Strategic Planning of Coventry University - Case Study Example

Name Class Institution Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 2 Strategic direction 3 Growth Strategies 4 To become a centre for academic excellence 4 Developing high quality professional programmes 5 Encouraging transfer of knowledge 5 To be an international university 6 Organizational standards 6 Achieved results 7 Conclusion 8 References 10 Introduction Coventry University is a public university found in Coventry England. The university was given the status in 1992 through Further and higher Education Act. Prior to 1992, the university was known as the Lanchester polytechnic. The university has advanced progressively to the status it is now. In 1970, major development were achieved that helped formation of the Lanchester College of Technology And Art. The institute amalgamated with Rugby College of Engineering Technology to form the Lanchester Polytechnic. Since the inception as a university in 1992, the institution has been able to develop in a great way to its current status. The university is evolving in innovation and has a good reputation in the education sector. The university has been rated well in their academic expertise and experience. In the year 2008, the university was highly commended for the Entrepreneurial University of the Year Category during the Times higher Awards. The main drive toward excellence for the Coventry University is strategic planning. The university has a laid down strategic plan which has the main aim of making the university the leading centre for excellence. The university has earmarked 160 million pounds for their strategic development in the next ten years. The university growth strategy has been based on strategic review that was conducted. The report will look at the growth strategy being targeted at Coventry University for the next five years (Coventry University, 2013). Strategic direction During the year 2010, the university conducted a strategic review to determine the growth strategy to be used. This was a great event as it gave a good opportunity for the institution to analyze in depth their strength and weakness. The review focused on how the university can grow academically to become a leading centre of excellence globally. The strategic review looked at the areas in which the university was not doing well and how they could work to improve them. The review concentrated on new strategic ways in which the university can use to grow. The university came to a conclusion that in order to become the leading university in the world; they had to increase their student number so that the turnover can be high. The university aims to grow by building on their strengths and reputation. The university has to become a brand name in the region and worldwide. The university growth is in line with enhancing education and efficiency in the higher learning institution. The university is set to be larger and more sustainable in the years to come through strategy growth (Coventry University, 2013). Growth Strategies To become a centre for academic excellence The university made a resolution that their academic portfolio will progressively develop within the years to make sure that they meet the need for the learners and employers. This will later help the economy of the nation and the society through production of qualified manpower. The university has relied on the feedback from the stakeholders and the students to come up with programmes that are relevant and accessible. This is in response to the long term needs of the nation and the opportunities available in the economy. The university academic programs are designed according to the current demand in the economy and the need for the institution to be an international centre for excellence. To achieve this, the university has partnered with other organizations in the country and abroad to ensure that they are fully engaged in the growth plan. The university has started this strategy by involving the stakeholders in designing their curriculum and seeking external accreditation. This is in order to promote the programmes quality and relevance in the field. The university has utilised research to enable the students to understand the society economic and social needs. This is a step in helping them come up with methods on addressing them. The university has started by investing in the teaching staff and equipping them with the latest technology. The technological facilities have ensured that the university is in the path for excellence. Developing high quality professional programmes The university has reviewed all its programs to come up with high quality programs which make their graduates employable. This is in line with making the university graduates employable and relevant in the economy. These graduates are equipped with skills and knowledge of their field of study so that they have self confidence in their workplace. The main aim of developing professional programmes is making the students achieve what they aspired to do when they joined the university. This has motivated more students to join the university hence high turnover and brand name. Encouraging transfer of knowledge Transfer of knowledge is a well-known pillar in educational development. Coventry university strategic growth has taken care of transfer of knowledge through internationally recognized research. The research carried out in this university has high relevance in the economic and social perspective of the country. The university has aimed in creating a strong track record based on transfer of knowledge during this strategic growth period. The universities have ensured that the research carried out is of potential benefit to the country economy. The research has also been centered in the educational enhancement at the university. This has enabled the growth to be achieved both academically and in society. The main aim of this strategy is to make it possible for the university to build relationships with other external university to effect its growth. To be an international university The university has embarked on recruiting international students and partnering with overseas universities. These partnerships have the capabilities of making the institution able to recruit more foreign students easily. The university has expanded their presence overseas and delivered a ranger of programs there. Coventry University has ensured that their international relationship is strong and growing. This is through research and knowledge transfer. The university professional programs are also designed to cater for international eligibility. Though the university is highly regarded internationally, there is still room for more growth. This has motivated the university to make efforts to integrate international values into their mission. The university has embarked in a plan that will enable it to achieve a broad geographical base. This has helped in the internationalization of the university. The universities have encouraged staff exchanges between them and overseas universities. This will act as an approach to internationalization. Organizational standards The university has set high standards through building an open organizational culture. The culture is easily accessible and customer friendly. The university has been regarded as the employer of choice by most people in the recent past. This has been through retention of the high quality staff that has skills and knowledge and talent development. The university has also a program where they offer good package to the staff members who Performs. The University has a professional approach to career development through a well-designed communication channel. Through investing in an environment where work is appreciated, the university has developed high organizational standards. The university has demonstrated high degree of responsibility and shown commitment to the sustainable growth. The growth is supported by efficient resource management. The growth has also been effected through partnership with the community for mutual benefit. To achieve the growth attained so far, the universities have followed their growth strategy. This has been done with consultation with shareholders and annual reviews. Achieved results One of the achieved results of the strategic growth plan is Coventry University College. The campus was established in 2012 and become operational the same year. The university provides professional courses in part time basis. The courses provided ranges from accounting, marketing and legal studies. The college was established with its own staff and facilities. This development was a major step toward achieving the expected growth. London campus was set up in the year 2010 to cater for the international students. This has helped the university strive to improve international recognition (Coventry University, 2013). Another area in which the university has registered growth is the development of the city lab Coventry. This is in line with the current trend where most of the population is settling in town. Through the current trend, it is expected that almost 70 percent of the population will be found in towns by 2050. The university has embarked on a program where they are planning to have a city lab by 2020. This is a plan that has been achieved through strategic growth. The university wants to make innovative solutions to the city dwellers through low carbon vehicles, digital media, transport logistics, sustainable agriculture and buildings which have low impact on environment (ERRIN, 2013). The university has partnered with several research projects which are in the European programme. These projects include METPEX, CASSANDRA, CAVA and OPTIMISM. The METPEX programmes is involved with measurement of the passenger experience while CASSANDRA program is involved with accessing the impact of making strategic decisions in electrical power systems. OPTIMISM is a project which aims at optimizing passenger transport so as to have a sustainable mobility and CAVA has the main aim of changing the attitudes to violence during dating by adolescence. These programmes show how strategic growth at Coventry University has helped it achieve excellence in research. This is inline with the initiative to enhance knowledge transfer, innovation and academic expertise. Coventry University is an evolving and innovative university. The university investment in growth is a key step toward making it a well-known and established international university (ERRIN, 2013). Conclusion Coventry University has grown from being a polytechnic prior to 1992 to become a university which is highly recognized nationally and worldwide. This has been achieved through having a strategized growth which has been laid out. From 1992 when it gained the university status, the university has expanded and grown in size. The strategic planning has been achieved in phases with each phase being closely monitored. The results from each phase is documented and used for strategic research. The current strategic development from the year 2010 has been a success with some of the result being seen. The university has become a center for excellence for both national and international students. The construction of the international students’ campus in London was the first step in making the university more recognized universally. The university has also been a research centre partnering nationally and internationally. This growth will enable the university achieve their goal as the leading university worldwide and offering high quality education. The organizational standards are of international quality which has made the university accelerate in their growth. References Coventry University, 2013, Coventry University, Viewed 8th January 2013, ERRIN, 2013, Coventry University, Viewed 8th January 2013, Read More