Two Favorite SPP Courses
While there are a variety of excellent classes offered by the School of Public Policy, two classes stand out in particular for me. These classes are PUBP 501 (Policy and Organizational Analysis) and PUBP 503 (Culture, Organization and Technology). These classes are offered every Fall and Spring semester. I took PUBP 501 last semester (Fall 2007) with Dr. Rainer Sommer and was immediately intrigued by the topics he covered in the course. Dr. Sommer's background and expertise in Enterprise Architecture makes his PUBP 501 section especially unique. The course examines "organizational dynamics" and how technology is altering it. Some of the topics covered in the course are: organizational structures, business process, strategic planning, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and enterprise integration. While technical in nature, Dr. Sommer takes a gentle and non-technical approach to teaching the subject which makes the material easy to absorb for students with a non-technical background like myself.
Having been satisfied with the material covered in PUBP 501, I decided to take PUBP 503 with Dr. Sommer. While some of the material in PUBP 503 overlaps with that of PUBP 501, its overarching theme is different. The course examines organizational structures (with emphasis on management) and how technology and culture affect it. In this era of change (technological and social), organizations need to adjust to keep up with an ever-changing global economy. Some of the topics covered in this course are: evolution of modern technologies (emphasis on telecommunications), globalization, organizational dynamics, organizational entrepreneurship, change management and much more. Once again, Dr. Sommer takes a non-technical approach, teaching the material conceptually instead of technically. Enterprise Architecture is a subject that most of are not aware of and will probably never study in-depth. Yet, it is something that is vital for modern organizations that are now competing in a global economy. I strongly believe that successful managers in the near future will be those that grasp these concepts.
Brian Jacob
Transportation Policy, Operations and Logistics
Having been satisfied with the material covered in PUBP 501, I decided to take PUBP 503 with Dr. Sommer. While some of the material in PUBP 503 overlaps with that of PUBP 501, its overarching theme is different. The course examines organizational structures (with emphasis on management) and how technology and culture affect it. In this era of change (technological and social), organizations need to adjust to keep up with an ever-changing global economy. Some of the topics covered in this course are: evolution of modern technologies (emphasis on telecommunications), globalization, organizational dynamics, organizational entrepreneurship, change management and much more. Once again, Dr. Sommer takes a non-technical approach, teaching the material conceptually instead of technically. Enterprise Architecture is a subject that most of are not aware of and will probably never study in-depth. Yet, it is something that is vital for modern organizations that are now competing in a global economy. I strongly believe that successful managers in the near future will be those that grasp these concepts.
Brian Jacob
Transportation Policy, Operations and Logistics
posted by School of Public Policy at
12:18 PM
1 Comments:
I would be interested in knowing other classes of interest as well as the professor who taught the course.
Thank You!
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