Originally Posted by u-Bob

state owned companies = companies that have no incentive to keep their customers happy because they get paid anyway (with tax dollars/euros).

One of my neighbors is a 70+ year old guy who used to work for a state owned company for over 20 years. During summer he comes by every now and then to drop off some vegetables from his garden. One story he has told me many times is how, after he had gotten a job in a state owned company after having worked in a privately owned company, his new boss complained to him about how he was doing his job. His boss in the state owned company complained that he was finishing his tasks too quickly. He complained that he was working too hard. My neighbor still laughs every time when he tells this story... "it took some getting used to, but eventually I managed to work as slowly as my coworkers"