Thesis (Master in Management)--University of the Philippines Mindanao, December 2007.

Confidential

When current school director, Arthur Brian Yap assumed office as the administrative head of Davao Christian High School (DCHS) in 2003, he articulated the need to improve the school's quality of service in order to provide academic excellence to the students and to position DCHS as a premiere institution in Davao City. Teachers seminars and workshops, library upgrades, curriculum development and appointment of Subject Coordinators were some of the strategies he and his administrators carried out in order to realize the goal of improving quality. As a result, enrolment has increased steadily over the years, bringing renewed interest and support to DCHS. Despite these changes, DCHS still faces problems in terms of its human resources, operations, finances and marketing, especially regarding unclear policies, procedures and plans. DCHS also has no thorough understanding of its market nor of the opportunities and threats that exist in its external environment. An opportunity for DCHS identified in this paper is for Market Development. Despite the economic difficulties, people still believe that education is a necessity. Most parents view private schools as a more viable alternative for their children. Since putting up a school is difficult and expensive, school with a complete pre-collegiate curriculum like DCHS must focus on grabbing market share from existing competitors rather than protecting their share from new entrants. Currently, Ateneo de Davao Grade School and High School has the largest market share in Davao City despite charging the highest tuition fee. DCHS school director Yap says that Ateneo's market leadership may be largely due to its perceived quality or the prestige attached to attending the said institution. Ateneo's brand equity both in Davao and nationally is something that will be hard for DCHS to duplicate, but not impossible. With the rising number of alumni returning as parents and teachers and the current administration's intent on further improving the quality of service in the school, DCHS can market itself better based on proven, not just perceived, quality. This strategic plan involves creating new academic programs to attract students over summer, establishing an Endowment Fund to facilitate annual donations from alumni and other stakeholders, and launching various marketing campaigns from 2008-2012. By focusing on developing its market, DCHS can further improve its strengths such as quality of education and services and strong company culture, while at the same time address its weaknesses and the existing threats and opportunities in the market.