Development Strategy Of Independent Colleges In China: A Theoretical And Empirical Study

The independent college is a new model emerged in the reform process of the higher education in China. It is an efficient way to combine excellent resources from the institutions of higher learning with the societal capitals in the market economy. Problems have arisen in the development process of independent colleges. The author believes that the independent college is a business in nature, though it should, like all other public universities, take great responsibilities for the general public and society. Therefore, studies on the development of the independent college are conducted by the author from a business point of view.The author conducted some researches on independent colleges in Changchun City in order to find solutions to the existing problems with independent colleges, so that the resources can be well utilized and possibilities of a more efficient education system can be explored in the market-economy society.Taking the organization strategy as the theory base, the author analyzed the first-hand data gained through questionnaires and interviews and discovered problems such as inefficient management, impropriate staff structure and incompetent course designing, etc. It is believed that the root of these problems is in bad strategy or lack of strategy.SWOT analysis was used to analyze the environment of independent colleges in Changchun. Based on the analysis, the author suggested the general strategic goal for the independent college, and came to the conclusion that differentiation strategy be used to maintain competitive advantages. Value Chain was used in studies on the talent-training model and HR strategy which are closely connected with the core competitive power of the independent college. The author suggested that independent colleges turn to a new managerial concept, take on market-oriented ideas, increase the proportion of practical courses and strengthen teaching quality control, so as to establish a scientific talent-training model. Also, the leaders should change their way of thinking, build a younger administration team, formulate a competent staff structure, improve the motivation system, and implement human resources strategy.