In this assignment, you will be laying the foundation for your final paper. Before you begin on a solution, you need to identify a clear, narrow problem. You cannot address complex social issues in a single effort at a single time. When addressing any complex problem, you need to operationalize it. That is, you need to make it clear, focused, and realistic. You will be identifying and clarifying the problem in this assignment, setting the foundation for future work. To make it more realistic, you will be doing this within the context of a specific agency. You will explore the broader issue, but you will be looking at how a specific agency should approach its "piece of the puzzle." To do this, you will need to consider the mission of the organization.
Many organizations have a mission statement. There is no specific format for a mission statement, and you may see them as either brief statements or lengthy papers. You may also see other organizational statements, such as vision statements, values statements, goals statements, or any combination of these. Most public agencies have such materials available online, and you will need to locate and reflect upon those materials to frame this foundational discussion of the problem you will use for your course project. If you cannot tie the problem to the mission of the organization, it might suggest mission creep, meaning the organization is beginning to delve into areas beyond its scope, which might suggest an imprudent use of resources.
The materials you generate for this assignment will be integrated into your final paper, so you will be refining them as you move forward. In this assignment, address the following:
1. Identify the public agency you wish to study.
2. Identify the problem on which you wish to conduct the policy analysis, with an evaluation of how that problem fits within the organizational mission.
3. Evaluate the potential costs and benefits of engaging in a policy analysis process to assess organizational problems and priorities.
4. Analyze factors you may use to frame the problem into a manageable scope.
5. Analyze contributing factors one must consider to determine if the problem has too broad or too narrow a focus, using examples to illustrate how the problem concerns the broader community.
6. Provide specific examples to explain how the problem affects the needs of all groups within the community.
7. Evaluate the organizational problem in terms of the organizational mission using a SWOT analysis.
8. Provide examples of how dealing with the issue reflects ethical practices by the public agency.
Assignment Requirements
· Resources: Your ideas must be supported with recent, scholarly sources that are properly cited and referenced in APA style.
· Number of pages: Your assignment should be at least 4–6 pages, double-spaced, excluding the cover page, abstract (if included), and references.
· APA style and format: All materials must be submitted in APA style and format (see Faculty Expectations for further information about APA).
o Remember, adherence to APA requires that all statements of objective fact that are not considered common knowledge must be supported by a credible source (using both a citation and a reference).
· Font: Times New Roman, 12-point.
· Introduction and Conclusion: Remember to include both an introductory paragraph and a paragraph of conclusions. This is a fundamental requirement of proper, standard American English.
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