Organizational Analysis of Religious Schools

Strategy and Management Report on Organization X

Organizational Overview

The mission of X is to foster a community who journey together in faith with Christ our Light. The students, staff, and parents become partners who are focused on holistic education within a welcoming and caring community. The main vision of X is to foster faith and spirituality in the community (Good Shepherd Catholic College, 2016). The belief among the stakeholders is that each is unique and has his or her perception of dignity. The values of the organization include inner-direction of the students, responsibility, being compassionate and just. These values arise from the fact that X believes that each student, staff and parents learn best in those situations involving loving relationships and mutual respect (Buchanan, 2013, pg.34).

The organization requires the learners to recognize that they are lifelong learners in a society that is complex and changing. It is for this reason that X strives to develop the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social, and physical potential possessed by each person. Regarding the strategy, the goal drives X to prepare for the transition of the year seven students entering college (Coffey, Berlach, and O'Neill, 2013 page 10). It also aims at increasing the participation of the students in the senior schooling through the development of high quality and holistic educational experience (Christie, Barron, P. and D'Annunzio-Green, 2013, p. 628). Its other strategy is to develop an effective staff recruitment and retention method in the organization. One of the improvement goals adopted by X is to ensure the implementation of an effective induction program for beginning teachers and new teachers to the school (Good Shepherd Catholic College, 2016).

PEST Analysis

According to Davies and Ellison (2005), the political, economic, social, environmental, and technological factors influence the operation of any organization regardless of the industry they serve. The only way that the organization can be able to save itself from the effects is through making sure that it has strategically planned. The following are the PESTLE forces that will affect X in the next few years.

Political factor

The education sector is always at risk of having the government's influence. The implication is that the government may initiate a change in policy in a way that X may fail to deliver on the policy. Consequently, the changes to the skills required for one to be a teacher or changes in the curriculum without any short lead times. X may fail to deliver on its expectation (Davies and Ellison, 2005).

Economic factor

The closure of the mining industry may affect the organization. A decline in the ability of parents to raise funds to be used in activities undertaken by X may affect the organization in future. The same case applies to an increase in the interest rates. An increase in the cost of providing resources may also affect the organization in one way or another (Davies and Ellison, 2005).

Social factor

The local community is made up of people who in transition as most of them are found in the mining industry. This means that X may be affected by the changes in the local population.In case the local firms close, then the organization may experience some challenges, as parents will most likely enroll their children in the state school. The risk of the skilled personnel moving to other places may also affect X coupled with an inability to attract skilled staff (James Brammer, Connolly, Spicer, James and Jones, 2013 page 87).

Technological

It is important to upgrade the computer hardware in future because many of them will be out of date by that time. Technological changes may lead to the need for training the staff on how to use the new technology. Competition in the ICT sector with other players in the region may lead to the organization losing its competitive advantage (Davies and Ellison, 2005).

Porter's Five Forces

Based on the five forces analysis of the organization, it is clear that x is an unattractive organization. The reasons behind this are that it is the only private school in the area with the other one being a state school where students do not have to pay. This creates a lot of rivalry between X and the state school because both compete for students. Any increase in the fees in the organization will lead to students opting out of the organization. Equally, the staff members are transient in that once they complete their two-year country service, then they will move on to other jobs in bigger towns. X may become unattractive in future because of the changes in the local community. A decline in the mining industry may render the organization unattractive as fewer parents may send their children to the school (Orlitzky, 2015).

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

i. X is the only private school in the town

ii. It has a good reputation as an Academic College iii. X has four Catholic feeder schools

iv. The staff in the organization is young

v. The organization has a school improvement committee working towards ensuring that there are curriculum and student improvement.

Weaknesses

i. The students do not have enough time with some staff members as they move out of the organization after some time.

ii. The population is transient depending on the trends in the mining industry iii. All the funding comes from the parents, which means that the organization may face challenges when it comes to delivering on the mission (Roberts and Green, 2013, 767).

Opportunities

i. X has the opportunity of attracting more students from other areas through marketing

ii. Better development of curriculum and a good transition to university education is beneficial to the organization iii. Improvement in economic status in the region will benefit the organization

Threats

i. Lack of skilled personnel may prove to be a challenge to X in the delivery of the policies

ii. A decline in the mining industry may reduce the population in the area, which reduces the number of students enrolling in the school

The organization can maintain a competitive advantage over the state school because of its academic reputation. Similarly, its strong Christian foundation is also a plus as most of the families are stout Catholics in the area (Ryan, 2013 page 230).