It is necessary to address the barriers experienced by female middle managers in the coal mining industry in order to ensure their retention and personal growth. Mining in South Africa is still a male dominated industry. Prior to 1996, women were not allowed underground until the promulgation of the Mine Health and Safety Act of 1996. It is almost 12 years since women were allowed underground, but very few women are visible in management positions in the coal production environment. A minimum of 35 middle managers in the coal mining industry participated in both the quantitative and qualitative part of the research. The research reveals that human resources department is more masculine characteristic than production, financial and technical departments. The latter three are androgynous. Both male and female managers perceive a “successful manager” as androgynous, a transition from “think manager, think male”. This also contradicts a similar study carried out in European Banks, finding female managers to be masculine. There was no significant difference found in this research between male and female managers regarding their perceptions of what constitutes a “successful manager”. Findings from the research will assist organisations in the coal mining industry to understand barriers affecting the advancement of women in management. The research will also provide recommendations to organisations on how to change their cultures and work environments in order to develop suitable environments for women managers to flourish and achieve their potential. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

As a CEO assumes an important role in an organization, his or her personality, with emphasis on arrogance, may affect a multitude of board members’ attitudes. This study gauges the effect of CEO arrogance on board members’ attitudes, which includes the engagement; cohesiveness; collaboration; job satisfaction; consensual decision making and desirability of the CEO. This investigation drew from existing literature that personality traits affect a leaders’ effectiveness in terms of group performance and followers’ satisfaction (Avolio, Gardner, Walumbwa, Luthans&May, 2004). Through experimental design, actual board meetings were simulated and CEO arrogance was manipulated, mainly by adapting the indicators from the Arrogance Scale in the Workplace developed by Johnson et al. (2010). Experiments were conducted in samples of MBA students and senior management consultants of roughly similar demographics. The findings confirmed that CEO arrogance has a detrimental effect on all the board members’ attitude. Arrogance accounted for almost 60 per cent of the board members’ attitudes ratings. This study is confirms that an arrogant CEO negatively affects the board member dynamics which are essential in maintaining an effective board. This urges the organizations to acquire non-arrogant CEOs to improve the organisation’s productivity. Alternatively, an organization can consider alternatives to dilute a CEO’s arrogance. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The crucial decisions that impact the performance of an organisation are usually taken by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). However, little is known about the impact that a CEO's risk appetite has on the decision making processes and its ultimate impact on company performance. A greater understanding of the relationship between CEO risk appetite and organisational performance will facilitate the improvement of strategy formulation for the purpose of managing risk appetite at an executive level.A qualitative exploration into the factors that have been acknowledged as contributory aspects in the development of executive risk appetites highlighted the aspects which had the greatest association to the formation of CEO risk appetite. These aspects were utilised in the formation of an interview schedule that evaluated the perceptions of seven CEOs regarding their risk appetite preferences.Using the findings of the CEO interviews, a model was formulated to quantify CEO risk appetite and test its relationship with company performance, which had been calculated via a quantitative analysis of company financial records.The findings of the analysis into the relationship between CEO risk appetite and company performance indicated a positive linear relationship between the two variables. The research findings regarding the factors contributing to CEO risk appetite also proved consistent with the majority of the literature on the subject.The implication of the findings for South African organisations will be an improved understanding of the relationship between CEO risk appetite and organisational performance and the ability to develop strategy around managing this relationship. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Chief executives (CEOs) and other senior managers do not seem to be satisfied with the performance of their corporate communication managers/practitioners. Perceptions are that practitioners fail to assume broad decision making roles in organisations. They seem to be unable to see the big picture or understand the key issues in their industry -- their thinking is tactical, rather than strategic. Practitioners are focused on their own activities and media, on the achievement of communication goals and objectives -- without necessarily linking them to business goals. There appears to be a lack of understanding between top management and the corporate communication function on the latter's role in the strategic management process. This situation might be the result of a lack of strategic management and strategic communication knowledge and skills amongst corporate communication managers, possibly caused by insufficient training in these areas (Groenewald 1998a). The research objectives addressed by this study are the following: Firstly, to conceptualise a strategic role for the corporate communication practitioner at the top management level of the organisation (the role of the PR strategist). This is done by investigating the strategic management literature to determine whether a need exists at the top management level to play a strategic role. The behavioural activities of such a role were identified both from the public relations and the strategic management literature. Secondly, to conceptualise corporate communication strategy as an activity of a corporate communication practitioner in the role of the PR manager, a strategic role at the functional or meso level of the organisation. Furthermore, to differentiate a corporate communication strategy from a communication plan. Thirdly, to hypothesise a model for developing corporate communication strategyand thereafter to implement, evaluate and improve the model by assessing and comparing the corporate communication strategy projects of third year corporate communication students at the University of Pretoria, as partners in the action research process. The research approach selected is qualitative research -- an exploratory design is employed in achieving the first three objectives by means of a literature investigation. A confirmatory design is used for the implementation, evaluation and improvement of the model through the methodology of action research. In implementing, evaluating and revising the hypothesised model, this study moves away from the traditional teacher-centred approach in the classroom to a situation where students are involved in a research inquiry to build theory. At the same time, the participant community (non-profit organisations in this case) is exposed to strategic communication knowledge. They are involved in a process whereby they become active participants (together with the students and the lecturer/researcher) in developing corporate communication strategy for their organisations. The results are twofold: firstly, staff members of the non-profit organisation (as well as the students) acquire strategic communication skills; and secondly, the researcher investigates a new area of interest, builds theory, and facilitates a learning process for students whereby they obtain experience and knowledge that is applicable to practice. In conceptualising both a new role for the corporate communication practitioner at the top management level (the role of the PR strategist), and proposing corporate communication strategy as the link between the communication plan and the corporate strategy, an attempt is made to provide possible solutions to important problems in practice. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2000. / gm2013 / Communication Management / Unrestricted

Orientation: The available literature has revealed a polarised picture regarding the effects of race on CEO remuneration. This division centres on whether race is a beneficial factor or not with regard to the level and sensitivity of remuneration received. Introducing South Africa’s affirmative labour policies and the growing societal calls to better explain executive remuneration creates the unique opportunity to examine the effects of race on CEO pay. Research purpose: The purpose of the research centred on two important themes. Firstly the research sought to investigate the effects of race on the sensitivity of executive pay to corporate performance. Secondly the effects of race on the level and structure of executive pay was probed. Motivation for the study: The primary motivation of the study centred on determining whether race is has an affect, if any, on the remuneration paid to CEOs in South Africa. This will assist in understanding whether the affirmative polices implemented in South Africa have made any impact in the top level of executive remuneration. Research design: The study was designed to be quantitative, descriptive and longitudinal in nature utilising valid secondary data sources. The BFA Macgregor online financial database was selected as the most appropriate source of both corporate performance information and directors’ remuneration. Nineteen black CEOs were identified along with a random sample of 45 white CEOs. Following the data been analysed for reliability and validity it was then subject to primary and secondary statistical tests to determine significance and correlation strength. Main findings/results: All components of South African CEO remuneration studied were found to strongly correlate to PAT and EBITDA and to a lesser degree ROE and HEPS. ROE and HEPS have shown correlation strength growth in recent years. This collection of measures reflects a balanced basket of accounting-­‐based and non-­‐ accounting based measures. Black and white CEO mean remuneration when compared was found to have no significant difference due to race. A notable difference found was the higher degree of pay-­‐performance sensitivity and variability seen within the black CEO sample. Practical/Managerial implications: King III compels boards and remuneration committees to ensure remuneration of directors is fair and reasonable, sensitive to performance and aligned with the strategy of the organisation. Ensuring realistic pay-­‐ performance sensitivities are not just a corporate governance requirement but also help alleviate principle-­‐agent issues while correctly incentivising the CEO. Boards looking to appoint black or minority CEOs should continue to remunerate in a equitable and fair manner and be aware of such mental biases such as the “inverse Matthew effect” and other social out-­‐group biases especially when evaluating performance. Contribution: The study showed that race doesn’t affect the level of CEO remuneration but does impact on the pay-­‐performance sensitivity and the variability. The difference in sensitivity and variability could indicate the presence of mental biases such as the “inverse Matthew effect” and other social out-­‐group biases when evaluating performance. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

Stock options increasingly feature as part of CEO compensation, and there is evidence that CEOs of South African listed target companies engage in the practice of awarding themselves more options prior to takeover. This finding is consistent with CEO behaviour of foreign companies as explained by literature. After the recent financial crisis of 2008, there is a greater likelihood that financially stable companies might consider acquiring struggling companies with attractive potential future earnings. By gaining insight into the practices of stock option grants to CEOs, acquiring companies can ensure fair practice as well as not paying an undue premium for a target company. This study was conducted using a sample of 39 Johannesburg stock exchange (JSE) listed target companies, which were acquired during the period 2005- 2009. The focus was on the number of options awarded prior to the announcement date of the takeover in relation to subsequent options awarded. A median test, together with a Chi-squared test was used to evaluate the independence of option grants prior to acquisition and the actual acquisition transaction. Strong evidence was found that these two activities are not independent. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

La Thaïlande est un État unitaire et depuis 1892 son administration déconcentrée est assurée par la présence de gouverneurs provinciaux. Or, malgré de nombreuses attributions législatives, l'exercice des fonctions du chef de la province se heurte à plusieurs obstacles dans la pratique. A titre d'exemple, l'unité de commandement du gouverneur provincial était souvent contestée, les pouvoirs qui lui ont été délégués par les autorités centrales étaient inappropriés tant à sa fonction qu'à ses responsabilités. Ceci était une source de lenteur de l'administration provinciale dans son ensemble. Puis, comme la province ne pouvait pas bénéficier directement du budget provenant de l'État car la demande de budget provincial était effectuée au nom de la Direction, les projets réalisés sur place ne convenaient donc pas aux besoins des habitants locaux. Enfin, l'absence de coopération entre les fonctionnaires des différents organes dans la province contribuait alors aux chevauchements des travaux de ces organes et causait par la suite une perte de temps et d'argent pour l'État. Ainsi, lors de la réforme en 2001, le gouvernement de l'époque a introduit au niveau provincial le concept du gouverneur « CEO » et la méthode de la gestion d'intégration (MGI). Le chef de la province endosse alors le rôle du Chief Executive Officer (CEO), de ce fait ses pouvoirs ont été renforcés afin qu'il puisse prendre une décision rapide et efficace en réponse aux problèmes survenus dans sa province à l'instar des CEO dans leurs entreprises. Quant à la province, elle applique la MGI qui est une nouvelle façon de travailler visant à rendre de meilleurs services rendus à la population. / Thailand is a unitary state and since 1892 its deconcentrated administration is ensured by the presence of provincial governors. However, despite numerous attributions recognized by the laws, the provincial governor faces several obstacles in practice. For example, his Unity of Command was often challenged, the powers delegated to him by the central authorities were not only inappropriate to his function but also to his responsibilities. This was actually a source of slowness in provincial administration. Then, because the province could not directly benefit the budget from the State, as the process of demand for provincial budget was conducted on behalf of the Department, the projects that were carried out did not necessarily match up with local's need. Finally, the lack of cooperation between officials of different organs who work in the province contributed to an overlap of works and caused thereafter a waste of time and money to the State. Therefore, during the reform in 2001, the then government introduced the concept of "CEO" provincial governor and the system of "Province's Integrated Management - PIM". The provincial governor endorses hereupon the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), for this reason, his powers have been reinforced so that he can make a fast and effective decision in response to problems occurring in his province like the CEOs to their companies. As for the province, the system of PIM is applied and it is a new way of working which aims to provide a better service for the population.

Orientation: CEO remuneration has attracted attention over the past two decades, with significant renewed interest in light of the role it is said to have played in contributing to the global financial crisis. At the heart of the issue is the perceived weak relationship between corporate performance and CEO remuneration.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between corporate performance and CEO remuneration within the South African financial services industry.Motivation for the study: The motivation for the study was to develop a deeper understanding of the relationship within the South African context, as South African banks have remained stable and profitable through the financial crisis.Research design approach and method: The research was a quantitative, archival study, conducted over a six year time period. The primary statistical techniques used in the study included: bivariate regression analysis, multiple regression analysis, and analysis of variance.Main findings/results: The primary finding was that the relationship between corporate performance and CEO remuneration is favourable (moderate to strong), but has experienced a decline. This finding emphasises the impact that macroeconomic trends have on the relationship and the role of managerial power during periods of economic uncertainty.The research further describes the structural changes in CEO remuneration with a shift away from variable pay.Practical managerial implications: The results suggest that the use of discretion and the growing impact of managerial power will be key challenges that iii remuneration committees will face in maintaining a favourable relationship between the two constructs in the future.Contribution/value add: The study provides context to CEO remuneration within a South African framework. It further provides provides a key insight that the relationship between corporate performance and CEO pay is highly dependent on the macroeconomic environment, and that CEO pay in the South African financial services is experiencing structural changes. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

It is widely held that CEOs are central to the successful financial performance of companies. Yet, little attention has been given to the correlation between CEO tenure and financial performance of companies specifically. The purpose of this study was to determine whether CEO tenure has an impact on financial performance of companies in South Africa. The financial performance variables for the study were ROA and ROE. The performance of 30 JSE listed companies from three industries, namely, mining, retail and real estate, between 1995 to 2007 was examined. This gave a total of 62 data observations across the selected three tenure categories: short tenure (one to three years); medium tenure (four to five years); and long tenure (six or more years). The results showed that the average tenure for South African CEOs was four years; this was slightly lower than the findings of previous studies conducted in the USA. Medium and long tenure showed better financial performance for ROA than short tenure, while there was no statistically significant finding for ROE. Therefore from an ROA point of view, as tenure increases so does financial performance, until a certain point at which it is anticipated that lengthy tenure will lead to a decline in financial performance. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

How firms compete for an advantage is among the most critical questions in Business Strategy. While several researchers link executives to key strategic outcomes, much less is understood on how the Upper-Echelon team drives the actual competitive behavior of the firm, which is manifested in the launching of observable and purposeful competitive actions within the marketplace. Considering that competitive behavior research tends to overlook the importance of human assets, in general, and executive human assets, in particular, I explore how the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the Chief Executive (CEO), Top Management Team (TMT), and Board of Directors (BOD) impact a firm's competitive behavior. In addition, I examine how sources of Social Capital, or the relationships between these Upper-Echelon actors, influence a firm's competitive behavior. Moreover, I argue and test for the moderating influence of executive compensation on firm competitive behavior. Applying relational demography to capture Human Capital and sources of Social Capital within the U.S. Pharmaceutical Industry, I find some empirical support that executives do, indeed, affect firm competitive behavior. Overall, the empirical evidence indicates that the Human Capital of the CEO, TMT, and BOD can influence all dimensions of a firm's Competitive Intensity. Unexpectedly and, contrary to prediction, executive dissimilarity (not similarity) tended to greatly influence a firm's Competitive Activity and Repertoire Complexity. Also, the moderating impact of executive bonus and incentive pay was largely supported. This dissertation contributes to both the competitive behavior and Upper-Echelon literatures. Notably, this dissertation adds to the very limited work that attempts to theoretically link and empirically test for executive impact on firm competitive behavior. By so doing, it begins to open the "black box" on how human assets at the Upper Echelon affect strategic outcomes through a firm's competitive behavior. / Ph. D.