Content area
Full Text
ABSTRACT
This study presents results of a research conducted to explore the competitive environment among three Higher Education Institutes in Philippines. Competitive Profile Matrix is used to compare the competitors and their particular strengths and weaknesses in relation to each other. Critical Success Factors have been identified as the basis of CPM and for development of HEIs' strategy.
Keywords: competitive profile matrix, critical success factors, market position, competition, differentiation
INTRODUCTION
Competitiveness has become a part of daily lives of managers in all kinds of institutions (Fred David, 2009, Rothaermel, 2013). Higher Education Institutes are no exception. In fact, their business environment may be relatively more competitive in times of slow global growth, leading to a decline on jobs and pushing the workforce back to school for increasing their qualification and skills.
HEI's as service providers are required to restructure (Kusumawati et al, 2010) and redefine their educational process through adoption of a market-oriented strategies (Nicolesco, 2009) and more attuned business concepts suitable for higher education. With increasing trend of international students around the world, the competitive environment of HEIs has become global rather than local. (Sohel, et al.). Such competitiveness has impacted HEIs of all sizes and has necessitated strategization for retaining their customers.
This study builds upon two important business concepts applied in higher education; consumer behavior and positioning strategies. Consumer behavior of students include meeting their expectations in terms of teaching competencies, quality of instructions, payment terms, facilities, national and international linkages, research environment and facilities, libraries, health and sports services, inter alia. Students' expectations are seen as a valuable source of information (Nicolesco, 2009) for schools to base their innovations upon. Positioning as a marketing concept, on the other hand, is responsible for creating an institution's image in the minds of customers; defining their perceptions of the institution's identity,features and perceived benefits.
Philippines is facing a paradigm shift in its educational system, brought primarily by the Asean Integration. It means opening up of a large market for goods and services, more skilled labor and professionals, recognition and qualifications of learners, licensure, innovations and best practices (Montano, 2014). Such changes are bringing greater competition and thus a need to prepare for it. Another important factor isthe k-12 program which is expected...