Strategic pathways to world-class universities: the moderating role of national strategic planning on talent, governance, and resources

This study examines Malaysia's efforts to achieve world-class university (WCU) status through national strategic planning (NSP). Based on the resource-based view (RBV) theory posited by Barney (1991), this paper focuses on the sustained competitive advantages of talent, governance, and resources. It explores the role of NSP as a moderating variable. Data were collected via a digital survey of 126 senior managers from 28 public and private universities in Malaysia, with responses analysed using structural equation modelling and descriptive statistics. The results show that talent and governance significantly enhance WCU's status, while resources have a limited impact. NSP strengthens the influence of talent and governance but has minimal effect on resources. These findings underscore the need for policies prioritising international talent recruitment, faculty retention, and autonomous governance while emphasising strategic alignment between national and institutional goals to elevate higher education standards.