Differentiation strategy and rankings in higher education: Role of rankings in building a strategy

Abstract

The contemporary higher education environment is dominated by uncertainty. Institutions do not disappear overnight in this industry, but study programmes decline even dramatically. Presently, ranking methodologies and indicators contribute to different and dynamic positioning of institutions at national or international level, based on a particular approach or a field-based one. Building a proper development strategy is a complex task for academic leadership. The chapter reveals the need of integrating the information provided by rankings into the decisions and actions in higher education institutions to achieve sustainable development. The main objectives of the chapter are to understand the dynamism of the contemporary competitive environment in higher education sector, to clarify the differentiation strategy as a solution for being stable on the educational market, to identify the role of rankings in defining an effective strategy. The topic is relevant for the students, contributing to their knowledge of differentiation strategy in general, but also on its applications in higher education, in particular; they will not only become more aware of the large possibilities of differentiation strategy implementation, but also better decision-makers about educational providers.