Recommended study unit: Study Unit 4: Prioritising

A characteristic of societies, including South Africa, is that communities have unlimited needs, while the resources such as money, equipment and personnel necessary to meet these needs are limited. It is therefore impossible for public institutions to supply all the goods and services that their communities need simultaneously. As a result, public managers are expected to prioritise the many activities that are required. In the public sector, prioritising is a complex issue that demands certain skills.

Instructions:

Using your community as a point of departure, identify and discuss one problem which should be urgently resolved in your community. The essay-type portfolio must indicate that you are able to undertake research on your own, and the results of your research must be presented in a scientific manner. More particularly, this implies that you are able to interpret and analyse the management tasks of prioritising within the broader context of public management skills in the public sector. Your essay should be able to include or answer the following points:

An introduction which briefly describes the problem. Where possible, provide a timeline to this challenge.

What are the implications for your community if this problem is not resolved?

Investigate and identify which government department or State-owned enterprise (SoE) or agency responsible for addressing this problem.

Conduct and present in a table format a SWOT analysis of this problem

Write a conclusion for your essay.