In response to changes in internal needs, external organizational environments, and the expectations of shareholders - most notably, citizens and politicians - innovation is now an important common-place aspect of governance and the running of public service organizations. Given the ongoing financial and economic crisis, which presents a significant challenge to public service organizations (PSOs), there is a growing need to establish innovative strategies in order to survive the crisis, and provide the basis for future sustainable growth. This book contributes towards the discussion of PSO innovation through theoretically informed empirical studies of innovation across a range of theories, topics and fields. Studies examine the role of citizens, managers, and public service organizations; the adoption, diffusion, implementation, and management of innovations; collaboration, communication, and information technologies; and decision-making, ethical principles, HR management, leadership, and procurement. The studies - which examine the situation in a range of countries in Europe and Asia - cover a range of different organizations such as non-profits, health service organizations, and local governments. This book was originally published as a special issue of Public Management Review.

In response to changes in internal needs, external organizational environments, and the expectations of shareholders - most notably, citizens and politicians - innovation is now an important common-place aspect of governance and the running of public service organizations. Given the ongoing financial and economic crisis, which presents a significant challenge to public service organizations (PSOs), there is a growing need to establish innovative strategies in order to survive the crisis, and provide the basis for future sustainable growth. This book contributes towards the discussion of PSO innovation through theoretically informed empirical studies of innovation across a range of theories, topics and fields. Studies examine the role of citizens, managers, and public service organizations; the adoption, diffusion, implementation, and management of innovations; collaboration, communication, and information technologies; and decision-making, ethical principles, HR management, leadership, and procurement. The studies - which examine the situation in a range of countries in Europe and Asia - cover a range of different organizations such as non-profits, health service organizations, and local governments. This book was originally published as a special issue of Public Management Review.

"Ice and Fire" is a collection of nonfiction narratives from award-winning writer Stephen Osborne, who retains an abiding sense that the places and the people he encounters are still to be discovered. Negotiating the Trans-Canada Highway near Moncton during a whiteout, visiting Timothy Eaton's grave in Toronto, leaving offerings of tobacco at a Nez Perce battleground, drinking with his Japanese mentor in a revolving bar in Vancouver while debating Buddhism vs. class struggle?for Osborne, all of these are occasions to conjure our time and our place. Ice and fire are extremes of a Canadian North, from which several of these dispatches are written. But Osborne's special insight is that Kamloops, New Glasgow and even Toronto are as unknowable as Pangnirtung. We live in a country that can claim the world's only souvenir police force, and whose analogue is a department store; a country that believes itself to be part of a New World, even though people have lived here for ten thousand years. Smart, funny, moving, and full of wonder and surprise, the dispatches in "Ice and Fire" illuminate a very old world striving to make itself new.

This book is based upon and extends the theoretical and empirical work of the author over the last decade. It integrates material deriving from his previous conceptual and empirical work in this field, together with new empirical evidence from emerging research. Public Service Logic challenges the product-dominant assumptions of the New Public Management (NPM) about the nature and management of public service delivery. Whilst the NPM has led to some important developments in public management, it has also had significant limitations and weaknesses. The book presents an alternative to this, as a framework for the future delivery and reform of public services globally. It draws upon the extant literature in the field of service management to argue for a Public Service Logic (PSL) for the delivery of public services. This situates public service delivery within the vibrant and influential field of service-dominant research and theory. It argues that effective public service management requires both that these services are understood as services not as products and that, consequently, public service management requires a focus on value creation as its over-arching rationale. The book presents a major new framework of value creation for public service delivery as a basis for public service reform, explores the role of service managers and staff and of citizens and service users in this value creation process, and evaluates the implications of this new framework for both the strategic and operational management of public service delivery, their performance management and the development and innovation of new forms of public services. It will be of interest to researchers and students in the fields of public management and public administration, as well as to policy makers and public service managers.

HRM is a core element public service organizations, whose employees are often their most valuable resource. This outstanding book tackles the subject head on, bringing together cutting-edge research from a range of respected international authors.

This text tackles the subject of human resource management (HRM) in the public sector, bringing together research from a range of respected international authors. Key issues covered include the relationship between HRM and organizational performance, and managing cultural change and the work-life balance.

There are a host of ghostly tales and legends surrounding Chicago, Rockford, Dekalb, Dixon, Byron, and other cities in towns in the Prairie State! In Ghosts of Northern Illinois, meet the spirit of a woman who was brutally murdered in the 1940s. Shiver as you learn about a blue figure that runs down the alley adjacent to the Biograph Theater, then falls to the ground and disappears. Encounter a phantom jogger, the Madonna of Bachelor's Grove Cemetery, and the mysterious scent of perfume at the Coronado Theater. Come and visit Willow Creek Farm, one of the top-ten haunted houses in Illinois, where over 30 spirits have been detected! Think Illinois looks calm and peaceful? Think again!

Public-Private partnerships are an increasing aspect of the delivery of public policies and services across the world. This book is the first to draw upon a range of disciplines to offer theoretical perspectives upon their analysis as well as a range of case-studies of their management from around the world. It also offers a number of frameworks for the evaluation of their management. This book will be of interest to students of public policy and public management, whether at the undergraduate or postgraduate level.

The context and environment of public services is becoming increasingly complex and the management of change and innovation is now a core task for the successful public manager. This text aims to provide its readers with the skills necessary to understand, manage and sustain change and innovation in public service organizations. Key features include:

• the use of figures, tables and boxes to highlight ideas and concepts of central importance
• a dedicated case study to serve as a focus for discussion and learning, and to marry theory with practice
• clear learning objectives for each chapter with suggestions for further reading.
  Providing future and current public managers with the understanding and skills required to manage change and innovation, this groundbreaking text is essential reading for all those studying public management, public administration and public policy.

The context and environment of public services is becoming increasingly complex and the management of change and innovation is now a core task for the successful public manager. This text aims to provide its readers with the skills necessary to understand, manage and sustain change and innovation in public service organizations. Key features include:

• the use of figures, tables and boxes to highlight ideas and concepts of central importance
• a dedicated case study to serve as a focus for discussion and learning, and to marry theory with practice
• clear learning objectives for each chapter with suggestions for further reading.
  Providing future and current public managers with the understanding and skills required to manage change and innovation, this groundbreaking text is essential reading for all those studying public management, public administration and public policy.

The voluntary and non-profit sector is an important and emerging feature of Japanese society. It is a response both to the changing nature of this society and to political and social trends that have encouraged the Japanese government to see this sector as a potential provider of public services. It is also part of the emergence of 'civil society' in Japan. This book explores the roots of the societal challenges that voluntary and non-profit organisations face in Japan and evaluates their future impact on Japanese society. It is an essential text for any student of Japanese studies or the international non-profit sector.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203472004

The UK has played a pivotal role in the development of the New Public Management (NPM). This book offers an original, comprehensive and multidisciplinary analysis of the impact of the new public management in the UK and situates these lessons in a broader comparative perspective.Its chapters consider: competing typologies of the New Public Management; issues of professionalism within NPM; debates on social exclusion and equity; the role of different research approaches in evaluating NPM; the evolving nature of NPM and impact of modernization; evaluations of the NPM in mainland Europe, North America, Africa and the Developing World, Australia, and Pacific-Asia. Leading authorities from around the world present evaluations of current thinking in NPM and highlight the challenges which will shape future development and research approaches. This work presents a constructive overview of the nature and impact of the NPM and offers important lessons for public management across the world.

The UK has played a pivotal role in the development of the New Public Management (NPM). This book offers an original, comprehensive and multidisciplinary analysis of the impact of the new public management in the UK and situates these lessons in a broader comparative perspective.Its chapters consider: competing typologies of the New Public Management; issues of professionalism within NPM; debates on social exclusion and equity; the role of different research approaches in evaluating NPM; the evolving nature of NPM and impact of modernization; evaluations of the NPM in mainland Europe, North America, Africa and the Developing World, Australia, and Pacific-Asia. Leading authorities from around the world present evaluations of current thinking in NPM and highlight the challenges which will shape future development and research approaches. This work presents a constructive overview of the nature and impact of the NPM and offers important lessons for public management across the world.

Contents:
Introduction
Understanding public - private partnerships in international perspective: globally convergent or nationally divergent phenomena? Stephen P Osborne
Part I Understanding public - private partnerships
1. The theory of partnerships - why have partnership? Ron McQuaid
2. Public - private partnerships: sectoral comparisons Peter Carroll and Peter Steane
3. Public - private partnerships. Rethinking the boundary between public and private law Gavin Drewry
4. Understanding the process of public - private partnerships Stephen P Osborne and Vic Murray
5. Governing public - private partnerships. Analysing and managing processes and institutional characteristics of public - private partnerships Erik-Hans Klijn and Geert Teisman
Part II Understanding and contrasting public contexts for public - private partnerships
6. Public - private partnerships in the United States: historical patterns and current trends Lynne Moulton and Helmut K Anheier
7. Public - private partnerships and the 'new Labour' government in Britain Peter K Falconer and Kathleen Ross
8. The East Asia region: do public - private partnerships make sense? Richard Common
9. The decline of the Leviathan: state, market and civil society in South-east Asia Gerald Clarke
Part III Public - private partnerships in international perspective: practice and management
10. Public - private partnerships in the European Union. Officially suspect, in daily practice embraced Geert Teisman and Erik-Hans Klijn
11. Transforming the state into a partner in cooperative development. An evaluation of NGO - government partnership in the Philippines Teresa S Encarnacion Tadem
12. The propensity, persistence and performance of public - private partnerships in Sweden Sven-Olof Collin and Lennert Hansson
13. Partnerships in Pittsburgh: the evaluation of complex local initiatives Brian Jacobs
14. Rural Action for the Environment in the UK: developing partnerships and promoting learning through networks Mike Tricker
15. Building 'active' partnerships in aid-recipient countries: lessons from a rural development project in Bangladesh David Lewis
16. Partnership between local government and the local community in the area of social policy: an Hungarian experience Gyorgy Jenei and Anna Vari
Part IV Evaluating public - private partnerships
17. Evaluating the impact of public - private partnerships: a Canadian perspective Vic Murray
18. What makes partnerships work? Chris Huxham and Siv Vangen
19. NGO partners: the characteristics of effective development partnerships John Hailey
Conclusions A one-way street or two-way traffic? Can public-private partnerships impact upon the policy making process? Kathleen Ross and Stephen P Osborne

This book is based upon and extends the theoretical and empirical work of the author over the last decade. It integrates material deriving from his previous conceptual and empirical work in this field, together with new empirical evidence from emerging research. Public Service Logic challenges the product-dominant assumptions of the New Public Management (NPM) about the nature and management of public service delivery. Whilst the NPM has led to some important developments in public management, it has also had significant limitations and weaknesses. The book presents an alternative to this, as a framework for the future delivery and reform of public services globally. It draws upon the extant literature in the field of service management to argue for a Public Service Logic (PSL) for the delivery of public services. This situates public service delivery within the vibrant and influential field of service-dominant research and theory. It argues that effective public service management requires both that these services are understood as services not as products and that, consequently, public service management requires a focus on value creation as its over-arching rationale. The book presents a major new framework of value creation for public service delivery as a basis for public service reform, explores the role of service managers and staff and of citizens and service users in this value creation process, and evaluates the implications of this new framework for both the strategic and operational management of public service delivery, their performance management and the development and innovation of new forms of public services. It will be of interest to researchers and students in the fields of public management and public administration, as well as to policy makers and public service managers.

Take a haunted journey to discover the ghosts and legends of South Bend and northern Indiana. Meet the ghosts of football great George Gipp, that still haunts his old stomping grounds at Notre Dame University and the infamous Belle Gunness, who murdered over 40 people at her LaPorte farmhouse. Feel goose bumps rise as you learn of a ghostly girl, that hangs from the bell tower at St. Mary's College. Enjoy a meal at Tippecanoe Place Restaurant, where a ghost may pass right through you, and stay at the Inn at Aberdeen, where you may come face-to-face with the spirit of a playful little girl ghost! Haunted roads, unexplained lights on the horizon, a house that possesses those who dare reside there, and even phantom felines await you in South Bend and the surrounding area.

Bookstore owner Randy Stone is smitten. His new boyfriend, Kyle Temple, is sweet, hot, attentive, and great in bed. But introducing Kyle to his family takes courage, because Randy's parents can be a little judgmental, and Kyle is ten years younger than Randy, a small-time pro wrestler, and dumber than the proverbial sack of hammers. Needless to say, Randy's parents aren't exactly thrilled, and even his best friend is skeptical. Despite the challenges, Randy is determined to tough it out for Kyle. After all, enduring a few scornful comments from his mother is nothing compared to what Kyle's going through trying to quit smoking for Randy. When a hypnotherapy session designed to help with Kyle's cravings leaves him quoting Jesus Christ—in Aramaic—Randy's parents are suddenly the least of their problems. Once word gets out, their privacy is destroyed. News crews follow them everywhere, and everyone who knows Kyle seems determined to make a buck. It's a mess that could make Kyle's dreams of wrestling in the UWE come true—but what about his dream of being with Randy?

Sequel to Dead EndA Duncan Andrews Thriller Private Detective Duncan Andrews is back, along with the usual gang: Robbie, Gina, Nick, and Daisy, the zombie bulldog! Duncan is trying to figure out how his boyfriend, Robbie, will fit in with the team now that he is no longer a ghost. That worry is soon set aside when Duncan accepts a new case to locate a missing young man named Graig Betz. Duncan soon learns Graig is part of a werewolf pack that is terrorizing Indianapolis. The pack is led by a witch, Ashley Campbell, an old rival of Gina's. Duncan and his team must try to rescue and cure Graig and stop the wolf pack from destroying an entire city.

Sequel to The Scarlet TideA Duncan Andrews Thriller Duncan Andrews's best friend Gina is a witch, his bulldog Daisy is a zombie, and his boyfriend Robbie is a ghost. Duncan himself is just your average private detective, who happens to specialize in paranormal cases. Robbie's cousin, Jason, has a problem. The house he's living in is haunted by the ghost of serial killer Dr. Stanley Moore. Duncan thinks banishing the spirit will be an easy task, but when confronted, the ghost nearly kills Duncan. If that's not bad enough, a witch-hunting group called the Order of Cotton Mather have tracked Gina down and are bent on destroying her. And Robbie and Duncan's relationship may be nearing an end, as Robbie feels he's holding Duncan back from having a lover he can actually touch. Duncan must rid Jason's house of the evil Dr. Moore, save Gina, and somehow manage to hold onto Robbie in the process.

"Sequel to Animal Instinct"

"A Duncan Andrews Thriller"

Duncan Andrews, a private detective who specializes in paranormal cases, is back, along with his usual gang. Robbie Church, his boyfriend, is a ghost. Gina, a centuries old witch, is his best friend. And Daisy, Duncan's bulldog, just happens to be a zombie. Odd man out seems to be Nick, a history teacher. He s a normal, living human.

Duncan's latest case leads him to a rock band in Indianapolis called The Scarlet Tide. It doesn't take Duncan long to realize all of the band members are vampires. He sets out to destroy them, but runs into trouble with the charismatic leader of the band, Dominic Hunt. Duncan ends up under Hunt's psychic control, and is forced to examine his relationships with Robbie and Nick, as well as his attraction for Hunt. Can Robbie and Gina help Duncan break Hunt s psychic grip? Is there any hope the vampire can be destroyed once and for all?

Sequel to Pale as a GhostA Duncan Andrews Thriller Private detective Duncan Andrews has the home-team advantage when it comes to solving paranormal crimes: His best friend, Gina, is a centuries-old witch. His dog is a zombie. And his boyfriend, Robbie, is a ghost. Duncan certainly has his work cut out for him with this case. Someone's been using the skull of a powerful wizard to control animals, and whoever it is, they're not out to set up a petting zoo. For Gina, the case hits close to home—she knows just how dangerous it is, since the wizard was her father. Just when he thinks they&rssquo;re close to breaking the case, tragedy strikes, leaving Gina in a coma. Then, after years as a ghost, Robbie finally decides to move on, leaving Duncan to protect young Ashton Marsh, the victim of several strange animal attacks. Suddenly Duncan is working without his supernatural safety net. Without his friends, can Duncan defeat the power of Eleazar's skull and keep Ashton alive? Or will the struggle for his life end in broken bodies as well as broken hearts?

Michael Cook has left his abusive lover and settled in the small town of Banning, Illinois. Having nowhere else to go, he checks into the Raven's Rest Inn and soon learns that the haunted reputation of the hotel is well deserved. Michael gets a job at a local café, where he meets Trey Ramsey. Though Michael has misgivings about starting up a new relationship, Trey seems to be the complete opposite of Michael's controlling ex, so he decides to give Trey a chance. Life at the Raven's Rest becomes increasingly frightening when the ghost of Coleman Hollis appears in Michael's room. Coleman seems to want something from Michael, and the mystery deepens when Michael discovers he's the spitting image of Coleman's lover from years ago. Together, Michael and Trey must discover why Coleman's spirit is drawn to the Raven's Rest—and to Michael.

"Sequel to Pop Goes the Weasel"

Patrick Weasel Weasley is worried he s not spending enough time with his new boyfriend Tony, now that they are living and working in different towns. He decides the best way to cement the relationship is to buy Tony a ring for Christmas. Unfortunately, Weasel's evil stepfather--a rat bastard if ever there was one--has cut him off without a cent, and he is left with no other choice. He must (gasp ) get a job

Weasel wouldn't mind working at the Phantom Lady Inn if it wasn't for Tony's ex-boyfriend Gates Stumpenhorst, who wants to beat the stuffing out of him, or Cicely Talbot, a writer who believes she can prove to Weasel that he's not really gay. As if that wasn t enough, the deputy sheriff thinks Weasel is the local arsonist. Adding to their troubles is a rumored Phantom Lady haunting the inn and pilfering trinkets. With all this going on, Weasel might not live to survive Christmas, much less find time to go on a date with Tony "