Includes bibliographical references and index. Chaston, I. (2011). Public sector management : Mission impossible?. Basingstoke, Hampshire : Palgrave Macmillan.

Sector evolution -- Sector emergence -- Twentieth-century events -- Emerging storm clouds -- Factors of influence -- Seeking savings -- Strategic planning -- Crisis management -- Troubled reformation -- Political purpose -- Privatization -- Market forces -- Performance indicators -- Efficiency -- Service quality -- Customer orientation -- The breaking storm -- Deficit spending -- Population ageing -- Globalization -- The banking crisis -- Stakeholders, values, and ethics -- Stakeholders -- Process implementation -- Embedded values -- Culture -- New public governance -- Ethics -- Strategic planning -- Emergence of theory -- The strategic planning debate -- Public sector strategic planning -- Entrepreneurship -- Defining entrepreneurship -- Planning and entrepreneurship -- Leadership -- Leadership theory -- Public sector leadership -- Leadership effectiveness -- Leading change -- Entrepreneurial leadership -- Strategic planning tools -- Strategic analysis -- Managing time - managing portfolios -- Market analysis -- Macro-environmental analysis -- Internal capability -- Combined assessment -- SWOT analysis -- Scenario planning -- Service demand analysis -- Market demand -- Demand forces -- Understanding need -- Technology -- Importance -- Focus -- Sources of influence -- S-curve -- Disruption -- Internal competence -- Organizational capability -- Entrepreneurial competence -- Key competences -- Operational competences -- Productivity -- People -- Quality -- Information management -- Knowledge competence -- Issues and objectives -- Key issues -- Issue prioritization -- Gap analysis -- Strategic objective -- Multiple objectives -- Stakeholders -- Non-executive boards -- Societal stakeholders -- Strategy -- Definition -- Competitive advantage -- Sustainable survival -- Entrepreneurship -- The competence debate -- Strategic defence -- Strategic flexibility -- Strategic complexity -- Implementing strategy -- Achieving purpose -- Unified purpose -- Operation management -- Systems theory -- Customer focus -- Externalizing strategy -- Networks -- Sustaining performance -- The search for ideas -- Implementation errors -- Poor leadership -- Leadership abuses -- Driven by numbers -- Obsolete conventions -- Structure and control -- Learning problems -- Governance -- Private sector governance -- Influential reports -- Public sector governance -- Governance obstacles -- Medical governance -- Corporate social responsibility -- Assessing futures -- Uncertain futures -- Population growth -- Health care -- The environment -- Strategic opportunities -- Machines replacing people -- Innovation strategies -- Managerial perspectives

Public sector organizations are facing unprecedented problems due to the influence of population ageing, globalisation and the public deficit crisis facing developed nation economies. Public Sector Management: Mission Impossible offers a contemporary and stimulating assessment of the challenges facing these public sector organizations. Most public sector management theories evolved during the economically stable second half of the 20th century and need to be reconsidered in an increasingly uncertain world. Taking an innovative new approach, this book uses both theory and case material to examine how development of strategic plans driven by entrepreneurship and innovation can assist public sector organisations implement solutions to sustain delivery of most or all of their service despite facing major budget cuts. The book is accompanied by a companion website featuring over 300 powerpoint slides for lecturers. Public Sector Management: Mission Impossible is an essential resource for final year undergraduate and postgraduate students studying public sector management and MPA students.