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Public service organizations (PSOs) face a critical dilemma: how to generate more value for society but with a much-reduced resource base. The article advances the strategy axis of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) research by examining EO and proactive market orientation (PMO) as joint-strategic approaches to this end, and how the characteristics of public managers may moderate the paths to value creation.

The article draws on a unique survey-based dataset developed from Brazilian PSOs and employs structural equation modelling for hypotheses testing. Post-hoc analysis, by way of analysis of variance, demonstrates the joint impact of the two strategic approaches on public service performance level.

Entrepreneurial and PMOs are revealed as routes to enhanced service performance, but managers’ domain expertise negatively moderates these relationships. Post-hoc analysis reveals how organizations displaying higher levels of both orientations realize superior performance, relative to those favouring either/or.

The study contributes new evidence for EO model specificity by examining a narrowly bounded sample of PSOs; addresses the neglect of other outcome variables beyond traditional performance, showing the value of EO for society and offers new insights to the managerial conditions that moderate the positive synergies between EO, PMO and service performance.

Many public service institutions are constrained by their own routines and past practices, which in time affects the internal audit function. In the interests of service effectiveness recommends establishing an overseer of internal auditing matters to take the place of the statutory shackles which are currently binding. First, organizations must clarify their individual missions, if internal audit is to confirm its position as a constructive and purposeful function. Sees a need for market research and intelligence gathering and a widening of internal audit′s horizons. Concludes that public authorities must address the question of whose needs to assess and how.

Explores the development of consumer orientation in private sector marketing, and goes on to consider the meaning of consumer‐clientele orientation in public service marketing. Suggests explanations for how consumer‐client orientation is oriented in public service marketing. Recommends general approaches for facilitating consumer‐client orientation in public service marketing.

The purpose of this paper is to review selected literature on e‐government service orientation and highlight differences between academic theory and empirical findings. To date, there has been little support for predictions made in the e‐government conceptual literature.

The paper is a conceptual framework for a literature review of e‐government and service orientation is presented. A systematic database search is then undertaken to identify the literature related to e‐government and service orientation. Suitable papers are selected, carefully read, and systematically analysed according to the conceptual framework. A discussion and relevant conclusions are then presented.

The paper finds that a gap appears to exist between conceptual literature and empirical findings. For example, conceptual research claims that e‐government will result in a reduction of staff, yet no empirical findings have proven this. The present study applies institutional theory for understanding the fundamental reasons to this gap.

The paper is based on a literature review of 27 articles, three monographs and one edited volume focusing on service orientation and e‐government. It does not attempt to examine the full range of the literature available within the field of e‐government.

This review paper uniquely considers the gaps between the theory and practice of e‐government service orientation, and identifies where they exist. Some possible explanations for the gaps are explored which can be of interest to both academics and practitioners working in the field.

The aim of this article is to link research on market orientation in the field of marketing with the proposals of reform and modernisation made in the administrative and political field. Market orientation in business organisations is a highly topical issue, or even more, it is considered by someacademicians as the new marketing paradigm. Following these studies and their proposals of application in other sectors, a market orientation model is developed, from a public management perspective, in the setting of local governments through testing a set ofhypotheses about the construct and its antecedents and consequences. Antecedents explaining why some local governments are more market oriented than others are identified. Moreover, market orientation is shown to influence public organisation performance.

Distinguishes between consumers and customers, shows how these two groups′ requirements of a particular service often differ; proposes that services within health care need to be marketed to both categories. Recognizes the need for the health and social care services to be more market‐oriented. Offers guidelines for introducing or increasing market orientation which are applicable to a large range of service organizations; lists and discusses 13 pointers which are relevant from the viewpoint of the purchasing/ commissioning organizations and the service providers.

This paper develops a customer‐oriented service model for the public sector. Although customer‐oriented service models have become popular since 1980, most studies have been restricted to the private sector. In addition, they have emphasised the management of service operations rather than system design. This paper proposes a customer‐oriented service‐enhancement system (COSES) for the public sector. The model employs two dimensions: design and management of a customer‐oriented service system; and the fostering of organizational service culture. In this COSES model, the best practices of public agencies are empirically examined with respect to: the types of customer‐oriented service activities that can be developed; and how they can be developed.

With public services operating as monopolies, dissatisfied users cannot exit from the relation without changing patronage. Apart from exit from the region, voicing their dissatisfaction in order to influence the service offer becomes the only alternative. Industries and companies may be classified as customer oriented if they market differentiated products and services reflecting heterogeneous customer preferences. Customer satisfaction is influenced by expectations and perceived service quality. Degree of customer satisfaction and loyalty consequently becomes an indication of customer orientation. Reports on an empirical study of 100 business executives′ degree of satisfaction with local governments′ services in the capital of Norway. Loyalty, defined as willingness to maintain present location of business, is believed to be influenced by satisfaction. The results from the study confirm low satisfaction scores. However, support for positive correlation between satisfaction and loyalty was not found. Reputation correlated with loyalty and satisfaction. Improvements in customers′ perception of service quality, government′s reputation and professional handling of customer voice, will influence customer satisfaction and loyalty. Improving service quality as perceived by the users through the differentiating of the offer, and improving reputation, are the managerial implications of this study in order for government to improve its performance, i.e. increased user satisfaction and loyalty.

Compared with the worldwide reform trend of transcending new public management (NPM) during the past two decades, China's service-oriented government (SOG) reforms are a relatively different reform approach. After building an SOG was politically identified in 2004, China launched three rounds of SOG reforms in 2008, 2013 and 2018. The purpose of this article is to examine what is meant by China's SOG approach and analyze the reasons behind its emergence. In particular, it explores how this approach might be interpreted in NPM, and particularly post-NPM terms.

The main theoretical basis of the paper is three theoretical perspectives from organizational theory – the instrumental, cultural and myth perspectives, but more specifically, the concepts complexity and hybridity. The empirical examples are selected from the SOG reforms of 2008, 2013 and 2018. The data used are a combination of public documents and scholarly secondary literature.

This paper discusses the SOG approach in China as a response to the negative effects of NPM-related reforms and informed by the western post-NPM reforms. It contends that China's SOG is a complex and hybrid approach in which NPM and post-NPM elements coexist and their balance is different from the west.

Few authors have considered China's SOG approach in NPM and post-NPM terms. This paper contributes not only to a wider understanding of the ongoing SOG reform process in China, but also to the understanding of the relevance of public administration theories in a comparative perspective.

The purpose of this study is to propose a doctors' service orientation (DSO) scale and uses it to compare the services received in public, private and foreign hospitals in a developing country from the patient's perspective.

The scale was derived from the service quality literature and qualitative research. A questionnaire was designed next. Data were collected from patients who had used the services of doctors in a hospital.

The scale demonstrated appropriate psychometric properties. Two clear patterns emerge from the study results: on 10 out of 12 measures of doctors' service orientation, there was no significant difference in their perceived behaviors between public and private hospitals and foreign doctors were “always” rated significantly higher.

This study focused on one major city because of time and resource constraints. The findings are thus not generalizable to hospitals across the country. Also, because of translation and retranslation issues, the scale ought to be further tested for wider use.

The scale may be used periodically in a comprehensive quality assurance program to exhort doctors to become more service oriented and to improve their performance over time.