Public Administration Final Exam Flashcards
The Spoils System
Practice of awarding government jobs to one’s political supporters, as opposed to awarding them on the basis of merit
Veteran’s Preference
Special merit earned by a service man or woman who had honorable military service… Extended to wives and widows of veterans….. Variant of patronage when veterans were given first preference for jobs after the civil war
Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972
Amendment to title 12 of the civil rights act that strengthened the authority of the equal employment commission and extended antidiscrimination provisions to state and local governments and labor organizations with 15 or more employees, and to public and private employee agencies
Equal Employment Opportunity
Refers to employment procedures and practices that are intentionally or unintentionally discriminatory in the areas of race, color, gender, religion, and national origin… Now includes age, pregnancy and disabilities.
Title XII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Federal law that prohibits employees from discriminating against employees based on sex, race, color, national origin, and religion….. banned pregnancy discrimination
Transformational Theory of Leadership
Leadership that strives to change organizational culture and directions. It reflects the ability of a leader to develop a values-based vision for the organization, to convert the vision into reality, and to maintain it over time.
Transactional Theory of Leadership
Leadership is a series of transactions between a leader and follower and other environmental stakeholders. Occurs when the leaders rewards or disciplines the follower based on the adequacy of the follower’s performance. Better than trait because it explains why leaders are more successful at some times and not others.
Contingency Theory of Leadership
Approach defines leaders who take their cues and develop their leadership styles based on the situation, rather than following “the one best way” factors that matter are structure of organization, external environment, orientation of values, expert or professional knowledge.
Micromanagement
Can lead employees to extreme stress and even violence. It does not make an incompetent employee more competent, it only damages interpersonal relationships and distracts manager from overall long-term strategy for the unit and for the organization
Over Management
Variation of Micromanagement, situation where there are too many managers for the task… Turf building by expanding your role and inserting into as many situations as possible
French and Raven’s 5 Kinds of Leadership Power
Expert Power, Referent Power, Reward Power, Legitimate Power, Coercive Power
Expert Power
Comes from knowledge, ability and education
Reward Power
Comes from rewarding capabilities of leadership
Referent Power
Comes from the degree to which a leader is liked
Coercive Power
Comes from punitive/coercive leadership ability
Pendleton Act of 1883
In a time of corruption, the act created the US civil service commission and mandated open competitive examinations, probationary periods, protection from political pressures, and examinations that were “practical in character” (Tests were meant to measure the person for the job, not the job for the person).
Social Equity
Fairness, egalitarianism, protection or rights, and equal treatment in the delivery of services
Line-Item Budget
Classification of budgetary accounts according to narrow, detailed objects of expenditure used within a particular agency of government, generally without reference to the ultimate purpose or objective served by the expenditure.
Audit
Process of classifying, measuring, and interpreting financial transactions to provide management with information upon which to base economic decisions.. Now include independent assessments of such things as environmental, social, and infrastructural issues
Government Accountability Office
Auditing the federal government is the responsibility of the GAO. Serves as a support agency to audit federal government expenditures and assist the congress in its legislative oversight responsibilities. A GAO audit should include Financial and Compliance Audits, Economy and Efficiency Audits, Program Results
Compliance Audit
Traditional form of auditing where the auditor is looking for the extent to which an organization’s funds have been managed in compliance with the law, and that accepted standards and conventions for the treatment of account information have been used. Also looks at regulations that may have a material effect on financial statements
Performance Audit
An audit that compares the activities of an organization with the objectives that have been assigned to it…..
Performance Audit Chain
Measuring for efficiency and effectiveness…. Efficiency measures the activities of an organization compared to the objectives that have been assigned to it…. Effectiveness measures the extent to which politically set objectives have been achieved to the broader question of whether objectives were right in the first place
Financial Audit
Determines whether the financial statements of an audited entity present fairly the financial position and the results of financial operations in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.