Should You Extract the Right Dose of Marketing Magic From the Genies

Bottle or Develop a Strategic Marketing Plan that Best Positions Your

School of Business in a Hyper-Competitive Environment?

By Dr. Randy L. Frye

Dean, School of Business
Saint Francis University

PLANNING
CONCEPTS

1. Where are
we now?

2. Where do we
want to go?

3. How are we
going
to get there?

PLANNING
TOOLS

1. Mission Statement
(What is the purpose of our
organization?)
2. Situational Analysis
A. Target Market Analysis
B. Marketing Mix Analysis
C. Industry Analysis
D. SWOT Analysis

1. Mission Statement
Assessment Scorecard

3. Vision Statement (Where do

we want to be in the future?)
4. Goals vs. Objectives

5. Big Hairy Audacious Goals

(BHAGS)
6. S.M.A.R.T. Objectives

5. Revised Marketing Strategy

(Target Market and Marketing
Mix)
6. Assessment of strategic
direction and writing strategic
tactical marketing plans

7. Revised Marketing Mix

Analysis
8. Boston Consulting Group
Matrix
9. Product / Market Expansion
Grid
10. Marketing Action Plan (MAPS)

2. Marketing Mix Analysis

3. Five Forces of Competition
Analysis (Michael Porter)
4. SWOT Analysis

 Mission Statement,
Core Values, and Vision
Statement
A complete Situational
Analysis that includes
an Industry analysis
along with a SWOT
analysis.
Prioritized Target
Markets
Marketing Goals and
Objectives

Vivid Descriptors and

Points of Pride for your
Unit
Marketing Strategy
Profile
Marketing Action Plans
(MAPs)
Implementation,
Monitoring, and
Analysis of Results

Attributes of a Good Mission Statement

Clear and concise statement
of the units purpose
Provides clear direction
Creates affinity and is
endearing

Enduring
Distinctive
Realistic/Honest
Measurable

SFU Statement of Mission

The Saint Francis University School of Business seeks to
enable students and graduates to know more, do more, and
be more. The School of Business will graduate students who
have the knowledge, skills, love of learning, confidence,
drive, and ethical and moral values needed to be spiritually
fulfilled in life and successful in professional careers.

Attributes of Good Vision Statements

Be graphic
Be forward-thinking
and directional
Keep it focused, but
allow some wiggle
room

Be sure the journey

is feasible
It makes practical
sense
Make it memorable

SFU School of Business Vision Statement

To be clearly positioned as, and to appropriately
leverage the reputation as, the primary leader in
business education and consulting in the Southern
Alleghenies Region of Central Pennsylvania.

To be perceived as one of the finest strong small

university business programs in Pennsylvania and the
Middle Atlantic states with notable excellence in all of our
academic programs, but being particularly noteworthy in
accounting and business management education.
To develop a national reputation for a successful
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Team.
Expand the Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
into a comprehensive Center for Rural Business
Development and Outreach center, including expanded
and enhanced educational offerings, consulting,
training programs, and a business incubator.

A Franciscan, Catholic University

The School of Business and its academic programs are liberal-arts
based in the Franciscan tradition and are in alignment with the Eight
Franciscan Goals of Higher Education and where applicable, the
learning goals of the Saint Francis University General Education
Program.

Student-centric
The School of Business is student-centered and strives to create
student success stories, one alumnus or alumnae at a time.

Teaching-focused and Outcomes-based

The School of Business is committed to the outcomes-based
assessment process and maintaining IACBE accreditation.
Faculty must be devoted to effective teaching, scholarship,
and service.

Michael Porters Five Forces Model

applied to a School of Business, including:
Rival institutions
Threat of New Entrants
Threat of Substitutes
Power of the Suppliers
Power of the Buyers
Complementors (a sixth force)

Threat of
New Entrants

Power of
Supplier

Power of
Buyer

Availability of
Substitutes

Public
Penn State both
Altoona and Smeal
School at University Park
Pitt-Johnstown and
University of Pittsburgh
Shippensburg
University
Indiana University of
Pennsylvania (IUP)

Private

Mount Aloysius College

Juniata College
Duquesne University
Saint Vincent College
Robert Morris
University (PA)
Mount Saint Marys
University

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College offers a

variety of low cost, business-related programs that erode
market share in our OCE division and traditional
undergraduate business programs.
IUP and Robert Morris University offer graduate business
programs in nearby Johnstown.
Corporate online degree programs, such as the University
of Phoenix, Keller University, or Strayer University could
enter our regional market and offer adult-friendly
undergraduate and graduate programs in business.

Community colleges offer affordability and confidence.

Online degree programs offer convenience and access.
Two-year business schools or technical colleges, such as
Cambria Rowe and the South Hills School of Business and
Technology offer quicker and cheaper routes to a college
degree and earning a work credential.
Corporate training programs and professional certificates
can trump the need to earn to an advanced degree in
business.
Independent book learning and books on tape learning by
working professionals.

Business faculty command higher salaries

than other categories of faculty and there is an
acute shortage of doctoral-qualified business
faculty.
Pending retirements by large cohorts of Baby
Boom School of Business faculty nationally
will only make the faculty shortage worse.

Traditional-age students seeking business degrees have

many universities and colleges to choose from and the
competition is intense among schools of business.
Adult students seeking graduate programs in business
normally are more bound by geographic limitations and the
availability of academic programs that provide desired
convenience in terms of place and time utilities. However,
online programs are overcoming geographic limitations.
There are high switching costs for undergraduate and
graduate students who do change schools and ultimately
lose credits earned and time toward a degree.

Recruiting
High School Grads

Recruiting Adult Learners

High School teachers and

guidance counselors
Alumni parents of
prospective students
School of Business
alumni
Current students visiting
their old high schools or
hosting visiting students
on campus

Corporate partners who

employ our graduates and
current students
Corporate CEOs, HR
professionals, training and
development managers or
coordinators
Program Alumni
Chambers of Commerce
and other associations

Rivals A strong competitive force

Threat of New Entrants Moderate threat
Availability of Substitutes Moderate force
Power of Suppliers Strong competitive force
(faculty shortage)
Power of Buyers Strong competitive force
Power of the Complementors to help
Strong potential if properly tapped

Porters Generic Strategy

Given the breadth and depth of Saint Francis Universitys program mix,
Porters differentiation strategy is the best competitive position to take.
Differentiation fosters customer loyalty and support, brand preference or
insistence, and perceived value through high perceived benefits rather than
lower costs or prices.

Treacy/Wiersema Strategy
According to Treacy and Wiersema (1997) in their book The Discipline of
Market Leaders, there are three value disciplines that managers must
understand and develop competencies around: (1) best total cost or
operational excellence model, (2) best product or product leadership
model, and (3) best total solution or customer intimacy model.
In the case of Saint Francis University, the best approach or model
appears to be best total solution or customer intimacy.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Dedicated, talented faculty

Satisfied students and
alums
IACBE accreditation and
outcomes assessment
An outstanding SBDC
An $1.5M. endowed chair
program
Outstanding career
placement

Small full-time faculty

cohort
Under-funded business
school
More curriculum integration
is desired and coverage of
information technology and
global business
Limited institutional support
for marketing and public
relations activities

Opportunities

Threats

New academic programs in

health care administration
and sports management
A new online MHRM
program
$5 M for Schwab Hall
renovations
Rural Business Center
Francis in the Marketplace
Ethics Center

Competition from rivals and

other competitive forces
Adverse change in
potential student
demographics
Reductions in corporate
funding and work force
reductions
Faculty talent shortage
Rural isolation

 Prospective students and their families

Enrollment management professionals at the University
Business faculty and staff (internal customers)
Area Guidance counselors and high school teachers who
teach business subjects
Regional Employers, including HR and training managers
Current Saint Francis University students
College administrators and academic advisors
Media Outlets and Chambers of Commerce
General Public

Recruit business students through effective promotion

that creates awareness and enhances the image of a
business education at Saint Francis University.
Means to Reach Goal
Increase marketing effort bandwidth and ensure that marketing
efforts become more direct and seamless
Primary focus
To support our School of Business enrollment objectives
Aspire for
250 FT undergraduate business majors
160 PT graduate students (MBA and MHRM programs)

Develop a marketing communications plan for the undergraduate business programs that
incorporates more effective communication of the following attributes of a Saint Francis
University Business Education

The Dr. Albert A. Zanzuccki

Endowed Chair in Business
Endowed Chair Program
Profiles in Student and
Graduate Portraits of Success
The Executive-in-Residence
(EIR) program
The Springtime in London
Trip/Course

SIFE activities and other

business club activities
Career guidance sheets/
information for each of the
six undergraduate business
degree programs
Articles on the different
majors offered in business
at Saint Francis University

Develop a fund raising campaign to raise $5

million dollars to renovate and expand Schwab
Hall into the NEW School of Business building
within two years by identifying friends and
benefactors

Raise $2 million to endow the SBDC and create

the Rural Business Outreach Center within
three years

 Franciscan, Catholic focus on the holistic and

ethical development of students
Legacy of success among graduates and
students
Talented and dedicated faculty and students
Outstanding career placement results
Realistic / hands-on business education
Personal attention / small class size
Division I athletics the games our
students play

What is our product strategy and how do we

effectively differentiate it?
What is our promotional strategy, including our
integrated marketing communications plan?
What is our pricing strategy and financial aid
packaging strategy?
What is our distribution / location strategy?

London Travel
Course
Student-Run
Business

SBDC

Service
Outreach

General
Education
Qualified
Faculty

Good
Business
Reputation
Speakers
Program
CBC
SIFE

College
Education in
Business &
Opportunity

Internships

Modern
Facilities
Executive-InResidence
Program

Career
Mentoring

Student
Research

Active
Clubs

School of Business Undergraduate Student

Fellowships and Scholarship for Entrepreneurship
and Economic Development (SEED)
Graduate Assistantships for full-time graduate
students who work at the University
Corporate discounts for corporate partner
institutions

Enhanced portfolio of promotional materials,

including the Portraits of Success Campaign,
updated newsletters, SIFE updates, and news
stories about academic majors

Enhanced web site for

the School of Business

Use of social media,

such as Facebook and
Linkedin

Effective event
marketing, such as the
Tom Peters lecture

Loretto
Undergraduate programs
MBA program
MHRM program

Altoona
MBA program
State College
MBA program
Harrisburg
MHRM program

The $1.5 million Dr. Albert A. Zanzuccki Endowed Chair

in Business program for the campus community and
regional business community

Annual Distinguished Lecture Program,

featuring speakers such as Ken Dychtwald,
Stephen Sheetz, David Chilton, and Tom Peters

Tom Peters

David Chilton

Executive in Residence (EIR) program (six per year)

Marjorie Kline

Bill Ryan

Jason Hite

Global Assistance Program for a Spring break

in London excursion course

Buckingham
Palace

Lloyds of London

Student Research Symposium

 Title of the MAP

Which goal does it
support?
Prioritized target
audiences?
Coverage Period
beginning and ending
dates need to be
specified.

Who is responsible?
Budget needs and
timeline must be
specified.
Specific step-by-step
actions that must be
completed.
Evaluation
mechanism.

Executive-In-Residence (EIR)

Roger Stoy

Anthony Bambocci

Earl Springer

Springtime in London

Tom Peters

Steve Sheetz

Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE)

9th Annual

Breakfast

2010 Regional
Championship
Team

 Incremental improvement is more likely than

revolutionary change.
Continuous energy and dedication to the
marketing effort are needed. It needs to
remain a top priority.
You need talented and creative people to fuel
the effort.
It can be a transformational experience for
the School of Business.

David, F. (1997). Strategic Management. Upper Saddle, NJ: Prentice Hall, pg. 89.
Porter, M.E. (1980) Competitive Strategy, New York: Free Press.
Stamats Communications, Bob Sevier, a vice president for this marketing
communications consulting firm, provided a marketing plan template that we adapted
for Saint Francis University more than a decade ago.
Thompson, A., M. Peteraf, J. Gamble, and A.J. Strickland (2012). Crafting & Executing
Strategy: A Quest for Competitive Advantage. 18th edition. New York: McGrawHill/Irwin, pp. 24-25.
Treacy, M. and F. Wiersema (1997). The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your
Customers Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market. Reading, Mass: AddisonWesley.

Many of the materials prepared in our School

of Business Marketing Campaign produced by:
Ms. Stacy Varmecky, Marketing Coordinator
for the School of Business and a May 2011
MBA graduate. Ms. Varmecky also assisted
me in the preparation of this slide show.
Ms. Oliva Shingle, graphic artistic previously
employed by the School of Business.