United Arab Emirate University - Case Study Example

Strategic Analysis Of United Arab Emirate University Student Name Institutional Affiliation Introduction The world is slowly integration with the realities of globalization. Most organizations are forced to change their models of operations or begin afresh to remain relevant in the competitive global environments (Pirraglia, 2016). Therefore, most managements take the task of strategic planning to come up with different strategies that can be utilized to the advantage of their organizations (Pirraglia, 2016). It is critical to understand the internal and external environments of an organization, to be able to plan adequately ahead, allocate and manage resources for its sustainability amidst high the competition. This paper looks at the United Arab Emirates University as an international organization; that operates in the educational sector that operates just like any other global business. The scope of this paper is SWOT and PESTEL analysis to examine the internal and external environments of the university. The paper also provides a strategic plan for UAEU including its implementation and evaluation processes. Background Information on United Emirates University The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), was established in the year 1976 by Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and is the first comprehensive national university in the UAE (UAEU, 2016). The University ranks top on the academic list in the UAE based on its reputation as a research-intensive educational institution. Moreover, the university enrolls over 14000 International and Emirati students (UAEU, 2016). Being United Arab Emirates flagship university, the institution offers a variety of accredited courses, including high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs in its nine colleges divided by the courses (UAEU, 2016). The colleges include colleges of Law, IT, Humanities and social sciences, Food and Agriculture, Education, Economics, Engineering, Science, Medicine and Health Sciences. The facilities of the university are state-of-the-art, and it has a full range of support services for its diverse students. The distinguished international educational institution has a serene environment for living and learning for its students. Most f its programs are developed in coordination with top employers, making the graduates from the university be in high demand (UAEU, 2016). The alumni of the University hold different positions in the country and worldwide such as commerce, the government, and the industries. The company is committed to ensuring the maintenance of innovation and excellence. SWOT Analysis of United Arab Emirates University Internal Environment Analysis An organization’s internal environment refer to the factors within the organization that the organization has control over. These factors have the ability to affect the success of the operations within an organization.In a nutshell, some of the internal factors include financial resource and capabilities of the organization in question (Pahl & Richter, 2009; Ferrell & Hartline, 2011). In the SWOT analysis, the internal environment is represented in the strengths and weakness section. Strengths The strengths are areas within an organization that are attributable to its success and enables it to work efficiently compared to its competitors. The UAEU has many advantages due to its position and fame in the UAE and worldwide (UAEU, 2016). First off, the university is Commission on Academic Accreditation (CAA), and WASC accredited, meaning that different professional bodies recognize the programs it offers (UAEU, 2016). Secondly, the university has nine different colleges that provide a variety of degrees and diplomas that are competitive in the global labor market (UAEU, 2016). In fact, the University is recognized as one which provides choices for 53 Bachelor's degree programs, over 37 Master’s Programs, and a plethora of Doctorate programs in different courses including pharmacy (UAEU, 2016). Additionally, the institution is widely recognized as the nation’s premier research university that not only assures knowledge acquisition but also creates knowledge, allows innovation and produces cutting-edge technologies that benefit the world. Thirdly, the university is a well recognized international university accepting both the local and international students on competitive merits (Top Universities, 2016; EurekAlert, 2016). The institution also has modern facilities that are well equipped and meet the occupational health and safety standards. Furthermore, the university has excellent IT infrastructure making it a modern learning institution (Top Universities, 2016). On the same note, the university has an extensive library, recreational facilities, accommodation, banking facilities, cafes and restaurants to cater for the large community of students. Besides, the university offers a serene environment for the students to pursue their learning. The university also has a strong leadership team that is responsible for making strategic decisions that propel the university to greater heights. Weaknesses An organization’s weakness refers to the areas that though have room for improvement are currently hindering an organization from realizing its full potential success, making the competitors seem to have an advantage over the organization in question. The university has some weaknesses that need to be addressed (UAEU, 2016). The University does not offer scholarships compared to other universities that are its immediate competitors (Top Universities, 2016). Some of the departments and schools of the university are understaffed. Furthermore, the university does not offer grants to students who conduct research. Even though the undergraduate degree programs are many in number, some degree programs are lacking. The university also does not offer online distance learning courses despite having a strong IT infrastructure. The university also has fewer resources allocated to its marketing making it only famous among the locals and a handful of international students. Opportunities The opportunities are factors that an organization can leverage on to get ahead of its competitors. UAEU has different opportunities that if meritoriously utilized, the university will not only rank high in the UAE but also worldwide. First off, the university should embrace the online learning platforms to expand its student base, through adopting different digital learning platforms. Most of the learning institutions are currently using digital learning platforms as a means of content delivery to students in various geographic areas (EurekAlert, 2016). Secondly, the university should forge partnerships with nationally and internationally recognized research bodies to facilitate research. The university should also ensure that it has high standards of quality, efficient and transparent education. The university should also establish satellite campuses in different regions as a means to expanding its global presence.The university also has an opportunity in the diverse global society where it can open up more chances for international students through the provision of scholarships to embrace diversity. Threats The threats are the factors that are beyond the control of an organization and at the same time have the ability to hamper its successful operations (UAEU, 2016). The UAEU has some eminent threats. Firstly, there are over 100 local universities in the UAE that offer the same courses as UAEU. Therefore, there is the threat of both local and international universities, not to mention the privately owned colleges and universities (UAEU, 2016). Secondly, the global rise in terrorism also exposes the students in the institution to the risk of terror attacks. Globalization has also created the mobility of labor and people, most of the students who prefer learning in the university might prefer other better universities in areas where education ranks higher like US, Germany, and Australia among others. On the same note, most of the prominent faculty members might also leave for other universities offering better opportunities compared to UAEU. Lastly, the sponsorship and funding by the government could also decline, making the operations of the university to stall. PESTEL Analysis of United Arab Emirates University PESTEL is a framework used to conduct a situational analysis; it is widely applicable to the identification of the external factors that have an impact on an organization (Ferrell & Hartline, 2011). These factors include political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environmental and legal forces that in one way or another, affect an organization either directly or indirectly. The firm control of the media could influence the teaching of students as well as their interactions through the social media platforms (Surani, 2016). The university is located in a region where there are strong Muslim laws, some of which are against human rights (Surani, 2016). An example is the rights of women including their participation in different activities that might affect the students. The UAE has its vision 2030 that the UAEU should be aligned to, especially when designing its courses. The UAE also has educational and employment laws that the university must comply with to ensure that it is accredited in different areas. From an economic standpoint, the Emiratization of most of the government departments is a risk to its international students who qualify for various positions in the country. The enrollment in the university could also be affected by fluctuations in the exchange rates, impacting on most of the international students (Surani, 2016). The education level of the locals is still small, most of the students drop out of school to inherit or work in their family owned businesses. The population of the UAE citizen is less compared to that of the expatriates an implication of the need to educate more Emirates citizens. The internet infrastructure in the UAE is well developed. The UAE has the largest internet control policy, making it hard for the university to roll out its digital teaching platforms. Furthermore, the cases of cyberbullying are also on the rise in the UAE with students being the target group of the assailants. On the same note, most of the teachers are shy to embrace technology in teaching their students (Surani, 2016). The UAE is firmly aligned towards green products, meaning that the university has to come up with sustainable designs that reflect environmental conservation. All these factors combined form the external forces that might affect the progress of the university as it strives to achieve its goals. Strategic Plan for UAEU The vision of UAEU is to provide leadership and excellence in higher education and scientific research at the regional and international level (UAEU, 2016). On the other hand, the university has a mission of making a positive contribution towards the advancement of UAE through engaging graduates for future leadership, developing research solutions, active collaboration with other organizations to promote knowledge, and provision of quality education that meets the international standards (UAEU, 2016). Some of the fundamental values of the university include respect heritage and diversity; integrity and transparency; effective communication and decision-making; leadership, and teamwork (UAEU, 2016). There are five major plans to ensure that the university achieves the vision and mission while still upholds the values above. First, the university has to prepare the graduates to be discoverers and leaders in their different areas of specialization. Secondly, the university’s strategic plan is to develop scientific research as well as embrace innovation in areas that are of national, regional and international importance (UAEU, 2016). The other strategic plan is to promote the university’s mission of knowledge transfer in service to the society (UAEU, 2016). Furthermore, the University should also ensure academic excellence in compliance with the institutional as well as academic accreditation standards. Lastly, the university should also provide administrative services are of high standards, which are transparent and efficient. The UAEU has all the above plans reflected in its strategic plan. Implementation Plan Different activities or initiatives are mandatory for the effective achievement of the strategic plan. First off, the university should develop and promote innovation in teaching, increase the number of students, and increase sponsorship, volunteering, and internship opportunities to achieve the first strategic plan. Secondly, the university must be prepared to partner with different research institutions, motivate the university research through awards and funding, and promote its programs both internationally and locally to get diverse knowledge capabilities (Tracy, 2013). Furthermore, when making the course curriculum, the university should incorporate the assistance of the research organizations and focus more on quality and quantity of published research in scientific journals. Thirdly, the institution should be prepared to obtain accreditation both regionally and internationally as it also develops its programs in line with the international standards. The university should also collaborate with other research institutions as a measure of increasing student participation (Tracy, 2013). Furthermore, UAEU should host national and international educational conferences in collaboration with internationally renowned professional bodies. The university should also open access for students from overseas and encourage diversity among its staff and students. The leadership of UAEU should also establish integrated communication strategy to promote the communications internally and externally. Still on the implementation of the strategic plan, the university should develop active partnerships with different universities at the global and regional level to enable benchmarking of academic, research and improvement of outreach activities. The university should also provide legal services to its students in times of need. Additionally, the university should ensure the implementation of quality standards as well as institutional excellence through such things as ISO 9001 certification for quality management. Evaluation Mechanism for UAEU’s Strategic Plan Strategic evaluation is the last step in the strategic management process. The principal aim of the process is to appraise the internal and external forces or factors that anchor the current strategies, measure the performance of an organization, and come up with corrective actions (Pirraglia, 2016; Simerson, 2011). The whole process ensures that an organization’s strategy and its corresponding implementation is assured of meeting the organizational objectives (Simerson, 2011; Bryson & Alston, 2011). Simply put, strategic evaluation refers to the process of assessing the implemented policy to determine if the organization in question is on the right track. It also helps in determining whether or not the decisions made at the management level are up to the task or need some alteration (Berman & Evans, 2001). It also offers direction for future strategic planning within organizations. There are different methods used in evaluation of strategic plan that are applicable to UAEU. First is, benchmarking which evaluates how close an organization is, towards the achievement of its objectives, as well as the remaining steps towards the realization of its full potential (Berman & Evans, 2001). The process involves comparison between an organization and other similar successful organizations (Bryson & Alston, 2011). The second method of evaluation is gap analysis that measures the gap between the position of an organization and its intended position (Berman & Evans, 2001). Some of the techniques applied in the gap analysis include questionairres, surveys, observations, analysis of financial performance, performance of marketing campaigns, success of management information systems and overal growth in ranking of an organization (Khakee, 2008). The same evaluation strategies including the SWOT and PEST analysis are applicable to the evaluation of the strategic plan of the United Arab Emirates University strategic plan after a given period of time. However, since the university is ranked as the best in the UAE, it should benchmark itself with an immediate internationally recognized institution that has applied the same plans and succeeded. Authentically, the success of the implementation of the strategic plan depends on the collaboration between different bodies. Conclusion UAEU is the best university in the UAE according to the web ranking system that ranks university based on a welter of factors such as accreditation, performance, size, education level and staff capacity among others. The university has different strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as in the SWOT analysis section of this report. The university operates in the UAE and is thus affected by political, socio-cultural, economic, environmental, and legal factors that affect the UAE. There are five strategic plans tha university must implement through the stated strategie to scale even highet. To measure the performance of the implemented strategies, UAEU management should engage gap analysis and benchmarking as the university strives to meet the global standards. References Berman, B., & Evans, J. (2001). Retail Management: A Strategic Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Bryson, J., & Alston, F. (2011). Creating your strategic plan. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. EurekAlert. (2016). The United Arab Emirates University organizes a symposium on intellectual property and the transfer of technology. EurekAlert! Retrieved 11 March 2016, from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/uaeu-tua112415.php Ferrell, O., & Hartline, M. (2011). Marketing management strategies. Australia: South-Western, Cengage Learning. Khakee, A. (2008). New principles in planning evaluation. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate. Pahl, N., & Richter, A. (2009). SWOT Analysis - Idea, Methodology and a Practical Approach. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH. Pirraglia, W. (2016). Why Is Strategic Planning Important to a Business? Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved 11 March 2016, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/strategic-planning-important-business-2671.html Simerson, B. (2011). Strategic planning. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Praeger. Surani, V. (2016). UAE Presentation. Slideshare.net. Retrieved 11 March 2016, from http://www.slideshare.net/suranivikas/uae-presentation Top Universities. (2016). Study in the United Arab Emirates. Top Universities. Retrieved 11 March 2016, from http://www.topuniversities.com/where-to-study/asia/united-arab-emirates/guide Tracy, D. (2013). School improvement. [Place of publication not identified]: Xlibris Corporation. UAEU. (2016). About UAEU. Uaeu.ac.ae. Retrieved 10 March 2016, from http://www.uaeu.ac.ae/en/about/ Read More