Strategic responses by national university of Rwanda to changing environmental conditions

Abstract

Organizations are faced with myriad of challenges emanating from environment. In order for them to survive, strategies have to be developed to respond to the forces that threaten to halt survival. Companies that do not respond appropriately are usually fazed out of business. Companies respond to the challenges in terms of devising cost low prices or on high quality product or services, differentiating the market or focus strategies. NUR has had its share of environmental impact from various sources. The National University of Rwanda (NUR) is a Rwanda’s state university, founded in November 1963, it is an institution of higher learning, with a mission to provide higher education, conduct research and offer services to the community. However, it is facing some challenges ranging from political, economical, social and technological change. The research design was a case study. The objectives of this study were to determine the strategic responses adopted by National University of Rwanda to environmental changes; and to establish the environmental changes affecting National University of Rwanda. Data was collected using an open ended questionnaire, and it was analyzed using content analysis. The results of the study identified challenges that affecting NUR operations among such as increasing number of students population to meet the national strategic goals of vision 2020, changing the medium of teaching and learning from French to English, challenges of increasing in competitions within the education sector, and more importantly acquiring trust status, as a result of which public universities are now becoming self- governing, with little central control. The strategic responses adopted by NUR to mitigate the environmental conditions included restructuring and extending the organizational structure, organizational leadership, involvement and participation of employees, training of employees, students accommodation and living costs facility, market development strategy and improve income generation through launching more masters targeting key market, setting campuses in key geographical market segments, enhancing research and consultancy, outsourcing and establishing an effective management accounting systems