Introduction
The Modern Sciences University (UMS) is one of the United Arab Emirates Universities based in Dubai. The institution’s strategic management has enabled it to be renowned for its versatile teaching and learning achievements. UMS offers support that encompasses extraordinary quality and all-inclusive education to students from diverse backgrounds. Academia is devoted to providing contemporary science programs that are focused on diverse careers. Food and nutrition, biomedical, engineering, and business are among the fields of study offered at UMS. The University’s purposefully integrated learning enables individuals to gain academic and ethical virtues, aptitudes, as well as awareness required for the occupation.
The highly planned programs empower individuals to work in different employment marketplaces, including worldwide, regional, and nationwide arenas. The University provides individuals with all-time influence and knowledge required in their daily existence. This paper examines the UMS vision, mission, along with the organization’s strategic goals. Besides, it explores the SWOT and PEST analysis before deliberating on the UMS strategic group competition as well as the product positioning.
The UMS Organizational structure
The UMS vision and mission
The dream of UMS under its strategic management is to deliver favorable channels for every learner in their bid of developing into prolific and innovative society. The vision ensures that individuals are furnished with current experiences, abilities, and understanding. The Academia provides excellent education atmosphere that sustains learners in need of the valued amenities. Indeed, this vision is envisaged in the UMS resolute combination of the practical education that offers individuals with the understanding, talents, ethics, and intrinsic academic worth. The UMS mission is to offer appropriate edification environment for the success of the devoted scholars with varied abilities and interests through the passionate Faculty, staff, and specialized management. Therefore, the Campus is dedicated to delivering career-oriented services in contemporary learning disciplines like trade, production, biomedicine, and nourishment (UMS, 2014).
The UMS strategic goals
The University of Modern Sciences has varied ambitions targeted at education and growth of local and international civilization. UMS intends to provide malleable and virtuous learning prospects in the managerial science and scientific disciplines. The facility also aims at backing up the learners through inspirational and academic procedures. Thus, students gain an appropriate set of factual practice, study methods, teaching, and learning as the groundwork apparatus in learning (UMS, 2014). The management aspires to guarantee excellence in the learning programs using outside, and interior continued support of the finale products. Equally, UMS is aimed at directing the scholars to adjust and develop their critical thinking in meeting the market demands through the acquired talents, training, and information. The organization as well as targets to help the apprentices gain high-quality personal features.
The management offers communication and accountability services besides levitating the domestic, artistic, and information skills to the students — this aim at assisting the technological growth with scientific study in diverse grounds based on the global growth. Similarly, the institute seeks to inspire the scientists and academic staff to perform researches in scientific and applied science approaches. The organization seeks to maintain the rapport with various economic segments via emboldening and mounting the scientific studies according to the contemporary marketplace requirements. Presenting lengthy and short distance education modules to the people is the other strategic goal of the US. Furthermore, UMS pursues to hearten the liberty of academic discourse by consolidating scientific and cultural affairs, allowing open communication, and unrestricted exchange of opinions from the other colleges (UMS, 2014).
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
The key strengths, according to UMS (2014), include the distinctive curriculum ratified by the MOHESR. The curriculum precisely provides the learners with a varied set of talents and in turn, equips them with strategic benefit in the employment arcade. The management mutually benefits, given that most students will prefer UMS to the other alternative universities. The compulsory internship programs at UMS expedite the management advantages over the other Campuses. The wide-ranging scholarships and reasonable school fee planning certify that the anticipated educational standards are reachable. The Faculty of UMS is frequently referred to as the greatest distinct positive point and strength of the Campus. The Faculty consists of the administrative team of Western-cultured instructors who are highly experienced. Hence, the management is assured of success and profitability of the organization in due course.
Weakness
Like any other organization, UMS encounters certain weaknesses as a business unit. The Campus has restrictions to the scholars who wish to join, and this could hinder the progress and growth of the facility. Since its changeover in fiscal 2010, UMS requires that every candidate must meet particular requirements before admission. The other rival universities could take advantage of this weakness and downsize the growth of UMS. The admission requirements prevent several students from joining the UMS, and as an alternative, they join the substitute universities (UMS, 2014). Similarly, more than 16,000 AED in every semester with 900 AED in every contact hour as tuition fee is considerably high. This provides the other institutions with advantages over UMS.
Opportunity
The UMS might create numerous opportunities via sibling, enrolled students, IGCSE, transfer, and freshman scholarships. For instance, a five percent reduction in the fee of any joining student whose sister/brother is already at UMS is significant. A range of 3.5 to 3.75 GPA renders an enrolled student eligible to get ten percent scholarship whereas 20% reduction on coaching fees goes to students with more than 3.75 GPA. Similarly, more than 3.75 GPA earns any student who sustains top academic presentation a 20% transfer scholarship fund. The scholarship strategy helps the management to maintain the depth of the College; hence, profitability (UMS, 2014). The University can expand its wings to several nations as a way of increasing access to its facilities.
Threats
Reports reveal that several fresh competitors are entering the marketplace with similar products offered by the UMS. For example, there are several universities adjacent to the University of Modern Sciences in Dubai. These comprise of the Dubai Women’s College, American College of Dubai, Dubai Pharmacy College, and the University of Jazeera (UMS, 2014). These alternate facilities are strategically located to pose the strongest competition to the UMS. Some of these colleges offer affordable tuition fees and strong intellectual, ethical, and social necessities in similar scientific courses offered by the UMS. Lack of proper management might lead such threats to hinder the quality of services provided by the UMS.
PEST analysis
Political
When the state delivers autonomous and suitable national policies, it has to motivate the education sector and enforce control over its management. The education sector creates employment opportunities, and the state ought to back its administrators. For example, UMS is supported by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. UAE administration ratifies the UMS programs besides providing policies regarding the operational backgrounds of the curriculum. The ministry provides an easy time for the management in meeting the required national standards in any business (UMS, 2014).
Economic
As asserted by UMS (2014), the College needs to effectively compete with the other corporations to dominate the education business and maintain the rich economic conditions in the UAE. The rich currency in the UAE can self-drive the management to create superior transparency prices that would enable many individuals to join the Campus. The policy increases the enthusiasm for UMS to compete with the other institutions effectively. However, the management finds a lot of pressure exerted on the business due to the increased market share and competition in the region.
Social
The College has transformed the lives of innumerable individuals in the United Arab Emirates. It has provided innovative opportunities for employment and divergent degree of specialized education (UMS, 2014). The Campus is built near the Dubai central quarters (Al Twar) that makes it accessible to the social order. The management has updated and renovated the amenities to incorporate the novel apparatus and facilities like nourishment courts, animated sports rooms, and far-reaching computer and science laboratories. These amenities have enabled individuals from all over the world to advance from the profitable internship and occupation chances and all-inclusive study facilities.
Technological
The technological changes have enabled UMS to be cautious about emergent organizations. Due to the capabilities of advertisements and availability of extra info, UMS has initiated internet services, multimedia laboratories, and E-learning to sustain development (UMS, 2014). UMS can develop other advanced digital devices to protect consumers from preferring other modern institutions. Varied marketplaces provide a variety of educational programs similar to the UMS. Hence, new-fangled education facilities would place UMS at a better place profitably.
Strategic group map competition
Good organization
The fraternity of UMS considers that an incessant and organized assessment of the organization is significant for its constant development. UMS remains effective and capable of conveying appropriate and operative scholastic programs. The effectiveness ensures that UMS can efficiently compete with other universities. The institution’s management helps to encounter the challenges that are frequently instigated by the technological and economic changes in the contemporary globe. As opposed to many universities, the University of Modern Sciences possesses utilitarian efficacy series. The organized efficiency series is set up on activity sequences inside the scheduled timeline to upkeep the unremitting procedural development. The organization has a response loop that is intended to certify that the anticipated learning results are encountered and sustained as required by the management. The loop allows management to distinguish the time of presenting changes to help the President, administrators, and senior academics in managing the institution. The UMS is competitive as it is institutionally effective, and its processes are consistent with the mission and vision at all intervals (UMS, 2014).
The public outreach
The vision of UMS is spread out further than the academic precincts. All over the United Arabs Emirates, UMS offers diverse programs that stretch into the extensive public. This provides a competitive advantage as most of the rival universities do not offer the community-based programs. The Campus maintains effective and active cultural, educational programs to different groups and personalities all through the UAE. In addition to the institutional-led enterprises, the University of Modern Sciences raises the spirits of scholars, staff members, and the Faculty to take part in the community-based actions to stimulate competition. Regarding management and performance, UMS is ranked at number 20 out of the 68 universities established in Dubai, and number 39 out of 121 universities situated in the United Arab Emirates (UMS, 2014).
The UMS product positioning map
UMS offers a diverse range of products that makes it marketable both nationally and internationally. The institution itself is certified with the degree packages that are recognized by the United Arab Emirates MOHESR (Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research). These modules are trained by the internationally experienced Faculty affiliates. The packages are designed to abide by the most current policies of quality assurance in regards to education results. To ensure the prosperity of the apprentices in meeting the necessities of the fluctuating and present world, these modules deliver talents, capabilities, and information at all levels. Likewise, there is an up-to-date aerated teaching space that is furnished with internet gadgets and every required teaching kit (UMS, 2014).
Conversely, UMS has a well-supplied archive with an online database, computer facilities, and study desks that allow for access to several periodicals in administrative and physical sciences. Additionally, UMS possess internal testing and instruction amenities used in examining the competencies in English. The autonomous and modern College is conveniently located with open espresso bar and car park amenities. Generally, the products of UMS are wide-ranging with efficient managerial staff and student-centric Faculty (UMS, 2014). The University’s supple mode of paying the modestly and reasonably priced training fees is an advantage for competition over the rival institutions.
Internships
An internship is another superior service that provides UMS with a better competitive advantage. The program is supervised by the competent staffs in the local, secluded multi-national, and high-status governmental corporations. Internship programs assist the scholars in engendering the network of connections and improving their concern in any career for occupation in the imminent days. Most organizations do not offer an internship to the students, like in the case of UMS. The internship modules make UMS unique since the apprentices get the essential practices and tools for individual and professionally maturity (UMS, 2014).
Additionally, an internship is a long term strategy that helps UMS to gain sustainable economic advantage. Thus, it is a sound strategic option as it offers learners with specialized employment. The management is assured of producing qualified personnel who can practice and utilize the classroom concepts and theories in a real-life situation. The advanced understanding, experiences, and abilities gained by the students, in the long run, reflect on the good strategy employed by the management.
Conclusion
Through strategic management, UMS has promoted the learning spirit besides fulfilling the ambitions of envisages and enlightenment of becoming an open center for culture and education. UMS has offered support that encompasses extraordinary quality and all-encompassing education to students from diverse backgrounds all over the world. In general, the University has dedicated its efforts in providing the students with contemporary scientific programs that are focused on their different careers.
Reference
UMS. (2014). The University of Modern Sciences. Web.