ABSTRACT
Traditionally, the public sector had an image of being inflexible, unresponsive and having little concern with the people they were serving and their degree of satisfaction with the services provided to them. Whether this view was justified in all cases is a debatable point but, historically, there can be no doubt that public sector management systems were traditionally based on a bureaucratic model which emphasized conformity and uniformity of approach. At the same time, the public sector organizations were largely monopolistic providers and thus consumers of services had limited or no alternatives. In recent years, fuelled by initiatives such as the Citizen’s Charter, a significant change among PSOs has been the emphasis they now place on consumerism and keeping consumers satisfied.
