Factors contributing to taxpayer morale: a multi-country perspective
- Authors: Kosiorek, Jakub
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Taxpayer compliance -- South Africa , Tax evasion -- South Africa , Taxpayer compliance -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Taxpayer compliance -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Tax morale -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60255 , vital:27759
- Description: Tax morale is the intrinsic motivation to pay taxes that arises either from a belief that one should contribute towards society by paying taxes or from a moral obligation to pay taxes. The goals of this thesis were to identify the various factors that influence tax morale in a country and use these factors in order to attempt to determine whether tax morale in South Africa has improved or deteriorated over the years. A further goal of this thesis was to identify strategies that could be implemented by a country in order to improve the tax morale of its citizens. The period covered by this thesis is between the years 2000 and 2015. The factors that have an effect on tax morale were identified by a review of the literature. It was found that a number of factors appear to have an impact on tax morale, but certain of these factors are incapable of being directly influenced by tax administrations. With regard to South Africa, it was found that a number of factors affecting tax morale appear to have improved over the years, while others had deteriorated. However, overall it appeared that tax morale in South Africa had deteriorated. With regard to strategies that could be used to improve tax morale, a number were identified by reviewing the literature and include strategies implemented in certain countries, as well as those discussed by scholars. Ii was found that South Africa had implemented a number of the strategies aimed at improving tax morale in its own tax system, but the manner in which some of them were implemented could have been improved. Furthermore, a number of strategies were identified that South Africa has not yet implemented and thus should look to attempting to implement these strategies to improve tax morale.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Factors influencing middle income black professionals’ intention to seek financial planning assistance
- Authors: Mtimba, Sinaye Akhumzi
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Finance, Personal , Financial literacy Financial planners Middle class -- South Africa -- Finance
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/22813 , vital:30099
- Description: With the rising day to day expenses especially post retirement when income streams are running low, financial planning helps to better manage such events more effectively. Through a proper financial plan individuals do not just deal with wealth creation and wealth protection but are able to start from the basics of budgeting, were individuals are taught how to live within their means. In South Africa, financial planning has been seen to be focusing on the more affluent clients. This has resulted in a distinct lack of academic literature done on middle income black professionals in relation to financial planning. This is despite the increase of the black middle class population which has been accompanied with an increased purchasing power exceeding that of the previously wealthier white middle class. The growth of the black middle class in South Africa has been accompanied with stumbling blocks, ranging from the lack of financial literacy of the black middle class, negative attitude towards the financial services industry that influence financial decision making, and the pre-existing perception that are built on the lack of financial awareness, a legacy left by the history of division that South Africa had. Therefore the main aim of this study was to investigate the factors that influence middle income black professionals’ intention to seek financial planning assistance. Both secondary and primary data were used to help achieve the primary research objective of the study. An in-depth literature review on the financial planning industry in South Africa that included the nature of financial planning, the role of the financial planner, the six step financial planning process, the importance and benefits of financial planning, current trends in the financial planning industry, financial planning and the middle income black professionals and the factors that influence the middle income black professionals’ intention to seek financial planning assistance was conducted. Selected study of the literature revealed six factors that might influence an individual’s intention to seek financial planning assistance, namely Attitude, Awareness, Family financial norms, Financial self-efficacy, Trust and Perceived rewards. A theoretical framework was proposed illustrating the relationships between the factors influencing middle income black professionals’ intention to seek financial planning assistance that were to be empirically tested. A positivistic research paradigm was followed and a quantitative approach was implemented. Snowball and convenience sampling was used and a total of 300 questionnaires were distributed to middle income black professionals in the Eastern Cape. For the purpose of this study, middle income black professionals refer to qualified working individuals in the middle income bracket, including teachers, nurses, administrative workers, office-based municipal workers and employees in the private sector, such as those working in the banks and retail supervisors. These were distributed to verify their intentional behaviour with regards to seeking financial planning assistance. From the 300 questionnaires distributed, 271 usable questionnaires were yielded. Statistical techniques including descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product moment correlations and multiple regression analysis were performed on the gathered data. Demographic data relating to the gender, age and first language of the respondents was collected. An exploratory factor analysis was undertaken, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were calculated to assess the validity and reliability of the measuring instrument. As a result of the factor analysis the operational definitions were rephrased. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients reported were all greater than 0.7, deeming the scales measuring the various dimensions reliable. Descriptive statistics were calculated to summarise the sample data, and Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients were established to investigate the associations between the variables. Significant positive correlations were reported between all of the variables. The results of the descriptive statistics showed that the majority of respondents agreed that Attitude (77.73%), Financial self-efficacy (61.13%) and Perceived rewards (76.98%) were the most influencing factors. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that three factors had a significant positive influence on the dependent variable Intention to seek financial planning assistance, namely Attitude, Awareness and Perceived rewards. The factors Family financial norms, Financial self-efficacy and Trust were rejected as there was no significant relationship found between them and the Intention to seek financial planning assistance. Based on the results, it is recommended that financial service providers focus on financial education by engaging with the middle income black professionals through accessible media such as radio and television. Furthermore, financial service providers should shift from a sales orientated philosophy to a lifestyle financial planning advice philosophy that encourage value for the service rendered to the client and sells benefit than product. The Department of Education should put in place basic financial planning curriculum that can be deliverable at schooling level and is examinable in order to improve the basic financial knowledge and awareness amongst the next generation. Lastly the middle income black professionals are encouraged to read their documents when taking out financial products as well as financial related articles to develop their financial knowledge.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Factors that make a visit to selected Eastern Cape national parks a memorable experience
- Authors: Baldie, Carole Audrey
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Tourism -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Tourism -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Customer relations -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Management Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21461 , vital:29524
- Description: South African National Parks (SANParks) manages 19 functional national parks (NPs) and oversees the conservation of South Africa’s (SA’s) biodiversity, landscapes and heritage assets. The organisation plays a significant role in the promotion of SA’s nature-based tourism business which in turn forms part of the nation’s heritage and identity. Tourism to SA’s NPs is significant and interest in visiting these parks continues to increase annually, from both international and domestic markets. Three of these NPs are located in the Eastern Cape province, namely Addo Elephant National Park (AENP), Camdeboo National Park (CNP) and Mountain Zebra National Park (MZNP) and were the focus of this study. The main reason for conducting the current study was to establish what factors make visits to the three aforementioned NPs memorable. The findings of this research could be useful to all NPs and assist them in making decisions regarding the evaluation and creation of product offerings that will enhance experiences and make them memorable for tourists. Based on the findings, and because each NP is unique (for example, the different biodiversity and landscapes), the product offerings can also be made exclusive to each NP and therefore tourists can have the opportunity for different MTEs in each park. Providing product offerings that afford MTE opportunities are particularly important for NPs, as government funding is decreasing and each NP needs to generate its own funds. Tourism is presently the economic lifeline for the parks. If NPs focus on improving current products where necessary and developing new products that provide for MTEs, NPs could increase their competitive advantage. Having a competitive advantage can ensure an increase in tourism numbers and therefore the financial sustainability of the park. Data was collected on site at each of the three NPs selected for the study, using convenience sampling to select respondents. A web-based survey was also posted on the SANParks’ website. Prior to the posting of the web-based survey, SANParks conducted a simple random sampling procedure utilising a sampling frame of tourists who had previously visited the respective NPs. The selected target population emanating from simple random sampling was e-mailed the link to the SANParks website which guided respondents to the online questionnaire if they wished to take part in the survey, hence the response sample was a convenience sample. In total, 463 usable questionnaires were received. Descriptive statistics resulted from the data analysis. A frequency analysis showed the distribution of the results, while an exploratory factors analysis (EFA) was conducted to ascertain any latent factors in the data. The results of the EFA showed the presence of three latent factors which were labelled Pleasure, Social Interaction and Discovery and Enrichment. Firstly, a strong positive correlation was shown between two of the factors, namely Pleasure and Discovery and Enrichment, and secondly, a positive correlation between two other factors, namely Social Interaction and Discovery and Enrichment was indicated. A weak correlation was shown between the factors Pleasure and Social Interaction. This research has contributed to the knowledge base regarding the factors that make a visit to AENP, CNP and MZNP memorable. Future research can make use of these factors for more exhaustive research in a wider range of NPs.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Financial liberalization and financial instability in the selected SADC member countries
- Authors: Cele, Nolungelo Mercy
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Finance Financial crises Finance -- Developing countries
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8978 , vital:34179
- Description: The study examined the impact of financial liberalization on financial instability in selected SADC member countries namely South Africa, Tanzania, Madagascar and Botswana for the period 1970-2012. The Panel data methodology was adopted to establish the relationship between the two variables. Impaired loans were used to capture financial instability and financial reforms to capture the level of financial liberalization. Credit to the private sector, government expenditure, GDP and inflation were utilised as control variables The empirical findings reveal that financial liberalization leads to financial instability. The financial reforms were found to be positively related with the impaired loans ratio in almost all the specifications. It was also found that financial instability intensifies when the global financial crisis is taken into consideration. This suggests that financial liberalization can therefore be another source of financial instability in the SADC countries. The empirical results imply that policy makers should focus on reforms that give due share to the regulations rather than just simply liberalizing the financial sector.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Funding higher education and training in South Africa: a comparative study of tax incentive measures, in conjunction with a dedicated tax
- Authors: Holm, Darryn
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Education, Higher -- Finance , Education, Higher -- South Africa , Tax incentives -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Student aid -- South Africa , Universities and Colleges -- Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , South Africa. Income Tax Act, 1962
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59445 , vital:27606
- Description: Higher education and training in South Africa in the post-Apartheid era has never been more volatile than it is currently, some two decades into democracy. Despite the many advances and achievements of higher education, the student protests of 2015 and 2016 have given expression to underlying fault-lines, including increasing student expectations and frustrations with regard to access and funding. This research was undertaken to document the underlying historical issues and models pertaining to funding within the higher education and training sector as well as the existing higher education and training taxation policies and incentives enacted in South Africa and selected international jurisdictions. This was done with a view to providing a framework for higher education and training tax policy formation in South Africa to assist in meeting its higher education and training “access and affordability” targets as set out in the National Plan on Higher Education and the Higher Education White Paper, while at the same time not hindering economic growth. A doctrinal research methodology was adopted in this study as it mainly analysed and interpreted legislation and policy documents and therefore the approach was qualitative in nature. An extensive literature survey was done in order to document the various internationally selected legislated higher education and training tax policies and incentives. The literature indicated that there are widespread funding perspectives and initiates, and that international tax policies enacted with the aim of ensuring that higher education and training is more accessible and affordable to the public, is stable and effective in certain jurisdictions. It is submitted that while a higher education dedicated tax may not be sufficiently effective in South Africa, a combination of broad-based tax incentives will help to promote the change to a more affordable and stable higher education funding system, whilst not preventing growth through sustainable development.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Index optimisation for structural equation models (SEM)
- Authors: Stindt, Carmen
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Structural equation modelling
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17919 , vital:28518
- Description: Structural equation modelling (SEM), a statistical technique used extensively in quantitative marketing research and other domains, is an analytical approach used to model latent (unobservable) variables. Unlike distribution fitting where simple chi-squared goodness-of-fit assessment yields satisfactory results, model fit in SEM is more difficult. Descriptive goodness-of-fit indices have been developed over the past 50 years to assist in the assessment of model fit. The traditional assessment method requires reporting multiple indices, all of which should reflect an adequate model fit in order for the overall model fit to be deemed good. The choice of indices to report are left to the researcher’s discretion, leading to the indices used to differ considerably. The combination of using the traditional assessment method and differing indices often lead to conflicting results. This study proposes a composite index, combining frequently used indicators in an attempt to obtain a single index method for assessing model fit in SEM that performs better when compared to the traditional assessment method. Composite indices have been used in other domains as an improved method of assessing performance (Barr and Kantor, 2004). The composite index proposed is evaluated using a Monte Carlo simulation study under different experimental conditions. The experimental conditions investigated are sample size, estimation method and model misspecification. These experimental conditions are chosen to investigate as each has been shown to affect the traditional indices performances. The ideal fit indices should be able to detect model misspecification while being insensitive to sample size and estimation methods. This is not always the case with the traditional indices. The composite index proposed is shown to outperform the traditional assessment method under many of the experimental condition combinations. This provides evidence that composite indices may be a more beneficial method of assessing model fit in SEM.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Livelihood strategies determinants and ranking across times : evidence from Eastern Cape
- Authors: Sikhunyana, Zintle
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Households Rural development
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/15079 , vital:40161
- Description: The existing literature has acknowledged that analysis of livelihood strategies is more important for rural development policy and also that livelihood strategies are at the centre of development. Persistent challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality have called for a need to understand livelihood patterns of poor households as to effectively address these socio-economic issues in rural areas. The study aimed to identify determinants of livelihood strategies and to identify livelihood strategies that are superior to others in the rural Eastern Cape province of South Africa for the years 2002-2014. The study used multinomial logistic regression to identify the determinants of livelihood strategies. The findings showed that: age of household head, gender of household head, dwelling type, household size, number of economically active members, size of land that the household uses, and access to electricity statistically determine livelihood strategies of the poor in rural Eastern Cape. With regards to ranking, the study used dominance tests such as the Kruskal-Wallis test and also used one way between groups ANOVA with the post hoc test for additional information. The results from the Kruskal-Wallis test showed that remittances are superior livelihood strategies, and the results from one-way between groups ANOVA with post hoc showed that sales of farm products and services dominate other strategies. Restrictions on land conservation, and promotion of sustainable development have constrained rural households from freely using land in pursuit of their goals. The government needs to reconcile the policy amendments for land use. Furthermore, social grants alone are not sufficient to meet the needs of the poor; there should be alternative strategies on how to take the poor out of poverty.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Measuring the elasticity of electricity demand in South Africa: implications for future demand and supply
- Authors: Kosiorek, Sebastian
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Electric power consumption -- South Africa , Electric power distribution -- South Africa , Electric power production -- South Africa , Electric power failures -- South Africa , Electric utilities -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Autoregression (Statistics) , Renewable energy sources -- South Africa , Energy policy -- South Africa , Integrated Resource Plan
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62472 , vital:28196
- Description: A key economic issue for government is the ability to effectively match electricity supply to electricity demand, because of the substantial economic losses in the case of where there is too little supply, or the waste of scarce resources where there is too much supply. In the case of South Africa, this issue, the importance of which was highlighted by the power shortages and associated “rolling blackouts” experience in 2008, has led to the creation of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) as a means to decide how energy policy will be developed. Recently, however, the IRP 2010 and its subsequent 2013 and 2016 (draft) updates have been criticised as being too optimistic in regards to their projections of economic growth and electricity demand, making the recommendations in these documents to be flawed. Using monthly data from January 1990 to May 2017, together with Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing for cointegration, this paper measures changes in the elasticity of electricity demand as a result of the massive price hikes over the past decade. Thereafter, the implications of changed electricity as well as possibly lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the future for forecasts of possible future demand for electricity are examined. From these revised forecasts, it is possible to make appropriate recommendations in regards to electricity supply policy for South Africa including what possible energy mix is needed as well as the requirements for creating new supply to meet possible future demand. It is concluded that future electricity demand is likely to be much lower than forecast in the IRP 2010 and IRP 2013 documents. The degree of uncertainty in electricity demand growth suggests that large-scale increases in supply capacity taking years to construct, such as coal or nuclear, should be avoided. Small, incremental increases in supply that are able to come on stream swiftly, such as gas, solar and wind power, are likely to be more appropriate for meeting South Africa’s future needs.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Non-government organizations’ adoption of knowledge management systems to enhance service delivery of projects in Grahamstown in the Makana region of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Sherif, Nabiha Mohammed
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Knowledge management , Organizational learning , Non-governmental organizations South Africa Makhanda , Human services South Africa Makhanda
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61723 , vital:28052
- Description: The object of this research is to enhance the performance of non-government organizations in the Makana region of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa by the use of knowledge management practices and principles. Non-government organizations face several service delivery challenges that affect their performance. Knowledge management assists in enhancing performance by means of organizational learning. However, the adoption of knowledge management systems has been limited to the profit-making sector. This study includes an evaluation of the contributing factors influencing the adoption of knowledge management and the extent to which non-government organizations use knowledge management to promote organizational learning. An interpretivist, qualitative case study approach was used on five non-government organizations cases from the Makana region of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A suitability profile sampling method was developed to select the non-government organization cases. The participants in the research include non-government organizations’ managers, employees and volunteers. Literature was explored to gain a better understanding of the research area. The research was initiated by an open-ended questionnaire to gather data from the participants, followed by a focus group to enrich the interpretation of the findings. The research proposes a framework to facilitate the adoption of knowledge management systems in non-government organizations. The findings of the research are intended to enhance the performance of non-government organizations projects by means of the use of knowledge management systems.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Regional value chains and development integration in the SADC Region: the case of the pharmaceutical industry
- Authors: Faydherbe, Sean
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Pharmaceutical industry -- Africa, Southern , Southern African Development Community , Africa, Southern -- Economic integration , Regional value chains (RVCs) , Global value chains (GVCs)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62906 , vital:28309
- Description: This thesis investigates how regional value chains (RVCs) can be used to further development integration in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region with a focus on the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. The study is motivated by the apparent lack of attention given to the development of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Southern Africa, the region’s high disease burden and the identification of the industry as economically and socially important by the SADC (2015) Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) (2017a) Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP). At the same time, South Africa and other countries in the region are exploring alternative approaches to regional integration, given the failure or stagnation of numerous formal integration arrangements throughout Africa, which have often lead to polarised rather than balanced development. This thesis argues that the development of RVCs within SADC may be an effective tool for development integration in the region, particularly in sectors such as pharmaceuticals. The study employs a value chain framework for the analysis and discusses development integration options, drawing on the East Asian experience with RVCs and on case studies involving India in the case of the pharmaceutical industry. It provides a sector profile of the industry in South Africa, due to its dominant status in the region, and also of Zimbabwe, due to that country’s potential to become a pharmaceutical industry leader in the region once again. The thesis first explores the important theoretical aspects underlying value chain analysis, namely governance and upgrading, while also outlining the rise of global value chains (GVCs). It analyses the complex relationships between RVCs and GVCs, and RVCs and regional integration. From this it concludes that RVCs are a stepping stone to participation in GVCs and that RVCs should be promoted within a development integration framework through strong regional cooperation. Value chain analysis is applied to the entire pharmaceutical manufacturing industry with a focus on SADC. The thesis examines how the sector is evolving with manufacturing multinational corporations (MNCs) outsourcing production and setting up centres of excellence in regional production hubs. The study argues that with the application of recommended policies, RVCs in sectors such as pharmaceutical manufacturing may provide a tool for achieving balanced development in the region. However, the study also finds that the pharmaceutical industry in SADC lags a long way behind the rest of the world and that many countries and firms will need to begin at the bottom of the value chain, with formulation, in order to contribute to the development of RVCs. The thesis concludes with recommendations on what policies are needed to foster the growth and development of pharmaceutical RVCs in the SADC region. These include strengthening public procurement, providing incentives for investment into the industry, incremental production and incremental export volumes, as well as certainty and predictability around the regulatory and business environment. Further, policy should aim to construct synergies and linkages on the ground between health systems and industrial developments; regulate service links important to pharmaceutical manufacturing; develop a coherent regional policy agenda; remove unnecessary non-tariff barriers to trade in the region and, in line with development integration, implement trade policy along with trade infrastructure that is efficient and includes airports, rail, roads and ports, as well as effective access to the internet.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Response of the IMF and the World Bank to the Great Recession and the Euro sovereign crisis in a globalising world
- Authors: Thibane, Tankiso Abel
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Recessions Globalization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/16142 , vital:28330
- Description: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) now the World Bank, were created in the mid-1940s. The IMF was tasked to manage the post-war international monetary system, while the World Bank’s role during its early years was to provide development finance to war-torn Europe. These institutions reformed some of their roles to make them relevant to the globalising world over the years and also responded to several post-war crises. Since these two institutions carry out their roles in a globalising world, this study has revealed that globalisation has different interpretations as many researchers refer to the economic and non-economic explanations of its meaning. Globalisation is also a historical process as it traces back several years ago. Since approximately the mid-2000s, the global economy experienced two economic crises, namely the US sub-prime financial crisis that later became the Great Recession and the Euro sovereign crisis. The two economic crises spread to other countries globally that were interconnected into the global economy regarding international trade, investment and banking. These two crisis events required responses from the IMF and the World Bank. The two institutions displayed a variety of strengths and weaknesses in dealing with the recession and the Euro crisis. The lending of both these institutions has been their strength as they have managed to expand their lending capacity during the two crisis periods examined. The IMF’s crisis intervention time frames have also been its strength, as the speed in which it has approved financial assistance requests has been within reasonable time frames. The IMF’s new lending instruments have been its weakness, as the success of these instruments has not been fully tested so far. This is because of the little use of the IMF’s new lending instruments. The IMF’s crisis prevention efforts through the use of its surveillance tools have also been its flaw. This is based on the fact that it has failed to prevent the US financial crisis (later the Great Recession) and the Euro sovereign crisis. Overall, this study found that these institutions played a significant role in responding to the Great Recession and Euro sovereign crisis as their strengths outweigh their weaknesses. However, the weaknesses of the IMF confirm that it needs to reform its role and learn from its flaws in the future.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Specific service level expectations that automotive manufacturers have of third party logistics service providers in the Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Pillay, Shandran
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Business logistics -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Delivery of goods -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Management Physical distribution of goods -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/23108 , vital:30422
- Description: Very few business enterprises, whether as a service provider or manufacturer, operate in isolation. Most business enterprises have suppliers from whom they acquire their resource inputs (inbound processes), and customers to whom they supply (outbound processes) their outputs. These processes include logistics functions such as transportation, warehousing, information technology, packaging and design activities. In an effort to reduce costs, both these inbound and outbound processes are often outsourced to a third party when the business enterprise finds it too costly to do the processes by itself. Logistics outsourcing refers to an arrangement whereby a logistics service provider, called a third party logistics (3PL) service providers, performs services for a firm that could be, or have previously been, provided in-house. 3PL service providers have a strategic role to play especially in the business of automotive manufacturing firms. They act as external suppliers of logistical services that ensure the efficient and effective flow of resource inputs into the firm as well as final products to the end customer. Low cost, despite being a critical success factor, is not the only expectation. 3PL service providers are also expected to be flexible and versatile in its operations, and to cater for the needs of the manufacturing business strategy. Millions of Rands are spent on 3PL service providers, with the hope and belief that they will streamline business processes. Outsourcing of the logistics division to 3PL service providers reduces the costs of getting the right product to the right place for the consumer. Automotive manufacturing firms are not willing to add any costly service to the commodity which is not perceived as value-adding by the customer. Customers have always been classified as value conscious, but in recent times of economic difficulty and uncertainty, this has become even more apparent. This trend has caused many automotive manufacturing firms to prioritise cost saving, and logistics is no exception. The main objective of this study was to investigate the specific service level expectations that automotive manufacturing firms have of third party logistics (3PL) service providers in the Eastern Cape Province. In support of the main objective, it was necessary to source the reasons why automotive manufacturing firms in the Eastern Cape Province find it important to trade with 3PL service providers and to determine whether or not 3PL service providers are meeting the expectations of automotive manufacturing firms in the Province. Furthermore, the study set out to highlight the major problems currently associated with 3PL service providers, as well as to determine the consequences of unacceptable performance levels provided by 3PL service providers. Lastly, to identify the action plans that automotive manufacturing firms have to bring 3PL service providers in line with their expectations. As a starting point to the study, a literature review was undertaken which revealed that the supply chain philosophy is an important operation in any manufacturing environment. In order to satisfy the end customer, business organisations need to ensure that all supply chain operations are completed in the most efficient and effective manner. In addition, modern business strategies, also referred to as international trends, need to be practiced by principal manufacturing organisations in their quest to be more efficient, effective, competitive and successful in an ever-changing business environment. In order to achieve supply chain success, principal organisations need to ensure that all supply chain partners, particularly 3PL service providers, are aligned with the goals of the principal organisation’s supply chain. The review highlighted that business organisations need to review their selection methods for 3PL service providers on a continuous basis and only select providers that can tailor their service offerings according to the principal organisation’s needs. Therefore, in order for automotive manufactures to realise more potential from their 3PL service providers in the future, issues such as early 3PL service provider involvement, cost saving initiatives from 3PL service providers and 3PL service provider development, will become more crucial. Lastly, the review showed that the automotive industry plays a key role in developing countries as it is a significant contributor to GDP and provides a source of employment, which is much needed in South Africa. However, automotive logistics is a highly complex field, demanding considerable capital resources. One of the most important roles of 3PL service providers in the automotive industry is the management of cargos of goods within the supply chain. As a result, the automotive industry is becoming more based on a system of modularity, through a system of modular production. Logistics outsourcing is receiving increased attention, since it is a sector in which productivity and efficiency improvements are possible in order to lower operating costs, while improving customer services. However, 3PL service providers face significant barriers in developing countries such as stringent legal regulations, poor infrastructure and equipment, as well as a lack of competent manpower for efficient operations. This research was performed mainly within the positivist research paradigm of causality, since it was held by the researcher that there should be a clear causal relationship between the variables that may be observed to answer the research questions of this study. A simple random probability sample of participants from the research population of automotive manufacturing firms in the Eastern Cape Province was gathered, and the questions posed in the questionnaire of this study were structured using both Likert-scale and open-ended questions. In order to analyse the data, two popular quantitative data analysis techniques of descriptive statistical analysis and inferential statistical analysis were employed, with particular techniques of Correlation Analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, and tests for normality being performed. The empirical study revealed that the largest group was employed in the assembly sector, and the vast majority of the respondents made use of 3PL service providers for both sending and receiving components and parts. Almost all of the respondents outsourced transportation services to 3PL service providers. Most respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their transportation 3PL service providers; but fewer were satisfied, and some were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied, with warehousing and VAS 3PL service providers. The range of mean values across all of the ‘consequences’ that had been caused due to inferior 3PL performance was concisely grouped, indicating that no single issue stood out as far more or less of a problem than the others; though three common problems noted were that respondents had not received parts and components on time, experienced production stoppages; and higher costs had impacted their organisations negatively. The Cronbach alphas of each of the transportation, warehousing, VAS and consequences data sets, combined, indicated that the data was reliable, and had suitable internal consistencies. The main corrective actions to be taken by automotive manufactures against 3PL service providers who fail to perform as promised are to impose a penalty as per the terms and conditions of the contract signed between the automotive manufacturing firm and the 3PL service provider or to cancel the contract and look for an alternative 3PL service provider if they do not have a back-up service provider.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Substance over form in the context of general anti-avoidance provisions in the income tax act
- Authors: Saba, Ncumisa
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Tax evasion -- South Africa Tax planning -- South Africa Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/35049 , vital:33610
- Description: The provisions of GAAR are contained in sections 80A to 80L of the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962. The main objective of the GAAR is to prohibit impermissible tax avoidance. One of the main purposes of the GAAR is to identify the true nature of a transaction and therefore the provisions of the GAAR focus on the substance of the transaction rather than its form. There can be however difficulty in determining the true substance of a transaction and the intention of the taxpayer when applying the substance over form principle. The substance over form principle is not defined in the GAAR, therefore it is critical that an understanding of this principle is obtained. The purpose of the research was to critically analyse the principle of substance over form in the context of the GAAR. This analysis assessed whether the GAAR is able to effectively identify substance over form in complex tax avoidance arrangements that have been formulated by the taxpayer. The GAAR has provided the Commissioner which tests to apply in order to identify the substance of the transaction over its form and its seeks to remove the façade that is created by tax avoidance schemes however it was submitted that there were areas of the GAAR that require improvement in order to ensure transparency and consistent application of the GAAR. The research also analysed the tests applied by the courts in determining substance over form in different instances. It was determined that the courts apply the abnormality test and the lack of commercial purpose test when determining the substance of a transaction. A contrast of the principles applied the GAAR and the courts was also performed in order to ascertain whether there are any similarities and/or differences when determining the substance of a transaction. It was determined that the principles of the GAAR are not vastly different to the principles applied by the case law when determining substance of a transaction. In order to for the GAAR to be effective in determining substance of a transaction, it will have to be used with reference to case law.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Suicide and the South African business cycle: a time series approach, 2006-2015
- Authors: Pitot, Amaury
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Suicide -- South Africa , Business cycles -- South Africa , Autoregression (Statistics) , Divorce -- South Africa , AutoRegressive Distributed Lagged model (ARDL)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62286 , vital:28150
- Description: Suicide is a major public health issue and imposes substantial economic cost on society every year. For example, the World Health Organisation has estimated that there are over one million completed suicides every year, of which about 75% occur in middle and low income countries. In South Africa, suicide is one of the leading causes of non-natural death, but remains under-researched from an economic point of view due to limited data availability. Using monthly data for the period 2006-2015, this study explores whether there is a relationship between suicide and the South African business cycle. This is further broken down to examine how, if at all, this relationship with the business cycle differs across age-, gender-, and racial groups. The primary source of data for suicide and demographic groups were obtained from Statistics South Africa’s Mortality and Causes of Death Data from Death Notification released since 2006. The coincident indicator was used as a proxy for the business cycle as it represents the business cycle in real time. Using an autoregressive distributed lagged model (ARDL), a long run relationship was established with suicide being a function of the coincident indicator, divorce and fertility rate. The findings of this paper show that the overall suicide rate moves with the South African business cycle (i.e. pro-cyclical relationship) in the long run. This relationship holds for males, the black population group and the 15-29 and 30-44 age categories. In addition, the divorce rate had a positive and significant relationship with the overall suicide rate, as well as suicide among the black population group and for the 30-44 age category, whereas fertility rates had no significant relationship with suicide.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Taxation of non-resident digital companies providing services in South Africa
- Authors: Shumba, Marilyn Tatenda
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Electronic commerce Taxation Law and legislation South Africa , Value-added tax South Africa , Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development , Taxation Law and legislation South Africa , Business enterprises, Foreign Taxation Law and legislation South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61680 , vital:28048
- Description: The role played by electronic commerce has increased in recent years and continues to increase. Due to this increase in the buying and selling of digital goods and services, revenue authorities have had to recognise that the existing taxation laws do not adequately tax the digital economy. The goal of this research was to establish how South Africa could amend its fiscal legislation in order to adequately tax the digital economy. The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) has been the leader in addressing the challenges posed by the digital economy. The thesis therefore focused on the recommendations by the OECD on how to tax the digital economy and relevant recommendations for South were adopted in this thesis, based on the work of the OECD. The main focus of these recommendations was on implementing the International VAT/GST Guidelines that were drafted by the OECD. The thesis also focused on the progress made by New Zealand with regard to taxing of the digital economy. New Zealand has a similar taxation system to South Africa so that the progress made there was relevant in the South African context. Recommendations were also made, based on the proposals by the New Zealand revenue authority that South Africa could adopt in taxing the digital economy. The main focus of these recommendations was lowering the Value-Added Tax (VAT) registration threshold for non-resident suppliers of electronic services and enacting legislation to provide for registration of an electronic marketplace for VAT purposes, instead of an individual supplier.
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- Date Issued: 2018
The causal relationship between savings and economic growth in the Southern African development community
- Authors: Nsenga, Dieu Donne Katamba
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Saving and investment -- Developing countries
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17409 , vital:28337
- Description: Promoting high domestic savings rates in order to boost economic growth is one of the SADC macroeconomic targets. Based on both the Solow’s (1956) and the endogenous “AK” growth models that predict a positive relationship between savings and economic growth in a closed economy, and on the Aghion-Comin-Howitt’s (2006) hypothesis that assumes a positive relationship between savings and economic growth in an open economy, two separate empirical models were constructed to test the long-run relationship and the causality between savings and economic growth in the SADC region. To this end, annual time series data for ten SADC member states obtained from the World Bank Indicators over the period 1985-2015 were pooled. The Panel ARDL/Pooled Mean Group estimator developed by Pesaran, Shin and Smith (1997) was performed to analyse the data. The main findings are that domestic savings is positively related to GDP in an open economy, whereas in a closed economy, it is insignificant. In addition, the speed of adjustment revealed a bi-directional causality between savings and economic growth. However, the speed of adjustment is much slower when the model is estimated with savings as the dependent variable but faster when GDP is regressed as the dependent variable. Thus, SADC member states are encouraged to implement policies that promote domestic savings as well as attract foreign direct investments, in order to boost economic growth. GDP growth will, in turn, increase the level of domestic savings.
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- Date Issued: 2018
The effects of monetary policy on output and unemployment
- Authors: Mkhombo, Thabo
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Monetary policy -- Econometric models , Monetary policy -- South Africa Unemployment -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/32783 , vital:32360
- Description: Following the global financial crisis of 2007 and the ensuing global recessionary of 2009, most economies have been concerned with improving economic growth levels as well as lowering levels of unemployment rates. For the case of South Africa, much concern has been placed on the ability of monetary authorities to contribute to such macroeconomics objectives. therefore the primary objective of the study was to investigate the influence of the monetary policy conduct on economic growth and unemployment.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
The fourth industrial revolution and human capital development
- Authors: Goldschmidt, Kyle
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Technological innovations -- Economic aspects , Human capital , Intellectual capital , Economic development , Economic development -- Effect of education on , Fourth industrial revolution
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62483 , vital:28197
- Description: The focus of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has been on its implications on Human Capital and its need to develop “21st-Century Skills" through education to ensure future labour and capital complementarity. Human Capital combined with 21st-Century Skills, it is claimed, can together generate economic growth, jobs and propel an economy into the next Industrial Revolution. However, Schwab’s (2016) concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, make no distinction between the Average Worker and the Knowledge Elite and their relationship to each other and successful economic growth. The different nature of these skills is absent in the literature to date. A critical analysis of literature will be used to examine Schwab’s (2016) claim of a Fourth Industrial Revolution and assess how the Average Worker and the Knowledge Elite relate to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and 21st-Century Skills. The evidence is provided on how both the Average Worker and the Knowledge Elite are key contributors to economic growth and will be important in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
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- Date Issued: 2018
The impact of macroeconomic factors on the South African equity market
- Authors: Mpuku, Cwayita
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South Africa -- Economic conditions -- Econometric models , Capital market -- South Africa , Stock exchanges -- South Africa , Johannesburg Stock Exchange
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/32238 , vital:31990
- Description: The South African equity market is the largest equity market in Africa and plays an important role in the development of the South African economy. It is a relatively large source of finance for companies that want to invest in capital and expand their businesses. Firms that are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) are therefore privy to an additional source of capital funds in addition having access to the credit markets. The development of a country’s equity market gives an indication of the extent to which firms have access to long-term funds which are needed for investment in production of goods and services and the growth of the economy. Historical evidence shows that downturns in the equity markets can disrupt economic performance of countries. The 1929 global depression and the 2008 global recession are examples of economic disruptions that have origins in the equity markets (Mishkin, 2013:190). An understanding of the risk factors that drive an equity market is therefore beneficial to both individuals and institutions. Individuals and institutions participate in the equity market by buying and selling shares of companies that are listed on the JSE. About 40 per cent of shares on the JSE are held by institutional investors such as pension funds and unit trusts (Ambrosi, 2014). The equity market therefore has an impact on people’s savings and pension funds invested by intermediary institutions. Investors who participate in the equity market do so with the expectation of receiving returns on their investment, but such returns don’t come without risk.
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- Date Issued: 2018
The impact of monetary policy on profitability of four major banks in South Africa
- Authors: Nyakombi, Kulasande Dolly
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Monetary policy -- Econometric models , Financial services industry -- South Africa , Banks and banking -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/33589 , vital:32890
- Description: This study examines the effect of monetary policy on the profitability of the four major banks in South Africa, namely; Standard Bank, Ned bank, ABSA and FNB. The annual data used is for the period of 1999 to 2015, the study use Pooled OLS effects and Fixed effects to investigate the impact of Monetary Policy on Bank Profitability using Return on Assets as profitability measure. Empirical results indicate that monetary policy proxies by repo rate and lending rates were found to have no significant impact on bank profitability in the four major South African banks.
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- Date Issued: 2018