This study shall consider the Strategic Management and its impact on the performance of Oman Higher education institution. It shall also aim at resolving the problems related to the implementation of the strategic management programs. This study is a mere proposal of the final study that shall be conducted in the latter stage. For the convenience of the assignment, the method and techniques that shall be used for the analysis shall be a very diverse and broad one. The data collection sources shall be considered from both primary as well secondary means. In this assignment, an overall exclusive approach shall be laid off based on which the whole primary collection of data shall be conducted in the later stage of the project. This assignment shall also have delved deeper into considering various of the literary sources in order to understand and lay some views upon the presence of overall strategic management and its impacts of the education sector in the country of Oman, mainly to higher education institutions. The study shall initiate with definite a definite aim of carrying out the whole research, inclusive of the proposal in here. It shall be succeeded by the research objective where, the main objectives shall be derived from the aim. Then, the methodology shall be explained by the follow of which, the whole research shall be conducted. The methods used and techniques considered shall be explained in here. After this, the literature review on the topic of study shall be conducted by taking into consideration the study of various research and articles presented by eminent scholars and researchers at various parts of the world and time. On the basis of the whole literature review, the analysis shall be drawn related to the overall condition of strategic management and which manner it has affected the higher education sector and the various institutions in the land of Oman. Further, recommendation shall be drawn ending with some lines concluding the whole study.
The aim of the research would be to analyse the current state of strategic management in the educational institutions in the Sultanate of Oman. It shall also aim at providing solutions to the problems that have arisen in the proper implementation of the same. It is hope that the research shall be helpful in the betterment of the current state of education in the Sultanate of Oman.
Primary Objective:
Secondary Objectives:
The assignment is primarily based on collecting data by making use of various of the data sources. In order to know and find facts about the overall conditions of strategic management in the country of Oman, especially related to the education sector shall be considered. The impacts of the strategic management on the education sector especially belonging to the higher level shall be known by studying different articles, books, journals and other web based information sources. This shall be done keeping in purview the attainment of using secondary sources of data. Apart from this, primary data collection shall also be done in the main project. A sample of 70 students shall be made based on random sampling basis in order to collect first hand reliable data. A set of questions shall be asked to them and based on the answer that shall be received from them, analysis shall be done and conclusions shall be drawn on it. The use of qualitative data shall be mainly considered here. In order to collect and analyse some numerical form of data in few places, quantitative approach shall also be taken into consideration.
For the collection of primary data, students of educational institutions such as Sultan Qaboos University, College of Sharia Sciences, six colleges of applied science, six colleges of technology in Al-Masanna, A’Sharqiyah University, Fire Safety Engineering College, Majan College, Modern College of Business & Science, Middle East College and Mazoon College for Management and Applied Sciences and Higher college of technology in Muscat, shall be asked different forms of questions (McCaffery, 2018). On basis of that, analysis shall be made. In case of secondary data, books, journals and other form of literary sources shall be considered. The total time for collection has been shown with a help of a Gantt Chart attached in the appendix section of this study.
The data that shall be collected shall be analysed by making use of tables. Comparing the secondary and primary data, the most rational argument shall be drawn and valid conclusions shall be made.
The practice of strategic management involves the formulation of goals for an organization after the internal and external conditions and also the resources of the organization are analysed (Morden, 2016). Strategies therefore, have to do with the long term vision of an organization and it primarily aims at providing the organization with a direction towards which it can progress and subsequently grow in a consistent manner (Ibe.unesco.org, 2018). It has to be kept in mind that there are two aspects to strategic management: one involves the formulation of the strategy after proper consideration of the various factors and the other has to do with the implementation of the same so that the goals that have been defined by the management can be realized (Bergh et al. 2016). Therefore, implementation basically involves with the pragmatic aspects of the strategy. It concerns with the proper allocation of the resources and the efficient management of the staff members so that they can be aware of the goals of the organization and strive towards the achievement of the same (Robson, 2015).
It also has to be understood that there are ways of conceiving a strategy. While on most common terms, it is understood to be a plan which shall help in increasing the organization’s productivity and performance in the long run, there are many alternative ways in which a strategy can be looked at (Hill, 2017). For product based companies it can be a ploy that shall be used to outwit a competitor. For educational institutions which concerns the present research proposal, it can be the development of an educational structure that can enhance the professional skills of the students (Michael, Storey and Thomas, 2017).
The development of a strategy is further characterized by the adoption of two methodologies namely, strategic thinking and strategic planning. Strategic thinking is more abstract and subjective in nature as it involves the thinking of the managers in innovative and unconventional ways on order to devise better approaches at resource allocation and productivity (Hill, Jones and Schilling, 2014). It requires creative faculties on the part of the managers so that they can come up with intelligent solutions to the problems that are at hand. Strategic planning on the other hand is analytical in nature and as a consequence, there is little room for exercising creativity (Rothaermel, 2015). It is more of a scientific process and comprises of formal procedures that aid in finding out data and information that shall in turn help in strategic thinking.
Establishment of higher education in the Sultanate of Oman is a relatively recent phenomenon. The first university, Sultan Qaboos University was founded in 1986. Subsequently Muscat University was formed in 2003 followed by A’Sharqiya University in 2010. Therefore, it can be understood that these universities on account of their recent origin, shall require some time to fully develop into an efficient and effective structure. Keeping in mind the need of quality education in the present day for professional requirements the Ministry of Higher Education has initiated a wide range of reforms within the educational structure of the country (Belwal, Al Balushi, and Belwal, 2015). Strategic management was a part of the reform project that aimed for the achievement of educational excellence. Strategic management shall greatly help in developing an administrative system which shall focus on the formulation and the subsequent implementation of long term goals keeping in mind the interests of the students and international standards of education. However, there have been several problems relating to the efficient implementation of the strategic management system in the educational institutions. For example, because of the lack of experience of the universities, there is not any scope for the managements to conduct research regarding the previous management processes in order to determine the effective approaches towards education in the specific context of the Sultanate of Oman (Sallis, 2014). Therefore, it becomes quite risky for the management to devise completely new approaches towards the furthering of education which shall have a high risk factor of failure. Therefore, the management bodies of the universities have been a little ambivalent towards the incorporation of completely new strategies (James, 2015). Therefore, the entire point behind the implementation of strategic management fails its purpose. Therefore, a proper knowledge foundation regarding the current system prevailing in Oman has to be created which shall subsequently act as reference from which the current strategies can be formulated.
Regarding the context of the educational system of Oman several recommendations can be made in order to improve the current system of strategic management. Oman’s universities have always collaborated with other highly advanced foreign universities in United States and UK. There should be attempts towards the initiation of dialogues with the management of those universities for receiving technical assistance in the implementation of strategic management (Lane-Kelso, 2016). There should also be recruitment of highly qualified and able decision makers and managers who can take right steps at the right time.
An exclusive team of professionals shall be applied in order to form a research wing whose task would be the collection and the analysis of relevant information that shall be helpful in the devising of relevant strategies (Mohamed Emam, 2016). Apart from that, project managers shall have to be employed who would integrate the functions of the various departments so that they can work in a synchronous manner towards the attainment of common goals.
Furthermore, since the students shall have to receive quality education, their opinions and perspectives shall also have to be taken into account. Therefore, the management should be able to communicate with the students in order to receive insights about their needs and educational requirements.
Conclusion:
It can thus be observed that the problem of the implementation of strategic management has been approached from a holistic point of view. The research shall be constituted of both quantitative and qualitative aspects. While the former shall concern with data, the latter shall aim at deducing accurate inferences regarding the prevailing conditions of education. The gaps in the current system have been highlighted in detail and it is hoped that the present project shall be successful in addressing the problems and subsequently resolve them. The major concern shall be to devise an appropriate strategy that is compatible with the present educational framework of the Sultanate of Oman.
References
Belwal, R., Al Balushi, H. and Belwal, S., 2015. Students’ perception of entrepreneurship and enterprise education in Oman. Education+ Training, 57(8/9), pp.924-947.
Bergh, D.D., Aguinis, H., Heavey, C., Ketchen, D.J., Boyd, B.K., Su, P., Lau, C.L. and Joo, H., 2016. Using meta?analytic structural equation modeling to advance strategic management research: Guidelines and an empirical illustration via the strategic leadership?performance relationship. Strategic Management Journal, 37(3), pp.477-497.
Hill, C.W., Jones, G.R. and Schilling, M.A., 2014. Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning.
Hill, T., 2017. Manufacturing strategy: the strategic management of the manufacturing function. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Ibe.unesco.org. (2018). National report on quality education in Oman. [online] Available at: https://www.ibe.unesco.org/International/ICE47/English/Natreps/reports/oman_part_1.pdf [Accessed 8 Nov. 2018].
James, R., 2015. Evaluation of critical thinking in higher education in Oman. International Journal of Higher Education, 4(3), p.33.
Lane-Kelso, M., 2016. Fast-Tracking Technology Integration Toward Global Education in Oman. In Fast forwarding Higher Education Institutions for Global Challenges pp. 1-10. Springer, Singapore.
McCaffery, P., 2018. The higher education manager’s handbook: effective leadership and management in universities and colleges. Routledge.
Michael, S., Storey, D. and Thomas, H., 2017. Discovery and coordination in strategic management and entrepreneurship. Strategic entrepreneurship: Creating a new mindset, pp.45-65.
Mohamed Emam, M., 2016. Management of inclusive education in Oman: A framework for Action. Support for Learning, 31(4), pp.296-312.
Morden, T., 2016. Principles of strategic management. Routledge.
Robson, W., 2015. Strategic management and information systems. Pearson Higher Ed.
Rothaermel, F.T., 2015. Strategic management. McGraw-Hill Education.
Sallis, E., 2014. Total quality management in education. Routledge.
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