Public

Public Management
Management

Course overview and instructions

Prof. Aleksandra Torbica

Course Responsible
Who are we?

Prof. Luca Brusati Prof. Aleksandra Torbica

luca.brusati@unibocconi.it aleksandra.torbica@unibocconi.it

TA: Rebecca Kirley

rebecca.kirley@unibocconi.it

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Learning objectives

 The main purpose of this course is to

introduce students to basic principles
and recent developments in the field of
public management and to understand
how to manage its interplay with
private firms

 By attending this course, students will

gain the conceptual underpinnings and
the managerial skills needed to
understand and deal with public sector
organizations

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Course overview: five blocks

1. Introduction: government 2. Strategy, financial & performance 3. Decision-making in

and governance management in public sector organizations public sector organizations

4. Business-government 5. NGOs, international

relations organizations & advocacy

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Learning assessment: attending students (1)

Students are expected to attend classes, always with their own device,
participate in active learning and hand in the group work by the
deadline. Evaluation for attending students is based on actual exposure
to content discussed in class and is distributed as follows:
 Group work (30%)
 Exam(s)
• Midterm option (35% + 35%); OR
• General exam option (70%)
 Continuous learning bonus (1 extra point)
Groupwork, in-class activities including incidents, guest speeches and
bonus tests are part of the program for the exam(s); by taking part in
class activities, you prepare for the exam(s) as an attending student
 
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Learning assessment: attending students (2)

Group work: content

 Students work as consultants in groups of five

to produce a position paper and an
accompanying slide pack supporting the point
of view of a firm, industry association or other
interest group of your choice for a
contemporary policy debate or proposed
government reform

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Learning assessment: attending students (3)

Group work: rules

 Detailed instructions on the group assignment will be provided
during class on 04 November 2020; presentation and discussion of
your deliverables will take place on 03 December, 2020
• All members must attend those classes, unless otherwise agreed with
the other members and authorized in advance by the instructor
 You must organize yourselves into groups of five students, with
each group including at least one Italian student (the work for the
client may entail consulting materials in Italian only)
 Please upload group membership by 29 October; after this date
we will no longer accept new group formations
• Please inform the TA in case you encounter problems while forming a
group (please do not wait until 29 October!)

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Learning assessment: attending students (4)

Exam(s) for attending students: content

 Both the midterm and the general exams are going to be based on
the slides posted on Blackboard, class notes, the materials
distributed in class (if any) and the readings

 The exam is in written form; it is made up of open-ended questions

regarding concepts, models and cases discussed in class and a short
business case
• open-ended questions aim to verify learning of the analytical and
management abilities and their correct comprehension
• business cases are based on skills developed through the in-class
interactive learning and are used to assess the ability to apply the
knowledge and skills learned during the course

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Learning assessment: attending students (5)

Exam(s) for attending students: rules

 Attending students have two options:
• First midterm on 26-10-20 + second midterm on either 17-01-21 or
03-02-21
• General exam on either 17-01-21 or 03-02-21
 To pass a midterm or general exam, students must obtain at least 15/30
(obviously provided that the total weighted grade is at least 18/30)
 In case you fail the first midterm, you are allowed to take a general exam
as an attending student
 The status of attending student is valid up until February 2021; exam
sessions of Summer 2021 are for non-attending students only
 A second midterm and a general exam reserved exclusively to incoming or
outgoing exchange students are scheduled on 18 December 2020

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Learning assessment: attending students (6)

Continuous learning bonus: content

 Active in-class participation is aimed at testing students’ ability to
interact in a constructive way and to think critically; it will be
evaluated with five short, multiple-choice assignments (one per
block) distributed during class time without prior notice
 You will need your own device to access and answer the tests

Continuous learning bonus: rules

 This part of the assessment will allow students to generate one
EXTRA point if they successfully complete at least three out of five
tests with a PASS grade
 Please consider this point is an extra: no exceptions will be made for
missed classes

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Learning assessment: non-attending students (1)

Exam for non-attending students: content

 Evaluation is based on a written general
exam on the entire textbook by Hughes. O.
(2018), Public Management and
Administration, New York, Palgrave, 5th
edition

 The exam is based on open-ended

questions aimed at verifying your
understanding of the functioning and
evolutionary patterns of public sector
organizations

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Learning assessment: non-attending students (2)

Exam for non-attending students: rules

 Non-attending students can only take general exams
 They are scheduled on four possible dates:
• 17-01-21
• 03-02-21
• 08-07-21
• 03-09-21

 A general exam for non-attending students reserved exclusively to

incoming or outgoing exchange students is scheduled on 18
December 2020

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