Competitive Advantages as an Element of the Strategy of an Educational Organization (Based on the V. L. Kvint’s Methodology)

Competitive advantages are an important economic category that is receiving close attention from researchers. Any organization needs to have distinctive characteristics in order to distinguish it from other market participants. This rule is also relevant for educational organizations that operate in the educational services market, which is characterized by a stable increase in the level of competition. Thus, the relevance of this study is due to the necessity to find optimal methods for solving the problem of competition between educational organizations in the higher education system. The purpose of the study is to reveal the essence of the competitive advantages of an educational organization, as well as to study the factors contributing to their formation and development. In accordance with the goal, the following tasks are set: to reveal the content of the competitive advantages of an educational organization; to formulate the factors characterizing the competitiveness of an educational organization; put forward recommendations related to the formation and development of competitive advantages of an educational organization. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research is the scientific achievements of domestic and foreign scientists on the issues of managing the competitiveness of an economic entity, including an educational organization. The author’s scientific conclusions are based on the theory of strategy and the methodology of strategizing by the outstanding scientist V. L. Kvint. To substantiate the achieved results, a set of scientific methods and approaches were used: analysis and synthesis, generalization, analogy, scientific theory. As a result of the research, based on the theory of strategy and the methodology of strategizing by V. L. Kvint, the essence of the competitive advantages of an educational organization as an element of its strategy is revealed. It is concluded that competitive advantages are an essential element of the strategic architecture, which, firstly, ensures the effectiveness of the strategy, and secondly, is a kind of filter in the goal-setting system of an educational organization. A number of recommendations related to the management of the competitive advantages of an educational organization are put forward.