Tag Archives: Strategic Plans

Competitive Advantage Comes From Internal Capabilities

by Ken Posted on July 14, 2014

In a nutshell, over my past 10 posts, I have advocated that most private colleges and universities should pursue a focused differentiation strategy based on a unique mission and vision that solves a significant problem for its target customers. My … Continue reading →

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The Limitations of the “Comprehensive” University

by Ken Posted on May 21, 2014

There is a prevalent sense among academics that a university is meant to be “comprehensive” i.e. provide a full range of programs and degrees at the undergraduate and graduate level. In fact, the dictionary definition of a university is a … Continue reading →

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Why Should I Go To Your School Instead of a Cheaper One?

by Ken Posted on April 4, 2014

The first half of most Strategic Management textbooks are often filled with the various models of Michael Porter. Around Chapter 4, the Strategic Positioning model is usually introduced: Like many of Porter’s models, Strategic Positioning is easy to grasp, but … Continue reading →

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Can Private Universities Compete on Price?

by Ken Posted on March 21, 2014

When I began teaching Strategic Management in 2003, Southwest Airlines was just entering the Philadelphia market. This proved to be very disruptive for the dominant incumbent, US Air. Whenever Southwest enters a market, the first impact is that overall fares … Continue reading →

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Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes

by Ken Posted on January 23, 2014

There is an acronym that every undergraduate business student knows (or should know). That acronym is SMART, and it is used to determine whether a goal or objective is effective. There is some variation of wording, but the acronym stands … Continue reading →

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Why Universities Need Strong, Meaningful Mission Statements

by Ken Posted on December 5, 2013

In my previous post, I argued that one reason universities are running into problems is that they have failed to master basic strategic management. Chapter 2 of virtually every Strategic Management text is about Mission and Vision statements, and the … Continue reading →

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