Free Management Dissertations - Evaluate The Differences In Managing Public Sector And Private Sector
Evaluate the differences in managing public sector and private sector organisations in the United Kingdom, at the start of the 21st Century.
Traditionally, there have always been notable differences between managing in the public and private sectors. The private sector managers generally received higher salaries but often at the expense of job security. It was felt that they had more demands on them, mainly attributable to market forces. To be successful you would have to be proactive, and flexible to ongoing change. There is no resting place for an enterprise in a competitive society.
The public sector manager on the other hand, who perhaps bemoaned the shortfall in his salary compared with his private counterpart, usually enjoyed more stability and job security. The lack of market demand meant that nationalised industries gained the often unfair reputation of being inefficient. It was felt that their managers were under less pressure due to government protection. Whilst the demand for private goods soared, the public sector was slow to respond with public goods. An example of this so-called social imbalance being that despite the huge growth in the motor industry, the public services were slow in providing adequate parking spaces, traffic controls, etc.
However, in the past twenty years there has been a major upheaval of the public sector in the United Kingdom.Many former areas of the public sector have been privatised, blurring some divisions between the two sectors. A significant number of public servants are now commanding large salaries but are under new-found scrutiny. Although this varies greatly from one public sector organisation to another, we now constantly hear of targets and league tables in this current ‘name and shame’ climate.
But what are the practical day-to-day implications of these changes and what tools does the manager have at his disposal to assist with his managing? The rapid rise in I.T has dramatically affected both sectors but arguably the private sector more. The Marks & Spencer (M&S) manager has had to get to grips with much of the development, as this technology has been a major factor in market change and customer needs. For example, managers have demands both from in-store and on-line customers. Customers have demanded wider choice, more convenient buying, quicker delivery and lower prices. The Internet has given rise to a new intensified price competition and large retailers have had to cut costs. This has meant that for many private sector workers their salaries have remained static and technology has also caused many jobs to be de-skilled. It could be felt that the retail manager is now less empowered to make decisions. Some retail managers feel that their role is to be a ‘caretaker’ rather than a ‘decision maker’.
However, the advancements of technology have meant that the M&S manager has more tools at his disposal to aid in decision making.
Dissertations - Free Management Dissertations
