The application of a management system, initially in German local government, led to the »New Public Management« in the 1990s. The guiding principle is to develop municipalities into a customer-oriented service company. The holistic concept of the »New Public Management« should help administrations to improve their processes. After seven editions, this new edition replaces the successful standard work »Öffentliche Betriebswirtschaftslehre« (Public Business Administration), which came on the market in the mid-1990s.