Senior seminar

Assignment due at end of 45 hours
Through a written assignment, students will discuss the democratic mandates of accountability and transparency that are expected in a government or nonprofit
organization and how those mandates are carried out in the real world.

Accountability/ Transparency
• To whom are you accountable?
• Is this person willing to provide guidance to ensure that you are maximizing benefit from this internship and holding you accountable for your assigned tasks?
If not, what are his/her expectations?
• To whom is your organization accountable?
• If you are a government organization, how does your organization demonstrate accountability? If your place is work is a nonprofit organization, to whom is your
organization accountable?
• How does your organization try to attempt transparency and accountability?
• If you were a public manager, how could ensure that the organization is more accountable/transparent to those they serve or to their funders/taxpayers?
Assignment due at the end of 55 hours
Through a written assignment students will demonstrate effective use of problem solving skills and strategies.

In a written assignment, students will identify various approaches to resolving conflict that arises in legitimate differences in perspectives and viewpoints.

In a written assignment, students will use knowledge gained in the classroom to address change necessary to improve the function of the organization.
Administrative Challenges and Conflict
• You’ve been at the internship for 55 hours now. What are some of the challenges you have faced?
• What are some of the challenges your organization is facing, in your opinion?
• How does your organization go about addressing challenges?
• What would you change at your organization to improve any two of the following: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Morale, Revenue, Outcomes, Outputs? What do you
believe limits change in organizations? How can change be viewed as part of the goal, rather than a problem?
• Have you seen differing opinions about activities/goals in your place of work? How are they worked out? Who serves (the position, not the name) as the problem
solver in your organization?
• When there are differences in opinion, how are matters resolved?
• If you were a public/nonprofit manager, how would you deal with big challenges? How would you resolve conflicts?

Assignment due at the end of 65 hours.
In a written assignment, students will describe and analyze the organizational structure of their internship organizations and how that structure affects management
processes.
Organizational Theory
• Describe the organization chart for the organization for which you are working. Draw it on the computer, if you can or copy from the website. If you’re working
at a nonprofit, don’t forget the board.
• Does your organization feel like a typical bureaucracy? What are some of the elements of bureaucracy (remember PUBA 3000?) that are present? Do you think that
this encourages or stifles innovation? How could you ensure efficiency and effectiveness, while encouraging innovation?
• Do you think that this type of organizational structure works for your organization? Why or why not? How would you change it?
• How would you describe the organizational culture of your organization?
• If you were a public or nonprofit manager, what sort of culture would you attempt to establish in your organization?
Assignment due at the end of 75 hours
In a written assignment, students will discuss planning and performance in their internship organizations and how they might change or improve upon those processes.

Strategic Planning

One worthwhile activity some of you might like to undertake is leading a SWOTs analysis for your internship host. I can share forms with you, if you’re interested.

• What evidence do you see of planning in your organization?
• How would you define the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in your organization?
• What are the external trends affecting your organization?
• What are the internal trends affecting your organization?
• Create a goal with two measurable objectives with two tactics for each objective for your organization, based on your knowledge?
Assignment due at end of 85 hours
In a written assignment, students will assess the leadership skills necessary for work in their internship organization.

In a written assignment, students will analyze obligations of the public manager related to hiring and management of human resources and recommend means of improving
human resources management at their internship organizations.
Managing Human Capital/Leadership
• In the organization for which have been working, describe the leadership skills essential to the tasks of the top leader.
• Do you think that different skills would be needed in different leadership roles, depending on the job? Give examples from the workplace where you are spending
your internship.
• How does most communication in your organization take place? Do you think this is effective? How would you change communication pathways?
• How would you manage to be fair but inclusive in hiring?
• What are your obligations in recruitment and hiring?
• How are employees evaluated at your organization?
• If you were the public manager, is there anything you would change related to HR management?
Assignment at the end of 95 hours
In a written assignment, students will discuss the relationship between their internship organization and local, state, and federal governments.
Intergovernmental Relations/Government Interactions
• How is your organization influenced by the federal government?
• How is your organization influenced by state government?
• How is your organization influenced by local government(s)?
• Describe several ways that politics are important to the government or nonprofit manager in your organization?
• If you were the public manager in charge of your organization, how could you use politics to improve your operation/outcomes/outputs?
Assignment at the end of 105 hours
In a written assignment, students will discuss planning and performance in their internship organizations and how they might change or improve upon those processes.

Organizational Performance
• How is performance (organizational performance – not individual performance) measured at your organization?
• Name several performance goals that your organization has created and if you know the success if meeting those goals, please describe. If you aren’t sure, talk
to your intern host.
• How does your organization monitor/manage its performance targets? Who is responsible for oversight? Who is responsible for change?
• If you were the public manager, what are some of the performance measures you would create for your intern organization?
Assignment at the end of 115 hours
In a written assignment, students will discuss legal, regulatory, and ethical obligations of the internship organization, recommending how the organization and its
employees can ensure transparency and accountability.
Ethics
• What sorts of compliance activities exist at your organization?
• Are ethical principles included in the values statement of the organization?
• In day-to-day life at the organization, how do you see ethical behaviors exhibited?
• Where do you see ethical failures? (Don’t say names, but just generalize.)
• If you were the Public Manager, how would you go about ensuring ethical behavior?
• What could happen to the organization if codes of ethics, laws were broken?
• If you were the public manager, what measures would you add to ensure that the organization is ethical?