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This chapter reviews the new inspectorate, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, and the new Inspection Framework for Fire and Rescue Services in England. It will look at the antecedents of the inspectorate and the history of inspections in both the police and in the fire and rescue services. Prior to the Policing and Crime Act 2017, Fire and Rescue Services in England were without a dedicated independent inspectorate for almost 10 years and the government promised a new independent and a rigorous inspection regime. This chapter critically evaluates the government's response and the early development of the new regime.

This chapter investigates the history, antecedents and drivers for the latest Fire and Rescue National Framework for England, published in 2018. It reviews the previous five national frameworks published since the first was introduced in 2004 and evaluates them against the model outline in Chapter 2. The authors suggest that that political expediency and speed of delivery have played a greater role in their development than improving services, increasing public safety and providing assurance to the public. It therefore highlights some key areas for improvement in both the national framework and in its implementation.

The following is an introductory profile of the fastest growing firms over the three-year period of the study listed by corporate reputation ranking order. The business activities in which the firms are engaged are outlined to provide background information for the reader.

Costa Rica is recognized as one of the two countries with the longest continuous democracy in Latin America. After a short civil war, the country dissolved its armed forces and adopted a new constitution that established the basis of a Welfare State and a meritocratic public administration. The aim of this chapter is to analyze the characteristics of the Costa Rican public administration since the end of the 1990s. We discuss the dilemmas presented by its high level of fragmentation and the actions that have been taken—based mainly on the neo-Weberian paradigm—to modernize the traditional public apparatus so that it becomes more efficient, transparent, and responsive to citizens.

Like the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Korean Internal Revenue Service (KIRS) has implemented many changes to improve customer satisfaction since 1999. However, the Customer Satisfaction Index for KIRS services was low when compared with that of private companies. Therefore, it is important that the KIRS identify which dimensions of its services have an impact on its customers’ satisfaction. In this regard, the objectives of this study are: (1) to categorize KIRS services into a smaller number of dimensions; and (2) to find which dimensions have a significant effect on customer satisfaction. Data were collected using questionnaires filled out by staff accountants in tax preparation firms in Korea, and 322 questionnaires were analyzed by structural equation modeling using LISREL. Analysis of data showed that the respondents evaluated KIRS services in terms of seven dimensions: Politeness, Service by Telephone/Fax, Accuracy/Quickness, Easiness of Requesting Services, Cleanness of Office, Accommodation, and Equitable Service. Therefore, the current approach of the KIRS, which has developed diagnostic tools without identifying the dimensions of its services, needs to be changed. Also, the three dimensions (Equitable Service, Politeness, and Accuracy/Quickness) had significantly positive impacts on customer satisfaction. This result implies that the KIRS may need to focus its efforts more on these three dimensions, rather than on all dimensions of its services. In addition, because of the similarities in the changes of the KIRS and those of the IRS, the findings of this study may be applied to improving some parts of the IRS.