In an era where universities worldwide compete for visibility, funding, and talent, Ethiopian public universities face a dual challenge: fulfilling national development goals while striving for global competitiveness.
In his doctoral research, Asrat Dereb investigated how strategic management is understood and implemented within these institutions and how it could serve as a mechanism to realise academic excellence and sustainable competitiveness.
By integrating two theoretical perspectives – the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Stakeholder Theory – the study presents an integrated framework that shows how universities can leverage their internal strengths while engaging external partners to drive excellence. The Resource-Based View highlights the value of internal capabilities such as human resources, leadership, and innovation, while Stakeholder Theory emphasises collaboration with government, industry, and communities.
The study found that while strategic management, with its major constituents, including strategic plans, is widely adopted, their implementation is fragmented and often symbolic, serving bureaucratic rather than transformative purposes. “Most universities equate strategic management with preparing a document, a strategic plan”, Asrat notes. “However, strategic management is not a plan – it is a mindset and a continuous process of aligning vision, resources, and stakeholder engagement to achieve sustainable excellence and gain a competitive advantage.”
The study identified four major forces shaping universities’ strategic orientation: Government directives and national development plans, Institutional ambitions for visibility and excellence, Geographical advantages, and Global pressures, including international rankings and partnerships. However, Asrat’s findings reveal that limited institutional autonomy, rigid administrative systems, limited stakeholders' involvement and insufficient leadership capacity remain significant obstacles. Many universities operate under tight state control, making long-term strategic decision-making difficult.
To address these challenges, the dissertation proposes a comprehensive strategic management framework that integrates resource optimisation, stakeholder collaboration, and organisational flexibility. This framework offers practical guidance for Ethiopian universities – and similar institutions in developing contexts – seeking to achieve global competitiveness while maintaining local relevance.
“The future of Ethiopian higher education depends on its ability to think and act strategically,” Asrat concludes. “True academic excellence is achieved not by expansion alone, but by aligning vision, leadership, and stakeholder trust.”
The findings provide actionable insights for policy reform, institutional leadership, and quality assurance systems. The study urges the Ethiopian Ministry of Education to develop a national strategic management framework that enables universities to make evidence-based, autonomous, and performance-oriented decisions.
Asrat Dereb Ebessa currently serves as Director of Total Quality Management at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. His research contributes to the broader African and global conversation on how universities can balance local engagement with global competitiveness through strategic leadership and institutional learning.
Public defence on Friday 24 October
The doctoral dissertation of MA Asrat Dereb Ebessa in the field of Administrative Science, titled Strategic Management for a Competitive Advantage in the Pursuit of Academic Excellence at Ethiopian Public Universities, will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Management and Business, Tampere University, on Friday, 24 October 2025, at 12:00 noon.
The Opponent will be Professor Abebaw Yirga Adamu from Addis Ababa University, and the Custos will be Associate Professor Elias Pekkola from the Faculty of Management and Business at Tampere University.
The doctoral dissertation is available online
The public defence can be followed via a remote connection (Zoom)
Meeting ID: 623 4310 4406