GLOBAL UNIVERSITY RANKINGS AND STRATEGIC PLANNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

For over a decade global university rankings have been an essential part of the global higher education world. Great variety of ranking indicators, wide range of scientific areas covered in ranking methodologies, growing attention to rankings in the media, as well as high competition in global higher education environment form certain conditions that universities are expected to meet in order to be a successful world-class higher education institution. As a result, global university rankings influence the development of universities or even reshape them to meet a demand of modern higher education world. The aim of the article is to overview and summarize universities' strategic and tactic managerial decisions related to the improvement of positions in global university rankings. The article presents cases of universities, where strategic and action plans include institutional goals, related to positions in global university rankings, and methods of the achievement of better positions in global university rankings, and illustrates the relationship between global university ranking systems and strategic planning.