| dc.description.abstract | The Faculty of Engineering and Science (FIN) at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) is the second largest provider of higher-level degrees in engineering in Norway. For several years FIN-HVL has experienced a negative recruitment trend where the market share of engineering students has decreased. As a result, several study programs have shut down. Furthermore, the three closest competitors outperform FIN-HVL by a factor of five to 28 when it comes to student recruitment growth. This has occurred over a period during which the total number of students starting higher education in Norway has increased with over 10%.
This thesis focuses on the educational aspect of FIN-HVL and how long-term strategic planning can increase recruitment to the portfolio of studies. A combination of external and internal frameworks for analysis have been implemented. The former serves to identify and evaluate the factors from the external environment that affect the educational component of FIN-HVL in the present and future. The latter implements a resource-based view of FIN-HVL to gain a better understanding of how competitiveness can be gained and sustained in a constantly changing environment. The results of the analyses were summarized through a SWOT-framework which provides a structured overview of the findings.
A mixed-method approach was used in the work carried out in this thesis. It consisted of a case study structure with data collection through research interviews with academic employees at the Faculty of Engineering and Science, student surveys and other (primary and secondary) sources. The results indicate FIN-HVL has several important internal resources that are not fully exploited due to the way they are organized. Examples include the geographic location of the institution, regional affiliation and the student-centered culture. An improved organization of these resources with respect to external environment will give a sustained competitive advantage. In addition, the analyses show that the recruitment approach currently in place puts FIN-HVL at a competitive disadvantage and should be given immediate attention to improve recruitment. | |