A Quality-Oriented Approach toward Strategic Positioning in Higher Education Institutions

Authors: M. M. Mashhadi, K. Mohajeri, M. D. Nayeri

Abstract:

Positioning the organization in the strategic environment of its industry is one of the first and most important phases of the organizational strategic planning and in today knowledge-based economy has its importance been duplicated for higher education institutes as the centers of education, knowledge creation and knowledge worker training. Up to now, various models with diverse approaches have been applied to investigate organizations- strategic position in different industries. Regarding the essential importance and strategic role of quality in higher education institutes, in this study, a quality-oriented approach has been suggested to positioning them in their strategic environment. Then the European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM) model has been adopted to position the top Iranian business schools in their strategic environment. The result of this study can be used in strategic planning of these institutes as well as the other Iranian business schools.

Keywords: Strategic planning, Strategic positioning, Quality, EFQM model, Higher education institutions.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1059653

References:

[1] Kriemadis, A. (1997). Strategic planning in higher education athletic departments, International Journal of Educational Management, 11(6), 238- 247.
[2] West-Burnham, J., Bush, T., West-Burnham, J. (1994). Strategy, policy and planning, The Principles of Educational Management, Longman, Harlow, pp. 77-99.
[3] Tapinos, E., Dyson, R.G. and Meadows, M. (2005). The impact of performance measurement in strategic planning, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 54(5/6), 370-84.
[4] Kraus, S., Harms, R., Schwarz, E. J. (2006). Strategic planning in smaller enterprises - new empirical findings, Management Research News, 29(6), 334-344.
[5] Tsiakkiros, A., Pashiardis, P. (2002). Strategic planning and education: the case of Cyprus, International Journal of Educational Management, 16(1), 6- 17.
[6] King, R. (1995). What is higher education for? Strategic dilemmas for the twenty-first century university, Quality Assurance in Education, 3(4), 14-20.
[7] Kettunen, J. (2006). Strategic planning of regional development in higher education, Baltic Journal of Management, 1(3), 259-269.
[8] Hammond, K., Harmon, H., Webster. R., Rayburn. M. (2004). University strategic marketing activities and business school performance, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 22(7), 732-741.
[9] Owlia, M. S., Aspinwall, E. M. (1997). TQM in higher education- a review, International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, 14(5), 527-543.
[10] Kettunen, J. (2006). Strategies for the cooperation of educational institutions and companies in mechanical engineering, International Journal of Educational Management, 20(1), 19-28.
[11] Umashankar, V., Dutta, K. (2007). Balanced scorecards in managing higher education institutions: an Indian perspective, International Journal of Educational Management, 21(1), 54-67.
[12] Chadwick, P. (1995). TQM at South Bank University: issues in teaching and learning, Quality Assurance in Education, 3(1), 39-44.
[13] Welsh, J. F., Dey, S. (2002). Quality measurement and quality assurance in higher education, Quality Assurance in Education, 10(1), 17-25.
[14] Clarke, G. (1997). Reassessing resource allocation strategies in higher education: methods for analysis, International Journal of Educational Management, 11(6), 286- 292.
[15] Conway, T., Mackay, S., Yorke, D. (1994). Strategic planning in higher education: Who are the customers?, International Journal of Educational Management, 8(6), 29-36.
[16] Brock, D. M. (1997). Strategy, autonomy, planning mode and effectiveness: a contingency study of business schools, International Journal of Educational Management, 11(6), 248- 259.
[17] Davies, B., Ellison, L. (1998). Futures and strategic perspectives in school planning, International Journal of Educational Management, 12(3), 133- 140.
[18] Dealtry, R. (2000). Strategic directions in the management of the corporate university paradigm, Journal of Workplace Learning: Employee Counselling Today, 12(4), 171-175.
[19] Dealtry, R. (2000). Establishing a methodology for appraising the strategic potential of the corporate university, Journal of Workplace Learning, 12(5), 217-223.
[20] Ryan, L., Morriss, R. (2005). Designing and managing a strategic academic alliance: an Australian university experience, Journal of Workplace Learning, 17(1/2), 79-87.
[21] Petrides, L. A. (2003). Strategic planning and information use: the role of institutional leadership in the community college, On the Horizon, 11(4), 10-14.
[22] Johnson, G., Scholes, K. (1993), Exploring Corporate Strategy- Text and Cases. Prentice-Hall, Hemel Hempstead.
[23] Pashiardis, P. (1999). Organization and Management of Education- Articles and Notes, Nicosia.
[24] Luby, A. (1996). Reflections on a "new" university-s strategy-making process, Quality Assurance in Education, 4(4), 9-16.
[25] Ferrer-Balas D., Bruno J., de Mingo M. and Sans R. (2004). Advances in education transformation towards sustainable development at the Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 5(3), 251-266.
[26] Cullen, J., Joyce, J., Hassall, T., Broadbent, M. (2003). Quality in higher education: from monitoring to management, Quality Assurance in Education, 11(1), 5-14.
[27] Resende, J., Silva, E. (2007). A Profit Efficiency Perspective on the Future Strategic Positioning of the Portuguese Banks. Research Center on Industrial, Labour and Managerial Economics.
[28] Zheng, H. Y., Stewart, A. A. (2002). Assessing the effectiveness of public research universities using NSF/NCES Data and Data Envelopement Analysis Technique.
[29] Osseo-Asare, A.E, Longbottom, D. (2002). The need for education and training in the use of the EFQM model for quality management in UK higher education institutions, Quality Assurance in Education, 10(1), 26- 36.
[30] Calvo-Mora, A., Leal, A., Roldán, J. L. (2006). Using enablers of the EFQM model to manage institutions of higher education, Quality Assurance in Education, 14(2), 99-122.
[31] Hides, M. T., Davies, J., Jackson, S. (2004). Implementation of EFQM excellence model self-assessment in the UK higher education sector - lessons learned from other sectors, The TQM Magazine, 16(3), 194-201.
[32] Osseo-Asare, A. E., Longbottom, D., Murphy, W. D. (2005). Leadership best practices for sustaining quality in UK higher education from the perspective of the EFQM Excellence Model, Quality Assurance in Education, 13(2), 148-170.
[33] Tar─▒, J. J. (2006). An EFQM model self-assessment exercise at a Spanish university, Journal of. Educational Administration, 44 (2), 170-188.
[34] Feigenbaum, A.V. (1994). Quality education and America-s competitiveness, Quality Progress, 27(9), 83-4.
[35] Karathanos, D., Karathanos, P. (2005). Applying the Balanced Scorecard to education, Journal of Education for Business, March/April, 222-230.
[36] EFQM (2007a), The fundamental concepts of excellence, May, available at: www.efqm.org
[37] EFQM (2007b), The EFQM Excellence Model, May, available at: www.efqm.org
[38] (The) European Foundation for Quality Management (2003), Excellence: A Practical Guide for Self-Assessment, EFQM, Brussels.
[39] Jackson, S. (2001), Using the EFQM Excellence Model within Health Care: A Practical Guide to Success, Kingsham Press, Chichester.