Research On Strategy And Policy In Promoting The Core Competence Of Private Higher Learning Institutions

The competition among private higher learning institutions has been intensified these days in China, as the number of private universities and colleges grows up and the scale of competition expands. The key to prevail in the intense competition for private schools is to upgrade their core competence for sustainable development.According to SWOT Analysis, private universities and colleges in China will face more development opportunities as the national authorities enhance policy support, the expansion of higher education continues in the post-popularization time, and the privatizing of higher education gains momentum worldwide. Flexible school-running system, diversified management models and strong subject initiative and dynamism constitute the major advantages of private universities and colleges. Meanwhile, challenges and disadvantages still linger, such as the reducing of college-age population after"11th Five Year Plan"period, low social recognition, doubting student resources, inadequacy of funding, poor infrastructures, incomplete policy support, etc.Private universities and colleges have the five basic features required for core competence, namely value, differentiation, inimitable, non-substitutable, and flexibility, according to the Core Competence theory. The flexibility and high-efficiency and other natures in a private-owned system cannot be simply transplanted to public schools.Therefore, private system is the origin for core competence while the solid supporting system, scientific management, efficiency-based operation, quick-response to the market, quality assurance mechanism, complete service system, and sustaining innovation system are essential conditions, as well as specific the indicators of core competence.As the pressure of competition intensified, private universities and colleges have to map out individualized competition strategy for sustainable expansion from the perspective of long-term and overall development on the basis of summarizing of past experience, survey on current status, and forecast of future trend. Brand strategy, differentiation strategy, scale development strategy, diversification strategy, investment introduction strategy, talent strategy, management strategy, marketing strategy, culture strategy are all possible choices for private schools to promote core competence.The success of private universities and colleges in developed countries has proven, the promotion of core competence in private schools cannot leave the policy support from the government. Currently, the promotion of core competence in private-owned higher leaning institutions requires for improved policy support concerning risk prevention, property, reasonable economic profitability, taxation, funding, tuition charge, evaluation, teaching facilities, recruitment, especially better mechanism and system envirionment.