- 1. Public management: fashion or fixture? - Managing public services - a phenomenon of this decade? - Public and private management - similar or different? - Managing in local government - is it different? - The environment. - The link between the organisation and the environment. - The structures and processes of the organisation. - A cross-part view. 2. Local government: developments and trends. The reasons for change. - Local government - as institution in decline? - Raising and spending money. - Some other influences on local government. - The changing user of public services. - 3. Managing services. - Who are the managers in local government? - The strategic managers. - The operational managers. - What do managers do when they manage? - The transition to management. - 4. Managing people. - Why are people important? - The impact of manager. - The paradox of managing people. - The changing personnel environment. - Action by the manager. - 5. Managing finance. - The financial function in local government. - Who does manage the money? What do managers need to know (1). What do managers need to know (2). - How must the organisation change? - 6. Managing competitively. - Background. - The development of competition. - The impact of competition - changes in the organisation. - The new skills of management in a competitive climate. - 7. Managing performance. - The background. - Performance trends in local government. - Some recent developments. - Performance indicators - background and reality. - What should the manager do? - 8. Users and consumers. - Citizens or consumers? - The citizen as consumer. - The consumer as citizen. - Some action to be taken. - 9. Managing members or members managing? - Who is elected? - What do councillors do? - A new working relationship? - The implications for management and managers. - 10. The future management of local government. - The future of local government. - The management of local government in the 1990s. - The future manager in local government.