Case study I
Please read the Case Study and Case Study Guide instructions for Case Study Analysis before starting the assignment.
Case 1 County options: To tax or not to tax.pdf (attached in another file)
You are required to answer the following two questions:
Should a professional administrator advise an elected official on a matter of political strategy such as this? Why or Why not? If so, are there any limitations on the kinds of advice that can be given? For instance, can Anderson advise the mayor on the political consequences for him personally if he assumes leadership of the income tax campaign? If not, how should Anderson explain his position to the mayor?
Based on the readings from the book chapter, should the mayor recommend a local income tax package to the SaylorPark City Council? Which taxes should the proposal contain?
Case Study Guide instructions
Executive Summary Guide
Case Study Analysis
(ESGCSA)
For Answering the Discussion Questions
Use of Case Studies and the Case Method
Guide for Case Study Analysis
Case studies for analysis are listed in the activities for each week with noted discussion questions assigned. For the most part, these cases are taken from actual experiences of public administration and government agencies. The cases are used to stimulate inquiry into the applicability of the concepts and theories presented in the listed articles and in the lectures. The problems in the cases should lead students to a deeper appreciation of the theoretical material and its strengths and limitations in assisting the administrator faced with real problems. Using the concepts, theories and definitions from the textbook, articles immediately preceding the case studies and the power point lectures, you are to support your observations and recommendations within your Case Study Executive Summary, with the following guidance given:
You should be able to answer the discussion questions for each case study activity with the supporting information outlined above in a 500 to 600 word (Total for All Discussion Questions) Executive Summary essay. Using the scoring rubric noted,
CASESTUDYANALYSISRUBRIC develop your essay with a view to a solution(s). Please, do not write from a “first or second person” perspective. This means do not use “I” or “we’. Use a “third” person point of view. The focus (and space for your responses) should be directed at answering the response questions (Use proper citation in case you make reference to any scholarly article or textbook).
One example of this position would be: Picture yourself in the movie theatre and as you are watching the movie, you are describing the various scenes to another person. In essence, you are telling a story in your executive summary essay in answering the discussions questions.
When complete, post and upload your Case Study (With the Number Listed) Executive Summary to the Assignment Area. Do not send via email. You will be sharing your comments to the other student’s Executive Summary Main Points in the session with Dr. George Atisa and the Coaches, either Dr. Bridges or Dr. Blumberg .
A Caution about Case Study Analysis:
Analyzing cases and making recommendations is not a substitute for reading and understanding the theories and concepts presented in the various articles and discussed in the online lectures. Case studies and text should complement each other. The case studies will offer an opportunity to apply some of the textual ideas, concepts, and theories to a real life situation (at least to a real situation described in the text book).
This type of study will not be easy. Some students will be frustrated by an inability to fit the article readings to the case study because the transition from theory to practice is difficult for everyone. They may also feel that they do not have enough facts. Public sector executives, in their daily jobs, seldom have all the relevant facts, but they still make decisions. In the case study situation also, with its limited information, a decision must be reached with the data given in the case.
Finally, some will be concerned with the difficulty of knowing whether their report is right or wrong or meets the grading criteria within the rubric. The solutions are not all right or all wrong. All recommendations will have strengths and weaknesses. The best answer is the one with the greatest number of strengths and fewest weaknesses as determined by the specific situation. Simple answers exist only for simple problems and presumably; students in this class aspire for something higher. Just as in the actual affairs of any manager, there is probably no one correct solution to any case, but there are incorrect solutions. Therefore, students should be prepared with a well thought-out justification for their recommendations.
In summary, cases do not provide “approved solutions”. But, cases can give students a better insight into the modern world of public administration, knowledge of what it is like for some actual managers, and finally some modest practice in converting the theories into action. For learning to take place through experience, students must be willing to commit themselves. They must be willing to be wrong in public. Only by taking positions and offering recommendations, can students test themselves against fellow classmates and instructors.
case_study.pdf