Strategy Report

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In this paper, examine your organization’s generic and diversification strategies, its international moves, and its ethics, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability practices. Submit your work in your assignment folder in the form of an approximate 2,000-word double-spaced APA-formatted paper. The title page, reference list, and any appendices are not included in this suggested word count. You do not need to include an abstract.

Your paper should address these topics:

  1. Your organization's generic strategy or strategies.
  2. Any diversification strategies the organization pursues.
  3. Any international moves made by your organization. Does it operate internationally? In what format(s)?
  4. What ethics policies and practices does your organization have in place?
  5. Does your organization practice social responsibility? In what way(s)?
  6. What are your organization's environmental sustainability practices?

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Running Head: STRATEGY REPORT 1 Week 2 Strategy Report Antoinette Riley Strategic Management Capstone Dr. Dool Running Head: STRATEGY REPORT 2 My current employer is The University of Maryland University College. I would like to first begin with the University’s mission statement to get a glimpse of the purpose and where success lies within the university. The three-part mission statement is as follows 1. Operating as Maryland’s open university, serving working adults, military servicemen and servicewomen and their families, and veterans who reside in Maryland, across the United States, and around the world; 2. Providing our students with affordable, open access to valued, quality higher education; and 3. Serving as a recognized leader in career relevant education, embracing innovation and change aligned with our purpose and sharing our perspectives and expertise (Mission, History and Values 2018) Moving on to UMUC’s business model, it has definitely changed over time. A business model should be a central element of a firm’s strategic plan. Simply stated, a business model describes the process through which a firm hopes to earn profits (Management and Strategy 2012). At one point, it was simply catering to Military students and working adults in helping them to pursue a higher education. However, due to the changing of the times and a decline in its large student population of military students, a new approach had to be taken. One of the key components to its past and current business model is keeping tuition costs low. UMUC has taken the approach that they want to provide a high quality education for working adults, veterans and the military. In order to keep up that goal, the university had to make some decisions regarding its business model. In essence, they decided to outsource its IT and Analytics support systems so that they could further grow the university’s enrollment. The two firms that were chosen to be Running Head: STRATEGY REPORT 3 vendors to the university focused on branding and digital marketing. UMUC's new marketing strategy aims to communicate that UMUC is unique. It tells the story of how UMUC was created for working adults and maintains strong connections with the military, and mentions the university's 20 years' experience in teaching online. With that said, the new approach aims to specifically target populations where an increase in enrollment could be likely and it actually has done just that(Straumshein 2017). . In 2012, the university’s enrollment was 82,555 and as of 2018, 90,891 students are enrolled. UMUC has managed to keep up with its core mission and values of providing a high quality education to its core populations, keep tuition costs low to attract students and keep the same core values as it has in the last 70 years. President Javier Miyares stated “In higher education today, almost every institution is looking at its business model, and those who are not should be doing that,” Miyares said. “I would argue -- and I think a lot of folks would agree -that a public institution that bets its future on increasing public dollars is putting itself at risk (Straumshein 2017). .” I do not necessarily think that the mission on its face is helping the university to sustain a competitive advantage because serving military and working adult populations is not a thing of the past anymore. However, the core values that push some of the decisions do help them to remain competitive. Keeping tuition costs capped at $250.00 per credit is directly in line with military tuition assistance so that they do not have to come out of pocket. Having books available to students for free is also helpful so that is one less expense that will come out of a student’s budget. Looking at the three tests of a winning strategy, I am not sure if it quite there yet., the new privatization of the Analytics and IT department has not gone over well with the faculty and Running Head: STRATEGY REPORT 4 staff of the university. It is critiqued as not falling in line with the overall main core value of putting students first not its mission. This might take a little time to come, but the performance test seems to be met with the recent enrollment increase. In 6years, the university has seen enrollment almost year after year but nowhere near where it was in 2012. It is also important to note that there has been a decrease in the university’s military population due to a decrease in the size of the U.S.’s Armed Forces. Even with the decline, the university has made improvements and progress with its stateside divisions. Moving on to a competitive advantage, UMUC is definitely remains to be in the running for one of the top online schools that is catered to working adults, military and veterans. Some of the larger online universities include University of Phoenix, Western Governors and Southern New Hampshire University, which are at about 100,000 (McKenzie 2018). This places UMUC not too far from the top three largest online universities, where University of Phoenix has actually seen a decrease. Running Head: STRATEGY REPORT 5 Reference List Defining strategic management and strategy. (2012). In Mastering strategic management. Washington, DC: Saylor Academy. Retrieved from https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_mastering-strategicmanagement/s05-01-defining-strategic-management-.html Straumshein, C. (n.d.). The Unbundling University Retrieved September 24, 2018, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/03/21/u-maryland-university-college-pursuesstrategy-unbundling McKenzie, L. (n.d.). Has UMUC Turned Enrollment Woes Around? Retrieved September 24, 2018, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/01/08/has-umuc-turned-enrollment-woes-around McKenzie, L. (n.d.). The 100k Club Retrieved September 24, 2018, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/04/23/nonprofits-poised-unseat-u-phoenixlargest-online-university Our Mission, History, and Values. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2018, from https://www.umuc.edu/about/mission-and-history/index.cfm
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Explanation & Answer

Attached.

OUTLINE FOR THE STRATEGIC REPORT, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
The strategic report entails the following parts:


Introduction



Generic Strategies



Diversification Strategy



Ethics and Responsibility



Environmental Sustainability policies and practices



International Moves



Social Responsibility



Conclusion



References


Running head: STRATEGY REPORT, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

STRATEGY REPORT, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Student’s Name:
Institution Affiliation:
Date:

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STRATEGY REPORT, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

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STRATEGY REPORT, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Introduction
The University of Maryland is a state research University in the USA. It is located in the
city of College Park in the county of Prince George in the state of Maryland. The university was
founded in 1859 as the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP). It educates several students
from the state of Maryland and offers many online classes for working adults, military and veterans
and in the process, delivering knowledge to not only people in the state but also to those in the
Nation and the world at large in accordance with its mission statement. The mission statement
states that;
1. Operating as Maryland’s open university, attending to working adults, military servicemen,
and servicewomen and their families, and veterans who live in Maryland, across the US,
and around the world
2. Giving our learners affordable, open access to valued, world-class higher education; and
3. Operating as a recognized front-runner in career-relevant education, embracing innovation
and change in conformity with our purpose and sharing our perspectives and expertise
(Mission, History, and Values 2018)
The University officials believe that the mission statement will look to inspire both the
staff and the students alike, to participate with passion, in the process of innovation, creativity, and
discovery.
There are more than 200 academic programs for both the graduate and undergraduate in
the UMCP. That has put it in the global map, and it has been classified as one of the best in offering
undergraduate courses in the field of computer science, medicine, and engineering (Dudovskiy,

STRATEGY REPORT, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

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2014). For the University of Maryland to maintain the high standards of service delivery and
remain competitive, it has put in place strategies that have been analyzed below.

Generic Strategies
Porter states that, for an organization to position itself above its competitors, it must choose
to either perform activities in a different way or do different activities (Carpenter & Dunung, 2012).
With that in mind, UMCP has had to use both differentiation, cost leadership, and focus strategies
so that it can remain competitive in getting the best students to educate. That as in great effect
been effective as the university continues to be ranked among the best.
First, the UMCP has a strategy of engaging the global community in creating an impact in
the Health, Justice, and social systems by deepening and increasing its global and local
engagements in health provision. It also participates in the promotion of social justice and in efforts
to improve the health sector. The graduates of Maryland are prepared to be future leaders who can
work and succeed anywhere in the world through their continuous involvement in global issues
through the university. Secondly, the UMCP promotes research and scholarship programs
internally. It has world-class facilities that enable the students to do research or different problems
that concern the society, individuals, and families. The UMCP does not discriminate any students,
for reasons of gender, race, creed, color or any other reason. It is for this that they have a strategy
for inclusive excellence to all its members by implementing the required actions that promote
inclusivity.
Also, the university seeks to promote collaboration and partnership with other internal and
global bodies. This can be achieved by the university providing undergraduate educational
experiences through its internships in the different organization around the globe to promote

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partnership among other activities like awarding different organization money that they can use to
broaden research and technology. Further, the university acts with the entrepreneurial mindset with
which it seizes opportunities when they arise and adapts quickly to the changing and unpredictable
environments. This has been achieved by transferring its research from the laboratories to the
commercial domain. Lastly, the University has a strategy aimed at embracing technology by
swiftly moving to model the student courses and learning material with the latest technology,
providing free wireless connections to its students and surrounding community and using new
technology to develop the study literature.

Diversification Strategy
To be a leading research institution, the University of Maryland Understands that they have
to embrace diversity. Diversity has been the core value of the University in its pursuit to offer
diverse education to diverse communities. The three strategies of diversification have been; first,
the university believes that if one lives and works in a society that not only celebrates but also
accepts diversity they will feel privileged and happily contribute to the excellence of the education
system. Secondly, they believe that being a state University, it’s their responsibility to give
assurance to all citizens on the access of transformative experience of an exceptional college
education and the chance for success accompanied by that experience. Lastly, the university
believes that it will be significant if its students get exposed to different situations that make them
come across different people who all have unique backgrounds so that they can be able to
experience ideas held by people from different cultures which can, in turn, help them to work in
diverse environments later after school.

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The University has also developed a diverse curriculum with various interdisciplinary
pr...


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