A research report submitted to The School of Accountancy, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Commerce in Accounting / The role and importance of a company’s CEO has become an increasingly important topic of research. The executive leadership has an important role to play in defining the strategy of the firm and its ability to compete. The value relevance of the CEO of a company and thus any changes pertaining thereto is understood to be due to developments in information technology and reporting requirements. This characterizes an information environment whereby investors are better equipped at making more informed investment decisions. The current business has become increasingly more competitive and volatile. In response to this, market participants place greater value on the importance of the CEO of the company. The CEO of a company may possess the ability to lever the company above its competitors through the development and implementation of company strategy. This research report assesses how market participants react in response to CEO appointment announcements using a sample of 105 announcements using an event study methodology. The value relevance pertaining hereto can be ascertained by observing the abnormal returns of the company’s share price on the date of the announcement. In furtherance of this assessment, the sample is disaggregated in accordance to event specific, firm-specific and non-event specific factors. Prior research suggests that this analysis facilitates more robust inferences to be made on how market participants react to CEO appointment announcements. In both Africa and South Africa, a strong body of literature is yet to be established on this effect. In general, findings display significant market reactions in response to the CEO change, thus suggesting that market participants perceive the CEO change as a significant event in the life of the firm. On the day of the event strong positive abnormal returns were generating thereby indicating that investors react positively to the appointment of a new CEO. However, the negative cumulative abnormal returns displayed in the periods before and after the event can be interpreted as the contrary. In addressing these conflicting views, the analysis of share performance in relation to firm-specific, event-specific and non-event related factors proves useful. The findings in this part of the section explain that negative returns are due to increased uncertainty over the future of the company, the positive returns on announcement date are found to be strongly associated with the type of successor appointed. These findings further reveal market participants react significantly strongly to a CEO change as seen by high negative cumulative abnormal returns. These findings contextualize how the value attached to CEOs by market participants vary in relation to different conditions. / MT2017

Thesis (M.Com. (Accountancy))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Accountancy, 2015 / Many studies considering the effects CEOs‟ characteristics have on the companies they run have been carried out in America. This study considers if organisational outcomes and strategic choices are partially predicted by managerial background characteristics as put forward by Hambrick and Mason (1984). It attempts to determine if the personality traits of CEOs of JSE listed companies (which result in them being classified as a narcissist) have an impact on the financial performance on the company for which they work. As identified by Chatterjee and Hambrick (2007), prior research has explored how executive‟s characteristics are manifested in organisational outcomes, however very little research addresses the narcissistic aspect of CEOs personalities. This study explored whether a relationship exists between CEO narcissism and strategic dynamism in a nonprobability, convenience sample.. A 5-item narcissism index was used as a proxy for narcissism and financial leverage, overhead efficiency and plant and equipment newness, were used to measure strategic dynamism. Multiple regression was used to analyse the data by applying CEO narcissism as the independent variable, strategic dynamism as the dependents variable whilst including control variables, including the CEO tenure, the age of the CEO, the age of the company, and indicator variable for the presence of a COO, the phase of the economy during which the CEO served his tenure and an indicator variable for which industry the company is operating in. The results of this study revealed that there is a viii correlation between the level of narcissism, captured using unobtrusive measures, of a JSE listed company‟s CEO and the level of strategic dynamism of that company. The results of the regression models suggest that whilst there is no observable relationship between narcissism and strategic dynamism, there is a relationship between narcissism and two of the components of strategic dynamism, financial leverage and plant and equipment newness. This research contributes further to the study of the effect of narcissistic CEO‟s on the companies for which they work and suggests that the personality traits of CEOs should be considered by company boards and shareholders when deciding to elect a person as CEO as well as by investors when deciding which companies to invest in.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Change is a way of life in organisations today. The challenge is to improve an organisation's ability to cope with change and its problem-solving and renewal process through effective management of the organisation's culture. Organisations in South Africa are experiencing major changes in a variety of areas which impacts severely on organisational perronnance. The ability of organisations to adjust to the changing environment will ultimately predict their future success. These changes have emphasised the urgent need for effective leadership. South African chief executive officers (CEOs) are under immense pressure as the affairs of the organisations are being called into question. This study attempts to answer the question of why there was a high leadership change in the Land Bank of South Africa, with emphasis on the CEOs between 1998-2008. Today, there are indications that corporate leadership styles are changing, particularly in countries undergoing rapid political change and socio-economic change. One of the challenges facing state owned organisations like the Land Bank is the clarification of the role of government as a shareholder and the role of the board. This in turn needs to cascade down into the organisation in order to achieve greater clarity with regard to the roles of the board in relation to the role of management. In any organisation, good corporate governance is ultimately about effective leadership. Much depends on the appropriate demarcation of the respective roles of the shareholder, the board and management. It is critical that there is an understanding by government, in its capacity as a shareholder, of its leadership role in directing and guiding the Land Bank. The solution starts with a proper understanding of what leadership means. What then are the qualities of effective leadership? Are there different leadership styles and if so, what are the fundamental qualities that they have in common? Organisations can bring turnaround consultants into the organisation to assess its situation, create and implement a plan of corporate renewal, assuming the organisation is worth the effort. Business turnarounds usually involve drastic changes in an organisation. Changes involve people. Central to change stands a leadership team without which mediocre efforts will prevail. The Land Bank needs to be aware of the themes that emerged in this research. The results alert CEOs, board and government to the need to adopting leadership practices to the unique challenges which exist in the socio-economic and political environment. To cope effectively with South Africa's socio-economic changing environment, the Land Bank needs to redefine the role of its leaders for the future, on the basis of which it needs to nurture future leaders starting at the top. Failure to develop appropriate future leaders could damage performance, employee mobilisation, policy coherence, good governance and competitive capability. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Verandering is vandag 'n leefwyse in organisasies. Die uitdaging is om 'n organisasie se vermoe om verandering, probleemoplossing en die hernuwingsproses te hanteer, deur doeltreffende bestuur van die organisasie se kultuur te verbeter. Organisasies in Suid-Afrika ondervind groot veranderinge op 'n verskeidenheid gebiede en dit het 'n ernstige impak op die prestasie van die organisasie. Die vermoe van organisasies om by 'n veranderende omgewing aan te pas, sal uiteindelik hul toekomstige sukses bepaal. Hierdie veranderinge het die dringende behoefte aan doeltreffende leierskap beklemtoon. Suid-Afrikaanse uitvoerende hoofde is onder enorme druk soos wat die sake van die organisasies bevraagteken word. Hierdie studie poog om 'n antwoord te gee op die vraag waarom daar van 1998-2008 'n hoe leierskapsverandering in die Suid-Afrikaanse Landbank was, met die klem op die uitvoerende hoofde tussen 1998 en 2008. Daar is vandag aanduidings dat korporatiewe leierskapstyle besig is om te verander, veral in lande waar daar vinnige politieke en sosio-ekonomiese verandering plaasvind. Een van die uitdagings vir organisasies wat aan die staat behoort, soos die Landbank, is die uitklaring van die rol van die regering as 'n aandeelhouer en die rol van die direksie. Dit moet op sy beurt afwaarts deur die organisasie voortgesit word met betrekking tot die rolle van die direksie vergeleke met die rol van bestuur. In enige organisasie gaan goeie korporatiewe bestuur uiteindelik oor doeltreffende leierskap. Baie hang af van die toepaslike uitstippeling van die onderskeie rolle van die aandeelhouer, die direksie en bestuur. Dit is van kritieke belang dat daar 'n begrip is by die regering, in sy hoedanigheid as 'n aandeelhouer, van sy leierskapsrol in die bestuur en beheer van die Landbank. Die oplossing begin met 'n goeie begrip van wat leierskap beteken. Wat is dan die kwaliteite van doeltreffende leierskap? Is daar verskillende leierskapstyle en indien wel, wat is die fundamentele kwaliteite wat hulle in gemeen het? Organisasies kan van ommekeer-konsultante gebruik maak om die situasie te beoordeel en 'n plan vir 'n korporatiewe hernuwing te skep en te implementeer, mits die organisasie die moeite werd is. So 'n ommekeer beteken gewoonlik drastiese veranderinge in 'n organisasie. Veranderinge betrek mense. Sentraal tot verandering staan 'n leierskapspan, want daarsonder sal die pogings bloot middelmatig bly. Die Landbank moet bewus raak van die temas wat in hierdie navorsing na vore gekom het. Die resultate maak uitvoerende hoofde, die direksie en die regering bewus van die behoefte om leierskapspraktyke aan te pas by die unieke uitdagings wat in die sosioekonomiese en politieke omgewing bestaan. Om Suid-Afrika se veranderende sosioekonomiese omgewing doeltreffend te hanteer, moet die Landbank die rol van sy leiers vir die toekoms herdefinieer, op grond waarvan dit toekomstige leiers moet kweek en dit moet van bo af begin. As toepaslike toekomstige leiers nie ontwikkel word nie, sal dit tot nadeel van prestasie, werknemermobilisering, beleidsamehang, goeie bestuur en mededingende vermoens strek.

Researchers posit that the primary objective of a business enterprise is to create shareholder value, and Economic Value Added (EVA) has been found to be the best available financial metric for measuring value. It is argued that EVA differs from other metrics in the sense that it incorporates both the enterprise profits and the capital costs for such profits. The study intended to establish attributes and competencies that are relevant, key and can bear the relationship with the EVA. In order to achieve this, the following questions were posed, namely; what key attributes and competencies an executive needs to possess for the purpose of organisational value creation?; and what is the measure to be utilised that includes these competencies to ensure organisational value creation and leadership development? The study aim was to propose and develop a diagnostic Value Creating Competencies Index, which is based on the components of or influenced by EVA. The success of the study was based on three pillars, firstly, EVA as a superior financial measure. To support this, literature that supported that EVA is adopted as a superior financial measure compared to other accounting based measures was reviewed and critiqued. The second element of the study was the focus on CEOs as critical and important drivers of value in organisations. However, the available literature was not able to provide a convincing argument to focus ‘all’ the attention on CEOs at the expense of other executives and the organisation at large. To determine whether CEOs can be given this attention and prominence, we conducted an additional study that assessed the share price movement on the public announcement of CEOs on companies listed on JSE. The findings of this study showed significant movement of share price and volume traded, and on the strength of this observation we concluded that CEOs can be used in this study as drivers of value. The third element was to look at competencies and competency modelling as a conduit that links value creation (EVA) and creators of value (CEOs). The literature on competencies was consulted and that of modelling, looking at the advantages and disadvantages of competency modelling. The study adopted a pragmatic paradigm and mixed methods approach. A qualitative dominant approach was followed. The study population consisted of Chief Executive Officers of the companies listed on the JSE top 40, who have had same position for a minimum of five years. Two CEOs could successfully be reached and interviewed. Data were collected through interviews, observations and documents analysis of the selected CEOs and their respective companies. Data were analysed qualitatively using the Atlas-ti software package, and then followed by a quantitative approach that was conducted using a Delphi approach. Two samples were utilised for this purpose. The first sample was a census of top 50 companies on Executive Search Review (United States headquartered companies that deals with CEO recruitments), the second sample was a random sample taken from JSE listed companies. Qualitative results were presented and discussed and the competencies were identified and linked to actual performance in respective organisations. In addition, identified competencies were confirmed by linking to the relevant quotations from the interviews and or analysed documents. Based on the qualitative results a competency model, Octastellatus CEO Competency model was developed and presented. From the competency model, the competency index Sustainable Economic Value Competency Index (SEVCI) was constructed and presented. The index has four clusters, namely; the core competencies, enabling competencies, differentiating competencies and competitive competencies. The index measure is presented as the sum of weighted averages of the four clusters. It is believed that this research work have made a significant and unique contribution by providing a quantitatively validated CEO competency model and corresponding competency index for assessing potential ability to create economic value. In an area that previously had a disconnection between ability to create value and actual value creation is now a known area and it is represented by SEVCI. / Business Management / DBL

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of the intersection of race, gender and social class on women leaders’ work experience and career progression in order to come up with strategies for gender transformation at leadership level in corporate South Africa. The problem statement of this research study concerns the indication in the annual report of the Commission for Employment Equity (Department of Labour 2012) that there is under-representation of women, especially African and Coloured women, at top management level relative to the economically active population. The Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill was published in the Government Gazette No. 37005 of 6 November 2013. This Bill aims to enforce compliance with the stipulated minimum representation of women at senior levels in both the private and public sectors. This study, with its objective of reaching an understanding of the impact of the intersection of race, gender and social class on women’s career progression, is therefore timeous. Getting the perspective of woman CEOs across race and class on how to transform gender at leadership level could add an important voice to transformation and could be of benefit to decision makers in business and in government. Based on this problem statement the following research questions were formulated: - To what extent does the intersection of race, social class and gender impact on women CEOs’ experience in their work roles and career progression? - How might an understanding of women leaders’ experiences in their roles assist with strategies to transform gender at leadership level in corporate South Africa? Qualitative research methodology was chosen as the appropriate methodology and grounded theory was employed. Purposive, snowball and theoretical sampling methods were used to identify fourteen participants (13 CEOs and one chairman).The life story method was employed for in-depth semi-structured interviews from which rich descriptive data was collected and which was analysed using grounded theory. Findings confirmed that the intersection of race, gender, age and class does have an impact on women’s career progression and their life experiences. The dominant social identity was race for blacks and gender whites; class and age were the overlay. In terms of strategies for gender transformation, first-order constructs from the participants were related to abstract second-order constructs from the literature, which led to the formulation of the WHEEL Theoretical Model. The theoretical model is an integration of different elements required for the formulation of strategies for gender transformation at leadership level. The different elements were women themselves; domestic and family support; the organisation; society and government. Despite some limitations that were encountered, the aim of the study was achieved by making a contribution not only to the development of theory related to strategies for gender transformation at leadership level, which other scholars can build from, but also to the gaining of insights into the intersection of multiple social identities and their impact which can be used by business leaders and policymakers to address inequalities in organisations. In addition, this research study made various recommendations for future research / Business Management / DBL

This research investigates the relationship between innovation and leadership in First National Bank in South Africa. In an information age paradigm, innovation is a key driver of organisational success. Innovation allows an information age company to create a sustainable competitive advantage over its competitors. First National Bank (FNB) has recognised the need for innovation and measures the amount of innovation generated in each business unit on an annual basis. Leadership is a key factor influencing innovation in large, multi-segment organisations, particularly transformational leadership. Large multi-segment organisations often have multi-functional teams and transformational leadership of these teams more effectively promotes innovation. Large multi-segment organisations also often have complex decision making processes. Transformational leadership ensures optimal innovative decisions rather than adequate decisions are reached. FNB is a multi-segment organisation comprising ten business units each headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The relationship between the level of innovation being generated annually by each business unit and the leadership style of the business unit CEO formed the focus of this research. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was used to gather information on the leadership style of each CEO's. Data on the level of innovation within each of these business units was supplied by First National Bank. Data was statistically analysed against the innovation generated by each business unit using correlation analysis. Most of the results testing the relationship between transformational and transactional leadership and innovation were found not to be significant. This contradicts the theory which suggests a positive relationship between transformational leadership and innovation.