Assignment
1: Rationale for Agency Selected
Due Week 2 and worth 100 points
For this and the following assignments, which will become a major part of your
portfolio, you will take on the role of a consultant for a government agency.
The first role of the consultant is to familiarize yourself with the agency,
its departments, and key actors. Select a local, county, state, or federal
agency and a department within the agency. Usually, you can find contact
information on their Websites.
After selecting an agency and department, you are
expected to:
1.
Provide a rationale for your
selection, and research the agency and department.
2.
Interview at least two (2)
representatives of the agency’s department for the different sections of the
paper. (If you can obtain more than two (2) different interviews, do so. The
more perspectives, the better. Interviews can be conducted in person, by phone,
or by an electronic method such as email.)
3.
Research the literature regarding
issues that involve the selected agency and public administration in
general.
Assume the role of a consultant who works for a
consulting firm that has asked you to research this agency and file a report
with the Vice President (VP) of Accounts and Client Support.
Write a two to three (2-3) page paper, titled Part I: Background of and
Rationale for the {Selected Agency} in which you separate the content into
sections:
1.
Provide background information
about the agency and its department, mission, and its goals / objectives.
(Title this section Introduction.)
2.
Describe three to five (3-5)
functions of this agency. (Title this section Functions of the Agency.)
3.
Analyze two to three (2-3)
current events involving the agency. (Use the e-Activities from Week 1 and Week
2.) (Title this section Current Events.)
4.
Explain the rationale for
selecting this agency with two to three (2-3) justifiable reasons. (Title this
section Rationale.)
5.
List four to five (4-5) academic
sources and government Websites you expect to access in your research. (Include
no more than one (1) non-government Website.)
Some Websites you may want to
access are:
·
U.S. Government Printing Office
located athttp://www.gpo.gov/
·
The Federal ter located
athttp://www.federalregister.gov/
·
U.S. Government Accountability
Office located athttp://www.gao.gov/
·
American Society for Public
Administrators located athttp://www.aspanet.org/public/
When using these sites, please make sure they follow APA formatting within the
text and on the Reference Page.
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 format. Check with your professor for any
additional instructions.
·
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 sections must have appropriate titles. The
cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment
page length. The assignment must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
·
Examine the basic components and
functions of public sector administration.
·
Recommend ways to improve
specific areas of public administration.
·
Use technology and information
resources to research issues in public administration.
·
Write clearly and concisely about
public administration using proper writing mechanics.
Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic/organization
of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.
Clickhere to view the grading rubric.
