published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Geography / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Law / Master / Master of Laws

published_or_final_version / abstract / Real Estate and Construction / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The major objectives of this study are: (1) to develop a practical approach for evaluating, periodically and in quantitative terms, the effectiveness of management information systems; (2) to develop an evaluative device to check the results produced by the suggested approach. A modified semantic differential is developed and used for this purpose; and (3) to test the practicability and validity of the suggested approach by applying it on a sample of organisations for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of their management information systems. The foundation for the suggested approach is synthesised from the relevant literature. Specifically, a survey is undertaken of the literature in management information systems, accounting and psychology. The suggested approach assumes that users' satisfaction with the information provided by an information system indicates that the information is useful and consequently the system is effective. The approach takes also into consideration the views of both the providers of information and the persons affected by the decisions taken which are based, among other things, on the information provided by the system. A set of information criteria is developed to measure information utility and consequently the effectiveness of a management information system can be determined. To express the effectiveness in quantitative terms, a point scoring model is used so that the results can be compared from one period to the next. Also an operational framework of the suggested approach is developed. To evaluate the results produced by the suggested approach, the semantic differential is modified, based on the views of a sample of users of information and individuals involved in the preparation of management information, and is used as an evaluative device. As no similar research conducted on the effectiveness of management information systems in nationalised industries was found, it may be useful to test the suggested approach in this field. This application achieves two purposes: (1) primarily, to test the practicability and validity of the approach; and (2) to fill a gap in knowledge concerning the effectiveness of management information systems in nationalised industries. The results of this empirical study are based on the views of 198 individuals involved in the preparation of management information, who use the information and are affected by the decisions taken, which are based, among other things, on information.

This thesis provides an empirical case study as to whether, and, how the macro political dynamics might lead to the micro organisational changes of cost management practices in public sector organisations. It draws on Dillard et al.'s (2004) version of institutional theory complemented by Burns and Scapens' (2000) model. Empirical data for the thesis came from an extended case study (Burawoy, 1998) of a state-owned enterprise in the Egyptian Electricity and Energy (E&E) Sector, in which semi-structured interviews, field observations and documentary analysis were deployed as the data collection methods. The thesis highlights the necessity of seeing cost management change, especially in the politically sensitive public utilities in less developed countries, as an institutional political change that brings together the wider political objectives of the state and the narrower economic objectives of the firms. Accordingly, it provides a political theorisation for cost management change in the public sector. There, the dynamics are the fact that the E&E costs in the Egyptian business environment are historically managed at three distinct but interrelated institutional levels: political level, field level, and organisational level. For example, with the failure of re-privatisation attempts, new forms of periodic control reports have emerged including a 'cost report' which has been instrumental in changing managerial actions and behaviours. With modernisation programmes accompanied by reprivatisation attempts, initiated by the Egyptian government and supported by the international development agencies such as the World Bank and the European Union, advanced ERP technologies have been brought in to institutionalise costing rules and routines. With ERP, the organisational management under what are effectively military practices has re-defined cost management processes into a single procedural protocol.

Thesis (M.M. (Finance & Investment)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, 2017. / This study researches the capital budgeting techniques employed by decisionmakers in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Africa. A literature review revealed that limited previous research was performed on the specific topic, although capital budgeting techniques of private companies were extensively researched. Based on these shortcomings, a knowledge gap was identified. The research performed will seek to address this gap to some extent, by collecting and discussing primary data from African SOEs. The results revealed that a substantial number of African SOEs make use of DCF techniques such as NPV (44 percent) and IRR (33 percent) in investment evaluation. Project implementation was highlighted as being the most important (67 percent) and also the most complex (56 percent) step in the capital budgeting process of African SOEs. The majority of respondents (89 percent) indicated that they do consider the assessment of risk in capital project budgeting and that scenario analyses is preferred by 78 percent of respondents. Qualitative (non-financial) factors are always a consideration in the capital budgeting process of African SOEs with environmental factors and service delivery being rated the highest. It was observed that employment creation was almost never a consideration in 44 percent of responses. The most important take-away from the study is that decision makers in African SOEs do make use of sophisticated capital budgeting techniques. It is however of concern that non-DCF techniques are used, especially in smaller organisations. For future research, it is recommended that a larger sample number of African SOEs are included. Also consider including the state-owned institutions that provide funding for capital investment in Africa. / GR2018

SUBMITTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENT FOR DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE SUBJECT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE WITS SCHOOL OF GOVERNANCE FACULTY OF LAW, COMMERCE AND MANAGEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, JOHANNESBURG AUGUST 2015 / Following a plethora of scandals in both the public and private sectors, corporate governance has become the subject of contentious debates in the public domain over the past decade As a result, codes of good practice in the form of Cadbury, Greenbury, Turnbul, Hempel, Higgs, Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and Bosch Commission were ushered in different parts of Europe, Australia and the United States of America (USA). In South Africa, the King Commission on Corporate Governance was developed and subsequently modified for State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Despite the progress noted, the SOEs environment remains in distress as boards and management struggle to maintain a balance between legislative compliance and performance. It is in the latter context that the study was inspired by the boards of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and the Electricity Supply Commission (Eskom) respectively struggle to actualise sound corporate governance practices in order to deliver shareholder value. As part of the qualitative research approach, primary data collection was conducted by means of comprehensive face-to-face interviews with board members and senior management at the two above-mentioned organisations. In total, 30 (thirty) board members and senior managers were interviewed. In addition, secondary data was collected in the form of records, strategy reports, business plans, and memos written to participants. In analysing qualitative interview data, the study utilised content analysis and cross-case analysis methods, on whose basis five themes were derived, namely: legislation and regulations; the interface between board and management; the role of the board in strategy development; performance monitoring of the board; as well as the organisational funding model. The findings of the study include: fragmented and convoluted legislation; blurring of lines between management and governance; a weak board performance monitoring culture; unclear prioritization of social policy agenda, and inadequate funding to support social policy programmes, such as infrastructure. The policy reviews create leadership instability and accentuate distrust between boards and senior managers. This study further emphasizes limitations of the theoretical frameworks underpinning corporate governance in SOEs, and also advances detailed understanding of the corporate governance issues facing SOEs. Key Words: State Owned Enterprises; Corporate Governance; Legislation; Regulations; Compliance; Boards; Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation. / MT2016

My dissertation is a study of the conditions under which state-owned enterprises improve infrastructure services--transport, energy, and water--particularly in developing countries. This research is relevant because, despite successful privatization of infrastructure that yielded over trillion and a half dollars in investments since 1990, infrastructure provision remains dominated by state-owned enterprises (Estache & Fay, 2007; Gomez-Ibanez, 2003). The OECD estimates that over the next two decades, US $35 to 40 trillion will be required to meet the global infrastructure deficit. At least half of this investment will be made by governments, particularly in, but not limited to, developing countries (OECD, 2007). In contrast to conventional wisdom, my research identifies mechanisms for reforming public infrastructure utilities through a new recipe for an inclusive reform framework that, unlike the textbook approach, jointly optimizes equity and efficiency without privatization. This dissertation contrasts the world's largest public utility, the Indian Railways, with the ideal-type textbook privatization, illustrated with the case of the British Railways' privatization. I focus on the Indian Railways as a paradigmatic example of how to reform infrastructure-providing state-owned enterprises while balancing equity with efficiency concerns. I analyze primary data gathered through 100 in-depth interviews and on-site observations. The fieldwork was conducted over a period of two years, including half a year at the Office of the Minister for Indian Railways. In addition, I utilize secondary data through archival review of policy documents and analyze fifty years of the Railways' statistics. My dissertation shows how the Indian Railways was transformed, between 2005-2008, counter intuitively, without privatization, retrenchment, or fare-hikes for poor passengers, under the leadership of a populist politician, the then Minister of Railways. I explain how the Railways' was rescued from near bankruptcy in 2001 to realize US $6 billion annual surplus in 2008. An essential element of the Indian Railway's complex strategy was to leverage existing assets by operating faster, longer, and heavier trains on the supply-side, as opposed to investing in asset accumulation. On the demand-side, the Railways shed a monopoly mind-set in favor of customer centric, dynamic, and differential pricing and service provision. Based on the positive case of Indian Railways, I derive an equitable alternative to infrastructure reform: A tripartite inclusive reform framework--diagnostic, invention, and agency. First, crafting space for reform by diagnosis and navigation of conflicting and competing interest groups to isolate apolitical variables that jointly increase efficiency and equity outcomes. Second, reinventing reforms by focusing on all manipulable variables for supply optimization and demand responsiveness, because profit in public utilities is a function of several manipulable variables, not only fares and wages. Third, agency, through radical incrementalism, an approach to minimize the risk of catastrophic errors, and yet yield rapid transformations.