This paper examines the attempt by a District Health Authority (DHA) to create structures (called Purchasing Strategy Groups or PSGs) to facilitate the effective development of its purchasing strategy. The paper is based on a case study design conducted using Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). The research contribution the paper makes is twofold. First, it analyses some of the fundamental management-related difficulties that a DHA can experience when attempting to come to terms with its role and responsibilities in the 1990s. Second, it provides a discussion and evaluation of the utility of SSM for qualitative research in the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK.
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