School of Modern Skills (SMS) — SME Case Study (UAE)

School of Modern Skills (SMS) Figure 20: SMS Logo

The School of Modern Skills (SMS) is a private school located in Dubai, UAE. It is currently under the supervision of a loving, open-minded, and dedicated principal, Judith Vojta. This school is a nurturing, empowering, and engaging learning community that offers an exceptional educational experience. The School of Modern Skills was founded in 2006 as a kindergarten to Grade 12 neighborhood school. At present, there are more than School of Modern Skills (SMS) 1,850 students enrolled in the SMS. The instructional staff of the School of Modern Skills comprises 127 members of 33 different nationalities. The diverse workplace of SMS ensures increased creativity and productivity, in addition to offering more ideas and a variety of perspectives (SMS, 2015).

A distinguishing aspect of the School of Modern Skills is that it expertly maintains the balance between international education and traditional, as well as Islamic education. While the school uses international teaching and learning methods, it doesn’t forget to instill core Islamic values in its students. Moreover, there are separate campuses for male and female students from Grade 4 onwards. The School of Modern Skills has a capable team responsible for preparing students for the future and transforming them into inspiring global citizens (SMS, 2015).

Education The School of Modern Skills offers an enhanced American curriculum that promotes innovation and allows SMS to surpass international standards. The curriculum is based on different standards adopted for different subjects.

For Mathematics and English, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has been selected. As far as Islamic Education, Arabic, and Social Studies are concerned, the UAE Ministry of Education Program is used, whereas the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is chosen for Science (SMS, 2015).

Additionally, the students at the School of Modern Skills are offered an interactive learning environment.

They can choose from a variety of electives and take part in exciting and fulfilling extracurricular activities.

The student-centered environment of SMS focuses on instilling all the mandatory skills in students that are required in the world (SMS, 2020). That is being achieved via the use of online platforms in learning and the SMS’s Apple Education program. By doing so, the School of Modern Skills has successfully embraced e-learning.

Above that, SMS is a New England Association of Schools and College (NEASC) candidate. This accreditation will ensure that the School of Modern Skills delivers a globally recognized standard of learning (SMS, 2020). In addition, the School of Modern Skills has taken initiatives to align with the UAE Government’s vision of 2021 fully (SMS, 2020).

Facilities The School of Modern Skills helps students in every way possible and supports them in reaching their full potential. The school has a stream activity room, specialty laboratories of biology, chemistry, physics, and technology, and two libraries. There are multipurpose halls, canteens, a hydroponics garden, and a health clinic on the school premises. The School of Modern Skills also has a football field, two indoor gyms, an indoor swimming pool, and two soft-surface playgrounds.

Hence, SMS offers exceptional sports facilities for its students to enhance their physical health and promote healthy competition among the students. The inclusion of Apple TVs and other equipment operating on the latest technology is necessary to help students learn in an innovative way (SMS, 2021).

Values To guide the students of SMS as well as its teachers towards their individual and collective academic goals,

the following are strong values of (SMS)

¡ Commitment ¡ Active learning ¡ Respect ¡ Community ¡ Whole self ¡ Inclusivity

The purpose of the School of Modern Skills is to provide equal opportunities to each and every student, help them develop mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially, and assist in reaching his/her maximum potential. The mission of the School of Modern Skills is to provide an

enhanced and comprehensive learning experience that

¡ Fosters innovation ¡ Enables academic achievement ¡ Develops dedicated, inquisitive, creative, and motivated leaders having values of respect, inclusivity, and commitment (SMS, 2015).

Vision The School of Modern Skills aims to become a thriving learning community that prioritizes UAE cultural values and delivers international standard education, in turn, empowering its students to become responsible and confident leaders and encourages them to become respectful global citizens (SMS, 2015).

Organizational Structure

Board of Directors Director School Operations Finance Manager IT Manager Dr. Yousra El Awany (School Doctor) Maisa (Career Counsellor) HR Director

Pastoral Care

4 individual & 2 assistant VP of Girls Judith Vojta (School Principal) Vice Principal MS & HS Vice Principal KG & Elementary Figure 21: Organizational Structure of School of Modern Skills To make sure School of Modern Skills achieved its goals, there is a Board of Directors that consists of education experts, owners representatives, and representatives from the school’s parents community. The board monitors the corporate governance and management practices.

It also formulates SMS’s strategic plans, maintains accountability, and ensures maximum performance of school leadership (SMS, 2021). It works with the school principal and leadership team comprising of Neasa Ni Bhrosnachain (Vice Principal of Curriculum and Assessment of Middle and High School), Nina Smith- Stanger (Vice Principal of KG and Elementary), and Eman Al Maini (Vice Principal for Girls Campus).

The School of Modern Skills has a

¡ Director of School Operations, who develops and implements the operational plans in the school.

¡ Finance Manager, who creates financial reports, conducts budget planning, and offers financial advice.

¡ IT Manager, who plans and coordinates technology- related activities in the school.

¡ HR Director, who supervises the school’s HR department.

Besides that, SMS has a school doctor, career counselor, and pastoral care.

Leadership The principal, Judith Vojta, has been working in education for more than 35 years with over 20 years of educational leadership experience. She received her BA and MA degrees through the University of Illinois, USA. In addition to her job as school principal in the USA, Judith has worked as an educational consultant for Chicago Public Schools and an adjunct university professor teaching classes on educational leadership for aspiring school leaders. Vojta came to the UAE in August 2011 and worked for the Abu Dhabi Education Council, supporting local leadership in transforming their educational goals. In January 2019, she took on a new role as the school principal of the School of Modern Skills in Dubai.

Vojta believes in an open door policy. She encourages the parents of the students of SMS to schedule an appointment with her anytime they want. She values communication so much that she hosts “Coffee with the Principal” every month. Parents give feedback, which helps the school in making possible changes that further improve the learning experience of students. Parents are also kept updated on the latest events and activities happening in the school, which allows them to assist their children in performing better both academically and in extracurricular activities (SMS, 2020).

VP Neasa Ni Bhrosnachain, who oversees both high and middle school, believes that education is not entirely about grades. Rather, education includes everything from friendship, teamwork, and relationships students build to confidence and responsibility. VP Nina Smith- Stanger, who oversees KG and elementary, believes in inspiring young minds with love and understanding. With the help of her team, Smith-Stanger allows the children to learn and explore the world with no restrictions. VP Eman Al Maini, who oversees the Girls Campus, has a teaching experience of more than 15 years. She believes in empowering all students at SMS to become inspirational leaders in the future (SMS, 2020).

Considering the destruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, schools all around the world were closed to reduce further transmission of the virus. The pandemic has greatly affected economic productivity and surely the proposed health risks. But in the field of education, it has also done considerable damage by negatively impacting the students’ education and development (Panovska-Griffiths et al., 2020, pp. 818). To overcome these educational and learning-related problems, there is a need to reconstruct the educational system and replace it with a better one (Rajhans et al., 2020, pp. 217).

The School of Modern Skills has taken advantage of this opportunity and restructured its educational system by establishing updated practices needed in today’s world.

The way we learn has changed, and SMS is using cutting- edge technology to deliver high-quality education, despite the challenging circumstances. In addition, the School of Modern Skills has implemented the following

SOPs

¡ Everyone must enter through the main school entrance.

¡ Everyone entering the building must wear a face mask at all times.

¡ Thermal temperature screening takes place right upon entry.

¡ Appointments have to be scheduled to meet with teachers and leadership.

¡ Parents are not allowed to enter the child’s classroom.

Figure 22: Restructure of SMS Learning system for the year 2020-2021 When compared to the learning plans before the COVID-19 pandemic, huge but necessary changes have been made in the new plan.

Products/

The School of Modern Skills offers the following products

and services

¡ Rigorous and relevant U.S. curriculum that offers excellent academic opportunities to understand various subjects, including English Language Arts (ELA), Arabic, Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Islamic Education (SMS, 2015).

¡ An additional class in Quran learning to instill Islamic values in its students (SMS, 2015).

¡ Teaching Arabic, English, and French, enabling students to become trilingual individuals (SMS, 2015).

¡ Adoption of e-learning to digitize curriculum delivery, with the help of an Apple Education program which encompasses a step-by-step implementation of digital learning via iPads and related online programs (SMS, 2021).

¡ SMS also provides helpful videos for students to assist them in distance learning. They provide videos on ‘How to login to Zoom,’ ‘How to login to Google Classroom,’ ‘How to join Zoom meeting and How to start a meeting’ (SMS, 2015).

¡ A career guidance program to prepare students for their future and help to easily transition from high school to their preferred college.

¡ Dedicated and highly professional teaching staff.

¡ Participation in multiple community-based activities.

¡ Counseling, pastoral care, and prioritization of health of both staff and students.

¡ A Special Educational Needs Department to fully support students with school supplies and other necessities.

¡ Valuing physical activity by providing sports facilities, including a football field, two indoor gyms, an indoor swimming pool, and two soft- surface playgrounds.

Thus, the School of Modern Skills offers many traditional services offered by schools. But in addition to that, SMS offers various services that public schools don’t offer.

Business and Marketing Strategies The importance of marketing and business strategies for schools has been realized only recently. Schools, both public and private, didn’t feel the need to have a marketing plan. Their main concern was curriculum, academic and non-academic activities, classroom management, and hiring professional staff (Cochran, 2017, pp. 5). Now, the education industry is becoming more and more competitive. Along with offering an excellent learning experience, schools have to enhance their marketing efforts (Jabbar, 2016, pp. 4). Traditional marketing strategies like paid advertisement on TV, newspaper, etc., no longer work (Locke, 2020). Considering this, the School of Modern Skills has tried its best to incorporate a digital marketing strategy into its marketing plan.

No. of Internet user in Millions Figure 23: Internet Penetration Around the World Note: Reprinted from “Study of Digital Marketing in UAE and India,” by Vaishali, V. and Ilamathi, A., 2019, International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, Vol. 4, No. 5, pp.

1060-1065. Copyright 2019 by the author(s).

The graph above shows that Internet penetration has dramatically increased in the past few years. Especially in the UAE, Internet penetration has drastically increased from 71.7% to 80.2% (Vaishali and Ilamathi, 2019, pp.

1061). An increasing number of people are relying on the Internet to gain information about various organizations and institutes. Thus, having an online presence is essential for institutes like SMS.

SMS has a website where visitors can find helpful information about the school, its education methods, and many other aspects. This approachable online presence allows potential clients (both students and teachers) to decide whether SMS is the right choice for them or not. Visitors can register their children via the website anytime they want. The School of Modern Skills also has social media accounts on various platforms which further adds to the credibility of the school. SMS has an Instagram account, Twitter account, Facebook account, and YouTube Channel. It consistently posts about the activities in the school on social media accounts. Along with a digital marketing strategy, SMS benefits from word-of-mouth marketing. Parents can contact the management via phone and email as well (SMS, 2020).

COMPONENTS OF OPERATIONS STRATEGY Designing and Positioning the Production System Focusing Production/ Manufacturing and Service Facilities Design and Development of Product/ Service Selection of technology and Process Development Resources Allocation Planning of Capacity Facility, and Layout Figure 24: Components of the SMS Operational Strategy Note: Components of a general operational strategy. Copyright 2021 by Studious Guy. Retrieved from: https://studiousguy.com/ operations-strategy-with-examples/ SMS uses operational strategies to attain the goals. The components of its operational strategies are resource allocation, planning of capacity and facility, designing and implementing plans, focusing on the delivery of services and facilities, and designing and developing services (Richards-Gustafson, 2019).

Student-Centered Strategies All operational strategies of SMS are student-centered. It means that before implementing any strategy, evaluation is carried out to determine whether the strategy will be beneficial for the students or not. Leadership only approves of those strategies that help students reach their maximum potential and become responsible and sensible global citizens.

Core Competencies

The core competencies of SMS are given below

¡ SMS is capable of providing international standard education while maintaining strong traditional and Islamic roots in students.

¡ SMS has a team of qualified teachers belonging to various nationalities. Many of these teachers are native English speakers who help students to enhance their English language proficiency.

¡ SMS values personal development along with academic excellence. Hence, it offers summer camps, national and international trips, and many other extracurricular activities.

¡ SMS prioritizes the health and safety of its students.

Hence, strategies are implemented to minimize health risks.

¡ SMS allows effective communication between teachers and parents by conducting monthly meetings with parents and giving representation to the parents’ community.

¡ SMS trains its students to serve the community by participating in community-based services (SMS, 2021).

Services Development The School of Modern Skills focuses on e-learning to help students learn and grow even if they physically can’t come to the school. In this view, technology has been incorporated into the educational system at SMS. The school is also providing guidance to students concerning the use of digital technologies and assistance in learning digital skills. Support services are being provided to staff as well to make the learning experience more fruitful for the students. Moreover, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the following changes have been done to the operational strategy. Strict implementation of SOPs to safely open the school and use of prevention strategies to ensure the safety and health of students, staff, and leadership. Prioritizing the use of masks and making them mandatory before entering the school. Physical distancing in classrooms, queues, and meeting rooms.

Use of hand sanitizers and provision of other necessary equipment to further reduce the transmission rate (CDC, 2021). SMS is using all of its available resources to drive excellence in education.

SWOT Analysis In order to build a competitive strategy based on strategic planning, SWOT analysis will prove to be helpful. In this analysis, the organization or institute is evaluated, and its environment, including its internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (opportunities and threats), are examined. It is used to plan and manage the school’s resources, capabilities, deficiencies, new opportunities, and finally, the threats (Gürel and Tat,

2017, pp. 995). The SWOT analysis of SMS is given below

STRENGTHS

• A strong mission and vision

statement.

• Prioritizing Islamic education and

instilling traditional values in students.

• Professional and dedicated teachers

from 33 different nationalities.

• Low student to teacher ratio.
• Excellent sports facilities.
• Strong and consistent

communication with parents.

• Separate campuses for girls and

boys from Grade 4 onwards.

• Rigorous U.S. curriculum.
• NEASC candidate.

OPPORTUNITIES

• New programs to entice prospective

students/ their parents.

• Encouraging more enrolment and

retention.

• Spreading awareness of the school.
• Complete digital transformation of

the education system.

• Implementation of better marketing

tactics, e.g., inbound marketing.

• Leadership programs.

WEAKNESSES

• A low number of students/ low

enrolment.

• Need for innovative marketing

strategies.

• Foreign staff will stay a maximum

for two years.

• Requirement of better strategies to

mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

THREATS

• Competitors/other better

performing KG to Grade 12 schools in Dubai.

• Possible lockdown and restrictions in

the future.

• The unclear distinction between

strictly Islamic schools and other schools.

• Changing demands of parents.

Figure 25: SWOT Analysis of the School of Modern Skills (SMS) Note. Copyrighted 2021 by the author.

PESTEL Analysis In order to find the external or macro-environmental factors affecting the School of Modern Skills, the PESTEL analysis will be conducted. This analysis helps in strategic management. Through this strategic framework, six external factors influencing SMS will be examined. These factors include Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Environmental, and Legal factors (Yusop, 2018, pp. 34). It will help to identify the challenges that SMS is currently facing, and the ways to overcome those challenges will be found. The PESTEL Analysis of School

of Modern Skills is given below

i.

Political Factors A country-wide educational reform was done in the UAE in 2006 by the government. Since then, the performance and excellence expectations at all levels of education have been benchmarked. The schools in the UAE are evaluated based on their performance each year. As far as Dubai is concerned, the political environment is safe and encourages both public and private institutions to operate without any restrictions.

One of the Dubai government’s primary objectives is to offer an ideal business environment that is not restrictive. The government has implemented many business-friendly policies recently, which further aids private schools like the School of Modern Skills to work freely. Also, being one of the emirates of UAE, which is labeled among the top cleanest countries in the world, Dubai provides a transparent political environment (Litz, 2021).

ii. Economic Factors Among the seven emirates, Dubai shows high economic performance. Since the government is implementing policies to diversify the economy, the education sector of Dubai can also contribute to economic growth. Dubai has a low unemployment rate.

One of the reasons for the low unemployment rate is that the Dubai government invested in infrastructure and allowed foreign ownership of the land and stocks.

Moreover, the government facilitates the influx of foreign investors and businesses. With time and effort, the School of Modern Skills can take advantage of the environment that favors growth and prosperity and becomes one of the best schools in Dubai (Yusop, 2018).

iii. Socio-cultural Factors Due to globalization, Dubai has turned into a mixture of various cultures. One great benefit of globalization is that the cultural intolerance in Dubai is practically non-existent. In fact, SMS has teachers from 33 different nationalities. As for religion, Islamic schools like SMS are known for instilling Islamic as well as traditional values in their students. Women, just like men, can own businesses and properties. Education is compulsory for all children. Moreover, both boys and girls practice their fundamental human right to education.

iv. Technological Factors After realizing the importance of technology and the benefits it brings, Dubai is incorporating technology into all aspects relating to education. From a very young age, students are taught how to use the latest technology, and they have the digital skills required to survive in today’s digital world. The use of the latest technological equipment in the education sector facilitates the operations and makes them more efficient.

Students have easy access to the Internet, which in turn facilitates e-learning, and other similar services provided by the public and private schools in Dubai (Litz, 2021).

v. Environmental Factors Dubai is facing many environmental challenges, and the government is working to limit carbon footprints, waste generation, air, noise, and land pollution. Since schools are one of the major consumers of paper, they indirectly contribute to paper waste that ruins the environment. Schools should promote recycling activities and raise awareness to encourage the use of green products.

vi. Legal Factors The legal system of Dubai severely punishes the law-breakers or people who don’t stick to the rules and regulations. Recently, rules and regulations have been set concerning health and safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools have to follow the rules to ensure the safety of their students, staff, and administration. The Dubai government has provided guidelines to the private schools like SMS have to follow once they reopen.

Challenges The advent of the Internet and globalization have impacted various aspects of our lives. Yet, the most profound impact was witnessed in the field of education. With the advancement in technology, the widespread use of digital tools and technologies in education was encouraged. However, many schools didn’t undergo digital transformation until recently. The COVID-19 pandemic brought great challenges mainly for the schools, including the School of Modern Skills.

However, at the same time, it gave opportunities for the digitalization of education systems all around the world (Balyer and Öz, 2018, pp. 810). Schools are implementing strategies to mitigate the negative impact of lockdown and resulting school closures. Where some schools are using e-learning to offer education to the students who are unable to come to school physically, others are reopening schools and implementing new and innovative tech solutions.

SMS has expertly utilized technology and continued to provide education to its students despite lockdown.

However, now that lockdown and restrictions are lifted, there is a need for a thorough digital transformation.

In addition to that, SMS needs to develop effective marketing strategies to grow its business. The traditional marketing techniques are not proving beneficial anymore.

Although SMS has an online presence, there is a need for an innovative yet inexpensive marketing technique to attract more potential customers (Patrutiu-Baltes, 2016, pp. 62).

The School of Modern Skills can overcome these

challenges in the following ways

i.

Digital Transformation SMS can carry out digital transformation to enhance its operations to effectively meet the requirements of its students via the use of technology.

SMS is already providing online classes and various methods of online learning. However, besides that, SMS should transform the learning/school environment, as well as learning and teaching methods. As far as the school environment is concerned, SMS can use the latest technologies to conduct thermal screening of the students and staff all over the school, contactless attendance, and an alert system for social distancing.

To improve the learning experience, SMS can also use Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to teach complex concepts to students or to take them on virtual tours. Adaptive learning will also benefit SMS in monitoring the performance of its students and adapt the learning program in accordance with each student’s pace of learning. Teaching methods need to incorporate a more personalized approach. The “one-size-fits-all” approach is also ineffective in e-learning. Thus, SMS can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics to create enhanced and personalized learning experiences for its students (Balyer and Öz, 2018).

ii. Inbound Marketing In inbound marketing, the organizations or institutes need to target the audience very carefully with the help of high-quality content. Various forms of inbound marketing include blog posts on the official website, email marketing campaigns, SEO tactics, social media campaigns, advertisements on social media platforms, and webinars (Patrutiu-Baltes, 2016, pp.

63). It requires digital skills and the use of the Internet.

Hence, some people view it as a complex marketing technique. However, with little effort, inbound marketing can bring lots of opportunities for growth to SMS. Using this advanced form of marketing will enable SMS to form healthy and strong relationships with its customers (students, their parents, and teachers). By distributing high-quality content, SMS can rank among the top schools in Dubai (Patrutiu-Baltes, 2016, pp. 65). Contrary to what most people believe, inbound marketing is not costly. In fact, this advanced form of marketing is comparatively cheaper than traditional marketing. SMS only needs to invest its time and effort to attain desired results. Even if the budget is tight, inbound marketing tactics and strategies can be implemented conveniently.

Hence, inbound marketing is not going to cost SMS a fortune.

Successful Best Practices

For digital transformation, the School of Modern Skills

can take advantage of the following successful practices

i.

Adaptive Learning SMS can enhance its education system via adaptive learning. The school can offer online learning programs for its students and obtain data about each student’s performance. The data can help teachers to assess the needs of each student and, in turn, provide students with personalized content to drive excellence.

SMS can make small groups of students in each grade in accordance to their performance and offer online learning programs according to every group’s needs (Balyer and Öz, 2018).

ii. Alert System Although schools have reopened, there is still the need to be safe and follow SOPs. To make sure the students, as well as staff are following the guidelines, SMS should build an alert system that will ensure that social distancing is being practiced. Everyone at SMS should maintain a minimum of three feet distance or an ideal six feet distance to halt the spread of the virus. SMS can either hire technology experts to build the alert system or use CCTV cameras to detect the distance between pupils. Whichever method SMS finds convenient can be used. If budget is a problem, SMS can make effective use of its CCTV cameras to monitor the social distancing between staff as well as students.

iii. Contactless Attendance Schools need to realize the importance of contactless attendance. The biometric attendance systems used in most schools can increase the likelihood of transmission of the virus. A contactless attendance system will lower the risk of the spread of the COVID-19 virus and mark the attendance of students and staff in a more convenient manner. Here again, SMS can make use of its CCTV cameras and pair them with facial recognition technology to automatically mark the attendance of students and staff.

iv. Thermal Screening SMS is already conducting temperature checks at the entrance. However, thermal imaging equipment can also be used to quickly and effectively detect the body temperature of individuals entering or wandering inside the school. The data can be used to find the affected individuals and take them to the nearest doctor for confirmation.

v. Analysis of Students To analyze the skill-set and strengths as well as weaknesses of students, SMS can use an AI-based approach. This will also result in more personalized experiences and encourage the students to be more attentive and engage them in academic activities.

Analysis of students will allow the teachers to identify the abilities and needs of students and provide them help or support in accordance with the assessment. This will improve the performance of students by enhancing their learning ability (Balyer and Öz, 2018).

In the case of inbound marketing, the School of Modern

Skills can utilize the following best practices

i.

Blog Posts As mentioned before, the advent of the Internet has changed the way we gather information. Today, the easiest way to obtain information about an institute is via its official website. SMS can make use of its website and create high-quality blog posts to win the trust of potential customers. The content needs to be targeted to a specific audience. It will help SMS to build brand image and increase the number of students (Patrutiu- Baltes, 2016, pp. 63).

ii. SEO Search Engine Optimization offers an effective way to rank higher in searches. SMS needs to optimize all of its content spread across various platforms and make it search engine friendly. It involves careful identification of keywords and using them in a careful manner within the content to drive engagement and increase website traffic (Patrutiu-Baltes, 2016, pp. 64).

iii. Customized Emails SMS can also benefit from email marketing campaigns. Customized emails can be easily created and sent to potential customers who subscribe to the newsletter. Eye-catching titles will attract the interest of readers and lead them to the school’s official website (Patrutiu-Baltes, 2016, pp. 63).

iv. Paid Advertising SMS can also take advantage of social media ads to inform its target audience about the distinguishing features of the school and its excellent learning system.

Geotargeting will prove quite effective in displaying ads to the right audience, which will lead to an increase in admissions (Patrutiu-Baltes, 2016, pp. 64).

v. Social Media Platforms SMS has Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, and a YouTube channel. Although SMS is already utilizing these social media platforms. But creating short, high-quality videos and sharing them across social media platforms will further drive engagement and provide useful information to the potential customers (Patrutiu- Baltes, 2016, pp. 65).

The School of Modern Skills can fail in its digital transformation journey due to many reasons.

Uncontrolled and uncareful use of technologies, inability to assess data accurately, not storing the data on the cloud, and negligence can do more harm than good. As far as inbound marketing is concerned, the inability to adapt, incorrect monitoring of customer behavior, not putting effort in marketing, lack of creativity, careless use, and allocation of resources can also result in failure.

The Institution as of Today SMS was started in 2006 as a small, private school in Muhaisnah, Dubai, UAE. It is also referred to as a neighborhood school since its target students belong to families living in Dubai. SMS welcomes students regardless of their race, nationality, or religion. The school environment is family-oriented from the beginning.

At first, SMS offered education from KG to Grade 10.

However, now it offers exceptional quality education from KG to Grade 12. SMS function and services revolve around its strong values and are aligned with its mission and vision. For the past 14 years, SMS has been delivering high-quality academic as well as non-academic services and activities for its students. Along with teaching core subjects like Mathematics, English, Arabic, Science, and Islamic Studies, SMS also offers elective courses (SMS, 2015).

SMS teaches its students three languages, namely; Arabic, English, and French. There are exceptional sports facilities and a range of extra-curricular activities and events organized for the students to help them unlock their full potential. SMS has been known for providing international education, more specifically US standard education. However, it doesn’t overlook the importance of teaching Islamic values and traditional values to its students. The perfect balance between U.S. education and Islamic education is what makes SMS an ideal school for the residents of Dubai. Under the supervision of Judith Vojta and capable VPs, the School of Modern Skills is on its way to excellence. To add to that, SMS is going to obtain the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accreditation soon (SMS, 2020).

SMS needs an effective and thoroughly analyzed plan to undergo the digital transformation journey and adopt inbound marketing. In the case of digital transformation, SMS should carry out the analysis of the current state, then develop a strategy, and finally implement those strategies.

BASIC r n g F o r e u r r e n t S t a t e p e e n t a t o n S t r a t e g y e e o p e n t N e w g it a T e h n o o g e s Figure 26: Digital Transformation Note. Reprinted from Digital Transformation. (2019). Step-by- Step Instructions. Digital Transformation. Retrieved from: https:// digital-transformation-tool.eu/dt-step-by-step/ Copyrighted by Digital Transformation, 2019.

Here are the important aspects of inbound marketing

that SMS should consider

INBOUND MARKETING SEO Marketing Automation Marketing Analytics Social Media Email & lead Nurturing Content Creation Landing Pages Figure 27: Inbound Marketing Note. Representation of Inbound Marketing. Copyright 2017 from ‘The Ultimate Guide to School Marketing Strategies’ by Cochran, R., pp. 15. Retrieved from: https://cdn2.hubspot.

net/hubfs/291843/EBOOKS/Headmaster_Guide/Revised/ The%20Ultimate%20Guide%20to%20School%20Marketing%20 Strategies.pdf?t=1533132261286

The following lessons were learned in the case study

¡ SMS needs to realize the importance of marketing.

Instead of traditional marketing tactics, inbound marketing is less costly and more effective, making it an ideal marketing tactic.

¡ SMS should undergo a digital transformation journey via thorough analysis of its current state and implement strategies that are student- centered to help students excel in academic and non-academic activities.

¡ The successful best practices for digital transformation are adaptive learning, a social distancing alert system, thermal screening all over the school, AI analysis of pupils, and contactless attendance.

¡ On the other hand, the successful best practices for inbound marketing are blog posts, SEO, paid advertising, email marketing, and social media platforms.

¡ Above all, an effective plan is required before implementing any measure to maximize the chances of success of these strategies.

The School of Modern Skills is a nurturing learning community that started in 2006. Located in Dubai, UAE, SMS aims to provide equal opportunities for growth to all of its students and empowers them to become successful and responsible citizens who will assist humanity. The leadership of SMS is professional and highly qualified. Just like other institutions, SMS faced many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, quick and careful implementation of new operational strategies helped SMS in reopening school while prioritizing the health and safety of its students and the staff. The analysis of the business, marketing, and operational strategies of SMS revealed that there is still room for improvement. Thus, digital transformation and inbound marketing were proposed as helpful tactics that can help SMS to become one of the best schools in Dubai. It is recommended that the School of Modern Skills should have an excellent plan before implementation of any strategy.