Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The aim of this thesis is to examine the association between information and communication technologies (ICTs) and poverty reduction in South Africa. ICTs have been argued to be a means to improve household livelihoods and thereby to provide people with the capability of changing their existing poverty trajectories. The study conceptually investigates ICTs as a contributor to human development through the theoretical lens the sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF). Since ICTs broaden the asset base of the poor, the study first theorises household access to ICT as a new form of capital, termed as the ‘digital basket’. This new wealth indicator augments the current well-developed list of capitals adopted within the SLF approach. This digital basket concept and the ICT systems that provide its components are described, establishing the theoretical contributions of this thesis.

Considering the insufficient current state of theory in the field of the insurance companies' valuation, the aim of this dissertation thesis was firstly to comprehensively analyze issues of commercial insurance companies' valuation and secondly to develop an appropriate body of knowledge that could contribute to the development of a practical methodology to be used in valuation practice. This dissertation thesis is divided into three consecutive parts. The first part assessed the accounting issues of commercial insurance companies with an impact on financial analysis and planning and on further procedure of insurance companies' valuation. In this section, the structure of financial statements of insurance companies was described and specific items of financial statements were discussed, especially concerning financial investments and technical reserves. The book keeping methods, reporting and testing while abiding to the Czech accounting regulations were analyzed. As well as, different accounting procedures required by IFRS or US GAAP were pointed out. Moreover, specific ratios convenient for a financial analysis of insurance companies were recorded. For an overall rating of the financial health, the value creation test was suggested in an equity form. Subsequently, the value drivers of insurance company were identified and recommendations for the complex processes of financial planning were given. Such a complex financial planning process should include a strategic analysis applicable for the purposes of a premium growth rate forecast. The second part includes the various methods of valuation, such as income approach, asset approach and relative valuation. Application of conventional valuation techniques was assessed and necessary modifications of classical methodology were suggested with respect to the specifics of the insurance market. Special attention has been paid to the fair value reporting of certain balance sheet items, as well as the creation of hidden reserves, respectively hidden debt. Modifications of valuation formulas were stated and/or suggested per each introduced method. The scope of this part also included methods of Embedded Value and Appraisal Value, which are used in practice for reporting purposes in the fields of life insurance, and their applicability in the field of business valuation was then assessed. The third part contains an extensive empirical study that focuses on one of the methods of the valuation multiples estimation, for the purposes of life insurance companies, namely so-called sector regressions. Analysis and testing were performed on historical data of traded life insurance companies from Europe, the USA and Canada for the period of 2000 to 2011. Only profitable companies were taken into account in each given year. Data were drawn from S&P Capital IQ database. Multiples MV/E, MV/BV, MV/Prem and D/MV, which were identified as utilizable (dependent variables) in the theoretical part of this thesis, were tested together with 13 financial indicators of life insurance companies (independent variables). Extreme observations of the tested multiples, as well as the indicators, were removed. The major outcome of this empirical study is firstly an identification of key financial indicators which have a major impact on valuation multiples of life insurance companies, and secondly, computation of time consistent regression formulas. Such formulas make for a relatively simple tool for the estimation of valuation multiples (and subsequently market value) of non-traded life insurance companies based on key financial indicators.

The greater competition and concentration in South Africa's financial sector has put South African banks under more constraints and led to questioning of their present performance. With a greater demand for financial services and more complains about the low quality of financial services and charges being too high, there has been increasing debate about how efficient South African banks really are. This study discusses performance evaluation, the traditional financial and non-financial measures used, and their limitations. The concept of bank efficiency is also briefly discussed, including scale efficiency, scope efficiency, X-efficiency, cost efficiency, standard profit efficiency, alternative profit efficiency and the risk component of bank efficiency. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was chosen as the most appropriate method to estimate the scale efficiency and technical efficiency of 37 districts (and 10 provinces) of one of the largest banks in South Africa. 'DEA involves solving linear programming problems that generate a non-parametric, piecewise linear convex frontier that envelops the input and output data relative to which cost is minimized' (Fare et al., 1985b:193). The intermediation approach was used incorporating both the input- and output-orientated approach under variable returns to scale. The analyses indicated that 19 districts out of the 37 districts were not at least once fully technically efficient during the 22 months (input- and output-orientated). The same results were found with regard to scale efficiency: 17 districts out of the 37 districts were not at least once fully scale efficient (input-orientated) and 19 districts out of the 37 districts were not at least once fully scale efficient (output-orientated), during the 22 months. Synergy was found in 6 provinces out of the 10 provinces (input- and output-orientated). / Thesis (M.Com. (Risk Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The greater competition and concentration in South Africa's financial sector has put South African banks under more constraints and led to questioning of their present performance. With a greater demand for financial services and more complains about the low quality of financial services and charges being too high, there has been increasing debate about how efficient South African banks really are. This study discusses performance evaluation, the traditional financial and non-financial measures used, and their limitations. The concept of bank efficiency is also briefly discussed, including scale efficiency, scope efficiency, X-efficiency, cost efficiency, standard profit efficiency, alternative profit efficiency and the risk component of bank efficiency. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was chosen as the most appropriate method to estimate the scale efficiency and technical efficiency of 37 districts (and 10 provinces) of one of the largest banks in South Africa. 'DEA involves solving linear programming problems that generate a non-parametric, piecewise linear convex frontier that envelops the input and output data relative to which cost is minimized' (Fare et al., 1985b:193). The intermediation approach was used incorporating both the input- and output-orientated approach under variable returns to scale. The analyses indicated that 19 districts out of the 37 districts were not at least once fully technically efficient during the 22 months (input- and output-orientated). The same results were found with regard to scale efficiency: 17 districts out of the 37 districts were not at least once fully scale efficient (input-orientated) and 19 districts out of the 37 districts were not at least once fully scale efficient (output-orientated), during the 22 months. Synergy was found in 6 provinces out of the 10 provinces (input- and output-orientated). / Thesis (M.Com. (Risk Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.