Research On The Core Competitiveness Of Local Universities And Colleges In The Perspective Of Knowledge Management

Since the Opening-up Policy, the higher education has prospered rapidly in China. Compared withthose of the past years, the number and the scale of institutions of higher education multiplied, achievingthe transition from the “elite education” to “mass education”. Meanwhile, local universities and collegeshave mushroomed, having training and training talented graduates for China’s economic hyper growth.However, these schools have encountered many problems which need to be solved urgently.At present, there is intense competition between universities and colleges in terms of enrolling tudents,educational resources and so on. Due to the economic and geographical restrictions, the local universitiesand colleges are at a disadvantage, struggling against the top colleges and universities which are preferredand supported heavily by the government. And at the same time, almost each local university or college hasits problems about the school itself. So the local universities and colleges have no other choice but toenhance their core competitiveness.The Core Competitiveness Theory, first proposed by Prahalad and Hamel, received much response inthe academic circles and business circles. As an organization in the economic world, a college or universitymust well plan and develop its core competitiveness if it wants to adapt itself to the market and grow bigger.The importance of knowledge was initiated by Peter Drucker, an influential management consultant.21stcentury is an era of knowledge economy, a new theory—knowledge management theory was born at thevery moment. Based on the research and studies by many scholars and entrepreneurs, this theory has playeda crucial role in the society.Universities and colleges are important organizations which produce, spread and apply knowledge.Therefore knowledge management theory does do good to their development in the long run. Replying onthe current research results of the two theories and the actual circumstances, the author tries to apply CoreCompetiveness Theory and Knowledge Economy Theory to the development of local universities andcolleges, for the purpose of finding an appropriate mode for them.Based on the analysis of knowledge management, including its background, contents, functions, andcharacteristics, the author analyzes the theory of core competence, explaining the formation and development of this theory, discussing the necessity of core competence, its characteristics, its factors inthe local universities and colleges, and the problems in knowledge management and core competence in thelocal universities and colleges. Based on the complete analysis, it presents suggestions for the localuniversities and colleges to enhance their core competiveness from the perspective of knowledgemanagement.