Restructuring / Turnaround Strategies Case Study

John Hood's Plans to Reinvent Oxford University: The Challenges

Abstract:
For over nine centuries, the name Oxford University has been synonymous with excellence in teaching and learning. But of late, it has faced tough competition from cash-rich US universities like Yale, Harvard and Stanford, drawing the best of teaching talent and students. Oxford encountered a severe resource crunch, and its old infrastructure was in need of revamping. In October 2004, Dr. John Hood, a New Zealander, was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of the university. He planned to reinvent the university to give it an edge over others by focusing on three things: (1) developing the academic strategy; (2) reviewing matters of governance; and (3) upgrading the financial position of the university.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To highlight the strategies adopted by Hood to help Oxford regain its old glory
• To highlight the challenges faced by Hood because of the opposition from academicians to change age-old practices
• To discuss whether Hood will be successful in his endeavour.

Keywords : Dr John Hood; Oxford University; Decision-making system; Congregation; Private partnerships; Growth Strategies Case Study; Government grants; Tutorial teaching; Financial crunch; Oxford University Press; Academic strategy; Performance evaluation; Governance; Privatisation; Endowments; Reforms