...A Case of Bureaucracy If you had told someone ten years ago, that it would be possible to feign an outright physical attack on a country through computers, they would have laughed at you and called you a madman. The sad truth is that this form of violence and terrorism, aptly called cyber terrorism, is no more a thing of the past and is very much possible in our technological and computer savvy world of today. The economic growths achieved by many countries due to such technological advancement in fields of computers such as networking. Networking has provided the world with the Internet that has bridged the distances of the world and made it into a global village. People can now use the Internet to share information with each other. Internet can also be used as a communication tool and people sitting in places half way across the globe can communicate with each other with a click of a button. At the same time, the Internet can also be a dangerous place. People share information through their computers and this means that their computers are online in a cyber world. This means that the person’s computer is open to threats and risks from anyone who knows how to get inside the computer. People can use the Internet to steal someone else’s credit card numbers, and a lot of other personal information. In this paper, we shall examine how people can use the Internet to spread a new form of terrorism, cyber-terrorism. A person sitting at home using his personal computer can longer...
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...The ideas of the classical theorists, particularly those of bureaucracy and scientific management, are generally considered as rather old fashion and out of date, and of little relevance to work and organization today. Is this really the case? The classical theory is the earliest form of management that perceived that a set of universal principles would apply to all the organizations in all situations to achieve efficiency and organization's goals. Scientific management and bureaucratic theory were one of the several components of the classical school of organization. Important pioneers among them are Frederick Taylor and Max Weber. The classical theories have been contested of little relevance to work and organization today simply because today’s organizations have moved from industrial revolution to the information age due to the fast-paced change in technology (Toffler, 1984). Although bureaucracy has been synonymous to red tape and has negatives effects such as “rigidity, alienation and low commitment” (Adler, 1999, p.37) and dehumanizing people (Grey, 2009), the characteristics of bureaucracy such as specialization, hierarchy of authority, system of rules and impersonality (Stewart, 1986) as well as evidence of ongoing existence of this management method, bureaucracy is proved to remain noteworthy. This essay will examine the situation presented in organization today, and determine whether bureaucracy and scientific management can be considered as old fashioned,...
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...Esmeralda Schuetze PPAM 6301 Goodsell, Charles T., The Case For Bureaucracy A Public Administration Polemic. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2004 September 2008 Curriculum Vitae (summary)/ Authors Facebook The Case for Bureaucracy A Public Administration Polemic Charles Goodwin most recently has served as a professor at Center of Public Administration Policy, College of Architecture and has also served as a professor and director at other institutions. He was born in July, 1932 at Kalamazoo, Michigan and is happily married with two grown daughters and currently resides in Virginia. Under his belt he has many publications and has published several books that link to public administration and civic engagement. Some of those books published include the one noted above and The American Statehouse, Public Administration Illuminated and Inspired by the Arts, The Social Meaning of Civic Space, Planning a council Chamber, The Public and Encounter, and others. The most successful publication has been The Case for Bureaucracy as he makes his case that American Bureaucracy is in fact effective and good. He challenges the perception that public administration is not effective and is just wasteful and out of touch and makes a validated defense against those that think the contrary. His work has inspired hope as this piece is different from the norm. It is a great inspiring book that gives...
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...Q1: The federal bureaucracy is organized into different government organizations, and is typically staffed with individuals elected or appointed to specific positions. There are four main departments within the federal bureaucratic system. These include cabinet departments, independent executive agencies, independent regulatory agencies, and government organizations, such as the United States Postal Service and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, also known as the FDIC. In order to gain employment in the federal bureaucratic system, there are two routes a candidate can utilize in order to gain employment. The first autocratic route is political appointment. In order to gain employment through political appointment, a candidate must be selected for top government positions by the President of the United States. The second bureaucratic route is becoming a civil servant. Civil servants make up the majority of the bureaucracy because it does not involve appointment, only passing a series of hiring processes. In order to become a civil servant, an applicant must complete an application for employment. After an application is made, an applicant must submit to a federal background check. Applicants are then chosen for civil service positions based on their experience and the status of their background check. Once an individual is part of the federal bureaucracy, promotions are based on merit. Merit based promotions replaced the spoils system for promoting employees...
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...Max Weber’s Bureaucracy Written by Dr. Wasim Al-Habil College of Commerce The Islamic University of Gaza Beginning with Max Weber, bureaucracies have been regarded as mechanisms that rationalize authority and decision-making in society. Yet subsequent theorists have questioned the rationality of bureaucracies. Which features of modern-day public bureaucracies are rational? Which are not? Buttress your argument with citations from organization and/or public administration theories. Introduction: Max Weber’s work about bureaucracy, translated into English in 1946, was one of the major contributions that has influenced the literature of public administration. However, Van Riper (1997) argues that the work of Weber on bureaucracy has no influence on American PA until the 1950’s. The word bureaucracy is derived from two words; “bureau” and “Kratos.” While the word “bureau” refers to the office the Greek suffix “kratia or kratos” means power or rule. Thus we use the word “bureaucracy” to refer to the power of the office (Hummel, 1998, 307). “Bureaucracy” is rule conducted from a desk or office, i.e. by the preparation and dispatch of written documents and electronic ones. Bureaucracy is borrowed by the field of public administration (PA) from the field of sociology. It was borrowed by PA in much a similar way that practices of business were borrowed from the field of business administration and economics. Weber (1946) presents bureaucracy as both a scientific...
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...Max Weber on Bureaucracy I. Merriam Webster’s Definition of Bureaucracy: 1 a : a body of nonelective government officials b : an administrative policy-making group 2 : government characterized by specialization of functions, adherence to fixed rules, and a hierarchy of authority 3 : a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation II. Background and Description Max Weber was born 1864 and died 1920. Weber asks how is it a leader can give a command and have actions carried out? He answers the question by classifying claims to the "legitimacy" in the exercise of authority. His observations on bureaucracy were heavily influenced by his experiences in the United States. While traveling there, Weber was struck by the role of bureaucracy in a democratic society. The problem, as he saw it, was that modern democracy required bureaucratic structures of all kinds in the administration of government and even in the conduct of professional party politics. Handing over the reins to a class of unelected "experts," however, threatened to undermine the very basis of democracy itself. In particular, Weber stressed two problems: the unaccountability of unelected civil servants and the bureaucratic tendency toward inflexibility in the application of rules. Weber's interest in the nature of power and authority, as well as his pervasive preoccupation with modern trends of rationalization, led him to concern himself with the operation of modern large-scale...
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...Max Weber’s Bureaucracy Written by Dr. Wasim Al-Habil College of Commerce The Islamic University of Gaza Beginning with Max Weber, bureaucracies have been regarded as mechanisms that rationalize authority and decision-making in society. Yet subsequent theorists have questioned the rationality of bureaucracies. Which features of modern-day public bureaucracies are rational? Which are not? Buttress your argument with citations from organization and/or public administration theories. Introduction: Max Weber’s work about bureaucracy, translated into English in 1946, was one of the major contributions that has influenced the literature of public administration. However, Van Riper (1997) argues that the work of Weber on bureaucracy has no influence on American PA until the 1950’s. The word bureaucracy is derived from two words; “bureau” and “Kratos.” While the word “bureau” refers to the office the Greek suffix “kratia or kratos” means power or rule. Thus we use the word “bureaucracy” to refer to the power of the office (Hummel, 1998, 307). “Bureaucracy” is rule conducted from a desk or office, i.e. by the preparation and dispatch of written documents and electronic ones. Bureaucracy is borrowed by the field of public administration (PA) from the field of sociology. It was borrowed by PA in much a similar way that practices of business were borrowed from the field of business administration and economics. Weber (1946) presents bureaucracy as both a scientific...
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...Max Weber on Bureaucracy I. Merriam Webster’s Definition of Bureaucracy: 1 a : a body of nonelective government officials b : an administrative policy-making group 2 : government characterized by specialization of functions, adherence to fixed rules, and a hierarchy of authority 3 : a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation II. Background and Description Max Weber was born 1864 and died 1920. Weber asks how is it a leader can give a command and have actions carried out? He answers the question by classifying claims to the "legitimacy" in the exercise of authority. His observations on bureaucracy were heavily influenced by his experiences in the United States. While traveling there, Weber was struck by the role of bureaucracy in a democratic society. The problem, as he saw it, was that modern democracy required bureaucratic structures of all kinds in the administration of government and even in the conduct of professional party politics. Handing over the reins to a class of unelected "experts," however, threatened to undermine the very basis of democracy itself. In particular, Weber stressed two problems: the unaccountability of unelected civil servants and the bureaucratic tendency toward inflexibility in the application of rules. Weber's interest in the nature of power and authority, as well as his pervasive preoccupation with modern trends of rationalization, led him to concern himself with the operation of modern large-scale...
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...Introduction Bureaucracy today is an integral part of most modern organizations. Whether public or private, organizations all across the world implement systems and regulations in their daily procedures which are enforced by appointed employees. Although bureaucracy has existed in some form or another for hundreds of years in human society, our point of departure will be the definition presented by Max Weber. In short, Weber defined bureaucracy as an organizational system with a clearly defined chain of command, where employees set aside their own personal opinions in favor of neutrality and impartialness. Rules are clearly defined and followed, to ensure the elimination of nepotism and the employee is required to adhere to the orders of their superiors who in turn have to operate under the structure and rules of the organization (Weber, 1946). When looking at how bureaucracy is used and implemented across the globe, it is clear that there are huge differences in how efficiently organizations and governments are being run, despite the fact that they are all working within a bureaucratic structure. In this paper we will look at public administration and question whether or not the bureaucratic ideal of the impersonal worker is still valid today. Is the strict adherence to regulations and formalities a concept which is no longer needed in our modern society? Traditional bureaucracy To many, bureaucracy is seen as a very stringent and almost soulless system, which does...
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...Instructor’s name: Name of the institution: Date: Contents Introduction 3 How bureaucratic organization leads to efficient execution of complex tasks 3 How bureaucratic organization leads dysfunctions in organizations 5 Bureaucratic organization in the modern society 7 Conclusion 8 References 9 Bureaucratic Organizations Introduction In many organizations today in the corporate world, there has been a significant implementation of what is referred to as bureaucratic organization for various reasons. Chand (2014) defines a bureaucratic organization as a form of management that tends to implement pyramidal command structure. The pyramidal command structures are applied in several instances. For example, in a case of decision making, all the pyramidal command structures must be involved where each department or departmental head must ascent to a given decision. Additionally, it is worth noting that bureaucratic organizations exhibit a high degree of the organization concerning how various operations are handled and executed. Looking at organizations that practice bureaucratic leadership and management key features can be deciphered. For instance, there is the presence of very rigid and tight policies, procedures, and constraints that characterize the organization operations. Additionally, the organization in most of the instances appears to be very reluctant to changes or exhibit difficulties in adapting to changes. Organizational chart is another...
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...PS1010: Study Guide for Exam 3 Winter 2015 1. Which of the following thinkers is often credited with first coming up with ideas about the modern bureaucracy? a. Thomas Hobbes b. John Locke c. Max Weber d. Alexander Hamilton e. Benjamin Franklin 2. Bureaucracy is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT: a. Merit-based advancement b. Hierarchy c. Worker specialization d. Explicit rules e. Flexible goals 3. The value of explicit rules in bureaucratic institutions is that they: a. Facilitate individually tailored treatment of citizens b. Allow for flexibility c. Encourage creativity d. Create standardization and predictability e. Reduce uniformity of behavior 4. A clear chain of command with all employees knowing who their supervisors are as well as whom they are responsible for is an example of a(n): a. Issue network b. Merit system c. Hierarchy d. Spoils system e. Iron triangle 5. Bureaucracy is useful for all of the following EXCEPT tasks that: a. Require a great deal of coordination b. Require a great deal of planning c. Require a great deal of expertise d. Can be handled on an ad hoc basis e. Require a great deal of routine work 6. The practice in which successful party candidates reward political supporters with jobs or favors is known as: a. Patronage b. Pandering c. Pay-for-play d. Lobbying e. Nepotism 7. The civil service replaced the _________ as a method of choosing government workers. a. Merit system b. Hereditary...
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...UREAUCRACY: WEBER’S THEORY The literal meaning of bureaucracy is “rule by desks or offices, or government with a small desk.” A bureaucracy comprises of a great number of non-elected government officials that are concerned with administrative work and policy-making. Many big organizations and governments depend on bureaucracies to operate; they need consistent rules and procedures. Governmental agencies such as homeland security demonstrate best how bureaucrats function and what they do. (Blau, 1956) During the time of the great German sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920), organizations were run in a casual manner. Max Weber searched for means to create a more official structure in organizations. According to him, organizations that were run like families were less successful because authority was misplaced. He believed that workers were loyal to their superiors as opposed to organizations. Organizations that are more structured, authoritative, and rigid were Max Weber’s ideal of a fully rational bureaucracy; he imagined them to be that way. His ideal organizations were those that were able to turn regular workers into coherent decision makers that will serve clients with fairness and competence. According to Weber, the following are characteristics of a fully rational bureaucracy: (Weber, 2009) Hierarchy: a clear-cut chain of command characterizes the level of power within organizations. People who occupy positions of authority will oversee and guide those who hold lower...
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...A bureaucracy is an organization made up of many departments and divisions that are administered by lots of people. The administrative structure of any large organization, public or private. Ideally bureaucracy is characterized by hierarchical authority relations, defined spheres of competence subject to impersonal rules, recruitment by competence, and fixed salaries. Its goal is to be rational, efficient, and professional. Max Weber, the most important student of bureaucracy, described it as technically superior to all other forms of organization and hence indispensable to large, complex enterprises. However, because of the shortcomings that have in practice afflicted large administrative structures, the terms bureaucracy and bureaucrat in popular usage usually carry a suggestion of disapproval and imply incompetence, a narrow outlook, duplication of effort, and application of a rigid rule without due consideration of specific cases. Bureaucracy existed in imperial Rome and China and in the national monarchies, but in modern states complex industrial and social legislation has called forth a vast growth of administrative functions of government. The power of permanent and nonelective officials to apply and even initiate measures of control over national administration and economy has made the bureaucracy central to the life of the state; critics object that it is largely impervious to control by the people or their elected representatives. The institution of the ombudsman has...
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...regarding the United States President’s powers and those of France, Germany, and South Africa. For example, France has a semi-presidential executive system and Germany and South Africa both have parliamentary executive systems. Entry 2: In chapter fourteen, we talk about the bureaucracy in a democracy. A bureaucracy can be defined as one in which is less than an organization. Another way to term bureaucracy is that the...
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...Control of Bureaucracies under Asymmetric Information. Rationality & Society, [e-journal] 20(4), p.445-470. Available from: [Accessed 30 November 2015]. Summary : The main purpose of this article is to review the logic of the Banks-Weingast prediction about political control of the bureaucracy under asymmetric information, in other words the interaction between informational role of interest groups and institutions as politician seek to control the bureaucracy is investigated. The authors doesn’t claim to take a particular perspective. The author concludes the article by stating that the agenda-setting power of the bureaucrats themselves should be fully addressed. Evaluation: I think this journal targets professional readers. One of the weaknesses of this article is that it is very difficult to understand, especially for public readers. A lot of professional terms and concept have been use in this article. I find the text reliable because the author is a professor of public policy who has expertise in public policy and organization studies. Dr. Whitford, the author of this article is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and lectured or conducted research in numerous countries such as South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, and the United Kingdom, among others. Hence, I find his works reliable and trustworthy. Reflection: This text provide very supportive information to my essay. Discussion about the application of bureaucracy on politics...
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