Public Personnel Management

Scenario for Assignments 1, 2, 3, and 4

For Assignments 1, 2, 3, and 4 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 1, 2, 3, and 4 before selecting your agency. This will ensure that the agency you select will be able to address the requirements of each assignment.

Assignment 1: Rationale and Analysis for Agency Selected, Part 1 (Due Week 3)

Assignment 2: Evaluation of Agency’s Public Personnel Administration, Part 2 (Due Week 5)

Assignment 3: Agency’s Law and Ethics of Hiring a Diverse Workforce, Part 3 (Due Week 7)

Assignment 4: Analysis of the Agency’s Policies, Procedures, and Plans – Unions, Privatization, Pensions, and Productivity, Part 4 (Due Week 10)

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.)

(Note: Guidelines for Interview Assignments at University [see Appendix]):

(1)  Before students engage in an interview assignment, they must adhere to these Guidelines for Interview Assignments at University:

(a)   The purpose of the assignment is to train students in interview/research methods, not to develop or contribute to research that can be applied to situations beyond that studied or that is created to share with others outside of the local academic setting.

(b)   No publication of projects containing the results of or information from the interviews is allowed, including publication in social media, blogs, or the Internet generally. The interview findings may only be shared in the class.

(2)   When presenting the results of their interviews to their instructor and / or classmates, students may not disclose personally identifiable information about an interviewee, unless they have received written permission from the interviewee as verified by their instructor.

(3)   All interviewees must be at least 18 years old.

Assignment 2: Evaluation of Agency’s Public Personnel Administration, Part 2

Due Week 5 and worth 250 points

Refer to the Scenario for Assignments 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Analyze the organizational design of the selected agency’s human resource management in relationship to the entire organization. Assess its strengths and weaknesses. (Title this section “Organizational Design”)
2. Assess the agency in terms of its global or international linkages, highlighting its application of theory to its approach to personnel management. (Title this section “Global Linkages and Personnel Management”)
3. Analyze at least three (3) of the major components of the agency’s human resource system’s goals and practices regarding the recruitment and hiring of a qualified workforce. (Title this section “Personnel Recruitment and Hiring Practices”)
4. Evaluate the agency’s approach to training and programs provided for new and existing employees for the development of knowledge, skills, and overall competencies, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses. (Title this section “Employee Skills Training”)
5. Recommend at least two (2) actions the agency could take to improve in the areas of recruiting and training a qualified workforce. (Title this section “Recruiting and Training Recommendations”)
6. 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. Visit the University Library to conduct research.

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.
• 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, revisions of the previous assignment, and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:

• Evaluate the major components of the public personnel management system