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Institution

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Abstract

This research paper is primarily about Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organization in

the United States which serves as an advocate and provider of women's health. Therefore, the

research paper discusses what Planned Parenthood is all about based on the organization's

SWOT analysis, the four P's in marketing, the organization's competitive analysis as well as the

staffing and volunteers for the organization.

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Research Paper on Planned Parenthood

Introduction

Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization that was started by Margaret Sanger,

Fania Mindell, and Ethel Byrne on October 16, 1916, in Brooklyn, New York (Parenthood 1).

The three started Planned Parenthood as a birth control clinic. However, the founders faced

opposition from the Roman Catholic Church and government, who were opposed to the idea of

the use of birth control. However, in 1948, Planned Parenthood sponsored some biologists to

research birth control pills, which were later approved by the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (FDA), in 1960, May 9 (Parenthood 3). In a court case of Griswold v.

Connecticut in 1965, the court ruled that a married couple cannot be denied birth control. This

ruling was a big win for Planned Parenthood as they continued to provide comprehensive

reproductive and complementary healthcare services for people in the United States and around

the globe. Therefore, in light of the topic, the research will focus on the organization's SWOT

analysis, the four P's in marketing, the organization's competitive analysis as well as the staffing

and volunteers for the organization.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

When focusing on Planned Parenthood, there are numerous strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities, and threats which the organization represents. Therefore, while analyzing the

strengths of Planned Parenthood, the first is the low cost of healthcare services provided by the

organization. Notably, based on the type of healthcare service required by a person, Planned

Parenthood has been praised for its reasonable health care fees compared to other providers (van
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Wijngaarden et al. 42). For instance, with as low as $160 a year, Planned Parenthood can provide

patients with preventive health services such as breast examination, condoms, birth control,

testing for sexually transmitted diseases, pap smears as well as diabetes examination. Besides,

even when the patients do not have insurance, Planned Parenthood is the most reliable place for

getting health care services. This is because the organization participates in a federal funding

program known as Title X, a program that supplements healthcare services to people who cannot

afford them. With this program, Planned Parenthood can discount patients for health care

services.

The second strength is the Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of products and

services. Notably, the organization does not only offer condoms to its clients but also other birth

control options. These include a breast examination, birth control, the morning after pills,

abortion, thyroid screening, pregnancy test, tetanus vaccines, testing for sexually transmitted

diseases, pap smears as well as diabetes examination. Besides, their service provision is not

limited to women only; that is, they provided healthcare services for men also. For instance,

Planned Parenthood provided healthcare services to 321,100 male patients in 2020 (van

Wijngaarden et al. 45). Additionally, Planned Parenthood also provides public awareness where

they educate the public on sex education. Yearly, the organization provides more than one

million education programs to adults and young people across the globe.

Weakness

Notably, one of the key services provided by Planned Parenthood is abortion. However,

despite being a strength, this is also a weakness for the organization. Due to the moral aspect, the

majority of the people in public do not look at the service as a good and beneficial thing. In

2020, Planned Parenthood carried out 395,000 abortion procedures which might seem like a
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huge number (van Wijngaarden et al. 40). Therefore, due to the abortion aspect, the organization

faces a lot of criticism from the public, especially those from the Roman Catholic Church.

However, this is just 3% of the healthcare services provided by the organization. Moreover, the

organization has been criticized for numerous accounts of death, especially relating to abortion.

Opportunities

Notably, the organization has numerous opportunities which can help the organization to

propel forward. One of the major opportunities is technology. Notably, the world is

revolutionizing daily, and new technology is emerging too; hence this is an opportunity that

Planned Parenthood can exceptionally maximize to improve their service provision for the public

(van Wijngaarden et al. 38). For instance, the organization has come up with an innovative idea

to put QR codes on condoms and donate them to universities and colleges. Therefore, once they

have user scans the QR code, they are registered in wheredidyouwearit.com, hence tracking the

number of students practicing safe sex. Through this move, they are encouraging students to

practice safe sex and be proud of it. In addition, when it comes to service provision, such as

breast cancer examination, the organization can provide state-of-the-art machines which allow

easy and effective examination of diseases at affordable cost.

Threats

Being highly associated with abortion, one of the biggest threats which Planned

Parenthood is facing is financing cut by the government. Notably, the organization has been

facing numerous attacks from conservative leaders who have been pushing for the organization

to be underfunded. For instance, in 2011, the legislatures introduced a bill to the floor of the

House of Representatives, intending to defund Planned Parenthood as well as the Title X

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program. Notably, the bill's supporters stated that they wanted to reduce government

expenditure; however, it was clear they were anti- Planned Parenthood. This move hugely

impacts the progression of the organization due to the lack of funds. Moreover, between 2013

and 2017, the different states have passed 231 new restrictions on abortion (van Wijngaarden et

al. 34). With such moves, this also threatens the future of Planned Parenthood because by

restricting, this is undermining their financial stability due to the restriction, that is limited people

will seek their services.

The Four P's of Marketing Analysis

Product

Notably, Planned Parenthood is primarily focused on providing products and services

related to family planning and reproductive health. Therefore, the organization provides these

services through educating clients on the different reproductive health options such as birth

control as well as providing them with low-cost healthcare services (Carpenter 24). Besides, the

majority of Planned Parenthood products and services are aimed at preventive care. However,

they have faced scrutiny due to their inability to do mammograms in their clinics; rather, they

refer them to other clinics.

Place

Currently, Planned Parenthood is operating more than 600 health care centers in the

United States. Hence, it is easy to locate a Planned Parenthood clinic in one's locality. Besides,

according to a study by (Silver & Farzana 1041), the majority of the Planned Parenthood

facilities are found in the area of the less privileged communities, such as in the Latino/Hispanic

and African American communities. This is because the organization works with the stereotype
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that most Latino/Hispanic and African Americans are low-income earners and are in greater need

of healthcare services (Carpenter 23). However, the organization should set up more clinics in

other locations, especially near universities and colleges, to encourage more young people to

visit for sex protection, health screening, and sex guidance.

Price

Planned Parenthood offers high-value services at a very affordable price. This makes it

very favorable for people, especially those who cannot afford healthcare services for other

clinics. Arguably, if Planned Parenthood would increase their products' prices, it is very likely

that they will lose most of their clients (Carpenter 26). Therefore, their market depends on

having services and products which are very affordable for their clients.

Promotion

Notably, Planned Parenthood has hugely promoted itself due to its low-cost healthcare

services. In addition, the organization has promoted itself in the Latino/Hispanic and African

American communities because their clinics are strategically positioned to the black

neighborhoods (Carpenter 29). However, due to the massive promotion in the Latino/Hispanic

and African American communities, Latino/Hispanic and African American, Planned

Parenthood is failing to promote themselves in other communities. According to Silver &

Farzana (1040), December is the peak month of conception, making September the month when

most of the babies are born. Therefore, with these statistics, Planned Parenthood should make an

extra step of promotion during the December holidays and early January. This is because during

this period, they can increase their birth control sales, and they can have more pregnancy and

HIV/AIDS screening in January.

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The Organization's Competitive Analysis.

Notably, Planned Parenthood has one major competitor, that is Advocates for Youth.

Advocates for Youth is a non-profit organization that educates the public on sex, which is on the

services provided by Planned Parenthood. Besides, Advocates for Youths provides education

materials to students, teachers as well as any other person who needs them to learn about sex

education. However, Planned Parenthood has a competitive advantage over Advocates for

Youths because they provide clinical services, an element that is not available for Advocates for

Youths (Herrman et al. 145). Nevertheless, Planned Parenthood's website lack lesson plans for

parents and teachers to aid them in teaching their children about sex, a feature that is available on

the website for Advocates for Youth.

Staffs and Volunteers

In the United States, Planned Parenthood is estimated to have 5,000 employees and

volunteers. As a result, they are ranked 6th among the top ten competitors in the same field.

However, globally, they have over 30,000 employees and volunteers, helping over five million

people make the right choices in relation to their sexual health (Parenthood 5).

Conclusion

Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization that was started by Margaret Sanger,

Fania Mindell, and Ethel Byrne on October 16, 1916, in Brooklyn, New York. The organization

has an estimated 5,000 employees and volunteers in the United States and about 30,000

employees and volunteers globally. As a result, they are ranked 6th among the top ten

competitors in the same field. When focusing on Planned Parenthood, there are numerous

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats which the organization represents. Notably,
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Planned Parenthood provides low-cost healthcare services provided by the organization. Based

on the type of healthcare service required by a person, Planned Parenthood has been praised for

their reasonable health care fees compared to other providers. Besides, the organization has

promoted itself in the Latino/Hispanic and African American communities because their clinics

are strategically positioned to the black neighborhoods. However, the organization should set up

more clinics in other locations, especially near universities and colleges, to encourage more

young people to visit for sex protection, health screening, and sex guidance.
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Works Cited

Carpenter, Heather L. "Nonprofit marketing." Teaching Nonprofit Management. Edward Elgar

Publishing, 2020. 23-30

Herrman, Judith W., et al. "Comprehensive sexuality education: A historical and comparative

analysis of public opinion." American Journal of Sexuality Education 8.3 (2017): 140-

159.

Parenthood, Planned. "Planned Parenthood." Parenthood, Planned (2021). 1-10

Silver, Diana, and Farzana Kapadia. "Planned parenthood is health care, and health care must

defend it: A call to action." (2017): 1040-1041.

van Wijngaarden, Jeroen DH, Gerard RM Scholten, and Kees P. van Wijk. "Strategic analysis

for health care organizations: the suitability of the SWOT‐analysis." The International

journal of health planning and management 27.1 (2018): 34-49.