Stakeholder Mapping-University of Essex - Case Study Example

STAKEHOLDER MAPPING OF ESSEX Stakeholder Mapping of Essex Introduction Stakeholder mapping is the process by which the relative influence of different stakeholders in a given arena are mapped out according to the size of the group, the degree of influence of each group over the policy and their interrelationships(Mayers and Vermeulen,2005). The main benefit of stakeholder mapping is to identify the contributing factors in decision making and to understand how the decisions are changed and their shaping methods in the future (Mayers and Vermeulen, 2005). Moreover, it is helpful in understanding the positive or negative influences of the stakeholder on the given project and helps to develop the most helpful strategies for the project and reducing the obstacles in their successful implementation (WHO, 2006). In this essay, the identification of the key stakeholders in the University of Essex is done. Moreover, the relative influence of each group, the relative power interest of the stakeholder groups as well as the strategies to be employed is also discussed. This essay is organized as follows. Section 2 discusses the key stakeholders in the field of higher education with reference to University of Essex. Section 3 discusses the relative influence of each stakeholder, the relative power interests of each group as well as the expectations of each group. Section 4 discusses the strategies needed for the employer to satisfy each group. Section 5 concludes the essay. 2. Key Stakeholders The main stakeholders in the arena of higher education include Students, parents, alumini, employers ,businesses, schools, colleges, funders, applied research funders, Professional bodies/agencies, staff, suppliers of goods and services, city and its communities(Gross and Godwin,2005). The needs and expectations as well as the relative influence of each stakeholder are discussed in detail in the next section. 3. Stakeholder Mapping The main needs of the students, parents and alumini include a valued and degree which leads to further studies or employment. A good caring self student experience with good quality accommodation and high facilities as well as high teaching standards and academic support and a university to be proud of are the expectations and needs of the first group. The main needs of employers businesses include employable students with proper skills and capabilities, partnership working and high quality research beneficial to the university. The main needs of schools/colleges include relevant courses or degrees with good quality, successful students and closed links and partnerships. The needs of the funders include a cost effective University meeting the needs of government and public agenda. The needs of applied research funders include focus on innovation; new thinking and solutions, The needs of professional bodies include progressive university with high standards of outcome practising innovative curriculum. The needs of partners include respective university meeting the needs of society while that of staff include the effective solutions to various issues identified through different sources, successful university and successful career development. The needs of goods and services suppliers include clear briefs and efficient IT solutions as well as long term relationships with the university. The need of city and its community include a successful and reputed university increasing the reputation of the city and its economic development which brings employment opportunities to the city. The stakeholder analysis or mapping shows that parents, children and alumini have great interest on the university while their influence on the university is very low. Moreover, the city and local communities can have high interest but less influence on the University. Through increasing the communication with these groups as well as making them fully involved in the activities of the University, they can make these groups more influential in the activities. The employers can be of less interest in the university while their relative influence on the university is the highest. This is because in case of students who are mostly unemployed it shows the failure of university. Hence by knowing the needs and wants of the employers well, the University can bring the employers from the less interest to high interest group of the University. The most influential groups are funders and applied research funders which are very essential for the existence of the University. The Quality Assurance Department has selected the University of Essex as very effective in the management of academic standards and quality of learning opportunities in 2008 .Moreover, the quality of research has been selected as very high in the University and as one among the top ten by the 2008 National Research Assessment Exercise and ninth by the famous newspapers. Moreover its business school has been selected as having second rank by the National Research Assessment Exercise 2008(University of Essex, 2010a). The key performance indicators for student experience obtained through different surveys include high satisfaction arte sin all areas, high employability and high student achievements. The financial health is also obtained satisfactory (University of Essex, 2010b). 4. Expected Strategies The stakeholder analysis shows that the funders are the most influential groups on the University. Hence the University is expected to strategies to satisfy them like increasing the quality of research making it more policy oriented and revised courses with high innovation. Next comes the employers whose influence can be increased by increasing the selectivity of students and pedagogic developments. This will help to get 100 percent placement for the students from the existing 70 and 90 percents for graduate and post graduate students. By increasing the focus on student satisfaction, enjoyment and completion the influence of students and parents can be improved. 5. Conclusion In this essay, the stakeholder mapping of the University of Essex is done. The analysis shows as the funders and employers as the most influential groups while students and parents as the group with most interest on the University. The different strategies needed to satisfy all the groups are also done. The analysis shows increasing the innovative and applied oriented research, revised curriculum with innovation, focusing on student satisfaction and pedagogic developments are the most needed strategies for the University for satisfying the most influential and the interest groups. References Gross K and P Godwin(2005): “Educations Many Stakeholders”, http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=174&p=2#0, Accessed November 24 2010. Mayers J and D Vermeulen(2005): “Stakeholder Influence Mapping” ,International Institute for Environment and Development Power tools, Netherlands . University of Essex(2010a): “Recent reviews and assessments of teaching and research”, http://www.essex.ac.uk/about/recent.aspx, Accessed November 25 2010. University of Essex(2010b): “Key Performance Indicators”, http://www.essex.ac.uk/strategy/kpi/kpi5.aspx,Accesed November 24 2010. WHO(2006): “Stakeholder Analysis”, Transforming Health Priorities into Projects: Health Actions in Crises, www.who.int/hac/techguidance/.../proj%20cycle&institutional%20context. Pdf, Accessed November 24 2010. Read More