Question: In both the public and private sectors, very large organisations provide broadly similar services on a national basis through a large number of local supply centres (units). Public-sector examples include schools, hospitals, libraries and a wide range of local authority services. Private-sector examples include banks, hotel groups, supermarkets and other shops in common ownership. The public sector has traditionally taken a bureaucratic approach to the management of these geographically separate units. Recently there have been a number of changes, both in the UK and elsewhere, attempting to reduce central bureaucratic control of local units by devolving more power to local units.