The strictly regulated environment within which corporate accounting practice evolves, has traditionally paid little attention to the owner-managed corporation and the specific information needs of its owners. The literature, as well as recent corporate law amendments, though, hints strongly that owner-managed entities have different financial reporting priorities than their publicly accountable counterparts. This difference in financial reporting priorities calls for rethinking at the most fundamental level of financial reporting, i.e. accrual versus cash-basis financial reporting. This implies that the debate about the extent of sophistication that should be built into the accrual-basis model can only be conducted sensibly after the primary debate of accrual versus cash-basis, is resolved satisfactorily. The question as to whether measurement and recognition criteria within an accrual-basis model should be relaxed is therefore part of the secondary debate. The basic research question relates to the usefulness to owner-managers of cash-basis accounting compared to accrual-basis accounting. This thesis reports on the responses of 243 practising members of the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) regarding owner-manager needs and preferences regarding financial accounting recording and reporting practices. Semi- structured interviews were conducted with owner-managers to verify the understanding of the practitioners regarding owner-manager needs and preferences. The results showed and explained an apparent paradox: owner-managers have a strong cash focus in the way they understand and use financial information, but nevertheless prefer accrual-basis annual financial statements. The unresolved challenge identified by this study is to design a financial report which could better bridge the gap between accrual-basis and cash-basis accounting than the conventional statement of cash flow.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-102).

Bibliography: leaves 66-70. / Hyperinflation, as defined in IAS 29, was identified in Zimbabwe in November 1999. Accordingly, the standard, and its General Price Level adjustments, was adopted for financial years beginning on 1st January 2000. However, there has been much resistance to the implementation of the standard, which is considered to require the provision of costly, meaningless information that is not used by anyone in the investment process. This study attempts to determine the use and perceived usefulness of IAS 29 in Zimbabwe and to identify the significant problems and weaknesses in the restatement process that have caused this. The study found both the use and perceived usefulness of IAS 29 General Price Level information to be extremely low. The major reason cited for this was the lack of user understanding. The other major problems related to the perception of inconsistent methods and assumptions in the restatement process, as well as the use of the CIP, accused of being manipulated by government, as the basis of restatement. These issues need to be addressed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, in consultation with the other accounting regulatory bodies, before the use and perceived usefulness of the IAS 29 General Price Level information can improve. Further, the study indicates that, whilst the preparers of financial information are extremely undecided as to the manner in which the accounting regulatory bodies in Zimbabwe should proceed, the analysts using such information are very much in favour of retaining the disclosure of inflation adjusted figures in some form, until such time as the inherent usefulness of the information is either proved or disproved.

One of the most prominent applications of blockchain technology is in supply chain traceability. This paper focuses on a developed case study involving a business model that makes use of blockchain technology to track the produce supply chain of a local South African farmer's market, the Oranjezicht City Farm Market. The research analyses existing literature surrounding food supply chain management approaches that leverage distributed ledger technologies, as well as the case study business model and collected data concerning the market. From this analysis, a financial model forecasting future cashflows is produced. The food supply chain for the local Cape Town Oranjezicht market is explored to determine if a blockchain-based traceability system is a viable option. Aspects of monetization and business plans are the focus and viable implementation strategies are assessed. The case study is presented using a Business Model Canvas and analysed using a SWOT analysis and Porter's Five Forces model to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the inherent business model. A financial model forecasting the future cashflows of said business model is constructed to determine the financial viability of the monetization strategy. The case study business model shows the ability to successfully provide value and solve the problems of each of the local farmer's market stakeholders, namely the farmers, the market and the customers. Analysis of the developed financial projections indicates that only the high road scenario produces a breakeven point at month 36 of the projections. This high road scenario is seen as a highly optimistic view for a financial model. Overall, it is determined that a subscription-based business model for a supply chain traceability application will contribute value and solve problems for the main environment stakeholders, but is not considered financially viable in this local, Cape Town context.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-99). / This research study investigates whether the relationship between accounting earnings and share returns observed predominantly in New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) studies also holds on the modern-day JSE Securities Exchange (“JSE”). Since the JSE is a relatively small stock exchange in comparison to the NYSE, with substantially different characteristics, the nature of the relationship may differ between the two exchanges. The study finds empirical evidence that this relationship between earnings and share returns is the same. As on the NYSE, accounting earnings disclosures in South Africa are found to have significant information content. Evidence is obtained which shows that accounting earnings do capture a significant portion of the information reflected in share returns, although they are not a timely source of information.

Bibliography: leaves 81-88. / This study seeks to remedy the omission of South Africa from the list of countries. This study follows the methodology highlighted by Cooke (1998) and investigates the relationship between level of disclosure and the variables highlighted below. This relationship was tested statistically using forward stepwise regression techniques.

Bibliography: leaves 129-139.

Includes bibliographical references

Word processed copy. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-123).

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