How would you array the following organizations in terms of

How would you array the following organizations in terms of the depth and breadth of their product lines: (a) a solo-practice family practitioner who does not deliver babies, (b) a multispecialty group practice that provides primary care at five satellite locations, (c) an academic medical center, and (d) Shouldice Hospital in Toronto, which specializes in short-stay surgery for hernia repair.

Solution

Breadth \"refers to the number of different product lines in the mix.\" and depth \"refers to the number of product items within each product line.\"
(A) For a solo-practice family practitioner who does not deliver babies, the breadth of this organization is very narrow. The practitioner only has one practice and they have excluded themselves from delivering babies, which may be something wanted from a growing family. On the other hand, the depth of this organization can possibly still be great. They can offer family counseling services, perscription services on site, and other services that may fill other needs of the family.
(B) A multi-specialty group practice that provides primary care at five satellite locations, has great breadth. They have extended their services to additional locations and they cater to multiple needs. They would also have great depth because they would have to offer multiple services under each specialty group.
(C) An academic medical center shows that is has a small amount of breadth. It is a academic medical center, so it probably has students that they educate in different specialties, as well as offer clinical services that are provided by students. But, this organization may not have much depth because it is a academic medical center. They have to focus on the students and the academics behind medicine and healthcare. The actual practice or in depth specialized education would come at a higher level of academic medical training.

(D) Shouldice Hospital follows the business model of focus on a single standardized service for a narrow target of consumers, rather than to provide customized solution (as in a general clinic or hospital). It focuses on providing quick, convenient, and reliable cure for external types of abdominal hernias. The Hospital uses its own technique, called the Shouldice Method and claims to provide relatively short post-operative recovery period.Shouldice Hospital focus on hernia repair surgery which is mostly performed on males. Shouldice operation strategy involves early ambulation following hernia repair surgery that was superior to others. Only external kind of abdominal hernias were repaired at Shouldice Hospital.