OSCM 440: Public Sector Operations Master Syllabus
Course Instructor:
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Textbook
Public Service Operations Management, Routledge by Randor, Z. J., Bateman, N., Esain, A., Kumar, M., Williams, S. J., and D.M. Upton, 2016.
- The text is required reading but is not a substitute or replacement for classroom instruction.
- Other readings may be assigned throughout the semester and posted on Canvas.
Course Description
Public sector organizations such as governments and non-profits fulfill important roles in society, delivering widely varying services and products. Operations management, the analysis, design, operation, and improvement of the systems and processes that deliver goods or services, is critical for these organizations to achieve their mission, provide value to their many stakeholders, and effectively translate policy into action. This course equips students with capabilities and strategies to design, evaluate, and improve successful operations activities within government and non-profit organizations. The course is particularly relevant in the context of the DC metropolitan area where public sector is a key industry sector in terms of contribution to the area’s GDP and employment.
Course Website
Canvas holds, syllabus, lecture notes, announcements, and assignments:
- Canvas will be updated continually. Throughout the semester, new documents may be created, and existing documents may be changed as appropriate.
- Canvas is not a substitute or replacement for classroom instruction. It is provided solely to augment classroom presentation and discussion of the material.
- All Canvas Courses users log in via the Canvas website. The username is the same as your George Mason NetID. The password is the same as your George Mason email account.
Course Objectives
Mason Core is George Mason’s general education program that builds the foundation for the George Mason Graduate – an engaged citizen and well-rounded scholar who is prepared to act. Mason Core is a set of required courses that create the foundation of a student’s undergraduate degree. It provides a breadth of liberal education courses, complementing the depth of knowledge and skills students build in their majors and minors.
Mason Core prepares students for work in their majors and minors, for their careers, and for life-long learning. Foundation courses build key knowledge and skills needed for academic success. Exploration courses provide a breadth of learning across the university. Integration courses include upper-division courses that are designed to integrate knowledge and skills learned from Foundation and Exploration courses into the major. Courses are designed around learning outcomes that help develop the qualities we expect of all students graduating with a bachelor's degree from George Mason University.
Upon completing this course, students should be able to:
- Differentiate between public vs. private-sector management practices.
- Identify opportunities to improve operations.
- Analyze, develop, and present operations improvement ideas and concepts in oral and written form.
Grading
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
- Class Attendance | Participation
- Weekly Discussion Posts
- Team Presentations
- Quizzes
- Final Exam
*All assignments, quizzes and exams, etc., are eligible for ad hoc make-up work to ensure students have every opportunity to meet course goals.
Class Attendance | Participation
Since a substantial part of this class is devoted to group discussions, attendance is expected. That said, it is expected that students may need to be late or miss class for several reasons – to support professional courtesy it is asked that those instances be coordinated with both the instructor and the student’s group prior to class.
- Performance is highly associated with initiative and proactive time management, as well as weekly participation in discussion forums.
- Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes; attendance will be taken each week during class.
- Canvas and email will be the primary method of communication outside of class. Students are expected to regularly check Canvas and respond to discussion threads.
- Class participation consists of active engagement in discussions. My teaching method relies heavily on in-class discussion, so participation is highly encouraged. Students are expected to have read all assigned readings prior to class each week and to contribute to both group and class discussions.
- The student is solely responsible for all assignments and material presented in class even if missed due to absence.
Team Presentations
During the course, teams will be formed to facilitate idea generation, problem solving, and course discussion. The class size will decide the group sizes and structure and will remain in place throughout the course. During the team discussion facilitations, teams will select a public sector organization and work together to facilitate course discussion, highlighting the organization’s mission and structure. Teams should focus on highlighting the selected organization’s operations and highlight mission drivers and thoughts on areas for potential improvement.
More detailed information about team presentations will be provided during course discussions.
Course Grade
- Students must be officially registered in this section to receive a grade. It is the sole responsibility of the student to verify their own registration status. Specifically, you will not receive a grade if your name does not appear on the official class list. Registration problems should be directed to either the SOM Office of Student Services or the Registrar’s Office.
- The final letter grade is assigned objectively according to the numerical scores of all course work and exams.
- Final course letter grade assignments:
| Grade | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A+ | 97-100 |
| A | 93-96 |
| A- | 90-92 |
| B+ | 87-89 |
| B | 83-86 |
| B- | 80-82 |
| C+ | 77-79 |
| C | 73-76 |
| C- | 70-72 |
| D | 60-69 |
| F | 59 or lower |
Weekly Topics | Schedule
The tentative list of topics is given on the next page. The list below follows the basic order and coverage of topics in the required text. The list and dates are subject to change during the semester.
| Week | Topics |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Public Sector Operations Management |
| 2 | Strategy and Service Design (1) |
| 3 | Strategy and Service Design (2) |
| 4 | Strategy and Service Design (3) |
| 5 | Responsiveness and Resourcing (1) |
| 6 | Responsiveness and Resourcing (2) |
| 7 | Performance Management and Measurement (1) |
| 8 | Performance Management and Measurement (2) |
| 9 | Improvement (1) |
| 10 | Improvement (2) |
| 11 | Improvement (3) |
| 12 | Supply Chain Management (1) |
| 13 | Supply Chain Management (2) |
| 14 | Conclusion/Wrap-up |
| Finals | Final Exam |
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