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The current thesis aims to answer the following three research questions: 1) What is the effect of corporate governance mechanisms on earnings management in the UK context? 2) Do equity incentives motivate UK executives to engage in opportunistic earnings management practices? 3) Can corporate governance mechanisms moderate the relationship between equity incentives and earnings management? To answer the first research question, a panel data set drawn from 215 UK FfSE-350 index companies and 1675 firm years for the period 2004-20 11 has been used to examine the effect of large set of corporate governance mechanisms on constraining earnings management. Based on the agency theory, we hypothesise that corporate governance mechanisms can inhibit managers from engaging in opportunistic earnings management practices. We use two proxies for earnings management: current discretionary accruals measured by performance adjusted model developed by Kothari et al. (2005) and total discretionary accruals as measured by the modified Jones model developed by Dechow et al. (I995). We find that audit related mechanisms, such as audit committee's size, independence, and expertise as well as external audit efforts and quality (measured through audit fees), have a significant negative relationship with earnings management. Moreover, we find that non-audit fees have a significant positive effect on earnings management - supporting the argument that non-audit fees negatively affect an auditor's independence. Conversely, we find that board size and independence have moderate negative relationship with earnings management. To answer the second and third research questions, a panel data set drawn from 1675 Chief Executive Officer (CEO) year observations and 1540 Chief Financial Officer (CFO) year observations has been used to examine the relationship between CEO and CFO equity incentives and earnings management. In addition, we examine the moderation effect of corporate governance mechanisms on the relationship between executives' equity incentives and earnings management. Based on the managerial power approach, the current thesis hypothesises a positive association between executives' equity incentives and earnings management.

This thesis presents the results of a multi-method investigation of employee perceptions of fairness in relation to their career management experiences. Organisational justice theory (OJT) was developed as a theoretical framework and data were gathered via 325 quantitative questionnaires, 20 semi-structured interviews and the analysis of a variety of company documents and materials. The results of the questionnaire survey provided strong support for the salience of employee perceptions of justice in regard to their evaluations of organisational career management (OCM) practices, with statistical support emerging for both an agent-systems and interaction model of organisational justice. The qualitative semi-structured interviews provided more detailed analysis of how fairness was experienced in practice, and confirmed the importance of the OJT constructs of fairness within this career management context. Fairness themes to emerge from this analysis included, equity, needs, voice, bias suppression, consistency, ethicality, respect and feedback drawing on many of the central tenants of distributive, procedural, interpersonal and information justice. For the career management literature there is empirical confirmation of a new theoretical framework for understanding employee evaluations of, and reactions to, OCM practices. For the justice literatures a new contextual domain is explored and confirmed, thus extending further the influence and applicability of the theory. For practitioners a new framework for developing, delivering and evaluating their own OCM policies and systems is presented.

This research explores the relationship between sense of coherence, work engagement and organisational commitment in an automotive development institution in South Africa. The study was conducted through quantitative research. The study used the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) to measure sense of coherence, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) to measure work engagement and the Organisational Commitment Scale (OCS) to measure organisational commitment. A biographical questionnaire was also used. The questionnaires were administered to a sample of 46 employees, 37 of whom were based in the company’s Pretoria office and nine at their Eastern Cape office. In view of the fact that the sample was small, 100 % of the population was included in the study. A theoretical relationship between the constructs was determined and an empirical study provided evidence of the degree of relationship that existed between them. The results reveal significant relationships to exist between some sub-scales, however, statistical significance could not be reached for some correlations. / Psychology / M. Admin. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie verkennende studie was om ondersoek in te stel na die prestasiewaardes onderliggend aan Affektiewe, Kontinulteits- en Normatiewe organisasieverbintenis van werknemers binne die motorywerheid in Suid-Afrika. 'n Steekproef van 113 werknemers is uit verskillende motorhandelaars geselekteer. Daarna is ondersoek ingestel na watter prestasiewaardes betekenisvolle voorspellers van organisasieverbintenis is. Daar is bevind dat die prestasiewaardes mededinging en materiele welvaart betekenisvolle voorspellers van affektiewe organisasieverbintenis is, en dat die prestasiewaardes materiele welvaart en strewe na uitmuntendheid betekenisvolle voorspellers van kontinuiteitsorganisasieverbintenis is, maar dat geeneen van die prestasiewaardes wat huidig wereldwyd erken word, betekenisvolle voorspellers van normatiewe organisasieverbintenis in die motomywerheid is nie. Dit het verreikende irnplikasies vir die Suid-Afrikaanse motorhandelaar. Hierbenewens is dit ook duidelik uit die navorsingsresultate dat die prestasiewaardes mededinging, materiele welvaart en strewe na uitmuntendheid hulself daartoe leen om op 'n geintegreerde wyse deur bestuur van motorhandelaars aangewend te word ten einde hul kumulatiewe invloed op organisasieverbintenis optimaal te kan benut. / The objective of this exploratory study was to investigate the performance values subjacent to affective, continuity and normative organisation commitment of employees in the motor industry in South Africa. A sample of 113 employees was selected from different dealerships. Thereafter an investigation was done to establish which performance values were meaningful predictors of organisation commitment. It was found that the performance values competition and material gain were meaningful predictors of affective organisation commitment, and the performance values material gain and excellence were meaningful predictors of continuity organisation commitment, but that none of the performance values which are contemporarily recognised world-wide were meaningful predictors of normative organisation commitment. This has far-reaching implications for South African motor dealers. It was also apparent from the results that the performance values competition, material gain and excellence can be utilized in an integrated way by management of motor dealers in order to ensure optimal utilization of their cumulative impact on organisation commitment. / Industrial psychology / M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)

This research explores the relationship between sense of coherence, work engagement and organisational commitment in an automotive development institution in South Africa. The study was conducted through quantitative research. The study used the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) to measure sense of coherence, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) to measure work engagement and the Organisational Commitment Scale (OCS) to measure organisational commitment. A biographical questionnaire was also used. The questionnaires were administered to a sample of 46 employees, 37 of whom were based in the company’s Pretoria office and nine at their Eastern Cape office. In view of the fact that the sample was small, 100 % of the population was included in the study. A theoretical relationship between the constructs was determined and an empirical study provided evidence of the degree of relationship that existed between them. The results reveal significant relationships to exist between some sub-scales, however, statistical significance could not be reached for some correlations. / Psychology / M. Admin. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie verkennende studie was om ondersoek in te stel na die prestasiewaardes onderliggend aan Affektiewe, Kontinulteits- en Normatiewe organisasieverbintenis van werknemers binne die motorywerheid in Suid-Afrika. 'n Steekproef van 113 werknemers is uit verskillende motorhandelaars geselekteer. Daarna is ondersoek ingestel na watter prestasiewaardes betekenisvolle voorspellers van organisasieverbintenis is. Daar is bevind dat die prestasiewaardes mededinging en materiele welvaart betekenisvolle voorspellers van affektiewe organisasieverbintenis is, en dat die prestasiewaardes materiele welvaart en strewe na uitmuntendheid betekenisvolle voorspellers van kontinuiteitsorganisasieverbintenis is, maar dat geeneen van die prestasiewaardes wat huidig wereldwyd erken word, betekenisvolle voorspellers van normatiewe organisasieverbintenis in die motomywerheid is nie. Dit het verreikende irnplikasies vir die Suid-Afrikaanse motorhandelaar. Hierbenewens is dit ook duidelik uit die navorsingsresultate dat die prestasiewaardes mededinging, materiele welvaart en strewe na uitmuntendheid hulself daartoe leen om op 'n geintegreerde wyse deur bestuur van motorhandelaars aangewend te word ten einde hul kumulatiewe invloed op organisasieverbintenis optimaal te kan benut. / The objective of this exploratory study was to investigate the performance values subjacent to affective, continuity and normative organisation commitment of employees in the motor industry in South Africa. A sample of 113 employees was selected from different dealerships. Thereafter an investigation was done to establish which performance values were meaningful predictors of organisation commitment. It was found that the performance values competition and material gain were meaningful predictors of affective organisation commitment, and the performance values material gain and excellence were meaningful predictors of continuity organisation commitment, but that none of the performance values which are contemporarily recognised world-wide were meaningful predictors of normative organisation commitment. This has far-reaching implications for South African motor dealers. It was also apparent from the results that the performance values competition, material gain and excellence can be utilized in an integrated way by management of motor dealers in order to ensure optimal utilization of their cumulative impact on organisation commitment. / Industrial psychology / M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)