Value-added tax (VAT) and similar taxes known as General Sales Tax (GST) are indirect taxes which are currently levied in over 150 countries world-wide. The republic of South Africa (South Africa) introduced VAT through the enactment of the Value-added Tax Act 89 of 1991. Financial services are exempt, by the Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991, largely due to the South African VAT system being based on the New Zealand GST system. It is generally accepted that in theory financial services should be subjected to Value-Added Tax. This study will outline the VAT effects of certain common financial services and how financial service providers may account for the related input and output tax. Additionally the application of the VAT Act against some of the more complex financial arrangements, including new financial instruments that have gained popularity with the increased availability to technologies such as the internet, will also be examined. This report is limited to the application of the VAT Act only and does not consider other fiscal legislation and its interaction with the VAT Act in this regard. Key Words Value-Added Tax, Financial Services, Exemptions, Complex Financial Arrangements / Thesis (M.Com. (Taxation))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Accountancy, 2017 / Online resource (141 leaves) / GR2018

Thesis (M.Com. (Development Theory and Policy))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic and Business Sciences, 2017 / The past decade has seen increasing attention given to the process termed ‘financialisation’ within the socio-political and economic literature. Despite the existence of robust macroeconomic literature, there is still a deficiency of firm-level studies on how financialisation takes root, particularly in developing countries. This paper contributes here by examining two agricultural firms within South Africa. South Africa is of particular heuristic value as it has a very advanced financial industry comparatively, and its agricultural industry has undergone very dramatic changes since the adoption of free-market policies in 1994. The study finds that the experience of financialisation remains variegated in South African agriculture. It does not support the view that financialisation is simply the ‘return of the rentier class’, instead illustrating how the changing role of the financial industry has had varied, though not insignificant effects on individual firms. It also confirms microeconomic linkages between liberalization and financialisation (previously identified on a macroeconomic level) as well confirming the importance of banks and ownership structures in facilitating financialisation. / GR2018

Thesis (M.M. (Strategic Marketing))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, 2016. / This study addresses the nature of the relationship between brand citizenship behaviour and its antecedent instigator, strategic internal brand management as they pertain to the quest for distinctive service competencies by firms in the financial services sector. In today’s fast moving technologically accelerated world of commerce and industry, the quest for differentiation and innovation has simultaneously become acute while at the same time significantly more challenging to attain and sustain. Such behoves organisations to identify competency areas that can be leveraged for segment level distinctiveness. For one, the value of a strong brand is well recognised in business and much has been written about the diversity of elements that accentuate the construct of a brand. Being exploratory in nature, the study was guided by a qualitative design. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of executives representing the functions of marketing, human resources and operations from a selection of leading South African financial services firms as part of an exploratory investigation. These senior level practitioners were identified in literature as the anchors upon which meaningful strategic initiative emanates. The aspirant attainment of employees who become true citizens of the brand in their behaviour towards customers and other stakeholders was noted to be an outcome of leadership deliberateness in ensuring sustained immersion of employees in an organisation’s culture and values. A model that offers a foundation for the identification of key intra-organisational constructs and processes was proposed as a key outcome of the study. In addition, the study raises awareness of how to frame the scope of aspects that need to be included into an integrated approach to internal brand management to yield employee brand citizenship behaviour and ultimately assist in enhancing an organisation’s differentiation efforts. Keywords: internal brand management, brand citizenship behaviour, brand identity, brand communication, brand leadership, internal marketing, retail financial services. / DH2016

Abstract not available

This study is premised on the assumption that because of increased globalisation the trend towards strategic alliances is going to increase in the 21st century. This is evident in the phenomenal growth towards the establishment of alliances the world over despite high failure rates. The study also makes an important assumption that a major cause of alliance failure is managerial in nature and therefore relates to the task performed by alliance managers.Whilst research in the West has attempted to focus on such failings, few researchers have attempted to understand the state of alliances in developing country contexts as well as the reasons for the lack of their successes or otherwise. This study therefore seeks to fill this gap by exploring the managerial issues surrounding alliance management in a developing country, Papua New Guinea. It was found that alliance managers in countries such as Papua New Guinea faced managerial challenges similar to those in their counterparts in developing countries. However, the similary ends there.The research demonstrated that governmental and socio-cultural factors predominate in the national and local environments.It also found that resource deficiencies made alliances highly susceptible to misalignment in strategic intent and structure.Several other findings are discussed in detail. The research resulted in the development of a holistic approach to the study and management of strategic alliances. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Capella University, 2006. / Adviser: Apiwan Born. Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-167)

In this study, the Document Analysis Method is used to examine the ¡§Banking Services¡¨ in GATS from WTO documents and ¡§Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision¡¨ from Basel Committee firstly. Secondly, the reform and open policy on banking in Mainland China during past decades has been reviewed. Emphases are put on the reform policy on account of the process of becoming a membership of WTO. Following part of the study focuses on Shanghai banking development. The history and reform of shanghai banking is the major subject. Besides, whether the blueprint of Shanghai banking and financial center will be achieved or not is also reviewed. In the study we find that Shanghai has a blooming economy, the banking industry in Shanghai also situates a leading position in Mainland China. But there are also many difficulties for Shanghai to overcome if Shanghai heads to achieve the goal of being an International Financial Center (IFC) in the world.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-194). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

This research is empirical and exploratory in nature. It examines the emergence of a market of underserviced consumers within the U.S. banking subsector of the financial services industry. The aim of this research is to introduce generalizable sociological theory that explains the formation of an underserviced consumer market. This new social theory called Underserviced Consumer Market Formation Theory (UCMFT) is then applied to the U.S. banking subsector of the financial services industry in order to address the research question of, Why has an emerging market of underserviced consumers formed within the U.S. banking subsector of the financial services industry? In addition to introducing UCMFT to academia, other contributions to knowledge have materialized as a means of explaining this phenomenon and answering the research question of this study. These additional contributions to knowledge are: introducing the term underserviced consumer within the U.S. banking subsector of the financial services industry and introducing a theoretically based explanatory model specific to this subject matter of this research termed the model of underserviced consumer market formation within the U.S. banking subsector of the financial services industry. Positioning UCMFT for future research and generalizability includes clearly defining the industry being studied, clearly defining the term underserviced consumers in the context of the industry being studied, and empirically identifying and linking the unique psychosocial characteristics to the predominant consumers (buyers) within the industry being studied or encompassed by the research. Potential industries that could be included for future research grounding in UCMFT are healthcare, technology, telecommunications, education, as well as other subsectors within the financial services industry. Overall, the empirical findings support the creation of the theory and its applicability to the U.S. banking subsector of the financial services industry as scoped for this research.