing contributes and whether the cut would be wise.

Why this part earns its pointsDefining marketing broadly answers the board member's objection before the evidence is introduced.
3

What Marketing Is

The objection rests on a narrow idea of marketing. Cellucci et al. (2014) describe health care marketing as the work of understanding what a community needs and values and then shaping services, access and communication to meet those needs. In practice, it covers the four familiar elements of the marketing mix. The product is the set of services we offer, such as a new outpatient cardiology clinic. Price includes not only charges but also the effort and time a patient spends to receive care. Place refers to locations, hours and digital access. Promotion is the communication that tells residents what is available and why it matters to them. Cutting marketing would mean losing the research that told us our community lacked evening pediatric care, not only the billboards that announced the new clinic.

The Competitive Picture

Marketing also matters because others are doing it. Schwartz and Woloshin (2019) found that direct-to-consumer advertising for health services in the United States grew from $542 million in 1997 to $2.9 billion in 2016, with hospitals, cancer centers and addiction clinics among the largest increases. If a regional system advertises its cardiac program in our county and we stay silent, residents will travel past us for care we already provide well, and the volume that supports our services will shrink.

Why this part earns its pointsThe ethics section turns the board member's concern into a standard the marketing plan must meet.
4

The Ethical Question

The board member's concern about stewardship is legitimate. Marketing by a charitable hospital should inform rather than manipulate, and it should be judged by whether it helps people find appropriate care. Jesus told His followers to let their light shine before others so that people would see their good works and give glory to the Father (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Matthew 5:16). Making good care known is consistent with that teaching, provided the message is truthful. A hospital that does good work and keeps it hidden serves fewer people than it could.

Recommendation

I recommend keeping the marketing budget but tying every campaign to a documented community need and a measurable result, such as new patients in an underused service or fewer residents leaving the county for care. The board could review those results each year and redirect funds that do not produce them.

5

References

Cellucci, L. W., Wiggins, C., & Farnsworth, T. J. (2014). Healthcare marketing: A case study approach. Health Administration Press.

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Schwartz, L. M., & Woloshin, S. (2019). Medical marketing in the United States, 1997-2016. JAMA, 321(1), 80-96. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.19320

What the BUSI 428 Week 1 instructions ask

Case Study 1 belongs to the opening week of BUSI 428, together with chapters 1 and 2 of Cellucci, Wiggins and Farnsworth's Healthcare Marketing: A Case Study Approach, a presentation, two websites, the course checklist, introductions and Forum 1. The course asks for brief, focused written answers to the case topics it provides rather than a long essay. Each response must reach at least 300 words, cite one scholarly source and include one biblical integration, formatted in current APA style. Five case studies run through the term, so the first is a good chance to settle on a clear structure that can carry through the rest.

How this BUSI 428 Week 1 example is built

The sample restates the case: a board member argues that a nonprofit hospital should spend its marketing budget on equipment instead. It defines health care marketing broadly, as the work of understanding a community's needs and shaping services, access and communication around them, and it shows how the familiar four elements of product, price, place and promotion apply to a hospital. Evidence on the growth of health services advertising explains the competitive pressure. A short section on ethics addresses the board member's concern that advertising wastes charitable dollars. The response closes with a recommendation that ties every marketing dollar to a community need and a measured result.

BUSI 428 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go

Case study responses in BUSI 428 are usually graded on whether they answer the questions the case asks directly and accurately, use course concepts correctly, support claims with a credible scholarly source and integrate Scripture in a way that fits the topic. Brevity is valued, but responses that barely reach 300 words often leave a question only partly answered. Faculty also look for practical judgment, such as a recommendation a hospital leader could act on. Clean APA formatting, with references that agree with every in-text citation, is expected for each of the five cases. Short headings that mirror the case questions make it easy for a grader to see that every part has been addressed.

BUSI 428 Week 1 help: mistakes that cost points

Read the case twice, once for the story and once for the questions, and list each question before writing. Use the opening chapters for definitions of marketing and the marketing mix, and avoid treating marketing as a synonym for advertising. Find one peer-reviewed source that gives evidence on health care marketing, such as spending trends, consumer behavior or advertising content. Answer each case question in its own short section with a heading. Bring in a verse that fits the ethics of promoting a mission. Close with a recommendation and say how its success could be measured. Keep the tone of a memo to a decision maker, plain and direct, rather than a general essay about marketing.

Related BUSI 428 sample papers

Other BUSI 428 weeks

More BS in Healthcare Administration sample papers

BUSI 428 Week 1 questions, answered

What is BUSI 428 Case Study 1?

The first of five 70-point case studies in Liberty's healthcare strategy and marketing course, answered in at least 300 words with one scholarly source and one biblical integration.

Where can I find a free BUSI 428 Week 1 sample paper?

This page holds a finished BUSI 428 Week 1 case study response on whether a nonprofit hospital should invest in marketing, with headings, evidence and an APA reference list.

Is health care marketing the same as advertising?

No. Marketing includes understanding community needs, designing services, setting access and price and communicating, while advertising is only one part of the communication element.

How much do health care organizations spend on advertising?

A JAMA review found that direct-to-consumer advertising for health services rose from $542 million in 1997 to $2.9 billion in 2016, with hospitals among the fastest-growing spenders.

What else is due in BUSI 428 Module/Week 1?

Forum 1, the course requirements checklist and class introductions are due alongside Case Study 1, along with readings from chapters 1 and 2 of the Cellucci text.

Use it as a model, or ask for your own

This paper is an original model written by our desk for study. It is not a submitted student paper and not an official Liberty University document. Read it for structure and reasoning, then write your own to the instructions in your Canvas course. If you want a version built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

Ask for a custom BUSI 428 Week 1 sample · All BUSI 428 weeks · All courses