Editorial

Citation

Joyce Liddle, P. (2012), "Editorial", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 25 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijpsm.2012.04225aaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Public Sector Management, Volume 25, Issue 1

May I extend a heartfelt thanks and felicitations for the New Year, not only to those hard-working authors and reviewers responsible for enabling this current edition to be published, but to those many unsung and continuous supporters of International Journal of Public Sector Management who have offered unfailing support throughout the past year. Without the support of authors and reviewers who continue to give freely of their time and industry, it would be impossible to maintain the high standards now expected of this highly respected and well-cited journal. The past year has seen an upsurge in submissions and a continual drive towards increased readership and international coverage, as well a broader extension in the author and reviewer base. It has been very gratifying to see an increase in the number of papers submitted from countries previously not covered by the journal, as we have welcomed a much wider range of topics than those previously carried.

The current edition contains a number of interesting, topical and international pieces that add further to our understanding of theory, practice and policy in the field of public administration and management. We are fortunate indeed to introduce readers to two papers in this current edition derived from Malaysia, two papers on leadership, as well as two papers on local authorities; one specifically focused on performance improvement, and the other on how public leisure provision can be used to facilitate social inclusion.

The first paper, by Manaf, draws upon research on inpatient satisfaction from an analysis of Malaysian public hospitals – an important measure of quality of care in healthcare organisations. The author examines the perceptions of customers on the delivery of the healthcare services, as a means of assisting managers who need to evaluate and modify services to improve levels of satisfaction.

We then introduce a paper by Douglas et al., examining continuous improvement in English local authorities from a dynamic-capabilities perspective. Using a resource-based-view of competitive advantage adapted from the private sector, the authors clarify our understanding of managers’ perceptions of high performance. In doing so, they show how “capabilities” based on “intangible organisational-assets” are necessary for “sustained high performance” They also show that other historically based assets, such as “reputation” and “partnerships”, are significant.

This is followed by Spicker’s exploration of the “perniciously vague concept” of leadership. The paper reviews different perspectives on leadership, and in providing a review of literature since the 1990s, he assesses their influences on current public service leadership approaches, and examines the ways in which leadership can add value.

Hodgkinson and Hughes examine public leisure provision and its importance to social inclusion and citizen wellbeing in a UK context. They found that public leisure services can be crucial in enabling disadvantaged groups to gain greater access to health and healthy environments. The authors examine the debates around the inclusion of disadvantaged groups in activities that they would otherwise be excluded from. The paper confirms that though in the past decade social inclusion objectives emerged as vital to driving the central government agenda, it posed dilemmas for leisure service managers who were faced with the need to balance financial and social objectives, within stringent budgetary cuts.

The theme of performance is highlighted in Subramaniam et al.’s piece on fire and rescue services in Malaysia. The authors highlight the important role the emergency response personnel in the speed of responding to emergencies. The study specifically looked into initial emergency responses from the moment a distress call is received until the emergency team departs from the station.

One final paper continues the series of interviews with senior public officials in India, as Prabhakar’s piece introduces the thoughts, opinions and views of a senior executive from the print media industry in the Indian sub-continent.

I hope you will agree that the contents of this first issue of 2012 offer the usual wide-ranging, interesting and topical papers from across the world, to further our appreciation and understanding of key issues of research, policy and practice within the field of public administration and management. I look forward to welcoming an even greater level of submissions in the forthcoming 12 months, and a continued coverage of papers within this significant field of enquiry. As governments across the world seek ways of maintaining public services within drastic public spending constraints, International Journal of Public Sector Management will continue to offer an outlet for high quality research and provide a forum for engaging policy makers, public management practitioners and academics in these very crucial and significant debates. The ongoing and serious economic turmoil across European states and the knock-on effects across the globe provide a stimulus to discuss many of the threats facing public organisations, but also highlight the opportunities for developing innovative approaches in addressing key issues in this topic area. In highlighting some of the problems facing all government agencies, we aim to assist our wide readership in dealing with many of the “wicked” issues they are attempting to deal with.

Professor Joyce Liddle