Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Commerce in Economics in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management At the University of the Witwatersrand September 2019 / The main objective of this study is to assess South Africa’s tax revenue performance. This is achieved by estimating tax capacity and tax effort from 1960 - 2017 and tax buoyancy from 1995 - 2017. The study is unique in that, it tracks tax capacity, tax effort and tax buoyancy at an aggregate level for a particular country. The 2SLS results indicate that GDP per capita and inflation have a strong positive and statistically significant impact on revenue mobilisation while population growth, trade openness and agriculture share in GDP have a strong negative and statistically significant impact on revenue mobilisation. Furthermore, we find that South Africa’s tax effort index varies between 0.92 which is below capacity and 1.10 which is above capacity. On average, the tax effort index is 1.00, implying that South Africa performs well above its potential tax capacity. Notwithstanding, the tax system was also found to be fairly buoyant, although there is still room for improvement. The ARDL results indicate that VAT revenues and custom duties grow at a faster pace than the growth in final household consumption and import value, respectively. Total tax revenue growth, however, still falls behind as the estimated coefficient is below unity, implying that the growth in total tax revenues does not match the growth of the economy. Given these findings, we conclude that South Africa’s tax revenue performance has been fairly satisfactory over the period 1960 – 2017, albeit there is still room for improvement. For the government to generate value from the rapidly growing population, adequate investments in human capital and entrepreneurial skill development need to be made. The focus should be on broadening the tax base than on hiking already high tax rates. / NG (2020)

Cigarette taxation is a topic which economists have focused on for years. The purpose of the cigarette tax is to force individuals who engage in risky activities to pay for the negative externalities caused by said activities. In the case of cigarette smoking, the notion has been that society as a whole subsidizes the smoking related external expenses through programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and group life and health insurance. At the center of this debate is "Cigarette Taxation and the Social Consequences of Smoking" by W. Kip Viscusi. Viscusi's paper written in 1995 for the NBER publication Tax Policy and the Economy contains estimates of both the net external costs and benefits of smoking. This paper evaluates the confidence level of Viscusi's external cost and savings estimates and assesses the impact of error terms on his conclusions. By allowing the potential for error to factor into the cost estimates of external costs per pack, Viscusi's point estimate becomes questionable. / Master of Arts

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The role of the civil engineering estimator within the contractor's organisation has been well documented. Whilst this role and the estimators' tasks within the estimating and tendering process are well understood, little attention has been paid to estimators' expertise, how they make decisions at various stages within the tender period, the education and training needed to become an estimator and the psychological make-up of those whose work is fundamental to the survival and growth of the civil engineering contractor. Computer aided estimating systems have, for the last decade, been available to assist the work of the estimator. However, there remains debate concerning their contribution to the tasks of civil engineering estimators. The research incorporated: a detailed survey of the member companies of the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors; semi-structured interviews of practising estimators; a study of career attributes by questionnaire and self assessment exercise; an empirical study of decision making based upon the technique of protocol analysis; and the development of a prototype expert system to assist estimators in the task of selecting subcontractors. The analysis of the estimators' decision making processes showed that 'expert, estimators operate within a hierarchy of goals and utilize mental checklists and templates to make decisions. Novice estimators repetitively collate information and then summarise on a general basis. Protocol analysis was demonstrated to be a suitable technique for studying the decision making processes of estimators. The technique was also found to make a significant contribution to the process of knowledge elicitation for expert system production. The study of estimators' past careers and experience established typical career profiles for the civil engineering estimator. These show both the formal education received and the practical experience gained before becoming an estimator. The attributes required by construction personnel wishing to take up a career in estimating were identified and a composite personality profile of the civil engineering estimator produced. The survey confirmed the importance of estimators' experience and expertise within the estimating and tendering process and showed that some 56% of the survey respondents currently used some form of computer aided estimating. The reasons for user dissatisfaction with current computer aided estimating systems were also identified. A prototype expert system developed to vet prospective subcontractors for construction work. This was shown to provide considerable assistance to estimators.

abstract: The applications of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology extend beyond performing clash detection and avoiding installation issues among subcontractors. When properly budgeted and fully integrated into the pre-construction work-flow, BIM technology can improve the accuracy of estimates and reduce material as well as labor costs. The purpose of this paper is to analyze BIM-related budgeting practices and explore options for optimizing BIM budgeting strategy as well as integrating BIM technology into an estimating strategy. The methodology chosen was a case study. A study of an electrical contractor was conducted using BIM budgeting data based on actual and estimated figures for 245 jobs completed in the years 2015-2019. A review of literature was conducted for the purpose of researching current options with regard to the implementation of BIM as part of estimation, its associated financial cost, and the challenges faced in adapting existing frameworks to meet new demands. It was observed that the current resources allocated for BIM are under-utilized on an aggregate basis. It was also observed that the budget for these resources is sometimes exceeded for larger projects and frequently, grossly under-utilized for smaller projects. There is a strong correlation between contract value and project type, suggesting that contract value is a primary predictor of BIM requirements. The review of literature suggests what employee skills are most necessary for integrating BIM with estimating: the ability to perform accurate takeoffs from BIM models, evaluate the cost of materials that are typically not modeled or appear poorly in the model, the ability to work with a variety of BIM software, the ability to know if a model is accurate, and an understanding of how the model interacts with other aspects of the construction process. It also discusses the challenges faced when adopting BIM in estimation. This paper contributes to the field of construction management by expanding the body of research for the BIM budgeting strategy in electrical contracting; an area of research which is not well developed. The data analyzed from this single electrical contractor provides the basis for an exploratory case study that contributes to the development of a conceptual framework for accurate BIM budgeting, where no such framework had previously existed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Construction Management 2020

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Planning, estimating and control management functions as performed by Portuguese construction companies were studied. For this purpose, inquiries were made into the way a set of Portuguese contractors carried out these tasks, with special reference to planning, estimating and the preparation of data for control during the pre-contract stage. There is a lack of integration among those functions in the current practice of companies surveyed. This is a problem that companies would like to see solved. Data systems analysis was used to tackle the problem. It was concluded that there is no functional dependency between planning and estimating in most construction projects. This is especially due to the form in which. data is structured in the basic documents currently used for those functions (the bill of quantities for estimating and the construction programme for planning). A possible integrated approach to planning and estimating is suggested by considering construction works assigned both to the items of the bill of quantities and to the activities of the construction programme. This facilitates the preparation of data for control on site because costs and time are closely related in this approach. A model for the integration of planning and estimating management functions during the pre-contract stage of construction projects is presented. The model also enables one to achieve efficient preparation of data for control on site. Computer support for the model is also presented. This is based on a Database Management System which provides for an adequate environment for the model. The model was tested in some Portuguese construction companies, and led to satisfactory results. Those companies highlighted the advantage of building up the model upon a relational database which makes data manipulation and retrieval easier and allows for integration among management functions.

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