Strategic Management and Public Policies

The course unit was designed to enable the progressive acquisition of knowledge and competencies, and does not require any specific prior training to achieve an adequate level of academic performance. It is important to have some linguistic knowledge of the English language, particularly in reading.

The entire course unit will be delivered in a face-to-face setting in-person teaching. Interactive and group management methodologies will be used in class to stimulate debate, questioning, and the consolidation of knowledge and competencies. The use of initial brainstorming as a participatory stimulus will be encouraged and valued, as well as research and problem-solving activities. Residual expository methods, in close correlation with active methodologies, will be predominant.

Considering the intended learning outcomes, the teaching methodologies will be diverse, namely:

(a) Expository – This method consists of the structured presentation of content by the lecturer, aimed at fostering understanding of concepts and strategic diagnostic tools, complemented by moments of interaction and discussion through real cases and practical exercises;

(b) Active – Interaction and discussion through the presentation of a summary of a scientific article prepared by the students; and

(c) Active – Project‑Based Learning, involving the development and presentation of a practical group case study.

The objectives of this Course Unit consist of: Addressing the different concepts of strategic management and Public Policies, stating their main differences; Provide an updated view of the different phases of strategic management; Contribute to the clarification, importance and differences between the different phases of strategic management and public policies; Highlight the importance and expectations of Stakeholders in the organization; Identify the usefulness of strategic management as a sustainable development tool; Recognize the importance of existence in the creation of public policies; Identify the different sectorial public policies in Portugal; and Knowing how to identify the different phases in the formation of public policies.

The development of this curricular unit aims to enable students to acquire a set of skills, namely: Systematically understand the entire environment in a strategic management process and in the definition of public policies; Be able to critically analyze this issue, integrating and interrelating acquired knowledge; Acquire the skills and abilities required in the context of research in the field of public policies; and Know how to assess and correlate the conceptual interdependencies underlying public policies in force or under construction.

At the end of the course unit, students should be able to:

– Explain what strategy is and justify the importance of strategic management in public sector organisations;

– Distinguish the specific features of strategic management in the public sector compared with the private sector;

– Formulate or analyse vision, mission and values statements appropriate for public organisations;

– Define strategic and operational objectives, recognising their characteristics and different types;

– Apply strategic diagnostic tools, including SWOT analysis, PESTEL analysis and Porter’s Five Forces;

– Differentiate and propose collaborative and competitive strategies suitable for the public contexto;

– Identify stakeholders, understand their expectations and integrate this analysis into strategic formulation;

– Assess and propose ways to diversify sources of funding;

– Recognise the role of knowledge management as a critical factor for innovation and continuous improvement in the public sector;

– Explain what public policies are and understand their role in governmental action;

– Identify and distinguish different categories of public policies;

– Understand who the political decision-makers are, their roles and the institutional framework in which they operate;

– Explain and analyse public problems, agenda-setting processes and the formulation of policy alternatives;

– Understand how the budget cycle constrains and enables public policies;

– Identify factors that facilitate or hinder policy implementation;

– Analyse cases of successful or problematic implementation; and

 – Apply and interpret evaluation results and discuss social, economic and institutional impacts.

1. The concept of strategy: The need for strategic management in the Public Sector

2. Components of the strategic management process

     2.1 Vision, mission and values;

     2.2 Objectives: characteristics and types; and

     2.3 External analysis (SWOT analysis, PESTAL and Porter’s five forces)

3. Strategy formulation

     3.1 Collaborative and competitive strategies;

     3.2 Involvement and expectations of stakeholders;

     3.3 Diversification of funding sources; and

     3.4 The importance of knowledge management in the public sector

4. Strategic implementation, evaluation and monitoring

    4.1 Short-term goals and action plans;and

     4.2 Assessment in the context of the Public Sector

Part 2 Public Policies

1. The study of Public Policies

2. The categories of Public Policy

3. Policy makers: framing

4. Policy Formation: Problems, Agendas and Formulation

5. Budget and Public Policies

6. Policy Implementation

7. Public Policies: impact and evaluation

Students who are, or are not, covered by the working‑student status may choose one of the three assessment methods described below:

1 – Final exam (100%).

2 – Periodic assessment (Exam 75% + Article summary (individual assignment) 25%).

Under this option, students must prepare a summary and an in‑class presentation of an article, provided by the instructor, on topics related to the course.

3 – Continuous assessment (Case study (group assignment) 75% + Article summary (individual assignment) 25%)

For the exams, the use of artificial intelligence tools, as well as the consultation of any other external sources, is strictly prohibited.

Regarding the preparation of the article summary (individual assignment), the use of artificial intelligence tools is not permitted.

For the group assignment, the use of artificial intelligence is allowed only to obtain complementary information, and its use must be explicitly indicated and cited. It is strictly forbidden to use artificial intelligence for structuring or writing the assignment.

For both individual and group assignments, in‑text citations and bibliographic references must comply with APA (American Psychological Association) standards.

Approval in this course unit requires, regardless of the chosen assessment method, a final grade equal to or higher than 10 points on a scale of 0 to 20.

If the chosen assessment method includes the article summary (individual assignment) and the case study (group assignment), students must obtain a minimum grade of 10.00 points in each of these components.

In the specific case of periodic assessment, the minimum required grade in the exam is 8.00 points.

The formation of the group and the choice of the topic will be the responsibility of the students, with each group consisting of two members.

The chosen topic must be strictly aligned with the syllabus content defined for the course unit.

The date for identifying group members and the topic to be addressed will be set with the instructor during the first class.

No changes to group composition and/or topic selection are allowed without prior proposal and authorization from the instructor.

The group assignment must be submitted exclusively through Nónio – infor‑estudante, in PDF format, on the date and time defined by the instructor in class. Failure to comply will result in a grade of zero.

The group assignment must be presented on the agreed date, and all group members must participate in the presentation.

If a student is unable to attend the presentation on the scheduled date, the following procedures apply:

A – Changes to presentation dates will be highly exceptional. They will only be validated if the justification provided is accepted by the instructor, up to one week before the originally scheduled date.

B – In group assignments, if one member is absent on the day of the presentation, the remaining members must present the work on the scheduled date. The absent student, if they contributed to the assignment, will receive only the minimum passing grade for this component.

C – Failure to attend the oral presentation without prior approval from the instructor results in a grade of zero for this component and requires the student to take the final exam.

If the instructor is absent, the presentations scheduled for that day will be moved to the next class.

Additionally:

1 – The assessment methodology of this course unit does not include the possibility of an oral exam;

2 – The number of members in each group may only exceed two if the group formally requests it and the lecturer grants approval. It should also be noted that group assignments composed of only one member will not be accepted;

3 – If the minimum grade in the exam component is not achieved, even if the individual assignment has a passing grade, only the absolute exam grade will be recorded, without weighting the individual assignment;

4 – Grades obtained in practical assignments will not be considered in the resit exam period; only the written exam grade will count.

NAO