Transportation Policy, Strategy, and Management

Engineering > Civil & Environmental Eng > Transportation Policy, Strategy, and Management

Transportation Policy, Strategy, and Management posted by member7_php on 2/27/2009

Add To Favorites

Abstract/Syllabus

Courseware/Lectures

Test/Tutorials

Transportation Policy, Strategy, and Management

Fall 2004

New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, overseen by the New York City Department of Transportation. (Image courtesy of the Sandia National Laboratories.)

Course Highlights

This course features a complete set of readings, and a series of lecture notes from the weekly discussions.

Course Description

This class surveys the current concepts, theories, and issues in strategic management of transportation organizations. It provides transportation logistics and engineering systems students with an overview of the operating context, leadership challenges, strategies, and management tools that are used in today's public and private transportation organizations. The following concepts, tools, and issues are presented in both public and private sector cases: alternative models of decision-making, strategic planning (e.g., use of SWOT analysis and scenario development), stakeholder valuation and analysis, government-based regulation and cooperation within the transportation enterprise, disaster communications, systems safety, change management, and the impact of globalization.

Syllabus

Course Objective

Transportation Policy, Strategy and Management is a survey course of current concepts, theory and issues in the strategic management of transportation organizations. Designed for graduate transportation, logistics, planning and engineering systems students, the objective of this course is to provide students with an overview of the operating context, leadership challenges, strategies and management tools that are used in today's public and private transportation organizations. As transportation operations occur within an environment where the roles of public and private organizations are often blurred, this course focuses on the patterns of conflict and consensus between government and industry in transportation. The following concepts, approaches and issues are presented: alternative models of decision making, strategic planning (e.g., use of SWOT analysis and scenario development), stakeholder valuation and analysis, government-business regulation and cooperation within the transportation enterprise, disaster communications, change management and the impact of globalization.

Course Requirements

Each class meeting will be a combination of lectures and group discussions. Lectures will integrate the assigned readings and other materials. Group discussion will examine a particular case, apply the concepts contained within the readings and integrate the lecture materials.

Students are expected to attend all classes and meaningfully contribute to group discussions. Readings are to be completed for the day they are listed. Students are responsible for being able to discuss specific policy problems in the context of the readings. Attendance and the quality of class participation will account for 10 percent of the final grade and will be considered in borderline grade cases.

Written work includes two 15-page papers. The first paper will provide policy analysis to a senior transportation official in government regarding a specific policy problem. The second paper will advise an executive in a private firm about a problem that could have global implications for their business. Assignments will be given in class. Each paper will be 45 percent of the final grade. Grading criteria includes demonstrating an understanding of the case material, integration and application of lecture and reading concepts, and the quality of written presentation.

Calendar

Table for calendar
LEC #	TOPICS	KEY DATES
1	Course Introduction
2	Alternative Models of Decision Making in Government and Business	Assignment I - The Rescission of the Passive Restraint Standard
3	Managing Uncertainty: Strategic Planning in Business
4	Managing Stakeholders and Problem Definition: Strategic Planning in Government
5	Government-Business Relations in Transportation: Patterns of Conflict and Cooperation
6	Government-Business Relations in Conflict: Regulating Transportation Safety
7	Government-Business Relations in Conflict: Regulating Transportation's Influence on the Environment	Assignment I due in class Assignment II to be handed out in class
8	Government-Business Relations in Cooperation: Transportation Research and Development
9	Government-Business Relations in Cooperation: Transportation Infrastructure Development
10	Privatizing and Outsourcing of Transportation
11	Crash! Strategic Management of Transportation Disaster
12	Change Management in Transportation
13	Globalization and Non-Governmental Organizations in Transportation	Assignment II due in class

Readings

LEC #	TOPICS	Readings
1	Course Introduction
2	Alternative Models of Decision Making in Government and Business	Isenberg, Daniel J. "How Senior Managers Think." Harvard Business Review (November-December 1984): 81-90. Lindblom, Charles. "The Science of Muddling Through." Public Administration Review 14 (Spring 1989): 79-88. Zaleznik, Abraham. "Management and Leaders: Are They Different?" Harvard Business Review (March-April 1992): 126-135. Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. "The New Managerial Work." Harvard Business Review (November-December 1989): 85-92.
3	Managing Uncertainty: Strategic Planning in Business	Wack, Pierre. "Scenarios: Shooting the Rapids." Harvard Business Review (November 1985): 122-135. Zack, Michael. "Developing a Knowledge Strategy." California Management Review (April 1999): 139-61. Mintzberg, Henry. "The Fall and Rise of Strategic Planning." Harvard Business Review (January-February 1994): 107-114
4	Managing Stakeholders and Problem Definition: Strategic Planning in Government	Jick, Todd D. "The Vision Thing." Harvard Business School Case 9-490-019 (1989): 1-7. Hazard, J. "Managing National Transportation Policy." Chapter 2 in The Federal Executive Setting. Washington, DC: Eno Foundation, 1989, pp. 31-43. Coughlin, Joseph F. "Can a Cabinet Official Innovate? Entrepreneurial Politics and National Transportation Policy." Public Works Management and Policy 1, no. 3 (January 1997): 209-223.
5	Government-Business Relations in Transportation: Patterns of Conflict and Cooperation	Vogel, David J. "The Study of Business and Politics." California Management Review 38, no. 3 (Spring 1996): 146-165. Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. "The Institutional Perspective on Management." Harvard Business School Research Note 9-897-185 (1997): 1-10. "Public Policy and the Manager." Harvard Business School Research Note (1993): 1-13.
6	Government-Business Relations in Conflict: Regulating Transportation Safety	Leone, Robert. "Technology-Forcing Public Policies and the Automobile." In Essays in Transportation Economics and Policy. Edited by J. Gomez-Ibanez, W. Tye, and C. Winston. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution 1999. pp. 291-323. ISBN: 0815731817. Lave, Charles, and Lester Lave. "Fuel Economy and Auto Safety Regulation: Is the Cure Worse than the Disease?" In Essays in Transportation Economics and Policy. Edited by J. Gomez-Ibanez, W. Tye, and C. Winston. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution 1999. pp. 257-289. ISBN: 0815731817.
7	Government-Business Relations in Conflict: Regulating Transportation's Influence on the Environment	"Unocal Corporation's SCRAP: Crushing Old Cars for Credit." Harvard Business School Case (1991): 1-18. Hart, Stuart. "Beyond Greening: Strategies for a Sustainable World." Harvard Business Review (January-February 1997): 67-78.
8	Government-Business Relations in Cooperation: Transportation Research and Development	Diebold Institute for Public Policy Studies. "The Need for Cooperation between the Public and Private Sectors," and "The European ITS Experience: Lessons for the United States." Chapter 5, and 7 in Transportation Infostructures: The Development of Intelligent Transportation Systems. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1995, pp. 63-72, 108-131. ISBN: 0275951561. Sisodia, Rajendra. "Singapore Invests in the Nation-Corporation." Harvard Business Review (May-June 1992): 40-50
9	Government-Business Relations in Cooperation: Transportation Infrastructure Development	Goetz, and J. Szyliowicz. "Revisiting Transportation Planning and Decision Making Theory: The Case of Denver International Airport." Transportation Research A 31, no. 4 (1997). "BAE Automated Systems: Denver International Airport Baggage-Handling System." Harvard Business School Case (1996): A:1-15, B: 1-3.
10	Privatizing and Outsourcing of Transportation	Truitt, Lawrence, and Michael Esler. "Airport Privatization: Full Divesture and Its Alternatives." Policy Studies Journal 24, no. 1 (1996): 100-110. Gomez, Jose A., and John Meyer. Going Private: The International Experience with Transport Privatization. Washington, DC: Brookings, 1993, pp. 22-36, 275-297. ISBN: 0815731795.
11	Crash! Strategic Management of Transportation Disaster	Ray, Sally J. Strategic Communications in Crisis Management. (Airlines) Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 1999, pp. 13-54, 95-115, 159-182, 241-249. ISBN: 1567201539. "Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Commuter Train and AMTRAK Train Collision." Harvard Business School Case (1990): 1-12.
12	Change Management in Transportation	Christensen, Clayton, and Michael Overdorf. "Meeting the Challenge of Disruptive Change." Harvard Business Review (March-April 2000): 67-76. Rosegrant, Susan, and Todd Jick. "Northwest Airlines Confronts Change." Harvard Business School Case (1996): 1-17.
13	Globalization and Non-Governmental Organizations in Transportation	Prahalad, C. K., and Kenneth Lieberthal. "The End of Corporate Imperialism." Harvard Business Review (July-August 1998): 69-80. Rosenzweig, Philip. "Mercedes-Benz." Harvard Business School Case (1993): 1-10.