SWOT Analysis – The University of Tennessee at Martin

SWOT Analysis – The University of Tennessee at Martin

The Company

The University of Tennessee at Martin College of Business and Global Affairs is a public institution. The number of students, the programs, and the resources under its command has grown for a long time. That is because of the increased number of people that need education in the locality, as well as foreigners that seek its education services.  Over time, there has been a change in the type of activities that take place in the learning institution. First, there are learning activities; which have changed to suit the changing times; regarding technology, business and policy frameworks. The college operates based on a hybrid program of studying; whereby the students can start their studies at any time or place, and still enjoy the privileges that the rest of them have.

The college also leverages of technology; whereby there is a variety of options to choose from. The convenience of the students and quality of education are the primary factors that the college considers in the design of its various programs. Using the hybrid program, a student can complete an application in as little as 12 months; from any geographical location (Aldowah et al., 2017).  That is because the system is based on academic instruction and quality, which enhances flexibility in the learning environment. Based on the various desirable developments that are associated with it, the college boasts as one of the best institutions of higher learning in Canada. It has multiple notable alumni; which reflects the excellent quality of programs that it has for its students. The curriculum that it has developed for its activities is the Rigorous General Management type; which is based on the basics of general management; including programs in finance, marketing, organizational behavior and strategy.  To achieve all the goals concerning its operations, the organization boasts of a collaborative community; which enables them to achieve their goals and objectives.

SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis is the highlight of an organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that are associated with its operations. In this case, the UTM College of Business and Global Affairs has various attributes which can be used to highlight the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that are associated with its operations. Based on the analysis, there can be recommendations that can be used to make the organization better aligned with its environment.

SWOT Diagram

Strengths

The strengths associated with the UTM College of Business and Global Affairs define the desirable features that it has; which contribute significantly towards its success. First and foremost, is the collaborative community that leads its operations. The community is in various dimensions; which are the people, its culture and network that it has established to spearhead its operations. Regarding the people, the college boasts of staff that is highly qualified; this is responsible for maintaining the set standards. Moreover, the workforce is characterized by exceptional creativity and talent, coupled with the diversity of experience in their areas of expertise. That enables the organization to form a workforce that is capable of achieving its objectives, maintaining standards, and hence gain a sustainable competitive advantage (Pucciarelli & Kaplan, 2016). Furthermore, the organization is supported by a culture that is based on collaborative action, unique core performance values and hard work. That enables the organization to enjoy a culture that is dynamic, and which is coupled with best practices, hence allowing the best performance within the organization. The culture has been cultivated over a long time; which has worked favorably for the organization in multiple dimensions. The hybrid MBA program that the college operates based on is the other strength that it enjoys; enabling it to achieve a great deal of success in its operations. That is whereby there is considerable flexibility to suit the convenience of the students and the staff at the college. That level of convenience without compromising the quality of education, over time, has been responsible for.

Weaknesses

The weaknesses that the college exhibits explain the various factors that are unfavorable about its operations. These are the areas that are recommended for improvement if the college is to be as competitive as it needs to be. First and foremost, the university has the weakness of ageing facilities that it uses in its activities. That is because there is the use of older infrastructure; which sometimes is quite challenging to maintain or restore their optimum working condition. Furthermore, there is the weakness of lacking adequate finances to enable the college operates it would like to. There is limited funding from the government, and the cash flows it generates on its own are insufficient (Mitchell et al., 2017).  The college has various plans that it needs to implement; however, most of them need huge capital investment. The absence of adequate cash flows forms a barrier to the achievement of the goals and objectives that it has established over time (Hall Amselem, 2017). That puts the plans that the college has at a stagnant position. Thus, the desired improvements that are meant to make the college better end up delayed in terms of their implementation or being halted. That is inconsistent with the college’s goal of continuous improvements in the operations that it undertakes. That forms a weak link in the activities that it is meant to undertake.

The other weakness is a slow response to the dynamic nature of higher education. Most sectors in the corporate world are changing; which necessitates the revision of the curriculum developed by the college so that there is competitiveness in the programs that are being offered. Despite the fact that the college has implemented various aspects of dynamic programs, it is still hard to catch up with all the trends in higher education. The institution ends up implementing changes late; which compromises the quality of its education. A decline in enrolment is the other weakness the college is facing; which is because of the changing career preferences, as well as competition from other institutions offering the same programs. That has led to a decline in the number of students; and the associated cash flows to the college. Furthermore, because of the inadequate resources that the college is battling with, it has become a challenge to recruit and maintain top talent. That is because the competitive talent prefers a place where there are adequate resources that can be used for the betterment of their competence.

Opportunities

The opportunities that the college has described the issues that when undertaken, will lead to success in the organization. They present a chance for the organization to grow in various dimensions. The first major opportunity is the growing number of people that need higher education for their career advancement. That places the college in a position that it can admit more students, grow its programs and enjoy better cash flows. Furthermore, there is the opportunity in the nature of the programs they offer; where they can offer their services to students regardless of their location. That is enabled through their online platforms that the students can use in their learning activities (Hošková-Mayerová, 2015).  That forms a great opportunity that can be exploited to enhance growth in the number of students that enjoy the programs offered by the institution. The location of the college is the other opportunity because it is a densely populated area; which is filled with prospective students.

Threats

These are the various factors that pose a challenge to the institution’s ability to achieve its operating objectives. First, the primary threat is the stiff competition that exists in the market for education services. Various colleges offer higher education; with numerous added advantages that compete with the college for the same services. Thus, that forms a threat because there can be unfavorable switching behavior making it lose prospective students. Reduced federal funding is the other threat that the college battles with. The reduction of financial assistance from the government forms a threat because the college development activities end up being stagnant (Rugy & Salmon, 2019).  The growing trend in blue-collar jobs is a threat to the college, as it reduces the number of students that are attracted to the education programs it has to offer. Economic uncertainty in households is the other threat; because it compromises their ability to afford higher education. With the inability to afford education because of the uncertainties, there is the threat of lower student numbers and the associated income.

SWOT Matrix

Recommendations and Future Strategic Alternatives

Based on the above SWOT analysis, there are various recommendations and strategic alternatives that the college can choose to implement. That will have the effect of improving the fortunes in the operating activities associated with its activities. First, there can be the use of its collaborative community to better its operations, hence market its services to the growing market. That will have the effect of increasing the admission numbers, thus benefit from improved cash inflows. Furthermore, there is the choice of instituting mechanisms that can enhance the retaining of the top talent in the college. That will increase the overall competency, and contribute to gaining of sustainable competitive advantage. Revision of their hybrid MBA program and curriculum as a whole to enhance their matching with the dynamic education environment is another option. That will improve the attractiveness of programs and boost admissions. Pursuing alternative financing options is the other option; which will increase the finances available; hence enabling the college undertakes investment activities to better its competitive position.

References

Aldowah, H., Rehman, S. U., Ghazal, S., & Umar, I. N. (2017, September). Internet of Things in higher education: a study on future learning. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 892, No. 1, p. 012017). IOP Publishing. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/892/1/012017/meta

Hall, J., & Amselem, M. C. (2017). Time to reform higher education financing and accreditation. Heritage Foundation Issue Brief, (4667), 2017-03. https://www.heritage.org/sites/default/files/2017-03/IB4668.pdf

Hošková-Mayerová, Š., & Rosická, Z. (2015). E-learning pros and cons: active learning culture? Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191, 958-962. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042815029778

Mitchell, M., Leachman, M., & Masterson, K. (2017). A lost decade in higher education funding state cuts has driven up tuition and reduced quality. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/83618

Pucciarelli, F., & Kaplan, A. (2016). Competition and strategy in higher education: Managing complexity and uncertainty. Business Horizons, 59(3), 311-320. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681316000045

Rugy, V., & Salmon, J. (2019). Reevaluating the Effects of Federal Financing in Higher Education. Mercatus Policy Brief, Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Arlington, VA. https://www.mercatus.org/system/files/de_rugy_and_salmon_-_policy_brief_-_reevaluating_the_effects_of_federal_financing_in_higher_education_-_v1.pdf