Fiji, the now infamous coup-ridden island nation located at the heart of the Pacific
Ocean, is one of the most developed of the small island nations. It has a multiracial
population mix with major cultural groups of indigenous Fijians and
Indo-Fijians. While the most recent military coup has dimmed the attractiveness of the business climate, the
economy remains under the military rule of the self-appointed Prime-Minister, Commodore
Josaia Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama since the December 2006 bloodless coup. This
paper investigates into a less successful Government Commercial
Company (GCC), namely Food Processors (Fiji) Limited. A GCC is a wholly government-owned enterprise in
Fiji. It is generally financed through government equity and/or debt. The rationale behind
the selection of the said GCC is that, it is one that has undergone changes in the name
of reforms but without much luck. This article has two goals. First, the focus is on
unveiling the factors that continue to plague the said public enterprise. A list of suggestions
and recommendations follow as the second aim. To some extent, the results of this study
may also have implications for similar government-owned entities in other countries.
The study employed qualitative research methods to collect data. To achieve the
specific objectives, an analysis of a single institutional case study was done. Reliance has been
placed on both the primary and secondary sources. The paper is based on archival data, a
close review of relevant past studies, and in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews
with relevant individuals. |
