Strategic development and SWOT analysis at the University of Technology, Mauritius.
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ABSTRACT
SWOT analysis is an established method for assisting the formulation of strategy. An application to strategy formulation and its incorporation into the strategic development process at the University of Technology, Mauritius is described. The application links SWOT analysis to resource-based planning illustrates it as an iterative rather than a linear process and embeds it within the overall planning process. Lessons are drawn both for the University and for the strategy formulation process itself. 2.0 INTRODUCTION
2.1 The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) The Mauritian tertiary education landscape has witnessed major transformation since
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Overall, 30% of the employees were in the academic, 35% in the administrative, 15% in the technical/paraprofessional and 15% in the services/maintenance cadres. The number of employees in the publicly funded institutions stood at around 2,200 persons. Enrolment The tertiary student population in 2009/2010 is estimated around 42,260 as compared with 38,623 in 2008/09. This represents an increase of 9.5% in tertiary enrolment. A total of 30,267 students (72%) were pursuing their higher studies locally: 19,867 (47%) attended publicly-funded institutions (PFIs) and 10,400 (25%) students were studying in a private institution or through the distance education mode directly with an overseas institution. Some 12,000 (28%) students, on the other hand, were studying abroad. The Gross Tertiary Enrolment Rate, which measures the total tertiary enrolment as a percentage of the population aged 20 to 24 years is estimated at 45 % in 2009/10, up from 41.4% in 2008/09, which represented an increase of 3.6 percentage points. Enrolment in the PFI’s is distributed as follows : University of Mauritius(excluding joint MIE and MGI enrolment- 9663 (22.9%), University of Technology, Mauritius- 3,018 (7.1%), Mauritius Institute of Education- 4,738 (11.2%), Mahatma Gandhi Institute/ Rabindranath Tagore Institute – 638 (1.5%), Mauritius College of the Air– 452 (1.1%),
Higher education has a vast history; beginning in the early colonial period and spanning ten generations. With its wide range of history, aspects of higher education have changed as the ideals and reforms of society adjusted. Albeit, the missions and purposes of college have remained the same. In this paper, I will clarify the three main missions and purposes of higher education. Then, I will shift the focus of the paper to the area I would like to pursue in higher education and how it reflects those purposes.
Authors: Matos, Frederico, Source: Journal of Higher Education Policy & Management. Dec2013, Vol. 35 Issue 6, p626-638. 13p.
Another approach to strategy development begins with an analysis of external and internal factors, followed by some visioning, then planning. Including in the analysis phase is often a “SWOT,” a thorough examination of internal Strengths and Weaknesses, as well as external Opportunities and Threats. SWOTs are praised for capturing both the positive (strengths and opportunities) and negative (weaknesses, threats); and organizations embrace this approach with the hope of gaining a “balanced” analysis of itself, inside and out (Hetzel and Silbert, 2007).
“A SWOT Analysis is the most used tool for audit and analysis of the overall strategic position of the business and its environment. Its principal purpose is to identify the strategies that will create a firm-specific business model. The plan aligns the organization’s resources and capabilities to the requirements of the environment in which the firm operates. The analysis is to evaluate any potential and limitations and the probable/likely opportunities and threats from the external environment. The results provide the positive and negative factors inside and outside the firm that affect the success.” A SWOT analysis is conducted to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential threats to the organization. ("SWOT
A SWOT analysis is an analysis based on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a company. SWOT analysis is the first phase in gathering information for strategic planning (Wheelen, Hunger, Hoffman, & Bamford, 2015). A SWOT analysis plays a significant role in strategic planning because it is the discovery phase of what the company needs to succeed. It is a tool used to examine a company’s state of health and improve on its opportunities. It gives a detailed understanding on areas that need attention as well as areas that are striving. It also gives companies a clear view of the advantages and disadvantages they have over their competitors. A SWOT analysis was created for The Home Depot to get a better understanding of the company and its strategic planning.
A SWOT analysis is a distinguished instrument for examination of a company’s strategic situation and environment. Its objective is to recognize the schemes that will best support a business’ assets and competencies to the desires of the market. It is the basis for assessing the core abilities and restrictions and the prospects and dangers from the external environment. SWOT stands for: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are deemed internal influences where there is some level of control; while opportunities and threats are deemed external influences where there is essentially no control.
Good strategic plan is derived from using an appropriate analysis. Although there are many useful analogical methods that can be used such as Michael Porter’s 5 forces model, the main method used here would be SWOT analysis. SWOT is a very effective tool in understanding and creating
Percy and Giles (1989), stresses that the SWOT analysis is the most applied tool for strategic planning. The SWOT analysis is an approach that is structured and straightforward in evaluating and identifying strategic positioning, strengths, and weakness and making comparisons to opportunities and threats (p. 5). Percy and
All of the data and information disseminated in this phase will aid the Strategy Development Group in discovering The Possibility Place’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOTs). Sheehan, Allison & Kaye, Nutt & Backoff, and Bryson all use SWOT analysis in their strategy models. SWOTs clarify and summarize all of the gathered information in an organized matter. The Strategy Development Group should identify and agree upon the top five most important strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. Finally, the group will analyze the SWOTs, recognizing points in which they interact with each other. This analysis will be used later on in “Phase 5: Write the Plan.”
A lot has changed from the past till now in the education system. Today, students have to pay a large amount of money to get their desired degree. According
KBB Resources Berhad Malaysia is concerned about their profitable growth. Additionally, top management has concerns pertaining to the sustainability of the organisation’s competitive advantages in its strategic business segments. The organisation thus requires that a SWOT analysis be conducted in order to determine its current position and where the organisation would require to focus its strategic objectives in the future in order to remedy the current problems that are being faced with regard to sustainable profitable growth.
SWOT analysis is a popular analysis tool used in different situations that include not just business and marketing but also project planning and personal career development (Chapman 1995-2012). As for the strategic planning, Kenneth Andrews popularized his idea that good strategy means keeping a fit between the external situations a firm faces and the internal capabilities (Hill and Westbrook, 1997). The format the SWOT analysis presented is a 2x2 'internal/external' matrix, in which questions and relative answers can be listed for analysis (chapman 1995-2012). And according to Hill and Westbrook (1997), the output of SWOT analysis comes from meetings facilitated by consultants or managers to contribute the final analysis. Brainstorming can be used for filling in the sections to answer the questions. In addition, similar arguments should be concluded and ranked according to their answers in meetings (Rauch, 2007). As for the newly developed analysis, the TOWS matrix matching the various factors enables companies to stimulate new strategic initiative (Dyson, 2004).
SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable to achieving that objective. The technique is credited to Albert Humphrey, who led a research project at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies.[1]
The use of SWOT which is a structured planning tool that can be used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in the current situation of a company is the key to a successful organization, McKinney (n.d.). Using the tool, the organization can assess and determine the advantages or disadvantages of changes they want to make based on internal and external factors. The organizations’ strength adds value and gives competitive edge in the market. These were usually due to stablished name, reputations, connections, etc. which are usually controlled internally. However, its weaknesses are those that are detrimental to growth. The organization should have keen analysis to its weaknesses to be able to determine the ways to overcome
Education as a most precious gift from parents to their children starts from the family. When the family succeeds in teaching and impacting good values in their children, the country becomes a better place to live. But enriching offspring with education should be countrywide so that people from every parts and regions can get the ultimate outcome of it. It is generally believed that the basis for any true development must commence with the development of human resource. To get desirable human resource it needs basic structure (economic support). So, students are pioneers of every nation. To facilitate students properly some assisting pillars have been major issues for decades. To get educated students face some barriers which couldn’t turn them into human resource. Thus barriers occurs dropout, low literate rate and illiterate of students which occurs an unskilled nation.