The South African Government requires a more holistic and integrated approach to management to address the pressing shortage of competent and capable public managers. By pursuing an objective- or criterion-oriented approach designed for mastery learning, this fourth edition makes provision for the latest governance trends and managerial developments by incorporating these in the scholarly frame of Public Management and Administration. As such, both a theoretical (i.e. academic) and practical basis are pursued for building the knowledge and competencies of current and prospective public managers. Especially the practical examples as well as self-evaluation exercises and questions make a significant contribution in this regard. Examples used are also updated to be more relevant to the current trends and developments in the public sector. 

Emphasis is placed on the managerial dimensions associated with these paradigms and as such the scope is rather limited and narrow. In other words, the focus falls on the knowledge, skills, competencies and capacities of an individual public sector manager and not necessarily on a broader analysis of governance. In this sense, this publication does not conform to the more traditional or conventional content associated with general Public Administration and Management or Public Governance study texts.

Learners should have easy access to such sources. The lists of supplementary literature at the end of each chapter were compiled with these purposes in mind.

CHAPTER 1: Introduction to public management 

CHAPTER 2: Management ethics, approaches and principles

CHAPTER 3: Public management context and functional environment

CHAPTER 4: South African government system and public managers

CHAPTER 5: Public management functions

CHAPTER 6: Public management skills

CHAPTER 7: Managing specialised applications in government

CHAPTER 8: Management tools, supportive technology and management techniques

CHAPTER 9: Public management issues, challenges and remedies