Public Affairs 7557: Strategic Management

Upon successful completion of this course students will:

• Identify the elements of strategic management and leadership from a theoretical and practical perspective
• Demonstrate the methods of strategic management through discussion, small group analysis, and assignments
• Apply their knowledge of strategic management and leadership by utilizing strategy tools to analyze and report on organizational performance

Mode of delivery: This course is 100% online. There are no required sessions when you must be logged in to Carmen at a scheduled time.

Pace of online activities: This course is divided into weekly modules that are released two to three weeks ahead of time. Students are expected to keep pace with weekly deadlines, but may schedule their efforts freely within that time frame.

Credit hours and work expectations: This is a 3-credit-hour course. According to Ohio State policy, students should expect around 3 hours per week of time spent on direct instruction (instructor content and Carmen activities, for example) in addition to 6 hours of homework (reading and assignment preparation, for example) to receive a grade of (C) average. Note, this does not mean that completing this work will require this much time as we are all working professionals with other commitments.

Attendance and participation requirements: Because this is an online course, your attendance is based on your online activity and participation. The following is a summary of everyone's expected participation:

• Participating in online activities for attendance: AT LEAST ONCE PER WEEK You are expected to log in to the course in Carmen. (During most weeks you will probably log in multiple times.) If you have a situation that might cause you to miss an entire week of class, discuss it with me as soon as possible.
• Participating in discussion forums: 1 POST PER WEEK

As part of your participation, each week please post once per week (1-2 paragraphs) providing substantive class discussion on the week's topics.

• Students are expected to participate as meaningful discussion of topics hinge on both preparation and participation. Not being prepared, and not contributing to course discussion or group activities will adversely affect a student’s grade.
• Active participation, based on preparation, includes providing good, solid answers to questions.
• Good answers indicate that you are actively engaging with your colleagues and providing comments relative to ongoing discussion. Relevant comments add to the group’s understanding of the material, challenge and/or clarify the ideas expressed by others, integrate material from past classes or other courses, and show evidence of analysis rather than mere opinion.

Required Materials: A text book may be required for this class. Please check your instructor's syllabus for details.

Discussion Board Posts (2 pts each) X 14 = 28 pts

Case Study Outline #1 (10 pts each) X 1 = 10 pts

Case Study Outline #2 (10 pts each) X 1 = 10 pts

Case Study Analysis (20 pts each) X 1 = 20 pts

Strategy Document (30 pts each) X 1 = 30 pts

Reflection Document (2 pts) X 1 = 2 pts

Total = 100pts

There will be 14 discussion challenges to which you are required to respond, both to me/the class (1–2 paragraph max.) and to one of your colleagues’ posts (3–4 sentences).  Note, these will be due on Wednesdays of that week, except for the 1st week’s post.

There will be two case study outlines which will entail a maximum of 1.5 pages outlining aspects of a case which will be assigned. The case study outline should provide enough information for another student and/or the instructor to understand the key points of the case where management decisions will influence an outcome. They should provide enough detail to give all relevant context that would be needed for decision making.

You will work in a group to apply the skills you learned in the outlines to another case scenario. The result will be a maximum of 3-page case analysis identifying the protagonist, a critical assessment of the situation and identification of facts leading to a recommended course of action along with follow-on questions. 

The primary assignment for this course is to produce a group strategy document for a public sector organization (or not-for profit).  As we will discuss in class, a strategy document provides managers with a comprehensive picture of organizational performance, facilitates strategy decisions, and aligns strategy with performance indicators. The strategy document will require groups to synthesize and integrate all of the elements required of the strategy document into a maximum of 6-pages document (double-spaced). Remember, being concise is vitally important. In your groups, you will choose a case and produce a strategy document modeled after industry reports.

There is a 1-page maximum “Reflection on Class” document summarizing what you’ve learned in the class and how it will assist you in your career.