Blue ocean strategy of

EWU MBA

EAST WEST UNIVERSITY MBA PROGRAM (EWU MBA)

EWU MBA Program:

EWU MBA program is in the existing industry position and maintain quality without
deterioration. Nothing new or no value addition in the education system or curriculum; adopting
the available ideas from the industry others are followings. Best effort is given to provide
education at benchmark level with reasonable tuition fees affordable to most students targeting
from middle class families.

Strategy Following:

EWU MBA program is in Red Ocean Strategy.

Why EWU MBA is in the red ocean (Explanation):

A. Defined industry boundaries:

1. Competing in the existing market place, focusing only the regular graduate students and
professionals from business organizations.
2. If we see the strategic groups of five other private universities, we will see that EWU is
offering more or less same.
3. Target group is same as others like graduate students and business
processionals at low cost
4. Scope of products (MBA) and services offered by the industry is similar like well
equipped digital computer lab, renowned faculty member, well equipped class room etc.
5. Focus on the same point in time and often on current competitive threats in formulating
strategy. EWU (MBA) focuses on what the top private universities (MBA of NSU,
BRAC, IUB) are pursuing and determine its strategy mainly based on those because
EWU possesses them the main competitors. So they are focusing on threats from these
universities in formulating strategy rather than uncovering new opportunities.

B. Competitive rules of the game are known:

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 Blue ocean strategy of
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All the private universities (especially MBA program) are competing each other with few
common known rules. The probable common rules are quality education with good
faculty members, reasonable cost, well equipped lab facility, resourceful library and
convenient location preference etc.

C. Try to outperform rivals to grab greater share of existing demand:

EWU (MBA) tries to outperform rivals like NSU, AIUB, IUB, BRAC by grabbing a
better share of existing demand at the time of admission like giving advertisement in the
similar way along with other universities.

D. Low growth rate along with market share:

As of today, there are fifty six (56) private universities, 34 public universities, 2
international universities, 31 specialized colleges and 2 special universities in the total
industry (most of them offer MBA program). So, EWU (MBA) is facing tremendous
competition from the players for which the growth rate and market share is very low
considering the overall industry.

E. Common in nature:

MBA program has become a commodity because there are fifty six (56) other universities
offering the same MBA program along with some public universities (like DU, JU, IBA).
But EWU is in a strategic group of five (5) private universities (NSU, BRAC, IUB,
AIUB, UIU) so the main. Here EWU MBA is offering the same product with noticeable
differences in cost. The facilities or features are more or less same among these
universities.

F. Cutthroat competition:

As market space gets crowded, the cutthroat competition among the fifty six (56) private
and other public universities turned the red ocean bloody.

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 Blue ocean strategy of
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Transforming EWU MBA program from Red to Blue Ocean

An institutions strategy is affected by the structural characteristics of the industry. It is very

important to understand the analysis of the industry in which the institutions operates its
activities.

Environmental analysis:

External environment has many aspects that can have significant impact on the operations of any
institutions. Here are few environmental factors that have huge impact on any educational
institutions especially EWU MBA program:

General Environment Internal Environment Industry Environment

1. Political Environment: 1. Resources of EWU: 1. Present and
-UGC rules & regulations - No. of students, potentials students of
-Govt. pressure to take under tax faculty members EWU MBA
coverage etc. and others staffs 2. Strategic Groups
2. Economical Environment: - Financial (other top five
-Increased income as a result condition of EWU universities) or main
GDP also increases - Physical resources competitors and all
-More Inflation of EWU like no. other private
3. Socio-cultural Environment: of buildings, lab universities.
-Increased number of student equipments, 3. New entrant like
due to population increase library etc. foreign universities
-Increased Urbanization 2. Founder members of operation in
-Lifestyle of educated people EWU Bangladesh with
changes 3. Members of Trustee or global standard.
4. Technological Environment: management of EWU 4. Alternative to MBA
-Digital Bangladesh project by 4. Culture of EWU program like ACCA,
Govt. 5. Image or Goodwill of CA, FCA, etc. and
-Online based education EWU in the market. other technical
-Global network education etc.
5. Legal Environment:
-Govt. planning and new rules
and regulations about private
universities
6. Environment (natural):
-Global warming
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 Blue ocean strategy of
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-Environment laws
-Use of energy
7. Demographical Environment:
-Over population
-Rural urban migration
-Income distribution of people

Strategic groups:

Strategic groups are the competitors of EWU MBA who are pursuing similar strategic
approaches and have similar position in the market or industry. Here the strategic groups of
EWU MBA program are the MBA program offered by the top other five private universities of
NSU, BRAC, IUB, AIUB, UIU (considering only the private universities).

Criteria for creating Blue Ocean:

COST

Value
Innova
tion

Buyers VALUE

Blue oceans strategy occurs only when value created and at the same time cost is reduced that is
pursuing differentiation and low cost simultaneously.

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 Blue ocean strategy of
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REDUCE

ELIMINA A new
TE value CREATE
curve

RAISE

ELIMINATE RAISE

o Student politics o Permanent Faculty

o ineptitude of management
and staff
o Infrastructure
o Overall Quality
o Other Facility (computer lab,
Library)
o Industry expert affiliation
o Scholarship
o Affiliation with foreign
universities
o More campus

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 Blue ocean strategy of
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REDUCE CREATE

o Tuition fees o Case based MBA

o Above the line Marketing o Research Facility
(mandatory)
o Journal publishing courses &
other workshops
o Transportation (for both
faculty & students
o Online based Class and
exam

BLUE OCEAN Strategy:

Create uncontested market space

Make the competition irrelevant

Create and capture new demand

Break the value-cost trade-off

Align the whole system of firm’s activities in

pursuit of low cost and differentiation

Blue Ocean for EWU MBA

o Case based MBA introduction in Bangladesh. This is the first time in

Bangladesh no one offered before.
o Online based class and exam specially for attracting the international
students which is also first time in Bangladesh
o Compulsory research attachment to MBA.
o Journal publishing courses & other workshops
o International journal publishing courses & other workshops.
o Special classes or courses for the students of non business background Page | 6

o Minimum tuition fees

 Blue ocean strategy of
EWU MBA

Strategic Canvas for EWU (MBA)

Horizontal axis:

o Tuition fees
o Quality of Faculty
o Above the line marketing
o Location
o Infrastructure
o Quality of education
o Other Facility (computer lab, Library)

Yellow Tail

o Case based MBA

o Research Facility
o Journal publishing courses & other workshops
o Online classes & exam

Vertical axis:

Offering Level

o Faculty: High
o Location: High
o Infrastructure: High
o Tuition Fees: leveled as NSU but better value than NSU
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 Blue ocean strategy of
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o Quality of education: High

o Above the line marketing: Medium
o Other Facility (computer lab, Library): High

The Strategic Canvas for EWU (MBA):

High
NSU MBA

EWU
MBA
Yellow tail

Average University MBA

Low
Case BasedResearch
Tuition Above-the- Other
Infrastructure MBA Facility Online
Fees Quality line Location Quality of Facility
of education Journal class &
marketing
Faculty publishing exam

Strategy of EWU MBA

FOCUS

EWU MBA does not diffuse its efforts across all key factors of competition rather will focus on
factors like:

• Case based MBA

• Research Facility

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 Blue ocean strategy of
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• Quality Faculty
• Tuition fees
• Quality of education
• Journal publishing courses & other workshops
• Online classes and exam

DIVERGENCE

Value curve of EWU MBA departs from other players of the industry that is looking across
alternatives rather than benchmarking with the competitors such as:

• Case based MBA

• Research Facility
• Journal publishing courses & other workshops
• Online classes and exam

COMPELLING TAGLINE

Pls choose one

International MBA at Home

Or
Interactive Tour of Business Professionals

Formulating blue ocean strategy of EWU MBA:

1. Re-constructing market boundaries:

• EWU may redefine its market boundary of MBA Program. EWU may state, “We
are not providing MBA, we are exploring the business world/or we help you
explore business world with professional views”.

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 Blue ocean strategy of
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• Can regularly arrange journal publishing, training and workshop programs to

make the regular students more conversant with the professional world. Industry
expert will be the speakers and students need to register for these workshops/
trainings in exchange of some fees.
• Can arrange complementary courses on various contemporary practical issues, i.e.
investing in capital market etc.
• Can arrange various marketing research programs where the
researchers/surveyors will be paid and the research work/findings may be
available to the related industry in exchange of money.

2. Focus on the big picture:

EWU MBA must draw its own strategy canvas showing the followings:

• The main factors of EWU MBA competing with the competitors are:
a) Quality education with affordable fees
b) World class curriculum
c) Target students
d) Rich faculty (industry expert)
e) Permanent premise
f) Scope for extracurricular activities

• Strategic profile of current and potential competitors and identifying their

investment decisions like:
a) NSU focusing on rich faculty, permanent campus, supporting curricular
activities, affiliation with foreign universities.
b) Average or other universities focus is on low tuition fees.
c) Few university has (i,e: IIUC ) special focus on female students from
conservative families.

• The present value curve of EWU MBA depicts that, its main focus is on reasonable
tuition fees, permanent campus at capital city, few rich faculties (not all) and targeting students
from all segment of students. But EWU must create its own yellow tail and invest in there to be
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 Blue ocean strategy of
EWU MBA

competitive in future like Case based MBA, Research Facility, Journal publishing courses &
other workshops, Online classes and exam etc.

3. Reach beyond existing demand:

• Focusing on the existing students by offering the followings:

a) Effective career counseling or job placement for the current students
b) Increasing the scholarship facilities
c) Recruiting Industry expert or rich faculty etc.
• Redefining the target market and offerings like special courses for the non
business background students, online classes and exam facilities for the deserving
students like the international students.
• Unlocking the new target market that the industry never knocked at such as new
SBU for the secondary/ higher secondary students (college, O & A level etc.).

4. Maintaining the strategic sequence:

Please explain

5. Overcoming key organizational hurdles:

To execute blue ocean strategy EWU may face the following hurdles:

please explain

1. Cognitive
Hurdles

Organizational
2. Resources Hurdles 4. Political
Hurdles Hurdles

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3.Motivational
Hurdles
 Blue ocean strategy of
EWU MBA

6. Building execution into strategy:

Engagement+ Explanation
+ Clarity of Explanation
= FAIR PROCESS

Attitudes-trust and
Commitment

Behavior -Voluntary
Co-operation

Strategy Execution- Above

Expectation

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 Blue ocean strategy of
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From the top management to the frontline people of EWU needs to be all together to execute the
strategy. The roles of everyone should be very specific and clear to them. The top management
must hear from the staff and vice versa. If it is possible then a commitment will be created
among themselves to perform better. They will be self motivated and voluntarily co-operate to
execute the strategy. If the execution is successful then a fair process will be created that will
distinguish a successful blue ocean strategic moves.

Continuous value innovation:

Please add

Conclusion

Please add

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Bibliography:

Add few and also name of sir

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universities_in_Bangladesh
2. Strategic Management today and tomorrow, second edition by professor M A
Mannan Ph.D.; University of Dhaka.
3. www.google.com.bd

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