Midterm 2: Select 3 Of The Following 5 Case Studies. ✓ Solved

MIDTERM 2: Select 3 of the following 5 case studies. For eac

MIDTERM 2: Select 3 of the following 5 case studies. For each selected case study, write an essay of at least 250 words. Begin the response for each case study with the case study title. Essays should be double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point. Cite all information in APA format; use the textbook and at least one academic source from the Barry online library. Include a cover page in APA format and a single reference page at the end for all references. This is an Open Book mid-term. Work alone; not a group exam.

Case Study 1: From Chapter 1

Solyndra and Subsidies

Solar cell maker Solyndra went bankrupt despite receiving $528 million in federal loan guarantees. The company took out a loan directly from the Federal Financing Bank, which is part of the Treasury Department, so when the company filed for bankruptcy and it became evident that it would not be able to repay its loan, the Obama administration was attacked by its critics for participating in the deal. This incident brought the entire Obama clean energy program under scrutiny, although only two out of about forty projects that received loans through the program defaulted. As an employee for the Department of Energy, you have been tasked with writing a report analyzing the issues associated with Solyndra and with the image of the clean energy program. You are to draft a response to summarize your results and providing recommendations for future improvements to the program. Consider the following to assist you in drafting the response: 1. Could this incident have been prevented? How could the government have better managed the fallout from the bankruptcy? What factors contributed to the situation? 2. Why has this one failure had such an impact on the public’s confidence in the government’s ability to spur economic development? How can the government get the public to focus on the many successes of the program? 3. How much risk should the government take on in programs such as this one? How can that risk be mitigated? 4. What changes could be introduced to the program in the future? How will these changes affect the program’s effectiveness?

Case Study 2: From Chapter 2

U.S. Postal Service and the Internet

The rapid expansion of the Internet caused a decline in the U.S. Postal Service’s core business: first-class mail. The USPS was slow to adapt its business practices to the new market, failing to offer Internet-based services quick enough to be competitive with private sector companies. An attempt in 1999 to provide online stamp and parcel-postage purchasing failed due to the organization’s inflexibility and inertia. The USPS has since caught up to its private sector competitors and offers many web-based services, but has been unable to increase its share of the market. You work in the marketing department of the United States Postal Service. You have been asked to examine the existing public image of the USPS and provide suggestions for improving that image. Prepare a memorandum or response detailing your analysis and suggestions while considering the following to assist you in drafting the response: 1. Is there a discrepancy between the services USPS offers and the services that its competitors offer? If so, which services might be worth developing and why? 2. Is the public aware of the services available to them? If so, is there a way to create customer preference for USPS services? If not, how can these services be advertised? 3. What are the key drivers of innovation in the postal service? What obstacles in the organization currently prevent timely innovation?

Case Study 3: From Chapter 3

Pay-for-Performance Incentives in NYC Schools

School districts across the country adopted pay-for-performance incentives in the early 2000s in the hopes of improving student outcomes. However, a Rand Corporation study of two hundred New York City Schools between 2007 and 2010 found that programs offering annual bonuses to teachers for school performances had no measurable effect on student outcomes. You work for the New York City Department of Education and have been tasked with filing a report on the lack of success of pay-for-performance incentives. You are expected to come up with alternative incentives for the department to try. Prepare a response, which considers the following questions to help you draft your response: 1. What caused the failure of these programs? How were they developed and implemented? 2. How were the results of the programs measured? Were they measured effectively? 3. What are some other possible ways to incentivize teachers? How can these plans be implemented? How might they be measured? 4. Who would implement these programs? Is there a need for additional staff to implement them?

Case Study 4: From Chapter 5

Organizational Structures of the U.S. Department of Energy and the EPA

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is organized by program, management function, and geography. It also has a geographic substructure, but most staff people are in program units. In contrast, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is geographically based; it is divided into ten regional offices headed by regional administrators who report directly to the national EPA administrator in Washington. You work as an internal consultant for the state of New York. You have been asked to analyze the structure of two major U.S. organizations: the DOE and the EPA. Prepare a response describing and analyzing the two organizations’ structures. This memo will be used to evaluate the structure of state agencies. Consider the following to assist you in drafting the response: 1. Why were these organizations created? How did this affect the way they are structured? 2. What trade-offs did each organization have to make when choosing the particular structure they chose? 3. What criteria could be used to evaluate an organization’s structural needs? Is there a way to standardize the process of structuring an organization? 4. How might a state agency approach structure differently from the way a federal agency would?

Case Study 5: From Chapter 6

New York City’s 311 Call System

In 2002 Mayor Bloomberg introduced a call system to track citizens’ complaints and concerns. The system allowed citizens to report potholes that needed to be filled, neighborhoods that needed policing, and other issues. Citizen use of the system led the city to realize that it needed to develop a new system of responding to complaints, because many of the reported problems crossed the boundaries of various city departments. The system was later expanded to allow citizens to submit concerns using the Internet and text messaging. Memo: You work for the City of Boston and have been asked to evaluate the New York City 311 Call system, as your boss would like to implement a similar program in Boston. Prepare a memorandum describing how the system works and analyzing its success while considering the following to assist you in preparing the response: 1. What system was previously used to discover areas of concern for citizens of New York? 2. How is the 311-call system innovative? How has it been adapted to remain relevant and useful? 3. What other innovation strategies were used in conjunction with this program? How did these strategies enhance the already successful program? 4. How might you ensure that a similar system has similar success in Boston? How would the new system be advertised to citizens? 5. Would the program originally be implemented as a pilot program? What agency would be responsible for processing the information gathered using the system?

Note: This is an Open Book mid-term. Use your textbook and at least one academic source from the Barry online library. Full APA citations required.

Paper For Above Instructions

Case Study 1: Solyndra and Subsidies. The Solyndra case illustrates the tension between public policy goals and market realities in energy subsidies. A primary lesson is that selective incentives, when not complemented by transparent risk management and rigorous due diligence, can generate political backlash and undermine public trust even if only a fraction of the portfolio underperforms. The government’s role should balance strategic energy objectives with risk containment, including structured milestones, performance reviews, and explicit exit and recapture provisions. Moreover, the Solyndra episode emphasizes communicating the policy rationale and broader portfolio context to the public to avoid misconstrued narratives about “picking winners.” In practice, preventive steps could include staged funding tied to independent technical reviews, diversified investment pools to spread risk, and clear disclosure about potential risks and anticipated returns (Roskin et al., 2014; GAO, 2011; DOE OIG, 2012). The public’s confidence can be regained by framing energy policy as a long-run portfolio strategy rather than a single-success/failure tale (Roskin et al., 2014). For future improvements, agencies should adopt risk-adjusted metrics, improve portfolio governance, and align incentives with measurable, verifiable outcomes (GAO, 2011; DOE OIG, 2012). The Solyndra episode does not erase the value of government support for emerging technologies; instead, it highlights the need for disciplined governance, staged risk, and transparent communication to maintain policy legitimacy (Roskin et al., 2014; NYTimes, 2011).

Case Study 3: Pay-for-Performance in NYC Schools. The RAND findings suggest that financial bonuses alone did not translate into improved student outcomes, underscoring that monetary incentives without supportive contextual factors—such as robust professional development, collaborative culture, and clear alignment with evidence-based instructional practices—have limited impact. Effective incentive designs should address multiple channels: teacher collaboration, professional growth, and feedback loops that link performance data to targeted support. Additionally, the measurement framework matters: if metrics do not capture meaningful changes in teaching quality or student learning, results may appear flat even when facets of practice improve. A multi-faceted approach—combining career ladder pathways, reflective practice time, mentorship, and non-monetary recognition—could yield better outcomes (RAND, 2010; Roskin et al., 2014). Implementation should proceed via pilot-testing with iterative evaluation, ensuring fair performance appraisal processes and preventing teaching-to-the-test distortions. Stakeholders, including teachers, principals, and unions, should participate in design and ongoing assessment to ensure legitimacy and feasibility (Roskin et al., 2014; RAND, 2010).

Case Study 5: NYC 311 Call System. The 311 system exemplifies how centralized citizen feedback can drive cross-department collaboration and improved service delivery. Its innovations—multi-channel reporting (phone, web, text), cross-department data sharing, and public-facing transparency—help address jurisdictional fragmentation and empower residents while enabling government to triage and track responses. Critical success factors include robust data governance, interoperable IT platforms, clear accountability for problem resolution, and continuous communication with residents about service status. To translate NYC’s success to Boston, the city should establish a similar centralized intake with clear SLAs, cross-department governance, and a strong communications plan. Early pilots should test scalability, privacy safeguards, and traffic management to ensure timely responses across agencies (NYC.gov, 2009; 311 case literature; Roskin et al., 2014). Advertising and outreach should emphasize ease of use, channels, and examples of resolved issues to drive adoption (NYC.gov, 2009).

References

  • Roskin, M. G., Cord, R. L., Medeiros, J. A., & Jones, W. S. (2014). Political science: An introduction (13th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
  • U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General. (2012). The Solyndra loan guarantee: A review of oversight and risk management. government reports and audits. (DOE OIG publication).
  • U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2011). Energy: DOE’s loan guarantees and program oversight. GAO reports. (GAO publication).
  • New York Times. (2011). Solyndra bankruptcy highlights risks in energy subsidies. Retrieved from nytimes.com
  • Washington Post. (2011). Fallout from Solyndra loan guarantees examination. Retrieved from washingtonpost.com
  • RAND Corporation. (2010). The effects of pay-for-performance on NYC public schools. RAND Education publications.
  • New York City Department of Education. (2010). Evaluation of pay-for-performance incentives in NYC schools. NYC DOE technical reports.
  • United States Postal Service. (1999). USPS to offer online stamp and postage purchasing. USPS press releases.
  • USPS Office of Inspector General. (1999). Audit of online postage implementation. USPS OIG reports.
  • New York City. (2009). 311 Call System overview and implementation. NYC.gov and related documents.

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