Eureka! Institutional Repository

This diploma thesis was developed within the framework of the postgraduate program “Administration and Organization of Educational Units” of the Department of Business Administration of the Alexandrian Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki. The subject of diplomacy is to study a business development plan of a private educational organization called GHTM College, which is ranked at the higher education level and provides undergraduate and postgraduate courses specializing in the management of tourist units and hospitality. The aim of the study is to examine the viability of the original idea of setting up a college to create a realistic growth plan over a five-year period. In particular, there is a detailed description of the vision and mission of the company, the historical development of the private education sector, current trends and external pressures from the economic, social, political environment where it operates. Also, reference is made to the legal environment, the conditions of establishment, the structure of the departments of the company and its staffing. Particular reference is made to the registration of competitors, and the practices they follow for their development. Then, it presents the company's strengths and opportunities as opposed to weaknesses and threats. Targeting and segmentation criteria are defined to create the competitive advantage over competitors and the choice of appropriate marketing strategies to be employed. The role of the company is twofold: on the one hand, to realize its vision for the creation of a college with high American standards that will enhance the students' professional prospects by equipping them with knowledge and skills and on the other hand to become a model international learning center in Greece. In the last part of the dissertation, all the financial data of the company are presented with financial statements for the purpose of a comparative study about the control and viability of the enterprise over a five-year period.