Shared international partnership experience between Taibah university, KSA and George Washington university, USA : a Swot analysis and strategic plan

Abstract EN

The present research clarifies the strategic plan developed informing the basis of the partnership between TaibahU and GWU, and identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that emerged in the planning stages, concluding with the pre-implementation stage.

The researcher uses Sallis’ model to clarify the strategic plan for the partnership, employing eight steps: Select team members, Specify the horizon, Set objectives, Establish present position, Undertake the SWOT analysis, Develop a strategy, Produce a plan and Monitor progress.

The findings from the SWOT revealed strengths present in the partnership, such as GWU’s enthusiasm, cooperativeness, flexibility, benefits of workshops and students’ enthusiasm about studying on a program based on a partnership project, suitability for female students who cannot access study abroad, and strong support from TaibahU leaders.

Weakness to address included the extensive bureaucracy, resistance to change, and the lack of qualified members of staff available to teach courses.

However, the current research also showed that some weaknesses threats readily be transformed into opportunities.