N13205 Business, Government and Public Policy

10 credits, Level 3, Spring Semester 2015

Details of Module Convenor and Teaching Staf
Dr Amanda Crompton (module convenor)
Location: C34, Business School North
Email address: Amanda.crompton@nottingham.ac.uk
Telephone No.: 0115 9515487 (please contact by email in the first instance)
Dr Jeannie Holstein
Location: C82, Business School North
Email address: lizjh@nottingham.ac.uk
Telephone No: 0115 846 6408 (please contact by email in the first instance)
Dr Stephen Timmons
Location: C16a, Business School North
Email address:Stephen.timmons@nottingham.ac.uk
Telephone No: 0115 846 6635
Availability Statement/Office Hours:
Amanda Crompton
Tuesday 13:30 15:30, Thursday 15:30 17:00
Jeannie Holstein
Available to see students on request. Please email for an appointment.
Stephen Timmons
Available to see students on request. Please email for an appointment.
Details of External Examiner
Professor Mike Geppert
Professor of Comparative International Management and Organisation Studies
The Surrey Business School
University of Surrey
Guildford
GU2 7XH
m.geppert@surrey.ac.uk
+44 (0)1483 68 3100
Contact Hours
11 x two hour lectures (which include in-class small group activities). During the
lectures class participation is required.
2 one hour seminars (TBC).

Method and Criteria of Assessment

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Exam
One 1.5 hour examination (50%) (scheduled between 18 th May 5th June 2015:
date to be confirmed)
The exam is essay based.
answered.

There will be five questions given.

Two must be

One 1,500 word individual coursework by essay (50%).

Essays
Essays should be 1,500 words in length (plus or minus 10 percent) and conform
to Nottingham University Business School requirements. They are individual
efforts, not group projects. They are also exercises in independent research, and
must show evidence of such. Independent research means self-directed research
beyond those readings suggested and/or supplied.
All essays will be checked for plagiarism and other unacceptable research
practices. Unacceptable practices include having someone else write the essay,
including professional services. All suspected cases will be referred to university
authorities for further action, including failure and further disciplinary action.
See http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual/appeals/offences.htm#defin.
Students are encouraged to discuss their proposed essay with the lecturer during
office hours or in seminar one prior to submission.
Essay Questions (based on lectures 1-6)
Answer one of the following:
1. Analyse the political actions of multi-national corporations/giant firms.
Using different political theories compare and contrast how each theory
accounts for their actions and improves understanding.
2. It is argued that the dominant economic model is based on liberal, free
market principles. What are the alternatives and how do these varieties of
capitalism compare?

3. Globalisation is beneficial for established companies in developed

countries. Discuss.
4. What is meant by the Entrepreneurial State? Critically discuss the use of
the term and the implications for government policy and business.
5. Compare the role of business lobbyists and pressure groups in influencing
the policy decision making process, focusing on the ethical and social
implications.
Deadline for submission of coursework
Coursework must be submitted to the undergraduate office by 2.00 pm,
Thursday 26th March 2015.
The University requires coursework feedback to be provided to students within
21 days of submission.
Lecture Timetable Slot and Location
JC-BSSOUTH-A25, Thursday 13.00-15.00
Spring Semester: 26th January 2015 19th June 2015
Teaching begins the week commencing 26th Jan 2015 and finishes week ending
8th May 2015 (please note the East Break is 27th March until the 27th April and
there will be no teaching sessions during this time)
Module Aims

To
To
To
To

understand policy formation and decision making.

understand the role of business in public policy.
understand the relationship between state and business.
think critically about the role of business in policy.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Knowledge and understanding
This module develops a knowledge and understanding of:
International issues in business and management
Public policy formation and decision making.
The role of business in public policy.
The relationship between state and business.
Intellectual skills
This module develops:
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 The cognitive skills of critical thinking, analysis and synthesis, including the
ability to identify assumptions, evaluate statements in terms of evidence, to
detect false logic or reasoning, to identify implicit values, and to define
terms adequately and to generalise appropriately.
Effective qualitative problem solving and decision making skills.
The ability to create, evaluate and access a range of options, together with
the capacity to apply ideas and knowledge to a range of business and other
situations.
Ability to critically evaluate and synthesis different and competing
theoretical approaches and readings.
Professional practical skills
This module develops:
Qualitative skills including the ability to work with case studies.
Transferable (key) skills
This module develops:
Effective oral and written communication skills in a range of traditional and
electronic media.
Effective self-management in terms of time, planning and behaviour,
motivation, self-starting, individual initiative and enterprise.
Learning to learn and developing an appetite for reflective, adaptive and
collaborative learning.
The interpersonal skills for effective listening, negotiating, persuasion and
presentation.

TEACHING METHODS & FORMAT

The module makes use of a number of teaching and learning activities that have
been designed to include compulsory elements (lectures) as well as optional
activities including the use of Twitter.
Lectures. The primary mode of teaching is through weekly two hour lectures.
The details of these lectures are provided below. They are designed to be
interactive and will provide you with a broad overview of eleven inter-linked topic
areas, which together will provide a detailed and sophisticated understanding of
the developments and challenges related to business, government and public
policy. Lectures will commence promptly at 13:00 and students are expected
and required to participate.
Moodle & Twitter The module makes use of the university moodle system as a
core resource for the module outline, lecture materials and core readings. It can
also be used for posting messages to the module convenor. For individual
queries, questions or to arrange personal tutorials you must contact the module
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convenor directly via e-mail. The module also makes use of twitter
(@nubs_bgpp) that will be used to post and discuss current social, political and
media events related to the module (the frequency of this service cannot be
guaranteed).

Getting in touch
You are encouraged to get involved and shape the module as we progress
through the semester. It is important for you to be able to get in touch with the
module convenor and other lecturers to share any concerns, discuss specific
topics and plans for assessment. To this end, please make full use of lectures (for
Q&A), book individual meetings, post messages on either moodle or Twitter and
mail any questions.

READING AND RESOURCES

The primary text for the module is:
Coen, D., Grant, W., and Wilson, G., Eds. (2010). The Oxford Handbook of
Business and Government. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Students should purchase this text where possible as there are limited copies in
the library. The chapters have some overlap, so the benefit will be cumulative
with the more you read, with some chapters applying to more than one lecture.
Parts I, II and III are particularly important.
Suggested journals

Governance

Journal of European Public Policy

Public Administration

Public Administration Review

Policy and Politics

British Journal of Political Science

American Political Science Review

Journal of Policy History

Australian Journal of Public Administration

In addition, you will be provided with a list of required reading for each week and
a list of suggested reading (see reading list under module resources on Moodle).

You are also encouraged to use university resources, search engines and daily
news media to read around weekly topics.
Lecture programme 2014/15
Lecture 1: Introduction to business, government and public policy
(Amanda Crompton) 29th Jan
In this introductory lecture we will ask what is public policy and consider how
business, government and public policy intersect. Students will be asked to
consider the interdependency between business and government and will be
introduced to some broad political concepts that are central to this module (e.g.
neoliberalism).

Lecture 2: Democratic capitalism and the firm (Jeannie Holstein) 5th Feb
In this lecture we will look at the role of government in democratic capitalism,
starting with a historical perspective and the formation of The British East India
Company. This precursor of the modern multinational corporation will be used to
develop a political analysis of the firm, introducing a better understanding of the
political actions of firms and the governments interest in them. We will explore
a number of different theories to support the analysis, including neoclassical
economic theory, pluralist theory, neo-corporatist theory and ideas of political
economy.
Lecture 3: Varieties of capitalism (Amanda Crompton) 12 th Feb
In this lecture we will explore capitalism as embedded in complex systems of
institutions. Through consideration of the varieties of capitalism (including
liberal market economies and coordinated market economies) students will be
asked to consider the extent to which capitalism is stable and enduring, or
adaptable and changing. In this lecture we will consider whether we can identify
a best form of capitalism and question the relative merits and shortcomings of
the VoC approach.
Lecture 4: Globalisation (Stephen Timmons) 19th Feb
We will examine whether globalisation is as recent a phenomenon as some
believe, and whether it is purely economic in nature. We will consider some of
the theories that seek to explain globalisation (specifically the work of Anthony
Giddens and Ulrich Beck). We will then look at some of the implications of
globalisation for both governments and corporations, including the decline in
power of national governments, branding and the whether multination
corporations are as powerful as they are sometimes claimed to be.
Lecture 5: Entrepreneurship and the State (Jeannie Holstein) 26 th Feb

In this lecture we will look at the role of the State as entrepreneur and risk taker,
critically evaluating what is meant by the term Entrepreneurial State. We will
explore government policy toward entrepreneurship, in both the hidden support
given to the larger firms, through public sector support to innovation, in different
national economies and more recently as a sponsor of small business growth,
particularly in the UK. We will approach this topic by deciphering the discourse
around entrepreneurship and innovation, which will also include direct
engagement with some key policy documents.
Lecture 6: The policy process: issues, decision making, outcomes and
consequences (Amanda Crompton) 5th March
In this lecture we will begin by considering the nature of public policy as the
decisions and actions taken by government to enhance the quality of life for its
citizens. The concept of a policy paradox (Stone, 1997) will be introduced to
consider how the foundations of policy ideals often clash with the challenges of
policy implementation. Throughout the session we will explore the various
stages of the policy making process with particular reference to the development
of megaprojects and the case of High Speed Rail 2.

Lecture 7: Lobbying, think tanks and business interests (Amanda

Crompton) 12th March
In this lecture we consider what constitutes lobbying and think tanks and
question their role in policy making and analysis. In so doing we draw on topics
such as power and influence, strategy and tactics and further consider the
relationship between business and the state. In this lecture we will further
consider the example of High Speed Rail 2 introduced in lecture 6.

Lecture 8: Policy-making in Government: Engaging with front-line

professionals (Ken Starkey) 19th March
This lecture will examine the complexities of strategy and leadership in the
public sector, with particular reference to government policy. It will focus on the
theory of strategy and leadership in the public sector and analyse their practice
in a consulting project Ken Starkey conducted for UK Government (the Cabinet
Office)and the Civil Service. The project commission from the Cabinet Office was
to analyse why government policy often failed to respond to the perceptions and
needs of citizens and of public sector professionals. The presenting problem was
to attempt to examine how the dispersed knowledge of front-line professionals in
public services could be captured and fed into central policy making and
development to improve service delivery. The consulting project involved
research into government, civil service cultures and comparisons with the private
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sector. The lecture will reflect on the problems of policy setting and
operationalisation in a context where faith in politicians is dwindling, both among
the consumers of public services and those responsible for delivering them on
the front line? The lecture will argue that better engagement and connection with
front-line public service workers, as an integral part of policy design and
development, will lead to more innovative and effective policies that make sense
to the front-line workforce, and deliver for service user.

Lecture 9: Public-private partnerships (Amanda Crompton) 26 th March

In this lecture we focus on the global policy phenomenon of public private
partnerships (PPPs). In so doing, we locate the rise of PPPs according to changes
in public service delivery and we draw on case study examples to consider what
success and failure for PPP arrangements. Special attention is paid to the
changing socio-political context that frames the introduction and proliferation of
PPPs.

Lecture10: Consumerism, policy and the rise of the citizen (Amanda

Crompton) 30th April
In this lecture we focus on the socio-political forces that influence consumer
policy and regulation. In so doing, we explore the relationship between the
state, businesses, consumers and institutions. The lecture will use case studies
to highlight the trend towards a consumer culture and the rise of the citizenconsumer. Students will be encouraged to consider the implications of these
trends for public services in contemporary society.
Lecture 11: The regulatory state (Stephen Timmons) 7th May
As we saw in Lecture 2, the state and the corporation have been inextricably
linked since the beginning of the modern era. In this lecture I will discuss the
debates around state regulation of corporations and markets. We will look at
different models of this relationship globally, and consider some of their
strengths and weaknesses.
This Module Outline should be read in conjunction with your Student Handbook.
Past/Sample Examination Paper (if applicable)
For Past/Sample Examination Papers, link to moodle.nottingham.ac.uk, navigate to this
module and click Past Papers.
If the syllabus has changed significantly, or this is a new module, you should upload a
sample examination paper to the relevant section on Moodle.
Module Details on Moodle
The web address for Moodle is moodle.nottingham.ac.uk. Moodle contains the definitive
module specification (including all assessment details), past exam papers, and
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assessment feedback and review pages. You can see information on previous student
performance and SEM feedback on the module. For most modules, Moodle also contains
online tutorial sign-up lists, module forums, module news and announcements, and a
module home page that provides access to online materials such as electronic copies of
lecture handouts.
Feedback on Teaching
The School operates a system of formal teaching appraisal (termed SET/SEM). You may be
asked to complete a short on-line questionnaire relating to the teaching on this module.
Your co-operation would be very much appreciated, as we value feedback to maintain the
quality of our programmes. SET/SEM is completed online Evaluate.
Accessibility/Disability
If you would like a hard copy of this or other documents in an alternative format, or have
other concerns around issues of accessibility please contact the Module Convenor or
Teresa Bee (the Schools Disability Liaison Officer).
Reading List
See link on Moodle for full reading list.