Department of Strategic Management & Public Policy

Department of Strategic Management & Public Policy

Strategy at the Intersection of
Business and Society
The Department of Strategic Management and Public Policy (SMPP) examines the critical forces shaping modern organizations—from competitive corporate strategy and business ethics to sustainability, corporate responsibility, and the relationships between business, government, and society.

Ethical, Inclusive Leadership for Global Impact
Grounded in the mission of the GW School of Business, the department prepares diverse leaders to make a positive impact on governance, the environment, labor markets, and society through principled decision-making and strategic insight.

Research in Action—Powered by Washington, D.C.
SMPP leverages its proximity to federal agencies, policymakers, nonprofit organizations, and global institutions to connect strategy and public policy in meaningful ways. Faculty bring deep experience across business, government, and nonprofit sectors, producing influential research that informs real-world decision-making in both private and public arenas.

How does the Strategic Management & Public Policy Department Make an Impact?

Dr. Vontrese ("Voni") Pamphile's research on company values and ethics is directly applied in her classroom, where students think critically about workplace culture. Sharing her research about an increasingly relevant topic for business leaders has inspired students to lead change in their own organizations and beyond.

In addition to its two signature programs, the department provides courses that serve students across the business school, integrating strategy and public policy into a broad range of academic pathways.

Undergraduate Courses

BADM 2001. Markets and Politics.

Economic and political resource allocation; social and political influences on business organizations; contemporary problems and issues. (Englander, Rivera, Perry, Choate)

BADM 2001W. Markets and Politics.

Economic and political resource allocation; social and political influences on business organizations; contemporary problems and issues. Restricted to students in the School of Business. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement (Englander, Rivera, Perry, Choate)

BADM 4101. Business Ethics and the Legal Environment.

Introduction to practical reasoning at the intersection of business and society. Focus on application of ethics frameworks and key dimensions of the legal environment to problems of individual, organizational, and social responsibility in business. Restricted to juniors and seniors. (Pamphile, Bhargava, Misati, Bronner)

BADM 4101W. Business Ethics and the Legal Environment.

Introduction to practical reasoning at the intersection of business and society. Application of ethics frameworks and key dimensions of the legal environment to problems of individual, organizational, and social responsibility in business. Restricted to juniors and seniors in the School of Business. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement. (Pamphile, Bhargava, Misati, Bronner)

BADM 4801. Strategy Formulation and Implementation.

Integrative capstone course designed to develop skills in diagnosing organizational problems, formulating and selecting strategic alternatives, and recognizing problems inherent in strategy implementation. Recommended for juniors and seniors. (Davis, Wade, Walter, Merluzzi)

Graduate Courses

MBAD 6281. Business Ethics.

Businesses are experiencing increasing challenges and opportunities to ensure that they demonstrate integrity in all of their activities, both internal and external to their operations. Perspectives, information, and skill development in advancing the value of integrity in business organizations. (Englander, Gehman, Bhargava, Bronner, Choate)

MBAD 6284. Business and Public Policy.

Provides a foundation for understanding business in its broader social context; emphasis on interaction of the market system and public policy process. Instructor’s active guidance with students to develop a public policy strategy proposal for a live partner. (Englander, Gehman, Bhargava, Bronner, Choate)

MBAD 6286. Strategic Management I.

An introductory approach to strategic management, stressing the general concepts and methodologies used in strategic management and providing a foundation for the MBA learning experience. (Merluzzi, Halliday)

MBAD 6287. Strategic Management II.

An integrative approach to strategic management, stressing the general manager’s perspective, strategy formulation, implementation of strategy and policy, and evaluation and control of strategy in various types of organizations. (Merluzzi, Halliday)

MBAD 6288. Strategic Management.

An integrative approach to strategic management; general manager's perspective, strategy formulation, implementation of strategy and policy, and evaluation and control of strategy in various types of organizations. (Wade, Merluzzi, Walter, Halliday)

MBAD 6289. Business Ethics and Public Policy. 3 Credits.

Political, legal, social, economic, and ethical forces acting upon business. Interaction of the market system and public policy process in the development of law and regulation. (Englander, Gehman, Pamphile, Bhargava, Bronner, Choate, de los Reyes)

SMPP 6202. Business-Government Relations.

Historical and philosophical foundations of the business–government relationship. Regulation, international trade, and corporate political activities. Public policy issues facing business and the business community’s political response. (Englander, Forrer)

SMPP 6204. Strategy Concepts.

SMPP 6210. Strategic Environmental Management.

Examination and analysis of the orientation and actions of private, public, and nonprofit sectors in relation to their natural environments. Emphasis on organizational interaction and effectiveness, particularly regarding business firms and industry, on issues of environmental quality and sustainability. (Rivera)

SMPP 6215. Corporate Governance and Ethics.

The theory, practice, and public policy environment of corporate governance. Purpose, functioning, and responsibilities of boards of directors. Power, control, and compensation of corporate management. Shareholders and stakeholders. Corporate governance in comparative national settings. (Englander).

SMPP 6218. Topics in Business and Society.

Business engagement in policy making bodies through business organizations. Topics vary by semester. See department for more details. (Forrer)

SMPP 6290. Special Topics.

Experimental offering. Topics vary by semester. May be repeated once for credit provided the topic differs. (Wade, Merluzzi, Gehman, Forrer)

SMPP 6291. Ethics and Business

An in-depth, comprehensive exploration, analysis, and evaluation of specific for profit and nonprofit organization values, approaches, and outcomes related to multiple ethical ideals, systems, and practices. (Bhargava, Pamphile)

SMPP 6293. American Business History.

The history of American business institutions in manufacturing, distribution, transportation, and finance. Particular attention is given to the period since industrialization, with consideration of business institutions in their economic, legal, governmental, and social contexts. (Englander)

Doctoral Courses

SMPP 8321. Seminar in Strategic Management. 3 Credits.

Develops understanding of the major research streams in strategic management; exposure to theoretical research frameworks and methodological issues and approaches. (Walter, Wade)

SMPP 8331. Doctoral Seminar. 3 Credits.

Designing sound theory-based, empirical research projects for the study of questions relevant to the field of strategic management. (Wade, Gehman, Walter)