Public Affairs 6051: Introduction to Public Affairs and Orientation to the Program

Upon successful completion of the course, students should have a strong understanding of:

• The legal, policy and governance context of administration, management and leadership in the public and nonprofit sectors
• Their roles and responsibilities as administrators, managers and leaders in the public
• and nonprofit sectors

Upon successful completion of the course, student should be able to:

• Identify the authorities and constraints public managers and leaders face as they implement public policies and laws
• Engage in debate about public policy and public management issues in a civil manner

The course contributes to all Glenn College learning goals and objectives related to foundational knowledge in public affairs; competencies in management, leadership, and policy analysis; and developing an appreciation for multiple perspectives in public affairs. In particular, the course focuses on the following objectives at an introductory level:

• Students can lead and manage in public governance.
• Students can participate in and contribute to the policy process.
• Students can analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions. 
• Students can articulate and apply a public service perspective. 
• Students can communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry. 
• Students can integrate, synthesize, and apply knowledge across the curriculum in a professional public service context. 
• Students can interact effectively with public policy and administration professionals from a broad range of sectors, using professional competencies common to the field. 

This course fulfills these learning outcomes through the use of case studies, analytic assignments, presentations and interactive discussion forums.

• Group Case Study Response: 20 points
• Discussion Posts: ( 1 * 2 points and 6 * 3 points) 20 points
• Stakeholder Analysis: 20 points
• SWOT Analysis: 20 points 
• Final Strategic Analysis Presentation: 20 points

Total: 100 points

Class contribution is one of the best and most reliable ways that you can demonstrate your
understanding of the ideas and models presented in class, as well as your ability to apply them to real public sector situations.

Your opportunity to contribute to class will be through 7 online discussions with other classmates. Effective class contribution entails providing good answers to questions. Good answers to questions indicate that you are actively responding to the posts of your groupmates and are providing comments relevant to the ongoing discussion. Relevant comments add to the understanding of the underlying conceptual material, challenge and clarify the ideas expressed by others, integrate material from past classes or other courses, and show evidence of analysis rather than mere opinion or “gut feeling”. Excellent responses demonstrate that you have thought deeply about the material and can develop creative and innovative insights through this analytic effort.

Effective class contribution does not entail faking answers, ignoring the contributions of others, or repeating facts or statements from the readings without analysis. 

Discussion boards for each week will be open all week long. You do not have to conduct your
discussion synchronously with all group members at one time. The online format provides flexibility to participate at different times during the week. However, if you wait until the end of the week (e.g. Saturday night), the likelihood that you will be able to actively participate in the discussion is low.

The class relies heavily on cases to provide insight into real-world challenges faced by managers in the public sector. Early in the semester you will be assigned to a group consisting of approximately four students. You will do the group case study together. That means you will need to collectively agree on which one of the case studies you will do and how you will apportion the work required to complete the case.

The cases presented generally contain background information on the objective of the activity, the people involved, and a series of events and administrative difficulties that confront the manager or agency. The problem may or may not be clearly defined- similar to what you would encounter in a real world situation. The cases from which you can choose are posted in the online course in Carmen.

You will use this document as the foundation for your case study:
Cohen, S., Morrison, S., Price,K. (2020). “Asking the Right Questions: A Tool for Initiative Planning and Adaptation,” Washington, DC: Center for the Study of Social Policy.

As part of that document, there are two infographics with a series of questions that you will use to evaluate your case. If there is not sufficient data available it is up to you to do further research to find it or explain the assumptions you make about the outcome of a situation in order to answer them.

Your paper should be 7-10 pages, single-spaced, 12-point font. Additional instructions are in the assignment on the Carmen site. Each group member will receive the same grade for the assignment unless someone from the group contacts me to let me know there are issues which would affect that outcome.

The paper must be written in paragraph format (topic sentence, sentence[s] with supporting details, and a concluding sentence).  If more than 25% of the paper has bullet points, it will count against your total score for this assignment.  This is an academic course and the expectation and requirement is the use of academic writing for assignments.

In the stakeholder analysis assignment, you will first describe the context of the selected organization or unit/department, including brief background about your organization (incorporating statutes or authority, public purpose, and key activities) and a brief description. You will also make the case for why a stakeholder analysis is important and potentially beneficial for this particular organization or unit/department/agency. This section should be about one page (single spaced, 12-point font).

Second, you will identify and categorize organizational stakeholders for the organization or unit/department that you have selected (e.g. clients and service recipients, legislators, regulators, competitors). Identification of the stakeholders will likely be relatively straightforward – stakeholders are any organization, individual or group who are either impacted by or impact the organization. The more challenging activity will be to categorize stakeholders based on the degree to which they affect or are affected by the organization (relative power and interest), and their potential influence over the organization or unit/department/agency. Some stakeholders are more influential than others. Your task will be to sort through the list of stakeholders you have identified and determine which are more influential than the others (and provide explanations as to why). In class, we will examine a particular framework for categorizing stakeholders in order to assist you in this process. You are to use the power/interest grid in your assignment to show these relationships along with your narrative to further explain them. Remember, they are not just lists in a quadrant but placed strategically along the axes to show relational priorities!

In addition to identifying and categorizing stakeholders, you will also be expected to identify the preferences or expectations that key stakeholders have for the organization you have selected. Here you will identify what it is that key stakeholders want from your organization (e.g. higher performance, resources) and what criteria these key stakeholders use to judge the organization’s performance (e.g. efficiency, effectiveness, equality).

The total length of your stakeholder analysis assignment should be between 5-6 pages, single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font. A final Reference List or Appendix will not count towards the 6-page limit for this assignment. You are welcome and encouraged to include tables or figures. Your paper should include a brief, two to three sentence introduction that explains to the reader the purpose of the assignment and provides a roadmap through the document.  Headings and subheadings are also recommended to help guide the reader along.

In addition to the quality of your analysis and the conciseness of your presentation, you will also be evaluated on the thoroughness of your research. In the internet age you have access to a wide variety of sources of information on various organizations. Consequently, expectations are high that you will not simply rely on three or four sources for your analysis. You should consider a variety of sources for your analysis, including, but not limited to:

• Authorizing legislation or other relevant legal documents (e.g. contracts);
• Material published by the organization;
• Evaluations conducted by oversight organizations (e.g. legislative oversight committees, public ombudsmen, inspector general reports, Government Accountability Office or its state/local equivalent, Office of Management and Budget or its state/local equivalent);
• Reports in periodicals;
• Primary or secondary interviews; and
• Blogs.

Cite all sources and be consistent in the method by which you cite (e.g. footnotes, int-text, APA style). A list of references does not count against the six-page threshold. Include your name and page number in the header or footer of each page.

The paper must be written in paragraph format (topic sentence, sentence[s] with supporting details, and a concluding sentence).  If more than 25% of the paper has bullet points, it will count against your total score for this assignment.  This is an academic course and the expectation and requirement is the use of academic writing for assignments.

The second major assignment tied to your organization or unit/department/agency is to conduct a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). A SWOT analysis consists of an environmental scan and internal assessment to identify opportunities and threats, and organizational strengths and weaknesses. This tool is designed to assist managers in making decisions about how to position their organization to meet the demands of targeted stakeholders, capitalize on external conditions, and harness organizational capabilities.

SWOT is a generic framework with few protocols. As such there is no standard form for presentation. While you want to be comprehensive in the analysis you conduct, you also want to be succinct in the material that you present. In a management context, concise documents are far more likely to get read and used than long and extensive ones. However, you decide to present the results of your analysis, your SWOT assignment should include the following elements.

• Organizational Background and Overview (brief history, legal mandate, mission and goals, and goods and/or services provided)
• Opportunity and Threat Assessment
• Strengths and Weaknesses Assessment
• Synthesis to Identify Strategic Issues

In addition to the quality of your analysis and the conciseness of your presentation, you will also be evaluated on the thoroughness of your research. In the internet age you have access to a wide variety of sources of information on various organizations. Consequently, expectations are high that you will not simply rely on three or four sources for your analysis. You should consider a variety of sources for your analysis, including, but not limited to:

• Authorizing legislation or other relevant legal documents (e.g. contracts);
• Material published by the organization;
• Evaluations conducted by oversight organizations (e.g. legislative oversight committees, public ombudsmen, inspector general reports, Government Accountability Office or its state/local equivalent, Office of Management and Budget or its state/local equivalent);
• Reports in periodicals;
• Primary or secondary interviews; and
• Blogs.

Cite all sources and be consistent in the method by which you cite (e.g. footnotes, in-text, APA style). A list of references does not count against the six-page threshold. Include your name and page number in the header or footer of each page.

The total length of your SWOT assignment should be between 5 - 6 pages, single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font. A final Reference List or Appendix will not count towards the 6-page limit for this assignment. You are welcome and encouraged to include tables or figures. Your paper should include a brief, two to three sentence introduction that explains to the reader the purpose of the assignment and provides a roadmap through the document.  Headings and subheadings are also recommended to help guide the reader.

The paper must be written in paragraph format (topic sentence, sentence[s] with supporting details, and a concluding sentence).  If more than 25% of the paper has bullet points, it will count against your total score for this assignment.  This is an academic course and the expectation and requirement is the use of academic writing for assignments.

The final presentation is a culmination of everything we have done in class! At this point you are well versed in your organization. You have analyzed the stakeholders, performed a SWOT analysis, and have a good idea of the issues they are facing. Now is the time for you to brief your decision maker/board. The final presentation should be in a video format, as if you are actually presenting to that audience. It should be between 10-15 minutes and contain the following aspects:

• Short introduction of yourself
• The issue that you are addressing and why it is important to them
• An introduction of the stakeholders and their preferences (use the power/interest grid visual)
• SWOT analysis
• Your recommendation on how they should proceed on the issue you identified that you would address
• Conclusions