Dr. Brett S. Sharp, Assistant Professor, has considerable experience as a public administrator. He received his Ph.D. and Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science/Public Affairs from Oklahoma State University. He is currently the Associate Director of the Oklahoma Policy Research Center at UCO.  He is the immediate past president of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

Office Hours:  MWF 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM and W 7:00-7:30 PM (and by appointment)

Office:  LAR 102-J

Email: bsharp@ucok.edu

Telephone:  (405) 974-5526

Fax: (405) 974-3823

Web Site:  http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/political/faculty/sharp/index.html 

This course is a graduate level overview of contemporary techniques and strategies for procurement and inventory management in the public sector. This course provides an overview of control mechanisms for complex logistics systems. Specific areas covered are systems engineering, acquisition and production, operations management and just-in-time inventory. The interplay between quality procurement control and political responsiveness will be emphasized.

The student will read from a variety of sources including assigned textbooks on public sector procurement management and inventory control. The student will write a series of review essays (or one complete review essay) outlining contemporary practices in procurement management.

MEETINGS WITH INSTRUCTOR

Discussion of the assigned readings is an important part of succeeding in this course and is required of all students. Meeting with the instructor provides an opportunity for you to ask questions, clarify issues, and deepen your understanding of the concepts covered in the assigned readings. If you are unable to make a meeting as arranged, you are responsible for rescheduling at the instructor’s convenience and availability.

EVALUATION METHODS AND GRADING

    90 -100=A

    80 - 89=B

    70 - 79=C

    60 - 69=D

      0 - 59=F

Grading components include:

        Book and Technical Article Review Essay(s) 80%

        Meetings with Instructor 20%

REQUIREMENTS FOR BOOK/TECHNICAL ARTICLE REVIEWS

Prepare either a 15-20 page, double-spaced typewritten review essay over the assigned readings. Use Scott and Garrison’s The Political Science Student Writer’s Manual as a guide. Your review should be in the form of an essay which includes a concise summary and more extensive analysis of the main textbook (Langford) supplemented by the technical aspects contained in the DIANE article series. As part of your analysis, answer the following questions within the text of your report:

The book review(s) will be graded on format, grammar, ability to summarize key points, and quality of analysis.

ADA STATEMENT

The University of Central Oklahoma complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should make their request by contacting the coordinator of Disability Support Services at 974-2549. Their office is located in the Administration Building, Room 319. Students should also notify their instructor of special accommodation needs by the end of the first week of class.

REGENTS’ STATEMENT

It is expected that a full-time college student will spend a minimum amount of time each week in class attendance and study out of class approaching a 40-hour week. A person employed on a full-time basis should not simultaneously expect to maintain a full-time academic schedule.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Cheating = Failure (please refer to attached Academic Integrity Statement). Cheating is unacceptable conduct and will result in an automatic grade of "F" for the course, and be reported to Academic Affairs. Students are required to do all of the work for this class on their own. Copying answers to exercises or examinations from anyone constitutes cheating. Allowing another student to copy one’s answers will be treated as cheating. A student may discuss exercises and case briefs with others before preparing his or her own answers, but the answers must be each student’s own work product. Consulting with the instructor about any assignment does not constitute cheating and is encouraged.

The Political Science Department of the University of Central Oklahoma is asking all students taking political science courses to read the following Academic Integrity Statement. Our purpose in doing so is to ensure that all our students are aware of what is improper academic behavior.

Academic Integrity Statement

As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The Political Science Department expects that its students will conduct themselves honestly. This means, above all, that students submit for credit work that is the product of their own efforts. Principles of academic integrity require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit, and that students refrain from any and all forms of dishonorable conduct in the course of their academic work.

The examples and definitions given below are intended to clarify the standards by which academic honesty and integrity is judged. The list is merely illustrative of some of the more common infractions. It is not intended to be exhaustive. Any question a student has about what constitutes inappropriate behavior should be directed towards their instructor. The rule of thumb to follow is: If in doubt, ASK!

Plagiarism - Plagiarism is presenting another person’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism includes not only the exact use of another’s words, word for word, but also the paraphrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including the submitting of another student’s work as one’s own. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly, or creative indebtedness, and the consequences of violating this responsibility. In case of doubt, give a citation of the author you are using. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one's reliance on other sources is plagiarism. A plagiarized paper will result in a failing grade on the work in question, and perhaps, for the entire course.

Cheating on Examinations - Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination. Examples of unauthorized help include the use of notes, texts, or "crib sheets" during an examination (unless receiving instructor approval), or sharing information with another student either during or after an examination.

Falsification - It is a violation of academic honesty to misrepresent material or to fabricate information in an academic exercise or assignment (e.g. false or misleading citation of sources, the falsification of the results of experiments or of computer data).

Multiple Submissions - It is a violation of academic honesty to submit substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once without the explicit consent of the instructor to whom the material is being submitted the second time.