Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Considerations and implications on the necessity of increasing efficiency in the public education system: The new public management (NPM) and the market orientation as reference concepts

  • Published:
International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Education is considered to be one of most important public services. It is an area whose extra value added to the economy and whole society has been demonstrated to be vital. However, as in case of a number of other public services, Public Administration has been accused of destining little resources to this service or either managing them poorly.

Bearing in mind the aim to increase the efficiency of the management of the public sector in general and the public education in particular, this article specifically aims to become an element of consideration at stimulating discussion on the need of managing the resources of the Public Administration more efficiently -or, at least, in a more responsible way- and focusing its activity towards the real needs of the citizens, by considering the criteria of social and geographical equity. So, considerations based on theNew Public Management (NPM) andmarket orientation, they both considered as complementary guidelines, will become elements of key importance.

Inside this framing, concepts sustaining both applications are briefly commented, the difficulty of measuring the real yield of certain public resources is estimated, and finally main implications for public education management are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aberbach, J. D. and Christensen, T. (2005): Citizens and Consumers: An NPM Dilemma.Public Management Review, 7 (2), pp. 225–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adcroft, A. and Willis, R. (2005): The (Un)Intended Outcome of Public Sector Performance Measurement.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 18 (5), pp. 400–416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asher, J. (2005): Building Work-Based Learning into the School Curriculum.Education + Training, 47 (1), pp. 64–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atuahene-Gima, K. (1996): Market Orientation and Innovation.Journal of Business Research, 35 (2), pp. 93–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bakewell, T. (2005): Integrating Practice and Theory for Advancement.International Journal of Educational Advancement, 5 (2), pp. 192–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bevir, M.; Rhodes, A. and Weller, P. (2003): Traditions of Governance: Interpreting the Changing Role of the Public Sector.Public Administration, 81 (1), pp. 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourner, T. (2003): Assessing Reflective Learning.Education + Training, 45 (5), pp. 267–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brookes, M. (2003): Higher Education: Marketing in a Quasi-Commercial Service Industry.International Journal of NonProfit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 8 (2), pp. 134–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, K. and Geddes, R. (2006): Image Repair: Research, Consensus, and Strategies: A Study of the University College of Cape Breton.Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 15 (1/2), pp. 69–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyne, G. A. and Gould-Williams, J. (2003): Planning and Performance in Public Organizations: An Empirical Analysis.Public Management Review, 5 (1), pp. 115–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brugué, Q. and Gallego, R. (2003): A Democratic Public Administration?Public Management Review, 5 (3), pp. 425–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchmann, M. (2002): Labour Market Entry and Beyond: Some reflections on the Changing Structure of Work.Education + Training, 44 (4/5), pp. 217–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burton-Jones, A.: The Knowledge Supply Model: A Framework for Developing Education and Training in the New Economy.Education + Training, 43 (4/5), pp. 225–232.

  • Cambra, J. J. and Cambra, J. (2004): Elementos Generadores/Indicadores de Calidad como Herramienta de Gestión de los Centros Educativos.Revista de Gestión Pública y Privada, 9, pp. 71–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardona, J. (1994):Metodología Innovadora de Evaluación en Centros Educativos. Madrid: Sanz y Torres.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, S. (2005): Perceptions and Positioning of Colleges in New York City: A Longitudinal Study of Brand Images.International Journal of Educational Advancement, 5 (2), pp. 107–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, Y. C. L. (2004): Performance Measurement and Adoption of Balanced Scorecards: A Survey of Municipal Governments in the USA and Canada.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 17 (3), pp. 204–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapleo, C. (2004): Interpretation and Implementation of Reputation/Brand Management by UK University Leaders.International Journal of Educational Advancement, 5 (1), pp. 7–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, T. and Lægreid, P. (2001): New Public Management: The Effects of Contractualism and Devolution on Political Control.Public Management Review, 3 (1), pp. 73–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Bruijn, H. (2002): Performance Measurement in the Public Sector: Strategies to Cope with the Risks of Performance Measurement.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 15 (7), pp. 578–594.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deng, S. and Dart, J. (1994): Measuring Market Orientation: A Multi-Factor, Multi-Item Approach.Journal of Marketing Management, 10 (8), pp. 725–742.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Desphandé, R.; Farley, J. U. and Webster, F. E. Jr. (1993): Corporate Culture, Customer Orientation, and Innovativeness in Japanese Firms: A Quadrad Analysis.Journal of Marketing, 57 (1), pp. 23–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson, B. and McNicholas, C. (2004): Understanding the Postgraduate Education Market for UK-Based Students: A Review and Empirical Study.International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 9 (4), pp. 346–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drucker, P. (1995): The Information Executives Truly Need,Harvard Business Review, 69 (1), pp. 54–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drummond, G.; Ensor, J.; Laing, A. and Richardson, N. (2000): Market Orientation Applied to Police Service Strategies.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 13 (7), pp. 571–587.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fallows, S. and Steven, C. (2000): Building Employability Skills into the Higher Education Curriculum: A University-Wide Initiative.Education + Training, 42 (2), pp. 75–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farnham, D.; Horton, S. and White, G. (2003): Organisational Change and Staff Participation and Involvement in Britain’s Public Services.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 16 (6), pp. 434–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferlie, E. and Steane, P. (2002): Changing Developments in NPM.International Journal of Public Administration, 25 (12), pp. 1459–1469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forrester, G. (2001): Performance-Related Pay for Teachers: An Examination of the Underlying Objectives and its Application in Practice.Public Management Review, 3 (4), pp. 617–625.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler, S. R. (1994): A Social Marketing Orientation for University Extension.Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 2 (2/3), pp. 45–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerber, R. (2001): Learning in Small Business Enterprises. In Velde, C. (ed.)International Perspectives on Competency in the Workplace. London: Kluwer, pp. 131–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gunsalus, R. (2005): The Relationship of Institutional Characteristics and Giving Participation Rates of Alumni.International Journal of Educational Advancement, 5 (2), pp. 162–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heskett, L.; Sasser, W. and Schlesinger, A. (2002):The Value Profit Chain; Treat Employees like Customers and Customers like Employees. New York: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heyes, A. and Liston-Heyes, L. (2004): Brand Management in US Business Schools: Can Yale Learn from Harvard?International Journal of Educational Advancement, 5 (1), pp. 35–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hood, C. (1991): A Public Management for All Seasons?Public Administration, 69 (1), pp. 3–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holloway, J. A.; Hinton, C. M.; Francis, G. A. and Mayle, D. T. (1999):Identifying Best Practice in Benchmarking. London: Cima.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaworski, B. J. and Kohli, A. K. (1993): Market Orientation: Antecedents and Consequences.Journal of Marketing, 57 (3), pp. 53–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Judd, V. (2001): Toward a Customer-Orientation and a Differentiated Position in a Nonprofit Organization Using the 5th P-People.Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 9 (1/2), pp. 5–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. (1992): The Balanced Scorecard-Measures that Drive Performance.Harvard Business Review, 70 (1), pp. 71–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keraudren, P. and Van Mierlo, H. (1998): Theories of Public Management Reform and their Practical Implication. In Verheijen, T. and Coombes, D. (eds.)Innovation in Public Management: Perspectives from East and West Europe, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 39–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohli A. K. and Jaworski, B. J. (1990): Market Orientation: The Construct, Research Propositions and Managerial Implications.Journal of Marketing, 54 (2), pp. 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohli A. K.; Jaworski, B. J. and Kumar, A. (1993): MARKOR: A Measure of Marketing Orientation.Journal of Marketing Research, 30 (4), pp. 467–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, P. (2003): Academic Reputation: How U.S. News & World Report Survey Respondents Form Perceptions.International Journal of Educational Advancement, 4 (2), pp. 155–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leader, G. (2003): Lifelong Learning: Policy and Practice in Further Education.Education + Training, 45 (7), pp. 361–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leonard, E. F. III (2005): The Advancement Value Chain: An Exploratory Model.International Journal of Educational Advancement, 5 (2), pp. 142–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lilleker, D. G. (2005): Political Marketing: The Causes of an Emerging Democratic Deficit in Britain.Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 14 (1/2), pp. 5–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd, J. (2005): Square Peg, Round Hole? Can Marketing-Based Concepts such as the ‘Product’ and the ‘Marketing-Mix’ Have a Useful Role in the Political Arena?Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 14 (1/2), pp. 27–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maniaci, V. M. (2004): The Vulnerability Framework Integrates Various Models of Generating Surplus Revenue.International Journal of Educational Advancement, 5 (1), pp. 76–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maniaci, V. M. and Poole, R. (2005): Increasing Efficiency in Academia: The Use of a Weaning Model in Fundraising.International Journal of Educational Advancement, 5 (2), pp. 131–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mavin, S. and Bryans, P. (2000): Management Development in the Public Sector - What Roles Can Universities Play?International Journal of Public Sector Management, 13 (2), pp. 142–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAdam, R. and O’Neill, L. (2002): Evaluating Best Value through Clustered Benchmarking in UK local Government: Building Control Services.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 5 (6), pp. 438–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAdam, R.; Hazlett, S. A. and Casey, C. (2005): Performance Management in the UK Public Sector: Addressing Multiple Stakeholder Complexity.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 18 (3), pp. 256–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, C. (1994): How the Right Measures Help Teams Excel.Harvard Business Review, 72 (3), pp. 95–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mortimore, R. (2003): Why Politics Needs Marketing?International Journal of NonProfit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 8 (2), pp. 107–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moynihan, D. and Pandey, S. (2006): Creating Desirable Organizational Characteristics: How Organizations Create a Focus on Results and Managerial Authority.Public Management Review, 8 (1), pp. 119–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Narver, J. C. and Slater, S. F. (1990): The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability.Journal of Marketing, 54 (4), pp. 20–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norman, R. (2004): “Recovering from a Tidal Wave: New Directions for Performance Management in New Zealand’s Public Sector.Public Finance and Management, 4 (3), pp. 429–447.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Cass, A. (2003): An Exploratory Assessment of the Political Product: Proclamations of the Faithful.Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 11 (2), pp. 67–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O'Neil, J. (2003): The Challenge of Promoting a Cohesive Industrial Identity: An Investigation of the Impact of External Audiences, Task Specialisation and the Overall Organization.Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 11 (2), pp. 21–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parys, M. (2003): Staff Participation in the Belgian Public Sector Reform.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 16 (6), pp. 446–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeiffer, C. E. (2003): When Soloists Form a Choir: Communication Requirements of Sustainability Networks.Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 11 (1), pp. 167–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollanen, R. M. (2005): Performance Measurement in Municipalities: Empirical Evidence in Canadian Context.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 18 (1), pp. 4–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollitt, C. (1995): Justification by Works or by Faith? Evaluating the New Public Management.Evaluation, 1 (2), pp. 133–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pollitt, D. (2001): Flexible Workforce for the Modern Economy: The Role of Education and Training.Education + Training, 43 (7), pp. 345–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porter, M. (1985):Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. New York: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quayle, M. and Quayle, S. (2000): The Impact of Strategic Procurement in the UK Further and Higher Education Sectors.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 13 (3), pp. 260–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raman, P. and Pashupati, M. (2002): Turning Good Citizens into Even Better Ones: The Impact of Program Characteristics and Motivations on Service Learning Outcomes.Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 10 (2), pp. 187–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruekert, R. W. (1992): Developing a Market Orientation: An Organizational Strategy Perspective.International Journal of Research in Marketing, 9 (3), pp. 225–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandberg, N.; Stensaker, B. and Aamodt, P. (2002): Evaluation in Policy Implementation: An Insider Report.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 15 (1), pp. 44–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sargeant, A.; Foreman, S. and Liao, M. N. (2002): Operationalizing the Marketing Concept in the Nonprofit Sector.Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 10 (2), pp. 41–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simerly, R. G. (1994): Linking Marketing to Strategic Long-Range Planning.Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 2 (2), pp. 149–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Talib, A. A. (2003): The Offspring of New Public Management in English Universities.Public Management Review, 5 (4), pp. 573–583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thynne, I. (2003): Making Sense of Public Management Reform.Public Management Review, 5 (3), pp. 449–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Nostrand, I. (2003): A Quantitative Model for Evaluating Advancement Effectiveness.International Journal of Educational Advancement, 4 (2), pp. 166–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wall, A. and Martin, G. (2003): The Disclosure of Key Performance Indicators in the Public Sector.Public Management Review, 5 (4), pp. 491–509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walsh, S. (2002): Collective Service Learning Experiences Uncover Both Personal and Interactive Student Potentialities: A Case Study Within an Academic Setting.Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 10 (2), pp. 231–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walshe, K. (2001):Don’t Try This at Home: Health Policy Lessons for the NHS from the United States. London: Institute of Economic Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waterhouse, J. and Lewis, D. (2004): Communicating Culture Change.Public Management Review, 6 (3), pp. 353–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willcocks, S. G. (2002): Adopting a Multi-Perspective Approach to the Study of Public Sector Managerial Effectiveness.International Journal of Public Sector Management, 15 (4), pp. 262–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, R. E. (2000): Student Evaluations and Consumer Orientation of Universities.Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 8 (1), pp. 33–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zietlow, J. T. (2001): Social Entrepreneurship: Managerial, Finance and Marketing Aspects.Journal of NonProfit & Public Sector Marketing, 9 (1/2), pp. 19–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Area de Psicopedagogía, UNED (Centro Asociado de Barbastro). Hnos., Argensola 55, 22300, Barbastro, Huesca, Spain

    Jesús Cambra-Berdún

  2. Departamento de Dirección de Empresas, Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Ctra, de Utrera Km. 1, 41013, Sevilla, Spain

    Jesús J. Cambra-Fierro

Authors
  1. Jesús Cambra-Berdún
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jesús J. Cambra-Fierro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jesús Cambra-Berdún or Jesús J. Cambra-Fierro.

Additional information

Authors acknowledge Prof. Yolanda Polo for her suggestions to a previous version of this paper.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cambra-Berdún, J., Cambra-Fierro, J.J. Considerations and implications on the necessity of increasing efficiency in the public education system: The new public management (NPM) and the market orientation as reference concepts. Int Rev on Public Marketing 3, 41–58 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02893619

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02893619

Key Words

Search

Navigation