Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2007. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 159-170)

This study attempts to examine the extent to which an advice network of housing professionals working for different organizational groups, from both structural and behavioural perspectives, varies with the motivation for public service delivery in different publicness settings. Over the last two decades, public service motivation has attracted considerable research attention with a wide-ranging discussion in the realm of construct, incidence, antecedent, outcome and organizational system. However, there has been far less research on its variations in different settings, and integrations with other disciplines. In the face of the growing complexity of sector blurring heightened by the new public management’s principles, the traditional organization theories are inadequate to give explanations for organizations which are neither public nor private. In this study, the concept of dimensional publicness has been employed to classify organizations into different levels of publicness along a continuum rather than a rigid dichotomous categorization for studying the variations of public service motivation in different publicness settings. Research on networks has been growing apace recently by reason of its importance to knowledge transfer and management. Employees are eager to turn to others and maintain network relationships within and between organizations for advice favourable to work-related benefits. Through network activities, they may seek advice from others and realize afterwards that they may improve the quality of service delivery if they exhibit public service motivation related behaviour. While there is an assumption of a link between networks and public service motivation, it is an unexplored research area and therefore has no empirical evidence to support it. To shed light on the link, this study has examined the effects of networks from both behavioural and structural perspectives on public service motivation when publicness is taken into account. A survey study was used to collect data from all Corporate Members of the Hong Kong Institute of Housing. In total, 357 out of 1,649 questionnaires were returned, fully completed and usable. The findings are summarized as follows: First, publicness has a positive and significant effect on public service motivation. Second, network behaviour is found significantly varying with public service motivation when publicness applies. Third, network structure has a strong and significant effect on public service motivation. No matter which of the perspective of networks is examined, public service motivation always varies positively with the degree of network activities. Last, there is an interaction effect of publicness and network characteristics on public service motivation, but the significance focuses on the structurally equivalent classes, no matter which network behaviour they exhibit, in the low publicness setting. The discussion gives implications of these findings for the study of public service motivation from the perspectives of networks and publicness in the context of Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Kadoorie Institute / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The hypothesis explored in this thesis is that the application of marketing in the public sector will improve public service delivery. Three different areas of academic enquiry are examined in an effort to prove a beneficial relationship between marketing and public service delivery. These three areas are Public Management, Marketing, and Services Management. Certain challenges for improving service delivery are identified in each of these disciplines, and the current status of public sector marketing is described. The study is applied to the Cape Metropolitan Area, and specifically the Cape Metropolitan Council. This does however not rule out the application of the findings of the study to other areas. Additional to the normal literature study, research for the thesis involves personal interviews with public managers, and on-line questionnaires on the Internet and the Intranet of the Cape Metropolitan Council. Combining the results of the literature study and the physical research with the argument constructed in the thesis, it is found that many of the challenges identified in the three disciplines address each other, and that marketing can definitely prove useful as a tool with which to improve public service delivery. A model for marketing-oriented public service delivery is proposed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hipotese wat in hierdie tesis aangespreek word is dat die toepassing van bemarking in die openbare sektor sal meebring dat openbare dienslewering sal verbeter. Drie studievelde word verken om te bepaal of enige afleidings gemaak kan word oor die positiewe invloed van bemarking op dienslewering. Die drie studievelde is Openbare Bestuur, Bemarking, en Dienstebestuur. Sekere uitdagings om dienslewering te verbeter word in elke veld geïdentifiseer, en die huidige status van openbare bemarking word verduidelik. Die studie word toegepas op die Kaapse Metropolitaanse Gebied, met spesifieke verwysing na die Kaapse Metropolitaanse Raad. Die toepassing van die bevindings van die studie op ander gebiede word egter nie hierdeur uitgesluit nie. Bykomend tot die literatuurstudie word persoonlike onderhoude met openbare sektor bestuurders en vraelyste op die Internet en die Intranet van die Kaapse Metropolitaanse Raad as deel van die navorsingspoging gebruik. Deur die resultate van die navorsing en die literatuurstudie te vergelyk met die argument in die tesis, word dit bevind dat die uitdagings uit die verskillende velde mekaar aanvul. Dit word bevind dat bemarking aansienlik sal kan bydra tot die verbetering van dienslewering in die openbare sektor. 'n Model vir bemarkings-georiënteerde openbare dienslewering word voorgestel.

This study is intended to be a contribution to nineteenth century Egyptian historiography with particular reference to a discussion of aspects of the economic and social role and activities of the Greek community in Alexandria. Given, however, the almost total absence of studies on the role and activities of the modern history of the Greeks in Egypt, this study constitutes both a pioneering and preliminary contribution.

The increased role of governments in planning and controlling socio-economic development, results in huge government expenditures on programmes and activities. This increases the importance of the government budgeting and accounting system as a tool for planning, managing and controlling this huge increase in government activities. The external auditing and controlling authority ( State Audit Institution ) can strengthen the monitoring and controlling mechanism by performing not only a regularity and compliance audit, but by extending its role to include the examination, evaluation and audit of the economy, efficiency, effectiveness results of government programmes and activities.This study analyses the performance of the State Audit Institution in the U.A.E. in this regard, and identifies deficiencies. Suggestions for improvement, in terms of a more comprehensive, integrated performance approach, are made. As prerequisites to such expansion of the government auditing system, it will be necessary also to reform the government budgeting system. Adoption of the programme performance approach is recommended. Moreover, the need is identified for improvements to the accounting information system, to generate data and information which can respond efficiently and effectively to users' needs for information about programme operations. Internal and external obstacles which impede the effectiveness of the State Audit Institution must be addressed, to facilitate the introduction of an integrated approach to auditing the administrative sector in the United Arab Emirates, thereby safeguarding public resources and enhancing the effectiveness of socio-economic development efforts.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1980.

The institution of the civil service is of much contemporary interest here in Britain and elsewhere. The phenomenon of civil service reform forms a significant part of the wider movement to remould public services or in the now legendary phrase, to ‘reinvent government’ on what could be perceived as a global scale, ranging from the more sophisticated democracies such as in the USA, Britain, Sweden, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, to the newly emerging ones such as Eastern Europe and South Africa. The apparent trend of globalisation is arguably not only confined to the field of public service reform; it can also be seen in other contexts such as the growth of the intergovernmental cooperations within Europe and the Far-East, as well as the proliferation of the Information Superhighway which facilitates an electronic exchange of ideas across geographical frontiers. The reasons for this apparent global convergence fall outside the immediate province of this chapter. This thesis questions one of the enigmas of the modern British constitution, which is that the civil service does not have a statutory footing. So, it is the Executive rather than Parliament which has the prerogative power of regulating the civil service. The enigma is encapsulated in the position where the Executive regulates the civil service, which in turn serves the Executive qua their historical status as 'servants of the Crown'. The thesis is concerned with the cumulative impact of managerial reforms within the British civil service during the Conservative administration from 1979 - 1997 on the idea of civil servants as 'servants of the Crown'. It argues that the key managerial initiatives introduced into the civil service by the Conservative government during this period, illustrate the dangers of the notion of 'servant of the Crown' being captured by the Executive for their short-term political ends. The thesis shows that the managerial transformation collides not only with established constitutional doctrines relating to the civil service but also with the broader norm or theory of constitutionalism embedded in British constitutional history.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1980. / Also available in print.