There has been a profusion of approaches and then confusion in describing the stüdy and practice of management in the public sector. The similarities and differences between organisations and management functions in the public and private sectors are a constant source of conroversy. What does management mean in the public sector? What makes public management new and different? In this study we have developed eight different positions conceming the similarities and differences between management âınctions in both sectors: (ü) public adminisration iş unique; (fi) pubiic adminİstratİon and private (business) management are alike in unimponant respects; (iii) there is a unique management for the public domain; (iv) public management is an integative paradigm; (v) the new public management (NPM) is a new paradigm; (vii) there is a convergence between public management and private management; (vii) management is generic; (viii) public management is only a less efficientform of private (business)management. A "general public management approach", which can be developed from positions (ili), (iv) and (v) by integrating the contributions of politics, public law, economics and management, Will be a new and enriched approach to the stüdy and practice ofthe public sector, However, it should be kept İn mind that this approach is only a promisıng direction rather than a full panacea or a miraculous elixir for all problems of the pub[ic sector.