For the first time, Beijing will utilize a competitive hiring
process to select general managers for four large state-owned
enterprises (SOEs). General managers have traditionally been
appointed by the government.
The change is part of China's in-depth reforms of SOEs,
according to the Beijing State Assets Supervision and
Administration Commission (SASAC).
The posts up for grabs are with the Beijing No. 1 Commerce
Group, the Beijing Urban Construction Company, the Beijing Jingyi
Stock Company and the Beijing Public Transportation
Corporation.
Competition will begin later this month.
People within the enterprises are encouraged to compete, said
SASAC press officer Hu Sicong, "because they know better the
conditions of the companies."
But it will take time for applications for top jobs to be
accepted from outside SOEs.
The competitive process includes submission of a personal
statement, appraisal by coworkers, recommendation by enterprises
and an independent appraisal by a committee consisting of local
SASAC authorities, other experts and the Organization Department of
the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of
China.
Independent appraisal and assessments by the enterprises' boards
of directors will each account for 40 percent of the final
decision, while coworkers will contribute 20 percent.
SASAC will evaluate the new general managers annually.
The former general managers of the four enterprises have retired
or were moved to other posts, sources with the commission said.
The deputy manager at the Beijing Metro Operation Company and
the vice president of the Beijing Municipal Institute of Survey and
Design will also be chosen through competition.
More SOEs are expected to be involved in the reform in the
second half of this year.
SASAC administers a total of 92 state-owned enterprises and
public institutions. Only chairmen of the boards of 12 large SOEs
were appointed by the Organization Department of the Beijing
Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. The rest are
handled by SASAC.
(China Daily June 3, 2004)