Explain Merits and Demerits of Government Company.

(A) Merits of Government Company: 

(i) Profitability and Accountability : It works on business principles and follows commercial approach. Though not profit oriented like private sector, it does make reasonable profit which is used for public welfare, modernisation, renovation and development. Moreover, its performance can be evaluated by the Parliament as it has public accountability.

(ii) Internal Autonomy: Government Company enjoys financial and administrative autonomy. Its dependence on Government authority is minimum. It has its own capital structure, financial plan, borrowing powers and so on.

(iii) Government Ownership ; The ownership of the government company rests with Central or State Government who owns major capital of the company and as such looks after its management and control. Government always promotes public welfare.

(iv) Foreign Capital and Technical Know how : As the government provides 51% of the capital, the rest 49% can be raised through foreign investment. By seeking foreign capital, Government companies bring advanced technology and technical know how. 

(v) Acquisition of Sick Units : A government company can acquire a sick unit in the private sector without rationalisation. It can be acquired by purchasing 51% of the share capital of a private company.

(vi) Concessions and Privileges : As government owns Government Company, it enjoys various concessions, privileges, subsidies, etc. It may also get orders for the products or services from various government departments and agencies. It also has access to use financial resources of the Government.

(vii) Efficiency : Government company has to compete with the private sector companies. Hence, it tries to promote efficiency at all levels and avoids wastages wherever possible. It tries to improve its services to consumers and promotes consumer satisfaction by providing quality goods at reasonable prices. From the above points, it could be seen that the Government Company enjoys various benefits as it is owned by the Government and blends the objectives of privately owned companies with State owned control and maximise public welfare.

(viii) Professional Management: The management of Government Company is in the hands of the Board of Directors appointed by the Government. Government exercises control on various matters through Board of Directors. They are highly qualified.

(ix) Easy Formation : The formation of Government Company is easy as there is no procedural delay and legal constraints. It does not require special Act or Parliament approval. It comes into existence through executive decision of the Government.

(x) Flexibility : The objects, powers and organisational set up of a Government Company can be altered easily. The company can take prompt decisions regarding management, finance and other related matters due to flexibility in their operations.

(xi) Easy to Alter : The objects, powers and organisational set up of a Government Company can be altered easily. The company can take prompt decisions regarding management, finance and other related matters due to flexibility in their operations.

(xii) Enjoys Private and Public Objective : In a Government Company, attempt is made to combine the operating flexibility of privately owned companies with the advantage of state regulation and control in public interest.

(B) Demerits of Government Company: 

Though Government Company enjoys various benefits due to Government ownership and autonomy, it has following limitations: 

(i) Inefficiency and Corruption : The Directors have no financial stake in the company and as a result they are indifferent towards working of the company. Due to limited autonomy and petty politics, the efficiency of the enterprise is affected. It results in corruption.

(ii) Lack of Professional view : There is lack of devotion, dedication and systematic approach. In fact, there is no professional approach in various operations and working of the company.

Thus, from the above points it could be seen that there is lot of government and political interference in the Government company which brings about its inefficiency and ineffectiveness.

(iii) Domination of Ministers and Politicians : The ministers of the concerned departments are in charge of the Government Company. In view of Government ownership, political interference is quite common. The Directors try to serve and achieve their political motives rather than realisation of business goals as they are nominated for political gains and not on merits.

(iv) Red Tapism and Delay : The bureaucratic management delays in taking decision and implementing. There is no time frame and the employees are not devoted. There is often delay in preparing various documents and forwarding the same for taking action. Thus, delay, red tape, corruption, avoidance of work and shirking from the responsibility is common sight in Government Company.

(v) Autonomy only in Name : Though there is administrative autonomy, these companies face a lot of interference from the government in all the matters. Appointment of Directors, employees and its working, there is no autonomy. Autonomy is only on paper and not in practice.

(vi) Weak Public Accountability : Absence of Government audit is a major draw back in case of Government company which does not assure proper utilisation of funds. There is no control on misappropriation of funds which leads to weak public accountability.

(vii) Fear of Exposure : The working of Government Company like annual report is placed before the parliament or State Legislature. It is exposed to press and public criticism. Therefore, management of the government company often gets demoralized.

(viii) Lack of Expertise: The managerial key personnel of a Government Company are deputed from government departments. Such person, generally, lack expertise and commitment leading to lower operational efficiency of the Government Company.

(ix) Ineffective Control of Parliament : There is lack of control of the Parliament in the working of the Government company. Parliament is not having direct control, due to which the officers shirk from responsibility and postpone decision making. It affects efficiency of Government company.

(x) Poor Labour Management Relations : The employer-employee relations in the Government companies are poor. This is the result of corrupt and inefficient management of selfish trade unions. Proper work culture is found absent in Government companies.