Assignment:
Scenario
For Assignments, you will take on the role of a consultant for a government agency. Your consulting firm has been asked by the agency to conduct background research, interview agency representatives, compile a report, and provide recommendations for improvement of their personnel management system. The first role of the consultant is to become familiar with the agency, its departments, and key actors. You will develop the assignment in four (4) parts, submitting each to your supervisor (your professor) who will review and grade your efforts.
Select one federal, state, or local government organization, and then select a department within that agency. Usually, you can find contact information on their website.Please note, each assignment builds upon the previous assignment. The agency you select in Assignment 1 must be used for all remaining assignments.
• Review website link: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/a
• Select a federal or state public agency.
• Review the directions for Assignments before selecting your agency. This will ensure that the agency you select will be able to address the requirements of each assignment.
1: Rationale and Analysis for Agency Selected, Part 1
2: Evaluation of Agency's Public Personnel Administration, Part 2
3: Agency's Law and Ethics of Hiring a Diverse Workforce, Part 3
4: Analysis of the Agency's Policies, Procedures, and Plans - Unions, Privatization, Pensions, and Productivity, Part 4
After selecting an agency and department, you are expected to:
1. Research the literature regarding issues that involve the selected agency and public administration in general.
2. Interview one (1) representative of the agency's department for the different sections of the paper. (Interviews can be conducted in person, by phone, or by an electronic method such as email.)
Write a three to four (3 to 4) page paper, titled "Rationale and Analysis for Agency Selected, Part 1"
- Provide background information about the agency's key historical events, mission, and goals / objectives. (Title this section "Introduction")
- Describe at least three (3) functions of this agency, highlighting the public it serves. (Title this section "Agency Functions")
- Analyze at least two (2) current events involving the agency that might have implications to personnel management. (Title this section "Agency News"
- Explain the rationale for selecting this agency with at least two (2) justifiable reasons. (Title this section "Rationale for Selecting Agency")
- Appropriately incorporate at least four (4) quality sources. A quality source can be either popular, such as a news article, or scholarly, such as peer reviewed works. In the case of public administration, government websites are appropriate quality resources. Note: Wikipedia, SparkNotes, and similar websites do not qualify as academic resources.
You may want to consider these government websites:
- U.S. Government website located at www.usa.gov
- Office of Personnel Management website located at www.opm.gov
- FedWorld website located at https://www.fedworld.gov/
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. When referencing Websites, make sure you follow APA formatting within the text and on the Reference Page.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.