The Challenge of Change in Africa's Higher Education in the 21st ...

as a generic African institution to draw attention to two key themes: (1) the need for strategic planning in a typical university in Africa, and (2) to outline the challenges and opportunities likely to present themselves in the delivery of relevant business education. Business education (an area in which the authors of this chapter have the greatest expertise) is broadly defined for our purposes to include accounting, business administration, finance, economics, management, marketing, international business, computer science, and computer information systems. The School of Business (SOB) at VFU is the specific element for analysis.

Objectives of the Chapter

A chapter on strategic planning in higher education would be remiss if it did not recognize the so-called triad of universities' roles, which center on teaching, research or intellectual contributions, and service. At the conclusion of this chapter, the reader will be able to do the following:

a. Define “strategic management” as conceptualized in the broader strategic planning literature, and outline a typical strategic management process in business schools.

b. Make the case, albeit briefly, for why strategic management is important in higher education generally and in business schools specifically.

c. Outline key areas in which planning goals need to be set in universities.

d. Expand on one of the keys to effective preparation for university students—internship programs—by outlining internship benefits for students and the institutions they represent, as well as for potential employers.

Strategic Management:
Definitions and Conceptual Background

The core argument for strategic planning in higher education centers on the notion that the quality of students being recruited and enrolled (and