Toward a culture of engagement: leveraging the enterprise social network
- Authors: Alistoun, Garth
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Communication in organizations -- South Africa Business communication -- South Africa Social media -- South Africa -- Case studies Leadership -- South Africa -- Case studies Human capital -- Management Personnel management Organizational effectiveness
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1154 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010869
- Description: This research aims to provide a theory of enterprise social networking that generates and/or sustains a culture of employee engagement within a chosen South African private sector company. Based on an extensive review of interesting literature and the application of a grounded theory process in a chosen case, this research work provides a theory of enterprise social networking sustaining and growing employee engagement together with an explanatory theoretical framework that makes the theory more practical. Employee engagement is defined as “the harnessing of organisation member’s selves to their work roles; in engagement people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances.” This research regards employee engagement as a three part concept composed of a trait (personality/cognitive) aspect, a state (emotional) aspect, and a behavioural aspect. Research has shown that employee engagement has an unequivocal positive impact on business outcomes, such as profitability, business performance, employee retention and productivity. Employee engagement can be regarded as a culture if it is abundant within the organization’s employee population. Gatenby et al. (2009) propose that employee engagement is fostered by creating the desire and opportunity for employees to connect with colleagues, managers and the wider organisation. This standpoint is supported by Kular et al. (2008) who state that the “key drivers of employee engagement identified include communication, opportunities for employees to feed their views upward and thinking that their managers are committed to the organisation.” Further indicators of employee engagement include strong leadership (particularly in the form of servant leadership), accountability, a positive and open organisational culture, autonomy, and opportunities for development. One of the key facets of employee engagement is connection. A complementary definition of social media, an umbrella under which enterprise social networks fall, is that “(it) is more of a relationship channel, a connection channel. Each and every tweet, update, video, post, is a connection point to another human being. And it’s the other human being who will determine your worth to them.” Social media provides participants with access to a larger pool of resources and relationships than they would normally have access to. This enlarged relationship/resource pool is a result of expanding human and social capital enabled through social media tools. In order to produce a theory of enterprise social networking sustaining and growing a culture of employee engagement a rigorous grounded theory methodology coupled with a case study methodology was applied. The case study methodology was used to identify a suitable research site and interesting participants within the site while the grounded theory process was used to produce both qualitative and quantitative data sets in a suitability rigorous fashion. The corroborative data was then used to discover and define the emergent theory.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Alistoun, Garth
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Communication in organizations -- South Africa Business communication -- South Africa Social media -- South Africa -- Case studies Leadership -- South Africa -- Case studies Human capital -- Management Personnel management Organizational effectiveness
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1154 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010869
- Description: This research aims to provide a theory of enterprise social networking that generates and/or sustains a culture of employee engagement within a chosen South African private sector company. Based on an extensive review of interesting literature and the application of a grounded theory process in a chosen case, this research work provides a theory of enterprise social networking sustaining and growing employee engagement together with an explanatory theoretical framework that makes the theory more practical. Employee engagement is defined as “the harnessing of organisation member’s selves to their work roles; in engagement people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances.” This research regards employee engagement as a three part concept composed of a trait (personality/cognitive) aspect, a state (emotional) aspect, and a behavioural aspect. Research has shown that employee engagement has an unequivocal positive impact on business outcomes, such as profitability, business performance, employee retention and productivity. Employee engagement can be regarded as a culture if it is abundant within the organization’s employee population. Gatenby et al. (2009) propose that employee engagement is fostered by creating the desire and opportunity for employees to connect with colleagues, managers and the wider organisation. This standpoint is supported by Kular et al. (2008) who state that the “key drivers of employee engagement identified include communication, opportunities for employees to feed their views upward and thinking that their managers are committed to the organisation.” Further indicators of employee engagement include strong leadership (particularly in the form of servant leadership), accountability, a positive and open organisational culture, autonomy, and opportunities for development. One of the key facets of employee engagement is connection. A complementary definition of social media, an umbrella under which enterprise social networks fall, is that “(it) is more of a relationship channel, a connection channel. Each and every tweet, update, video, post, is a connection point to another human being. And it’s the other human being who will determine your worth to them.” Social media provides participants with access to a larger pool of resources and relationships than they would normally have access to. This enlarged relationship/resource pool is a result of expanding human and social capital enabled through social media tools. In order to produce a theory of enterprise social networking sustaining and growing a culture of employee engagement a rigorous grounded theory methodology coupled with a case study methodology was applied. The case study methodology was used to identify a suitable research site and interesting participants within the site while the grounded theory process was used to produce both qualitative and quantitative data sets in a suitability rigorous fashion. The corroborative data was then used to discover and define the emergent theory.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Financial literacy and behaviour among the black community in Nelson Mandela Bay
- Authors: Antoni, Xolile Lucas
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Finance, Personal , Investments -- Psychological aspects , Investments -- Decision making
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9315 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020027
- Description: South Africa has a poor savings culture. This means that South Africans do not save enough income for a later stage resulting in a relative large number of South African consumers living in debt and using more credit than what they have saved. Almost half of the South African consumers were in debt during the year 2010 and had a negative credit record. Thus consumers in South Africa are not living only in poor conditions but are also open to exploitation by the informal economy. Lenders in the informal economy are known as ‘loan sharks’ because they charge consumers interest rates of between 40 and 60 percent. This is because low income consumers have less access to savings products and credit facilities from the formal economy. These factors are more prevalent among the black consumers, as they use informal credit providers. The sources of credit for black consumers in the informal market are social networks such as friends and family. Furthermore, black consumers have low levels of knowledge regarding issues such as bad debts. Black consumers are also more likely to experience financial problems than other racial groups. This means that black consumers may need to improve their levels of financial knowledge, financial skills and adopt positive financial attitudes to manage their financial problems without obtaining more debt. Thus, financial education may be the way of ensuring that black consumers improve their financial decision-making ability and their financial behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between financial literacy, financial inclusion and financial behaviour among the black community in Nelson Mandela Bay. To achieve the purpose of this study, a literature review was conducted on financial literacy, financial education, financial inclusion and financial behaviour. This was followed by an empirical investigation to establish the relationships between financial literacy, financial inclusion and financial behaviour. In this study, a quantitative research approach was adopted as necessitated by the purpose of this study and also to be able to collect a vast amount of perceptions from the black community. The sample of this study consisted of low to middle income black consumers living in Nelson Mandela Bay.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Antoni, Xolile Lucas
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Finance, Personal , Investments -- Psychological aspects , Investments -- Decision making
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9315 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020027
- Description: South Africa has a poor savings culture. This means that South Africans do not save enough income for a later stage resulting in a relative large number of South African consumers living in debt and using more credit than what they have saved. Almost half of the South African consumers were in debt during the year 2010 and had a negative credit record. Thus consumers in South Africa are not living only in poor conditions but are also open to exploitation by the informal economy. Lenders in the informal economy are known as ‘loan sharks’ because they charge consumers interest rates of between 40 and 60 percent. This is because low income consumers have less access to savings products and credit facilities from the formal economy. These factors are more prevalent among the black consumers, as they use informal credit providers. The sources of credit for black consumers in the informal market are social networks such as friends and family. Furthermore, black consumers have low levels of knowledge regarding issues such as bad debts. Black consumers are also more likely to experience financial problems than other racial groups. This means that black consumers may need to improve their levels of financial knowledge, financial skills and adopt positive financial attitudes to manage their financial problems without obtaining more debt. Thus, financial education may be the way of ensuring that black consumers improve their financial decision-making ability and their financial behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between financial literacy, financial inclusion and financial behaviour among the black community in Nelson Mandela Bay. To achieve the purpose of this study, a literature review was conducted on financial literacy, financial education, financial inclusion and financial behaviour. This was followed by an empirical investigation to establish the relationships between financial literacy, financial inclusion and financial behaviour. In this study, a quantitative research approach was adopted as necessitated by the purpose of this study and also to be able to collect a vast amount of perceptions from the black community. The sample of this study consisted of low to middle income black consumers living in Nelson Mandela Bay.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Development finance in small and medium enterprises in Matjhabeng Municipality
- Babalola, Oluwanifesimi Omolade
- Authors: Babalola, Oluwanifesimi Omolade
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Business enterprises -- South Africa -- Finance , Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9187 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020215
- Description: It has been generally accepted within the developed and developing countries of the world that SMES contributes significantly to employment creation as the world population increases and that it also contributes to the economic growth of the areas they are situated in. Finance is the blood (life) of any business, for a business to be successful it needs steady successful access to funds and post financial support which leads to actualization of ideas, leads to investment and expansion, improves access to market amongst others. This is why the impact of development finance can never be over emphasized. The aims of the study are: To understand the extent to which small and medium businesses are supported through the availability of financial assistance in Matjabeng Municipality. To establish the survival rates of businesses that has been funded and or supported and whether they are or not sustainable. In achieving the aims and objectives of the research, the researcher looked at development funds both from the supply side and the demand side. The supply side which involved semi structured interviews with consultants of government parastatals (the FDC and DETEA) who are involved in financing Small Medium Enterprises in Matjhabeng municipality. The demand side involved administering of questionnaires to Entrepreneurs in the municipality who are registered with the Local Economic Department (LED), which led to the acceptance of the hypothesis of the research that development finance actually helps in the growth of small medium enterprises but in conjunction with post financial support such as bookkeeping, accounting, monitoring and evaluation. The researcher also discovered some findings amongst others which includes: The most effective ways entrepreneurs heard about funding in the municipality are through the media and word of mouth. Most of the entrepreneurs that received some type of funding are startups. More entrepreneurs that had access to funds also got some post financial business support. Financial assistance to entrepreneurs yielded improvements after respondents received financial assistance, the range of goods offered was improved and more jobs were created, entrepreneurs were able to obtain better business premises either by renting or buying and entrepreneurs had access to better equipment. Some of the recommendations of this study includes; The municipal government should help small and medium enterprises in the municipality by linking them to new markets. Effective monitoring and evaluation systems should be put in place by development funders and non-financial support services. Entrepreneurial skills development should be provided by the public and private agencies by organizing workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs in order to expose them to business opportunities that are sustainable and viable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Babalola, Oluwanifesimi Omolade
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Business enterprises -- South Africa -- Finance , Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9187 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020215
- Description: It has been generally accepted within the developed and developing countries of the world that SMES contributes significantly to employment creation as the world population increases and that it also contributes to the economic growth of the areas they are situated in. Finance is the blood (life) of any business, for a business to be successful it needs steady successful access to funds and post financial support which leads to actualization of ideas, leads to investment and expansion, improves access to market amongst others. This is why the impact of development finance can never be over emphasized. The aims of the study are: To understand the extent to which small and medium businesses are supported through the availability of financial assistance in Matjabeng Municipality. To establish the survival rates of businesses that has been funded and or supported and whether they are or not sustainable. In achieving the aims and objectives of the research, the researcher looked at development funds both from the supply side and the demand side. The supply side which involved semi structured interviews with consultants of government parastatals (the FDC and DETEA) who are involved in financing Small Medium Enterprises in Matjhabeng municipality. The demand side involved administering of questionnaires to Entrepreneurs in the municipality who are registered with the Local Economic Department (LED), which led to the acceptance of the hypothesis of the research that development finance actually helps in the growth of small medium enterprises but in conjunction with post financial support such as bookkeeping, accounting, monitoring and evaluation. The researcher also discovered some findings amongst others which includes: The most effective ways entrepreneurs heard about funding in the municipality are through the media and word of mouth. Most of the entrepreneurs that received some type of funding are startups. More entrepreneurs that had access to funds also got some post financial business support. Financial assistance to entrepreneurs yielded improvements after respondents received financial assistance, the range of goods offered was improved and more jobs were created, entrepreneurs were able to obtain better business premises either by renting or buying and entrepreneurs had access to better equipment. Some of the recommendations of this study includes; The municipal government should help small and medium enterprises in the municipality by linking them to new markets. Effective monitoring and evaluation systems should be put in place by development funders and non-financial support services. Entrepreneurial skills development should be provided by the public and private agencies by organizing workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs in order to expose them to business opportunities that are sustainable and viable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
A needs-ICTD strategy alignment framework foundation for the measurement of ICTD impact
- Authors: Baduza, Gugulethu Qhawekazi
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Siyakhula Living Lab SAP Research Needs assessment -- Information technology -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Case studies Information technology -- South Africa -- Management -- Case studies Information technology -- Social aspects -- South Africa Rural development -- Economic aspects -- South Africa Rural development -- South Africa -- Sociological aspects Rural development projects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1155 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011116
- Description: Many Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) projects are established with the overall aim of positively developing the communities they are implemented in. However, the solutions that are provided are often commonly developed without the needs of these communities being sufficiently investigated beforehand. As a result the ICTD strategy of the project ends up not well aligned with the aims and targets of the needs of the community. As a result of this, an appropriate programme theory for the project and relevant impact indicators fail to be adequately developed. Consequently, when an impact assessment is conducted it is often found that the intended effects are not directly linked to the needs of the community or what the community had hoped to gain from the ICTD initiative. The purpose of this research serves to develop a needs-ICTD strategy alignment foundation that supports the identification and formulation of impact assessment indicators. Through this research, a framework is developed to support the alignment of ICTD strategy, the development and the promotion of contextual needs of rural communities and other frequently marginalized areas. The Needs-ICTD strategy alignment framework is composed of eight main components that describe the process that can be used to align ICTD strategy with community needs. These components include: collaboration between the internal and external stakeholders, the development of the community, conducting baseline studies, the needs assessment, the ICTD strategy, linking of the needs-ICTD strategy, and lastly the identification of impact indicators. An interpretive research approach is used to explore and inform the framework through a multi-case study investigation of the Siyakhula Living Lab and two projects in the Systems Application Products (SAP) Living Lab. Two main case study questions drive the exploration of the framework, that being: 1) How are the needs of the community elicited and how is the ICTD strategy aligned to the needs of the community? 2) And, why were the selected approaches chosen for aligning the needs of the community and ICTD strategy? Data for this research was collected qualitatively through interviews, document analysis and participant observation. Key findings indicate that the involvement of internal (local) stakeholders in the development and alignment of ICTD strategy to the needs of the community is still lacking. As a consequence, many community members end up not fully understanding the project objectives and how these objectives aims are to be achieved. The research also finds that ‘solution specific’ projects also fail communities as they focus specifically on one target group and repeatedly fail to assist the community holistically in supporting their information and their community development needs.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Baduza, Gugulethu Qhawekazi
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Siyakhula Living Lab SAP Research Needs assessment -- Information technology -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Case studies Information technology -- South Africa -- Management -- Case studies Information technology -- Social aspects -- South Africa Rural development -- Economic aspects -- South Africa Rural development -- South Africa -- Sociological aspects Rural development projects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1155 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011116
- Description: Many Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) projects are established with the overall aim of positively developing the communities they are implemented in. However, the solutions that are provided are often commonly developed without the needs of these communities being sufficiently investigated beforehand. As a result the ICTD strategy of the project ends up not well aligned with the aims and targets of the needs of the community. As a result of this, an appropriate programme theory for the project and relevant impact indicators fail to be adequately developed. Consequently, when an impact assessment is conducted it is often found that the intended effects are not directly linked to the needs of the community or what the community had hoped to gain from the ICTD initiative. The purpose of this research serves to develop a needs-ICTD strategy alignment foundation that supports the identification and formulation of impact assessment indicators. Through this research, a framework is developed to support the alignment of ICTD strategy, the development and the promotion of contextual needs of rural communities and other frequently marginalized areas. The Needs-ICTD strategy alignment framework is composed of eight main components that describe the process that can be used to align ICTD strategy with community needs. These components include: collaboration between the internal and external stakeholders, the development of the community, conducting baseline studies, the needs assessment, the ICTD strategy, linking of the needs-ICTD strategy, and lastly the identification of impact indicators. An interpretive research approach is used to explore and inform the framework through a multi-case study investigation of the Siyakhula Living Lab and two projects in the Systems Application Products (SAP) Living Lab. Two main case study questions drive the exploration of the framework, that being: 1) How are the needs of the community elicited and how is the ICTD strategy aligned to the needs of the community? 2) And, why were the selected approaches chosen for aligning the needs of the community and ICTD strategy? Data for this research was collected qualitatively through interviews, document analysis and participant observation. Key findings indicate that the involvement of internal (local) stakeholders in the development and alignment of ICTD strategy to the needs of the community is still lacking. As a consequence, many community members end up not fully understanding the project objectives and how these objectives aims are to be achieved. The research also finds that ‘solution specific’ projects also fail communities as they focus specifically on one target group and repeatedly fail to assist the community holistically in supporting their information and their community development needs.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Ideas and power: shaping monetary policy in South Africa 1919-1936
- Authors: Bordiss, Bradley John
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Monetary policy -- South Africa -- 1919-1936 Economic development -- South Africa -- 1919-1936 Economics -- South Africa -- History Economics -- Philosophy South Africa -- Economic policy -- 1919-1936 South Africa -- Foreign economic relations -- 1919-1936 Great Britain -- Foreign economic relations -- 1919-1936 Great Britain -- Economic policy -- 1918-1945
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1084 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011605
- Description: In the concluding paragraphs of Keynes’ General Theory, Keynes suggests that vested interests (power) may dominate in the short term, but that “sooner or later, it is ideas, not vested interests, which are dangerous for good or evil” (Keynes; 1936:384). This dissertation seeks to establish whether this is so, and to what extent, in the period 1919 to 1936, insofar as the shaping of monetary policy was concerned. The context that South Africa found itself in at the time was one in which Britain, the colonising power, was in economic decline. Britain’s real economy had lost its lead in the world in the late 1800s, and by our period, 1919 – 1936, she was now struggling to maintain her dominance of the world’s financial economy. South African gold flows to London, and a South African monetary policy supportive of British monetary policy, became more important than ever to Britain. On the back of its ascendant real economy, the United States of America was fast developing its financial sector as a rival to that centered on London. In the broader monetary policy world, the orthodox monetary regime of the Gold Standard, which had worked so well in the period from 1875 to 1914, was firstly difficult to reestablish, and once established, difficult to maintain. Opinion on what should be done was divided between the majority who favoured a return to the orthodoxy, and a much smaller group, including John Maynard Keynes, who argued that the Gold Standard should no longer be the preferred monetary system. In South Africa, our period starts 17 years after the Second Boer War. Afrikaner nationalists intent on establishing independence from Britain, competed with those, including Jan Christiaan Smuts, who believed that tying our policy up with that of the British Empire was the best for South Africa. It is in this context that a naturalised Briton, which the research shows was a loyal servant of the London power elite, was appointed by the Empire-friendly Smuts government to advise the South African government on monetary policy, the setting up of the South African Reserve Bank, the appointment of its first Governor and other matters in the period up until the fall of this government in 1924. It is also in this context that an American ‘Currency Doctor’ and Professor of Economics at Princeton University, which the research shows was intimately connected with the American government and Benjamin Strong at the Federal Reserve, was appointed by the Pact government later in 1924, and who was anxious to throw off the yoke of British control. The theoretical paradigm of this study is that developed by John Maynard Keynes and after him by the post-Keynesian economists, particularly Basil Moore and Hyman P. Minsky. Instead of considering the theory chronologically, book by book, the theory section deals with the subject matter in the themes which came up in the monetary policy debates of the time, looking at all the theoretical literature that applied to these various themes. Aside from the correction of errors of emphasis and errors of fact dealt with in chapter two, chapter five of the dissertation is where most of the original research is reflected. This is the section which deals in depth with the experts that advised the South Africans at the time, how they came to be appointed, whose interests they served, what theories they used in support of their positions, and what was the decision-making process; from their appointment, until their reports were drafted into the law of the Union of South Africa. While Ally’s work (1994) is accepted as the principal work on the influence of the Bank of England, and Britain’s control of South African gold on South African gold and monetary policy, this dissertation claims legitimacy based on a much closer look at the motives and vested interests of the experts advising the South African government at the time. By the end of this chapter, I believe we are better placed to understand and analyse the relative influence of ideas and power on monetary policy in the period 1919 – 1936.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Bordiss, Bradley John
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Monetary policy -- South Africa -- 1919-1936 Economic development -- South Africa -- 1919-1936 Economics -- South Africa -- History Economics -- Philosophy South Africa -- Economic policy -- 1919-1936 South Africa -- Foreign economic relations -- 1919-1936 Great Britain -- Foreign economic relations -- 1919-1936 Great Britain -- Economic policy -- 1918-1945
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1084 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011605
- Description: In the concluding paragraphs of Keynes’ General Theory, Keynes suggests that vested interests (power) may dominate in the short term, but that “sooner or later, it is ideas, not vested interests, which are dangerous for good or evil” (Keynes; 1936:384). This dissertation seeks to establish whether this is so, and to what extent, in the period 1919 to 1936, insofar as the shaping of monetary policy was concerned. The context that South Africa found itself in at the time was one in which Britain, the colonising power, was in economic decline. Britain’s real economy had lost its lead in the world in the late 1800s, and by our period, 1919 – 1936, she was now struggling to maintain her dominance of the world’s financial economy. South African gold flows to London, and a South African monetary policy supportive of British monetary policy, became more important than ever to Britain. On the back of its ascendant real economy, the United States of America was fast developing its financial sector as a rival to that centered on London. In the broader monetary policy world, the orthodox monetary regime of the Gold Standard, which had worked so well in the period from 1875 to 1914, was firstly difficult to reestablish, and once established, difficult to maintain. Opinion on what should be done was divided between the majority who favoured a return to the orthodoxy, and a much smaller group, including John Maynard Keynes, who argued that the Gold Standard should no longer be the preferred monetary system. In South Africa, our period starts 17 years after the Second Boer War. Afrikaner nationalists intent on establishing independence from Britain, competed with those, including Jan Christiaan Smuts, who believed that tying our policy up with that of the British Empire was the best for South Africa. It is in this context that a naturalised Briton, which the research shows was a loyal servant of the London power elite, was appointed by the Empire-friendly Smuts government to advise the South African government on monetary policy, the setting up of the South African Reserve Bank, the appointment of its first Governor and other matters in the period up until the fall of this government in 1924. It is also in this context that an American ‘Currency Doctor’ and Professor of Economics at Princeton University, which the research shows was intimately connected with the American government and Benjamin Strong at the Federal Reserve, was appointed by the Pact government later in 1924, and who was anxious to throw off the yoke of British control. The theoretical paradigm of this study is that developed by John Maynard Keynes and after him by the post-Keynesian economists, particularly Basil Moore and Hyman P. Minsky. Instead of considering the theory chronologically, book by book, the theory section deals with the subject matter in the themes which came up in the monetary policy debates of the time, looking at all the theoretical literature that applied to these various themes. Aside from the correction of errors of emphasis and errors of fact dealt with in chapter two, chapter five of the dissertation is where most of the original research is reflected. This is the section which deals in depth with the experts that advised the South Africans at the time, how they came to be appointed, whose interests they served, what theories they used in support of their positions, and what was the decision-making process; from their appointment, until their reports were drafted into the law of the Union of South Africa. While Ally’s work (1994) is accepted as the principal work on the influence of the Bank of England, and Britain’s control of South African gold on South African gold and monetary policy, this dissertation claims legitimacy based on a much closer look at the motives and vested interests of the experts advising the South African government at the time. By the end of this chapter, I believe we are better placed to understand and analyse the relative influence of ideas and power on monetary policy in the period 1919 – 1936.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Work/family conflict across various life and career stages
- Authors: Bostock, Natalie Jean
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Work and family , Work environment , Well-being
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9413 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020157
- Description: This study examines Work Family Conflict including Work Interferes with Family (WIF) conflict, Family Interferes with Work (FIW) conflict, role overload, role interference and the impact of children across various life and career stages. Much of the research in this area focuses on the differences in the way the genders experience Work Family Conflict. Research has shown that various life and career stages can have a marked impact on this type of conflict and this study aims to determine how individuals in the various life and career stages experience this conflict. A correlational research design was used for this study. Using a five point likert scale, participants were asked to score their responses to seventeen items. The instrument was based on Duxbury and Mills Measure of Work Family Conflict (1990) (in Handbook of Quality-of-Life Research: An Ethical Perspective by Sirgy, 2001) with the inclusion of two additional items due to their high face validity. The questionnaire was distributed to human resources managers in organisations, friends, family members and colleagues and friends, family members and colleagues of theirs. Most of the responses were scored using a pencil and paper technique and the remainder was distributed using a Surveymonkey application on social media platforms like Facebook and Linkedin. The overall sample size of respondents was 175. The raw data was entered on an excel spreadsheet and analysed using Statistica version 12 and Microsoft Excel applications with VBA macros developed by a consultant for the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Unit for Statistical Consultation. . Statistics such as means, Cronbach alpha’s, relationships between factors, descriptive statistics, MANOVA and Chi-squared tests were used to analyse the data. The results of this study demonstrate the need for organisations to take heed of the various challenges that individuals face in both the workplace and home environment and the different ways in which these are experienced across various life and career stages. This will enable them to design specific interventions to mitigate the effects of Work Family Conflict and improve employee’s level of performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Bostock, Natalie Jean
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Work and family , Work environment , Well-being
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9413 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020157
- Description: This study examines Work Family Conflict including Work Interferes with Family (WIF) conflict, Family Interferes with Work (FIW) conflict, role overload, role interference and the impact of children across various life and career stages. Much of the research in this area focuses on the differences in the way the genders experience Work Family Conflict. Research has shown that various life and career stages can have a marked impact on this type of conflict and this study aims to determine how individuals in the various life and career stages experience this conflict. A correlational research design was used for this study. Using a five point likert scale, participants were asked to score their responses to seventeen items. The instrument was based on Duxbury and Mills Measure of Work Family Conflict (1990) (in Handbook of Quality-of-Life Research: An Ethical Perspective by Sirgy, 2001) with the inclusion of two additional items due to their high face validity. The questionnaire was distributed to human resources managers in organisations, friends, family members and colleagues and friends, family members and colleagues of theirs. Most of the responses were scored using a pencil and paper technique and the remainder was distributed using a Surveymonkey application on social media platforms like Facebook and Linkedin. The overall sample size of respondents was 175. The raw data was entered on an excel spreadsheet and analysed using Statistica version 12 and Microsoft Excel applications with VBA macros developed by a consultant for the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Unit for Statistical Consultation. . Statistics such as means, Cronbach alpha’s, relationships between factors, descriptive statistics, MANOVA and Chi-squared tests were used to analyse the data. The results of this study demonstrate the need for organisations to take heed of the various challenges that individuals face in both the workplace and home environment and the different ways in which these are experienced across various life and career stages. This will enable them to design specific interventions to mitigate the effects of Work Family Conflict and improve employee’s level of performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The taxation of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) in South Africa
- Authors: Breetzke, Michael
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Real estate investment trusts -- South Africa , Real estate investment trusts -- Taxation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:8963 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020001
- Description: Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT’s) provide certain benefits for investors as opposed to them directly investing in property. Many countries worldwide have already established tax systems for REIT’s which give natural persons and companies the benefit of not outlaying substantial capital, and provide certain tax dispensations to them. The concept of a REIT is new to South Africa. The vehicles that have been used by investors in the past to invest indirectly in property have been Property Unit Trusts (PUTs) and Property Loan Stock Companies (PLS). These different types of entities have had different taxation rules applied to them, as they differed in legal entity, i.e. a trust versus a company. The different types of entity were historically a deterrent to foreign investors who preferred to invest in countries that had the REIT structure and certain tax dispensations. The National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) decided to collaborate in this matter so as to encourage foreign property investment, and launched with effect from 1 April 2013, a new REIT tax dispensation for investors in property portfolios. The REIT created a unified regime in South Africa. All portfolios wanting to call themselves REITs had to qualify under certain requirements, and then they would be eligible for the new section 25BB tax dispensation. The South African REIT market is relatively new when compared to the Australian REIT market, which is the second largest in the world. The Australian REIT market has been around for approximately forty three years more than the South African REIT market. The Australian REIT regime is analysed in terms of how REITs are taxed in that country. The final chapter provides a comparison between the South African and Australian REIT regimes. The major differences are identified as to how each country taxes the REITs and the respective shareholders, and from these a few proposals are made which could improve the South African REIT regime in order for it to stand up to worldwide scrutiny.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Breetzke, Michael
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Real estate investment trusts -- South Africa , Real estate investment trusts -- Taxation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:8963 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020001
- Description: Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT’s) provide certain benefits for investors as opposed to them directly investing in property. Many countries worldwide have already established tax systems for REIT’s which give natural persons and companies the benefit of not outlaying substantial capital, and provide certain tax dispensations to them. The concept of a REIT is new to South Africa. The vehicles that have been used by investors in the past to invest indirectly in property have been Property Unit Trusts (PUTs) and Property Loan Stock Companies (PLS). These different types of entities have had different taxation rules applied to them, as they differed in legal entity, i.e. a trust versus a company. The different types of entity were historically a deterrent to foreign investors who preferred to invest in countries that had the REIT structure and certain tax dispensations. The National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) decided to collaborate in this matter so as to encourage foreign property investment, and launched with effect from 1 April 2013, a new REIT tax dispensation for investors in property portfolios. The REIT created a unified regime in South Africa. All portfolios wanting to call themselves REITs had to qualify under certain requirements, and then they would be eligible for the new section 25BB tax dispensation. The South African REIT market is relatively new when compared to the Australian REIT market, which is the second largest in the world. The Australian REIT market has been around for approximately forty three years more than the South African REIT market. The Australian REIT regime is analysed in terms of how REITs are taxed in that country. The final chapter provides a comparison between the South African and Australian REIT regimes. The major differences are identified as to how each country taxes the REITs and the respective shareholders, and from these a few proposals are made which could improve the South African REIT regime in order for it to stand up to worldwide scrutiny.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The influence of employees's perceptions of organisational ethics and perceived relative self-ethicality on their levels of organisational identification and overall well-being
- Authors: Breytenbach, Nadia
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Corporate culture , Well-being , Work ethic , Self-realization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9411 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020072
- Description: This study investigated whether an employees’ perception of the ethical culture in the organisation and their perception of their own ethicality influenced their level of organisational identification and additionally, whether this relationship between perceived ethical culture and organisational identification had an influence on workplace wellbeing. The aim of this research study was to measure employees’ perceptions of organisational ethics, their relative self-ethicality, organisational identification, and wellbeing, in order to develop a model pertaining to the relationship between these three constructs. Research showed that employees’ perceptions of the ethical culture in their organisation can influence how they identify with that particular organisation. Research also indicated that the differences between perceived organisational ethicality and relative self-ethicality exist. Additionally, research showed the influence of perceived ethical culture and relative self-ethicality has indicated a relationship between organisational identification and wellbeing respectively. However, to date and to the researcher’s knowledge there has been no investigation of the relationship between these four constructs. This research study was quantitative in nature in which a questionnaire was utilised as a research method. A sample of 111 respondent from three organisations in the automation industry in the Eastern Cape, Port Elizabeth was utilised for this research study. The main findings indicated that an alternative model resulted to be a good fit through structural equation modelling. The results illustrated that organisational ethicality has an influence on how employees identify with their organisations and how this relationship influences wellbeing. Therefore, it is worthwhile to invest in an ethical organisational culture for the sustainability of the organisation and its employees’ livelihoods. This study contributes to the literature based on perceived ethical culture, organisational identification, and workplace wellbeing. Additionally, the study provides readers with a model on how these concepts influence each other.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Breytenbach, Nadia
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Corporate culture , Well-being , Work ethic , Self-realization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9411 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020072
- Description: This study investigated whether an employees’ perception of the ethical culture in the organisation and their perception of their own ethicality influenced their level of organisational identification and additionally, whether this relationship between perceived ethical culture and organisational identification had an influence on workplace wellbeing. The aim of this research study was to measure employees’ perceptions of organisational ethics, their relative self-ethicality, organisational identification, and wellbeing, in order to develop a model pertaining to the relationship between these three constructs. Research showed that employees’ perceptions of the ethical culture in their organisation can influence how they identify with that particular organisation. Research also indicated that the differences between perceived organisational ethicality and relative self-ethicality exist. Additionally, research showed the influence of perceived ethical culture and relative self-ethicality has indicated a relationship between organisational identification and wellbeing respectively. However, to date and to the researcher’s knowledge there has been no investigation of the relationship between these four constructs. This research study was quantitative in nature in which a questionnaire was utilised as a research method. A sample of 111 respondent from three organisations in the automation industry in the Eastern Cape, Port Elizabeth was utilised for this research study. The main findings indicated that an alternative model resulted to be a good fit through structural equation modelling. The results illustrated that organisational ethicality has an influence on how employees identify with their organisations and how this relationship influences wellbeing. Therefore, it is worthwhile to invest in an ethical organisational culture for the sustainability of the organisation and its employees’ livelihoods. This study contributes to the literature based on perceived ethical culture, organisational identification, and workplace wellbeing. Additionally, the study provides readers with a model on how these concepts influence each other.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
South African VAT implications in respect of supplies by non residents to residents
- Authors: Burger, Bianca
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Electronic commerce -- Taxation -- Law and legislation , Business enterprises -- Taxation -- Law and legislation , Value-added tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:8962 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1019977
- Description: Paragraph 7(1) of the VAT Act provides for the charging of VAT at 14 percent on the supply of goods or services by a vendor in the course or furtherance of an ‘enterprise’, the importation into South Africa of goods by any person or the supply of ‘imported services’. The term ‘enterprise’ has been interpreted to require an on-going activity and therefore once off sales should be excluded. The sale must relate to enterprise activities, thereby excluding private sales. Furthermore the enterprise activities are required to be carried out in the Republic or partly in the Republic. Establishing whether the enterprise activities are carried out in the Republic remains a contentious issue as the VAT Act does not specify the minimum required business activities to meet this criterion. ‘Imported services’ excludes services imported for the purposes of making taxable supplies and the liability of accounting for VAT on ‘imported services’ lies with the recipient of the imported service. Supplies (imported services) which are chargeable in terms of s 7(1)(a) and supplies, which if made in the Republic, are exempt from VAT or zero rated. ‘Imported services’ definition requires services to be consumed in South Africa. Services offered outside South Africa therefore generally do not qualify as imported services even the South African entity benefits from such services, for example a training course attended in a foreign country. Technological developments in the field of e-commerce globally have required countries to examine VAT laws relating to e-commerce. Extensive research has been done by the OECD on this topic, with reports issued on recommendations of how e-commerce should be taxed. Most guidance issued by the OECD on taxing e-commerce relates to indirect electronic commerce, which refers to goods or services where ordering, payment and delivery occur on line. Distinction is drawn between taxation of business-to-business transactions and business-to-consumer transactions. The OECD suggests that the ‘reverse-charge’ or self-assessment method should be applied to the taxing of B2B transactions resulting in minimal compliance and administrative costs. It is further recommended that for B2C transactions place of consumption should be defined as the recipient’s usual jurisdiction of residence and that non-resident suppliers should be required to register and pay VAT in the jurisdiction of the consumer, as this would result in the most effective tax collection method. ‘Enterprise’ includes electronic services from a foreign supplier where the recipient is a resident of South Africa or where the payment originated from a South African bank account. The Minister’s regulation, which came into effect on 1 June 2014, includes the following items in the definition of electronic services: educational services, games, online auction services, miscellaneous services and subscription services. The South African VAT legislation draws no distinction between B2B and B2C supplies of electronic services. The reasoning behind this was to avoid situations in which private customers could pose as business customers in order to avoid the levying of tax. A review of the services currently included in the Minister’s regulation on electronic services indicate that services that would relate to B2B supplies have mostly been excluded from the regulation. Effectively the South African VAT legislation manages to indirectly exclude B2B supplies from the definition of electronic services and therefore achieves the objective of minimising the administrative burden on B2B supplies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Burger, Bianca
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Electronic commerce -- Taxation -- Law and legislation , Business enterprises -- Taxation -- Law and legislation , Value-added tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:8962 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1019977
- Description: Paragraph 7(1) of the VAT Act provides for the charging of VAT at 14 percent on the supply of goods or services by a vendor in the course or furtherance of an ‘enterprise’, the importation into South Africa of goods by any person or the supply of ‘imported services’. The term ‘enterprise’ has been interpreted to require an on-going activity and therefore once off sales should be excluded. The sale must relate to enterprise activities, thereby excluding private sales. Furthermore the enterprise activities are required to be carried out in the Republic or partly in the Republic. Establishing whether the enterprise activities are carried out in the Republic remains a contentious issue as the VAT Act does not specify the minimum required business activities to meet this criterion. ‘Imported services’ excludes services imported for the purposes of making taxable supplies and the liability of accounting for VAT on ‘imported services’ lies with the recipient of the imported service. Supplies (imported services) which are chargeable in terms of s 7(1)(a) and supplies, which if made in the Republic, are exempt from VAT or zero rated. ‘Imported services’ definition requires services to be consumed in South Africa. Services offered outside South Africa therefore generally do not qualify as imported services even the South African entity benefits from such services, for example a training course attended in a foreign country. Technological developments in the field of e-commerce globally have required countries to examine VAT laws relating to e-commerce. Extensive research has been done by the OECD on this topic, with reports issued on recommendations of how e-commerce should be taxed. Most guidance issued by the OECD on taxing e-commerce relates to indirect electronic commerce, which refers to goods or services where ordering, payment and delivery occur on line. Distinction is drawn between taxation of business-to-business transactions and business-to-consumer transactions. The OECD suggests that the ‘reverse-charge’ or self-assessment method should be applied to the taxing of B2B transactions resulting in minimal compliance and administrative costs. It is further recommended that for B2C transactions place of consumption should be defined as the recipient’s usual jurisdiction of residence and that non-resident suppliers should be required to register and pay VAT in the jurisdiction of the consumer, as this would result in the most effective tax collection method. ‘Enterprise’ includes electronic services from a foreign supplier where the recipient is a resident of South Africa or where the payment originated from a South African bank account. The Minister’s regulation, which came into effect on 1 June 2014, includes the following items in the definition of electronic services: educational services, games, online auction services, miscellaneous services and subscription services. The South African VAT legislation draws no distinction between B2B and B2C supplies of electronic services. The reasoning behind this was to avoid situations in which private customers could pose as business customers in order to avoid the levying of tax. A review of the services currently included in the Minister’s regulation on electronic services indicate that services that would relate to B2B supplies have mostly been excluded from the regulation. Effectively the South African VAT legislation manages to indirectly exclude B2B supplies from the definition of electronic services and therefore achieves the objective of minimising the administrative burden on B2B supplies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Willingness to pay for marine-based tourism within the Ponto do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve, Mozambique
- Authors: Daly, Clare Amelie Keating
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Ponto do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve , Marine ecotourism -- Mozambique , Marine ecotourism -- Economic aspects -- Mozambique , Marine ecotourism -- Mozambique -- Marketing , Ecotourism -- Economic aspects -- Mozambique , Coastal zone management -- Mozambique , Marine resources conservation -- Mozambique
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1102 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013304
- Description: Marine and coastal ecosystems face widespread degradation largely because market failure hides the economic value of the goods and services provided by them. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can serve as a structure that ensures the continuing function of marine and coastal ecosystem goods and services. Yet, to be effective and sustainable, MPAs must be able to prove their economic worth and generate revenue. User-fees are a common system used to partially finance multi-use MPAs. This study applies contingent valuation as a method of economic valuation within an MPA in southern Mozambique. The objectives of this study are to determine the willingness to pay of combined user groups and of individual user groups for use of the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve and to investigate the potential for the reserve to increase revenues for conservation through the implementation of a user-fee for marine based activities. The payment card contingent valuation method was employed to determine willingness to pay of dolphin swim tourists, scuba divers and fishermen. Data was collected by face-to-face interviews of 120 respondents within two popular tourist locations in the PPMR. Results show that visitors within the PPMR are mainly South Africans, loyal to the area. Probit and OLS regressions were used to determine the effects of various independent variables on willingness to pay. Results from the Probit model indicate that African residency, activity and environmental awareness were significant factors that influenced visitors being WTP more than R20 per person per day as a user fee within the PPMR. The OLS model examined independent variables that influenced visitors being willing to pay as well as the impact of the variables on the amount visitors were willing to pay. The OLS model found income, African residency and environmental awareness to be significant factors influencing visitors being willing to pay. The mean WTP was R43.75 per person per day. Using data supplied by the PPMR, conservative estimated annual revenues based on the implementation of this fee amount would range between R1.46m – R 3.3m.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Daly, Clare Amelie Keating
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Ponto do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve , Marine ecotourism -- Mozambique , Marine ecotourism -- Economic aspects -- Mozambique , Marine ecotourism -- Mozambique -- Marketing , Ecotourism -- Economic aspects -- Mozambique , Coastal zone management -- Mozambique , Marine resources conservation -- Mozambique
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1102 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013304
- Description: Marine and coastal ecosystems face widespread degradation largely because market failure hides the economic value of the goods and services provided by them. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can serve as a structure that ensures the continuing function of marine and coastal ecosystem goods and services. Yet, to be effective and sustainable, MPAs must be able to prove their economic worth and generate revenue. User-fees are a common system used to partially finance multi-use MPAs. This study applies contingent valuation as a method of economic valuation within an MPA in southern Mozambique. The objectives of this study are to determine the willingness to pay of combined user groups and of individual user groups for use of the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve and to investigate the potential for the reserve to increase revenues for conservation through the implementation of a user-fee for marine based activities. The payment card contingent valuation method was employed to determine willingness to pay of dolphin swim tourists, scuba divers and fishermen. Data was collected by face-to-face interviews of 120 respondents within two popular tourist locations in the PPMR. Results show that visitors within the PPMR are mainly South Africans, loyal to the area. Probit and OLS regressions were used to determine the effects of various independent variables on willingness to pay. Results from the Probit model indicate that African residency, activity and environmental awareness were significant factors that influenced visitors being WTP more than R20 per person per day as a user fee within the PPMR. The OLS model examined independent variables that influenced visitors being willing to pay as well as the impact of the variables on the amount visitors were willing to pay. The OLS model found income, African residency and environmental awareness to be significant factors influencing visitors being willing to pay. The mean WTP was R43.75 per person per day. Using data supplied by the PPMR, conservative estimated annual revenues based on the implementation of this fee amount would range between R1.46m – R 3.3m.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The presumption of gult created by Section 235(2) of the Tax Administration Act: a constitutional and comparative perspective
- Authors: Faifi, Farai
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Guilt (Law) -- South Africa , Presumption of innocence -- South Africa , Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Human rights -- Taxation -- South Africa , Taxpayer compliance -- Moral and ethical aspects -- South Africa , Taxation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:907 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012979
- Description: This research examined the legal nature of the presumption of guilt created by section 235(2) of the South African Tax Admiration Act and considered whether or not its practical application violates the taxpayer’s fundamental right contained in section 35(3) of the Constitution, which gives every accused taxpayer the right to a fair trial, including the right to be presumed innocent. The research also provided clarity on the constitutionality of this presumption because it has been widely criticised for unjustifiably violating the taxpayer's constitutional right to a fair trial. The conclusion reached is that the presumption created by section 235(2) of the Tax Administration Act constitutes an evidentiary burden rather than a reverse onus. It does not create the possibility of conviction, unlike a reverse onus where conviction is possible, despite the existence of a reasonable doubt. Therefore, it does not violate the accused taxpayer’s the right to a fair trial and the right to be presumed innocent and hence it is constitutional. Accordingly, the chances that the accused taxpayer will succeed in challenging the constitutionality of section 235(2) of the Act are slim.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Faifi, Farai
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Guilt (Law) -- South Africa , Presumption of innocence -- South Africa , Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Human rights -- Taxation -- South Africa , Taxpayer compliance -- Moral and ethical aspects -- South Africa , Taxation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:907 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012979
- Description: This research examined the legal nature of the presumption of guilt created by section 235(2) of the South African Tax Admiration Act and considered whether or not its practical application violates the taxpayer’s fundamental right contained in section 35(3) of the Constitution, which gives every accused taxpayer the right to a fair trial, including the right to be presumed innocent. The research also provided clarity on the constitutionality of this presumption because it has been widely criticised for unjustifiably violating the taxpayer's constitutional right to a fair trial. The conclusion reached is that the presumption created by section 235(2) of the Tax Administration Act constitutes an evidentiary burden rather than a reverse onus. It does not create the possibility of conviction, unlike a reverse onus where conviction is possible, despite the existence of a reasonable doubt. Therefore, it does not violate the accused taxpayer’s the right to a fair trial and the right to be presumed innocent and hence it is constitutional. Accordingly, the chances that the accused taxpayer will succeed in challenging the constitutionality of section 235(2) of the Act are slim.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Exports and economic growth in South Africa
- Authors: Feddersen, Maura
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Exports -- South Africa Economic development -- South Africa Unemployment -- South Africa Poverty -- South Africa Income distribution -- South Africa Investments -- South Africa Saving and investment -- South Africa South Africa -- Economic conditions South Africa -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1087 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012029
- Description: Various studies conclude that accelerated economic growth and development are necessary in South Africa to make a significant contribution towards reducing high levels of unemployment, inequality and poverty. Moreover, in theories of economic growth the export sector is frequently accorded a special role in encouraging faster economic growth, which is often supported by empirical evidence. Nonetheless, a question that remains unresolved is whether higher export growth leads to higher economic growth in South Africa and what particular role exports may play within the overall economic growth process of the country. This study applies Johansen’s cointegration procedure, impulse response functions, variance decomposition analysis and Granger causality tests to shed light on the channels through which export growth may impact South Africa’s economic growth rate. Quarterly time series data ranging from 1975q1 to 2012q4 is employed in the study’s empirical tests. The empirical results lend support to the idea that the role of exports in the economic growth process fundamentally lies in their ability to encourage investment and capital formation. While export growth supports higher economic growth in the short-run, it does not have the same effect in the long-run. Nonetheless, with export growth supporting faster capital formation in South Africa, and capital formation, in turn, significantly increasing economic growth in the long-run, the impetus to growth stemming from exports has been found to lie in the channel to capital formation. On the basis of the empirical results, not only are exports a critical requirement of higher investment, but they are also anticipated to play a prominent role in lifting the balance of payments constraint that would make investment-led growth possible in the first place. Overall, a strategy of export-led growth that does not explicitly emphasise the export-capital-growth connection is likely to fall short of reflecting the dynamics contained within the exports-growth relationship in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Feddersen, Maura
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Exports -- South Africa Economic development -- South Africa Unemployment -- South Africa Poverty -- South Africa Income distribution -- South Africa Investments -- South Africa Saving and investment -- South Africa South Africa -- Economic conditions South Africa -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1087 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012029
- Description: Various studies conclude that accelerated economic growth and development are necessary in South Africa to make a significant contribution towards reducing high levels of unemployment, inequality and poverty. Moreover, in theories of economic growth the export sector is frequently accorded a special role in encouraging faster economic growth, which is often supported by empirical evidence. Nonetheless, a question that remains unresolved is whether higher export growth leads to higher economic growth in South Africa and what particular role exports may play within the overall economic growth process of the country. This study applies Johansen’s cointegration procedure, impulse response functions, variance decomposition analysis and Granger causality tests to shed light on the channels through which export growth may impact South Africa’s economic growth rate. Quarterly time series data ranging from 1975q1 to 2012q4 is employed in the study’s empirical tests. The empirical results lend support to the idea that the role of exports in the economic growth process fundamentally lies in their ability to encourage investment and capital formation. While export growth supports higher economic growth in the short-run, it does not have the same effect in the long-run. Nonetheless, with export growth supporting faster capital formation in South Africa, and capital formation, in turn, significantly increasing economic growth in the long-run, the impetus to growth stemming from exports has been found to lie in the channel to capital formation. On the basis of the empirical results, not only are exports a critical requirement of higher investment, but they are also anticipated to play a prominent role in lifting the balance of payments constraint that would make investment-led growth possible in the first place. Overall, a strategy of export-led growth that does not explicitly emphasise the export-capital-growth connection is likely to fall short of reflecting the dynamics contained within the exports-growth relationship in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Domestic tax law v double tax treaties in the context of controlled foreign companies
- Authors: Froom, Natalie Marie
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Fiscal policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/3559 , vital:20442
- Description: The South African fiscal legislators have found it necessary to introduce anti-avoidance legislation which governs controlled foreign companies in order to counteract schemes devised by taxpayers where companies are established outside South Africa for the purpose of diverting income from the South African fiscal net. Whilst the enforcement of such legislation does have merit in that the intention behind the introduction of such domestic legislation is to prevent the erosion of the South African tax base, it is submitted that this does pose a problem from an international perspective. The objective of this treatise is to conduct a critical analysis of how compatible the South African fiscal legislation which governs controlled foreign companies is with the provisions of the double taxation agreement as prescribed in terms of the OECD Model Tax Convention (which was published in July 2010). In addition, the aim of this study is to deduce whether the purpose of the double taxation agreement is not only the avoidance of juridical double taxation but also that it addresses the avoidance of economic double taxation. This will assist in determining whether domestic controlled foreign company legislation (as embodied in section 9D of the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962) conflicts with the purpose of the double taxation agreement. By conducting an extensive research study and by depicting a certain scenario which addresses the issue at hand, the following is concluded: The tax treatment of the business profits generated by a controlled foreign company resident in a State outside South Africa and which have been generated from active business operating activities, is held to be in agreement with the provisions of the double taxation agreement. By contrast, the tax treatment of the controlled foreign company’s passive income in the form of interest income, is found not to correlate with the aforesaid agreement. As will be demonstrated in the chapters that follow, the controlled foreign company’s interest income is subjected to economic double taxation in terms of the scenario depicted in this treatise. This means that such income is taxed twice in the hands of two different taxpayers in two different States. As a result of this it is submitted that the following problem arises: Because section 9D of the Income Tax Act causes economic double taxation to occur (as illustrated in the previous paragraphs) and owing to the fact that the purpose of the double taxation agreement is the avoidance of economic double taxation, it can be shown that the section 9D domestic legislation conflicts with the terms of the double taxation agreement. This conflict is considered to be an area of concern because a contravention of the purpose of the double taxation agreement is regarded as a breach of the Contracting States’ international obligations in terms of the aforesaid agreement. It is further submitted that paragraph 23 of the OECD Commentary on article 1 and paragraph 14 of the OECD Commentary on article 7 are incorrect when they express the sentiment that domestic controlled foreign company legislation does not conflict with the provisions of the double taxation agreement. It is proposed that this be corrected to state the contrary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Froom, Natalie Marie
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Fiscal policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/3559 , vital:20442
- Description: The South African fiscal legislators have found it necessary to introduce anti-avoidance legislation which governs controlled foreign companies in order to counteract schemes devised by taxpayers where companies are established outside South Africa for the purpose of diverting income from the South African fiscal net. Whilst the enforcement of such legislation does have merit in that the intention behind the introduction of such domestic legislation is to prevent the erosion of the South African tax base, it is submitted that this does pose a problem from an international perspective. The objective of this treatise is to conduct a critical analysis of how compatible the South African fiscal legislation which governs controlled foreign companies is with the provisions of the double taxation agreement as prescribed in terms of the OECD Model Tax Convention (which was published in July 2010). In addition, the aim of this study is to deduce whether the purpose of the double taxation agreement is not only the avoidance of juridical double taxation but also that it addresses the avoidance of economic double taxation. This will assist in determining whether domestic controlled foreign company legislation (as embodied in section 9D of the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962) conflicts with the purpose of the double taxation agreement. By conducting an extensive research study and by depicting a certain scenario which addresses the issue at hand, the following is concluded: The tax treatment of the business profits generated by a controlled foreign company resident in a State outside South Africa and which have been generated from active business operating activities, is held to be in agreement with the provisions of the double taxation agreement. By contrast, the tax treatment of the controlled foreign company’s passive income in the form of interest income, is found not to correlate with the aforesaid agreement. As will be demonstrated in the chapters that follow, the controlled foreign company’s interest income is subjected to economic double taxation in terms of the scenario depicted in this treatise. This means that such income is taxed twice in the hands of two different taxpayers in two different States. As a result of this it is submitted that the following problem arises: Because section 9D of the Income Tax Act causes economic double taxation to occur (as illustrated in the previous paragraphs) and owing to the fact that the purpose of the double taxation agreement is the avoidance of economic double taxation, it can be shown that the section 9D domestic legislation conflicts with the terms of the double taxation agreement. This conflict is considered to be an area of concern because a contravention of the purpose of the double taxation agreement is regarded as a breach of the Contracting States’ international obligations in terms of the aforesaid agreement. It is further submitted that paragraph 23 of the OECD Commentary on article 1 and paragraph 14 of the OECD Commentary on article 7 are incorrect when they express the sentiment that domestic controlled foreign company legislation does not conflict with the provisions of the double taxation agreement. It is proposed that this be corrected to state the contrary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Why has South Africa been relatively unsuccessful at attracting inward foreign direct investment since 1994?
- Authors: Fulton, Mark Hugh John
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Investments, Foreign -- South Africa , Investments, Foreign -- Africa, Southern , Investments, Foreign -- Chile , Investments, Foreign -- Botswana , Economic development -- South Africa , Economic development -- Developing countries , Political corruption -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic policy -- 1994-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1097 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013056
- Description: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows into South Africa have been very low for several decades, and this research examines the reason(s) why this has been the case since 1994. There is a common belief amongst economists that there is a positive relationship between the amount of FDI received and economic growth, thus the desire to attract greater FDI inflows. A literature review was conducted to establish the determinants of FDI globally and then data were collected and assessed to test which causes are most important. The performance of developing nations in attracting FDI was first compared with that of the developed nations. Thereafter, a regional breakdown of FDI flows was presented, with a particular focus on the Southern African region. FDI inflows to South Africa since 1994 were compared against the identified determinants of FDI, as well as with FDI inflows into two other major mining economies, Chile and Botswana. The friendliness of the government towards business was identified as a significant determinant of FDI inflows and the importance of this factor in explaining FDI inflows into environment in South Africa was looked at in more depth. It was found that many investors perceive the South African government as hostile towards business and as corrupt and/or inefficient. The empirical results show that this negative perception helps explain the FDI inflows attracted by South Africa since 1994. Therefore, increased friendliness to business by the government should increase future inward FDI flows into South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Fulton, Mark Hugh John
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Investments, Foreign -- South Africa , Investments, Foreign -- Africa, Southern , Investments, Foreign -- Chile , Investments, Foreign -- Botswana , Economic development -- South Africa , Economic development -- Developing countries , Political corruption -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic policy -- 1994-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1097 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013056
- Description: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows into South Africa have been very low for several decades, and this research examines the reason(s) why this has been the case since 1994. There is a common belief amongst economists that there is a positive relationship between the amount of FDI received and economic growth, thus the desire to attract greater FDI inflows. A literature review was conducted to establish the determinants of FDI globally and then data were collected and assessed to test which causes are most important. The performance of developing nations in attracting FDI was first compared with that of the developed nations. Thereafter, a regional breakdown of FDI flows was presented, with a particular focus on the Southern African region. FDI inflows to South Africa since 1994 were compared against the identified determinants of FDI, as well as with FDI inflows into two other major mining economies, Chile and Botswana. The friendliness of the government towards business was identified as a significant determinant of FDI inflows and the importance of this factor in explaining FDI inflows into environment in South Africa was looked at in more depth. It was found that many investors perceive the South African government as hostile towards business and as corrupt and/or inefficient. The empirical results show that this negative perception helps explain the FDI inflows attracted by South Africa since 1994. Therefore, increased friendliness to business by the government should increase future inward FDI flows into South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Establishing perceptions of an entrepreneur using word associations
- Authors: Goliath, Jasmine Estonia
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Businesspeople -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9321 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020785
- Description: Entrepreneurship as a source of economic growth and competitiveness as well as job creation and the advancement of social interests is well documented. Despite these important contributions to the economies of countries, a shortage of entrepreneurial activity exists across borders and specifically in developing countries such as South Africa. The purpose of this study was to determine the perception and image of an entrepreneur in the eyes of various stakeholders. The reasoning behind this was that if the image of an entrepreneur could be determined, one could establish whether the image positively or negatively influences entrepreneurial intentions as well as potential future entrepreneurial activity. More specifically, the primary objective was to identify the perception and image that potential entrepreneurs (students) and existing entrepreneurs (small business owners) have of an entrepreneur. In the body of knowledge or general literature on entrepreneurship, the most commonly discussed topics are the nature and importance of entrepreneurship, the attributes (personality traits, characteristics and skills) associated with an entrepreneur, various push and pull factors, various rewards and drawbacks of such a career and the challenges entrepreneurs face. It is these aspects of entrepreneurship that stakeholders will most likely have been exposed to, and that most possibly have influenced their perception and image of an entrepreneur. The aforementioned aspects provided an overview of the theoretical body of knowledge on which the perception and image of an entrepreneur is based. The present study adopted a qualitative research paradigm with a phenomenological approach to achieve the research objectives of the study. Within this context, the study made use of a qualitative method for data collection and a quantitative method for data analysis. As such, a mixed methods approach was adopted. More specifically, a qualitative dominant mixed research method was implemented. A continuous word association test, which is a projective technique, was adopted as the qualitative means of data collection. This test involved asking participants to recall the words that come to mind when presented with the word “entrepreneur”. This method was selected because of its ability to reveal both affective and cognitive associations with the concept “entrepreneur”. A quantitative summative (manifest) content analysis was used as the quantitative research method for analysing the data. The continuous word association test was conducted among three sample groups, namely students prior to commencing, and students after completing a module in entrepreneurship, and small business owners. Student and small business owner participants were asked to write down as many words or phrases as possible that came to mind when they thought of the word “entrepreneur”, which was the stimulus word, within a ten-minute period. These responses were then collated and coded by developing a coding framework based on brand image and entrepreneurship literature. In studies on brand image, the components of image are considered to be tristructured in nature, consisting of cognitive (what the individual knows), affective (how the individual feels) and holistic (overall symbolism, combination of affective and cognitive) evaluations. The words generated by the participants in this study were broadly coded according to these categories and further subcategorised by searching for themes within the broad categories, which was facilitated and guided by an in-depth investigation of the entrepreneurship literature. The findings of this study show that the words generated by all three groups of participants were mostly of a cognitive nature, followed by words of a general or affective nature. As such, the vast majority of words generated by all three groups related to what the participants knew about an entrepreneur (cognitive) versus how they felt about one (affective), and were grounded in the management or entrepreneurship literature. When comparing the top ten words most frequently associated with the term “entrepreneur” by the three groups of participants, the attribute risk-taker was the most frequently recalled word among all three groups. Students prior to undertaking the entrepreneurship module associated an entrepreneur with being creative and a risk-taker, having a business enterprise and being involved in the selling of goods and services. Students after completing the module in entrepreneurship associated an entrepreneur with being profit-orientated, a risk-taker, innovative and original, and being opportunistic. Small business owners, on the other hand, associated an entrepreneur with being a risk-taker, innovative and original, goal- and achievement-orientated and profit-orientated. The findings show that all groups of participants associated an entrepreneur principally with certain attributes rather than with learned skills and competencies, and that all groups had a more positive than negative image of an entrepreneur. It was also found that exposure to entrepreneurship literature has an influence on the perception and image that students have of an entrepreneur. Because the words recalled by students after completing the entrepreneurship module were more in line with those recalled by small business owners, than with those recalled by students before starting the module, it can be suggested that entrepreneurship literature contributes to a more realistic image of an entrepreneur among students. This study has contributed to the field of entrepreneurship research by adopting a qualitative dominant research paradigm in conjunction with quantitative research methods to explore the complexity of the term “entrepreneur”. Furthermore, this study has been able to establish how individuals feel about entrepreneurship, in terms of being either positive or negative, by adding an affective aspect to the cognitive aspect of entrepreneurial decision-making. By conducting a continuous word association test among students prior to beginning and after completing a module in entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurial knowledge of students before being exposed to entrepreneurship literature was established, and subsequently the effectiveness of the entrepreneurship module determined. It is hoped that the findings of this study have added value to the entrepreneurship body of knowledge and can be used in future studies as a tool to address the problem of low entrepreneurial intention and activity among South Africans. Furthermore, it is hoped that by creating a positive image of an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship as a desirable career choice can be promoted and an entrepreneurial culture developed within communities and broader society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Goliath, Jasmine Estonia
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Businesspeople -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9321 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020785
- Description: Entrepreneurship as a source of economic growth and competitiveness as well as job creation and the advancement of social interests is well documented. Despite these important contributions to the economies of countries, a shortage of entrepreneurial activity exists across borders and specifically in developing countries such as South Africa. The purpose of this study was to determine the perception and image of an entrepreneur in the eyes of various stakeholders. The reasoning behind this was that if the image of an entrepreneur could be determined, one could establish whether the image positively or negatively influences entrepreneurial intentions as well as potential future entrepreneurial activity. More specifically, the primary objective was to identify the perception and image that potential entrepreneurs (students) and existing entrepreneurs (small business owners) have of an entrepreneur. In the body of knowledge or general literature on entrepreneurship, the most commonly discussed topics are the nature and importance of entrepreneurship, the attributes (personality traits, characteristics and skills) associated with an entrepreneur, various push and pull factors, various rewards and drawbacks of such a career and the challenges entrepreneurs face. It is these aspects of entrepreneurship that stakeholders will most likely have been exposed to, and that most possibly have influenced their perception and image of an entrepreneur. The aforementioned aspects provided an overview of the theoretical body of knowledge on which the perception and image of an entrepreneur is based. The present study adopted a qualitative research paradigm with a phenomenological approach to achieve the research objectives of the study. Within this context, the study made use of a qualitative method for data collection and a quantitative method for data analysis. As such, a mixed methods approach was adopted. More specifically, a qualitative dominant mixed research method was implemented. A continuous word association test, which is a projective technique, was adopted as the qualitative means of data collection. This test involved asking participants to recall the words that come to mind when presented with the word “entrepreneur”. This method was selected because of its ability to reveal both affective and cognitive associations with the concept “entrepreneur”. A quantitative summative (manifest) content analysis was used as the quantitative research method for analysing the data. The continuous word association test was conducted among three sample groups, namely students prior to commencing, and students after completing a module in entrepreneurship, and small business owners. Student and small business owner participants were asked to write down as many words or phrases as possible that came to mind when they thought of the word “entrepreneur”, which was the stimulus word, within a ten-minute period. These responses were then collated and coded by developing a coding framework based on brand image and entrepreneurship literature. In studies on brand image, the components of image are considered to be tristructured in nature, consisting of cognitive (what the individual knows), affective (how the individual feels) and holistic (overall symbolism, combination of affective and cognitive) evaluations. The words generated by the participants in this study were broadly coded according to these categories and further subcategorised by searching for themes within the broad categories, which was facilitated and guided by an in-depth investigation of the entrepreneurship literature. The findings of this study show that the words generated by all three groups of participants were mostly of a cognitive nature, followed by words of a general or affective nature. As such, the vast majority of words generated by all three groups related to what the participants knew about an entrepreneur (cognitive) versus how they felt about one (affective), and were grounded in the management or entrepreneurship literature. When comparing the top ten words most frequently associated with the term “entrepreneur” by the three groups of participants, the attribute risk-taker was the most frequently recalled word among all three groups. Students prior to undertaking the entrepreneurship module associated an entrepreneur with being creative and a risk-taker, having a business enterprise and being involved in the selling of goods and services. Students after completing the module in entrepreneurship associated an entrepreneur with being profit-orientated, a risk-taker, innovative and original, and being opportunistic. Small business owners, on the other hand, associated an entrepreneur with being a risk-taker, innovative and original, goal- and achievement-orientated and profit-orientated. The findings show that all groups of participants associated an entrepreneur principally with certain attributes rather than with learned skills and competencies, and that all groups had a more positive than negative image of an entrepreneur. It was also found that exposure to entrepreneurship literature has an influence on the perception and image that students have of an entrepreneur. Because the words recalled by students after completing the entrepreneurship module were more in line with those recalled by small business owners, than with those recalled by students before starting the module, it can be suggested that entrepreneurship literature contributes to a more realistic image of an entrepreneur among students. This study has contributed to the field of entrepreneurship research by adopting a qualitative dominant research paradigm in conjunction with quantitative research methods to explore the complexity of the term “entrepreneur”. Furthermore, this study has been able to establish how individuals feel about entrepreneurship, in terms of being either positive or negative, by adding an affective aspect to the cognitive aspect of entrepreneurial decision-making. By conducting a continuous word association test among students prior to beginning and after completing a module in entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurial knowledge of students before being exposed to entrepreneurship literature was established, and subsequently the effectiveness of the entrepreneurship module determined. It is hoped that the findings of this study have added value to the entrepreneurship body of knowledge and can be used in future studies as a tool to address the problem of low entrepreneurial intention and activity among South Africans. Furthermore, it is hoped that by creating a positive image of an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship as a desirable career choice can be promoted and an entrepreneurial culture developed within communities and broader society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The leadership competencies subordinates value : an exploratory study across gender and national culture
- Authors: Gondongwe, Sharon
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Leadership , Organizational behavior , Organizational behavior -- Cross-cultural studies , Organizational behavior -- Sex differences
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1203 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015673
- Description: The effectiveness of leadership is largely dependent on whether the leadership competencies exhibited by leaders are congruent with the value system endorsed by subordinates. One of the ways in which leaders can influence subordinates is by understanding the leadership competencies valued by subordinates. Gender and national culture are two of the many factors that have an influence on the leadership competencies valued by subordinates. A large amount of research has been conducted to determine if, indeed, gender and national culture influence the leadership competencies subordinates' value. However, most of this research has been conducted in Europe and North America, places in which national cultures differ significantly from those prevailing in African countries. This study, from a South African and Zimbabwean perspective, attempted to ascertain if gender and national culture influence the leadership competencies they value in their leaders. Existing studies have indicated that gender and national culture do not influence the leadership competencies valued in a leader. The findings of this study are in accordance with previous research and agree that gender and national culture do not influence the leadership competencies valued in a leader. The results of this study indicated that male and female subordinates value similar leadership competencies. With respect to national culture, both South African and Zimbabwean subordinates value similar leadership competencies. Based on the findings of this study, regardless of gender and national culture, all subordinates value a leader who is loyal, visionary, openly embodies integrity, and is a leader who empowers subordinates.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Gondongwe, Sharon
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Leadership , Organizational behavior , Organizational behavior -- Cross-cultural studies , Organizational behavior -- Sex differences
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1203 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1015673
- Description: The effectiveness of leadership is largely dependent on whether the leadership competencies exhibited by leaders are congruent with the value system endorsed by subordinates. One of the ways in which leaders can influence subordinates is by understanding the leadership competencies valued by subordinates. Gender and national culture are two of the many factors that have an influence on the leadership competencies valued by subordinates. A large amount of research has been conducted to determine if, indeed, gender and national culture influence the leadership competencies subordinates' value. However, most of this research has been conducted in Europe and North America, places in which national cultures differ significantly from those prevailing in African countries. This study, from a South African and Zimbabwean perspective, attempted to ascertain if gender and national culture influence the leadership competencies they value in their leaders. Existing studies have indicated that gender and national culture do not influence the leadership competencies valued in a leader. The findings of this study are in accordance with previous research and agree that gender and national culture do not influence the leadership competencies valued in a leader. The results of this study indicated that male and female subordinates value similar leadership competencies. With respect to national culture, both South African and Zimbabwean subordinates value similar leadership competencies. Based on the findings of this study, regardless of gender and national culture, all subordinates value a leader who is loyal, visionary, openly embodies integrity, and is a leader who empowers subordinates.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The income tax implications resulting from the introduction of section 12N of the Income Tax Act
- Authors: Grebe, Alta-Mari
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Land tenure -- South Africa , Capital gains tax -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:8966 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020787
- Description: Section 12N, introduction into the Income Tax Act by way of Taxation Laws Amendment Act and which became effective on 2 November 2010, provides for allowances on the leasehold improvements on government-owned land and land leased from certain tax exempt entities as stipulated in section 10 (1) (cA) and (t). As section 12N deems the lessee to be the owner of the leasehold improvement, the lessee now qualifies for capital allowances which were previously disallowed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Grebe, Alta-Mari
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Land tenure -- South Africa , Capital gains tax -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:8966 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020787
- Description: Section 12N, introduction into the Income Tax Act by way of Taxation Laws Amendment Act and which became effective on 2 November 2010, provides for allowances on the leasehold improvements on government-owned land and land leased from certain tax exempt entities as stipulated in section 10 (1) (cA) and (t). As section 12N deems the lessee to be the owner of the leasehold improvement, the lessee now qualifies for capital allowances which were previously disallowed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
A critical analysis of the practical man principle in Commissioner for Inland Revenue v Lever Brothers and Unilever Ltd
- Authors: Grenville, David Paul
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Unilever (Firm) , South African Revenue Service , Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa -- Cases , Income tax -- South Africa -- Cases , Business enterprises -- Taxation -- South Africa , Law -- South Africa -- Philosophy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:909 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013238
- Description: This research studies the practical person principle as it was introduced in the case of Commissioner for Inland Revenue v Lever Brothers and Unilever Ltd 1946 AD 441. In its time the Lever Brothers case was a seminal judgment in South Africa’s tax jurisprudence and the practical person principle was a decisive criterion for the determination of source of income. The primary goal of this research was a critical analysis the practical man principle. This involved an analysis of the extent to which this principle requires judges to adopt a criterion that is too flexible for legitimate judicial decision-making. The extent to which the practical person principle creates a clash between a philosophical approach to law and an approach that is based on common sense or practicality was also debated. Finally, it was considered whether adopting a philosophical approach to determining the source of income could overcome the problems associated with the practical approach. A doctrinal methodology was applied to the documentary data consisting of the South African and Australian Income Tax Acts, South African and other case law, historical records and the writings of scholars. From the critical analysis of the practical person principle it was concluded that the anthropomorphised form of the principle gives rise to several problems that may be overcome by looking to the underlying operation of the principle. Further analysis of this operation, however, revealed deeper problems in that the principle undermines the doctrine of judicial precedent, legal certainty and the rule of law. Accordingly a practical approach to determining the source of income is undesirable and unconstitutional. Further research was conducted into the relative merits of a philosophical approach to determining source of income and it was argued that such an approach could provide a more desirable solution to determining source of income as well as approaching legal problems more generally.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Grenville, David Paul
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Unilever (Firm) , South African Revenue Service , Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa -- Cases , Income tax -- South Africa -- Cases , Business enterprises -- Taxation -- South Africa , Law -- South Africa -- Philosophy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:909 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013238
- Description: This research studies the practical person principle as it was introduced in the case of Commissioner for Inland Revenue v Lever Brothers and Unilever Ltd 1946 AD 441. In its time the Lever Brothers case was a seminal judgment in South Africa’s tax jurisprudence and the practical person principle was a decisive criterion for the determination of source of income. The primary goal of this research was a critical analysis the practical man principle. This involved an analysis of the extent to which this principle requires judges to adopt a criterion that is too flexible for legitimate judicial decision-making. The extent to which the practical person principle creates a clash between a philosophical approach to law and an approach that is based on common sense or practicality was also debated. Finally, it was considered whether adopting a philosophical approach to determining the source of income could overcome the problems associated with the practical approach. A doctrinal methodology was applied to the documentary data consisting of the South African and Australian Income Tax Acts, South African and other case law, historical records and the writings of scholars. From the critical analysis of the practical person principle it was concluded that the anthropomorphised form of the principle gives rise to several problems that may be overcome by looking to the underlying operation of the principle. Further analysis of this operation, however, revealed deeper problems in that the principle undermines the doctrine of judicial precedent, legal certainty and the rule of law. Accordingly a practical approach to determining the source of income is undesirable and unconstitutional. Further research was conducted into the relative merits of a philosophical approach to determining source of income and it was argued that such an approach could provide a more desirable solution to determining source of income as well as approaching legal problems more generally.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The developmental state, social policy and social compacts: a comparative policy analysis of the South African case
- Authors: Gwaindepi, Abel
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Economic development -- Political aspects -- South Africa , Income distribution -- South Africa , Democracy -- South Africa , Industrial policy -- Developing countries , South Africa -- Economic conditions , South Africa -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1101 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013278
- Description: The history of economic thought is ‘flooded’ with neo-classical accounts despite the fact that neoclassical economics did not occupy history alone. This has caused the discourses on ‘lost alternatives’ to be relegated as the deterministic ‘straight line’ neo-classical historical discourses are elevated. Globally hegemonic neo-classical discourse aided this phenomenon as it served to subordinate any counterhegemonic local discursive processes towards alternatives. This study is premised on the theme of non-neoclassical ‘lost alternatives’ using the post-apartheid South Africa as a case study. Emerging from the apartheid regime, the impetus towards non-neoclassical redistributive policies was strong in South Africa but this did not gain traction as the ANC’s ‘growth through redistribution’ was replaced by globally hegemonic discourse which favoured ‘redistribution through growth’. This thesis postulates the idea of two waves of ‘internal’ discursive formations; capturing the transition to democracy up to 1996 as the first wave and the period from 2005 to about 2009 as the second wave. The developmental state paradigm (DSP) emerged as the central heterodox paradigm with ideas such as industrial policy, welfare, and social dialogue/compacts being main elements. The DSP was expressly chosen in the early 1990s, the first period of strong internal discursive formation, but faded as neo-classical policies, epitomised through GEAR, dominated the policy space. The DSP discourse gained vitality in the second wave of internal discursive formation (2005-2009) and it was associated with the subsequent Zuma’s administration. The study illustrates that the DSP has failed to be fully developed into a practical framework but remained only at rhetorical level with the phrase ‘developmental state’ inserted into government policy documents and documents of ANC as a ruling party. The thesis further illustrates that the DSP fared well ideologically because of its inclination to the ideology of ‘developmentalism’ tended to trump any socialist inclined policies such as a generous welfare regime. The thesis rebuts the notion of the DSP in South Africa which has only been amorphously developed with the phrase ‘developmental state’ becoming a mere buzzword. The thesis argues that the DSP in the 21st century is much more complex and the growing ‘tertiarisation’ of the economy makes the Social Democratic Paradigm SDP’s capability centric approach much more relevant for South Africa. The study goes further to argue that a (SDP) is much more suitable alternative for addressing South African colonial/apartheid legacies and consolidation of democracy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Gwaindepi, Abel
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Economic development -- Political aspects -- South Africa , Income distribution -- South Africa , Democracy -- South Africa , Industrial policy -- Developing countries , South Africa -- Economic conditions , South Africa -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1101 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013278
- Description: The history of economic thought is ‘flooded’ with neo-classical accounts despite the fact that neoclassical economics did not occupy history alone. This has caused the discourses on ‘lost alternatives’ to be relegated as the deterministic ‘straight line’ neo-classical historical discourses are elevated. Globally hegemonic neo-classical discourse aided this phenomenon as it served to subordinate any counterhegemonic local discursive processes towards alternatives. This study is premised on the theme of non-neoclassical ‘lost alternatives’ using the post-apartheid South Africa as a case study. Emerging from the apartheid regime, the impetus towards non-neoclassical redistributive policies was strong in South Africa but this did not gain traction as the ANC’s ‘growth through redistribution’ was replaced by globally hegemonic discourse which favoured ‘redistribution through growth’. This thesis postulates the idea of two waves of ‘internal’ discursive formations; capturing the transition to democracy up to 1996 as the first wave and the period from 2005 to about 2009 as the second wave. The developmental state paradigm (DSP) emerged as the central heterodox paradigm with ideas such as industrial policy, welfare, and social dialogue/compacts being main elements. The DSP was expressly chosen in the early 1990s, the first period of strong internal discursive formation, but faded as neo-classical policies, epitomised through GEAR, dominated the policy space. The DSP discourse gained vitality in the second wave of internal discursive formation (2005-2009) and it was associated with the subsequent Zuma’s administration. The study illustrates that the DSP has failed to be fully developed into a practical framework but remained only at rhetorical level with the phrase ‘developmental state’ inserted into government policy documents and documents of ANC as a ruling party. The thesis further illustrates that the DSP fared well ideologically because of its inclination to the ideology of ‘developmentalism’ tended to trump any socialist inclined policies such as a generous welfare regime. The thesis rebuts the notion of the DSP in South Africa which has only been amorphously developed with the phrase ‘developmental state’ becoming a mere buzzword. The thesis argues that the DSP in the 21st century is much more complex and the growing ‘tertiarisation’ of the economy makes the Social Democratic Paradigm SDP’s capability centric approach much more relevant for South Africa. The study goes further to argue that a (SDP) is much more suitable alternative for addressing South African colonial/apartheid legacies and consolidation of democracy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
An analysis of alternative objective measures of economic performance and social development.
- Authors: Hlanti, Msawenkosi Madoda
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: National income -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Economic development -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Gross domestic product -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa , Social planning -- South Africa , Economic policy , South Africa -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1099 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013144
- Description: The measurement of economic performance and social development has become increasingly important as societies have evolved and become more complex. At present nations do not only seek to improve economic performance but are also compelled to improve social development through improvements in socially and environmentally sustainable initiatives. Traditional measures such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is derived from United Nations’ System of National Accounts (SNA) have been criticised given the inability to adequately account for these social and environmental aspects of social development. Given these perceived deficiencies in the conventional measures, several alternative objective measures have been proposed in an attempt to address these shortcomings. Therefore the primary aim of this study is to analyse, via a literature survey, these alternative objective measures of economic performance and social development. The alternative measures that constitute the survey are the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), the Genuine Savings (GS), and the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI). Upon the completion of the literature survey, sustainable development theory is used to evaluate the extent to which the National Accounts and the alternative objective measures are consistent with Hicksian and Fisherian definitions of income and capital, which embody the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development. The evaluation reveals that the National Accounts neither conform to the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income, thus could not be viewed as a measure of sustainable income. It is found that the ISEW is consistent with the Fisherian definition of income and is also a partial indicator of sustainable development. The evaluation of the GS measure reveals that it is consistent with the Hicksian definition but not the Fisherian definition. In terms of overall sustainability, it is argued that GS is a partial measure of weak sustainability. The HDI is similar to the National Accounts, in that it is neither consistent with the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income and is also not a measure of sustainability. In summary, the study demonstrates that despite GDP's shortcomings as a measure of economic performance and social development, currently, there is no alternative approach which simultaneously addresses every flaw in GDP. However, all the alternatives yield a much better approximation of social development than GDP.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Hlanti, Msawenkosi Madoda
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: National income -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Economic development -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Gross domestic product -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa , Social planning -- South Africa , Economic policy , South Africa -- Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1099 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013144
- Description: The measurement of economic performance and social development has become increasingly important as societies have evolved and become more complex. At present nations do not only seek to improve economic performance but are also compelled to improve social development through improvements in socially and environmentally sustainable initiatives. Traditional measures such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is derived from United Nations’ System of National Accounts (SNA) have been criticised given the inability to adequately account for these social and environmental aspects of social development. Given these perceived deficiencies in the conventional measures, several alternative objective measures have been proposed in an attempt to address these shortcomings. Therefore the primary aim of this study is to analyse, via a literature survey, these alternative objective measures of economic performance and social development. The alternative measures that constitute the survey are the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), the Genuine Savings (GS), and the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI). Upon the completion of the literature survey, sustainable development theory is used to evaluate the extent to which the National Accounts and the alternative objective measures are consistent with Hicksian and Fisherian definitions of income and capital, which embody the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development. The evaluation reveals that the National Accounts neither conform to the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income, thus could not be viewed as a measure of sustainable income. It is found that the ISEW is consistent with the Fisherian definition of income and is also a partial indicator of sustainable development. The evaluation of the GS measure reveals that it is consistent with the Hicksian definition but not the Fisherian definition. In terms of overall sustainability, it is argued that GS is a partial measure of weak sustainability. The HDI is similar to the National Accounts, in that it is neither consistent with the Hicksian nor the Fisherian definitions of income and is also not a measure of sustainability. In summary, the study demonstrates that despite GDP's shortcomings as a measure of economic performance and social development, currently, there is no alternative approach which simultaneously addresses every flaw in GDP. However, all the alternatives yield a much better approximation of social development than GDP.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014