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Abstract: This hypothetical case outlines the efforts of state government officials to fulfill their new governor's pledge to implement an aggressive affirmative action hiring campaign. The case briefly reviews the statistics on minority representation in the state government and describes the new executive order on affirmative action. It then focuses on the attempts of each of four state departments to meet the requirements of the governor's order. The case illustrates some of the problems a bureaucracy faces in putting into operation what seems to be a laudable executive goal. The various dilemmas the departments encounter point not only to difficulties in implementing affirmative action programs, but also to problems in changing any bureaucratic procedure.