Research On The Organization Of The Commission And The Management Of Guangzhou Hydropower Industry In The Republic Of China(1926-1934)

Prior to the introduction of the committee management organization,Guangzhou’s hydropower business went through two stages: government-business joint venture and fully commercial operation.In the fully commercial stage of Guangzhou’s water and electricity business,businessmen occupied an important position in the management of the company,in which the manager held most of the company’s authority.As the demand for electricity and water in the city increased,the government paid more and more attention to the management of the water and electricity business,and was concerned about the mismanagement of the water and electricity companies,so the government began to intervene in the management of the water and electricity business in Guangzhou,and the water and electricity business entered the stage of organizing work.In this stage,the government formed a committee in Guangzhou Water and Electricity Company,which was different from the management form of commercial companies in terms of organizational structure and specific practices.In terms of organizational structure,the members of the committee were from different sources,and both government and commercial representatives could be members of the committee and play a role in the committee,but the government was in the dominant position in the committee.In terms of concrete practice,the committee organization at this stage started from the causes of the company’s mismanagement and its focus on considering the interests of the people.After the finishing stage,although the management of Guangzhou water and electricity utilities improved,the Guangzhou government thought that there were still many problems in the management of water and electricity utilities,so it accelerated the pace of taking over the Guangzhou Water and Electricity Company.After the government-run Guangzhou Water and Electricity Company was taken over,even though the businessmen repeatedly requested to make the company commercial,it did not change the end of the government-run Guangzhou Water and Electricity Company.The Guangzhou government still managed the government-run Guangzhou water and electricity utilities in the form of committee organizations,setting up a water management committee and an electricity management committee in the Guangzhou Water and Electricity Company respectively,and establishing corresponding evaluation type committees,showing the official domination of the management of the Guangzhou water and electricity utilities and reflecting the weakening of the management power of the business sector.Committee organizations were important players in the management of Guangzhou’s water and electricity business during the Republican period,and the various types of committee organizations exhibited pluralism,professionalism,and transitional characteristics.The management practices of committee organizations reflect the exemplary role of water utility management on electric utility management and reflect the strengthening of municipal government municipal dominance in the late 1920s and early 1930s.