Thesis (Master in Management)--University of the Philippines Mindanao, December 2013.

Filipinos, in general, give much importance to education. Schools are classified as public and private institutions. Basic education is under the mandate of the Department of Education. Currently, educational system in the Philippines is in the process of overhauling by introducing the K12 program. There have been an increase in the number of public and private schools in Davao City in recent years. Hence, competition has been tight in terms of suppliers and market. One of the players in this industry is Values School, which has been in existence since early 1980s. Since it is a private institution, it is self-sufficient and competes with the bigger players in the industry. This paper tries to address the issues challenging the school and to increase its profitability and market share. Further, this paper also aims to enhance the competitive edge of Values School compared to other schools. In coming up with the appropriate strategic options, in-depths analyses on the external and external factors were done using all the necessary data collected. All important were gathered from reliable sources like the Division Office of the Department of Education (Davao City), websites of NSCB and NSO, audited financial statements of Values School, policy handbooks, and interview with the school management and employees. This strategic paper used various tools in the analysis of data to come up with the strategic options that the school can implement in its operations. This paper employed the framework developed by Fred David, which provides analysis of the external and internal environment with the vision, mission, philosophy and core values of the school, and in the fields of marketing, finance, human resources, and operations in coming up with the best strategy. This paper used the External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix to assess the school's capacity to respond to the challenges of the external environment. In addition, The Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) Matrix was used to evaluate the internal position of the school. The political, economic, socio-cultural and technological (PEST) factors and the five forces of competition were also employed in assessing the external environment. The SWOT Matrix was used to come up with different strategic options that the school can implement. This strategic management plan was used the Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) to determine the most appropriate strategy for the school to employ. The QSPM showed that creating an intensive marketing strategy to increase share in the market is the best strategic option. The programs outlined in this paper specified wha must be done by whom, when and how much resources to use of Key Results Areas (KRA) and Performance Indicators (PI). The implementing programs are to be implemented within 3 years (2014-2017). The control systems designed in this paper will tract the strategy as it is being implemented. In order to monitor the performance of the school in achieving the indicators and key results areas, regular monitoring and continuing evaluation must be implemented. Further, to review and monitor financial performance, variance analysis between the budget and actual cost will be done to monitor the school's efficiency in handling its financial resources.