published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

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M.Comm. / Many people work for their money but do not know how to make their money work for them. The subject of investment is foreign and even daunting to many people that can potentially benefit from investing their money wisely. While earning money is something most people are actively focussed on through the application of their skills, talents and gained knowledge, not many people are so focused on or adept at the management of their money after they earned it. Such individuals include professionals like engineers, lawyers, doctors, accountants as well as managers, entrepreneurs or tradesmen. In actual fact it includes all people that have not been specifically trained or exposed to the selection and management of investments. It is for this reason that a decision framework to aid such non specialist investors in their investment decisions have been conceptualised. This study will demystify general considerations related to investments and investment management and to open the field of investment management to non specialist investors by providing them with an investment selection decision framework. The study conducted thorough research into the different investment types available as well as the considerations that go with the subject of investment and investment management. The research findings clarify why people need to invest their money, the options that exist to choose from, the distinguishing features and considerations of investments options, how to gain access to different investment options and also who the stakeholders in the investment industry are. The decision support framework combines the learnings from the research into a simple to use tool whereby potential investors are guided through structured questions to derive at a list of investment types that most likely will meet their investment needs and preferences.

No abstract available / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Com. (Consulting Psychology)

No abstract available / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Com. (Consulting Psychology)

No description available.

The development of economic corridors is becoming an important strategy for accelerating economic growth and integration in developing economies. Around these corridors economic regions are forming with trade barriers being lowered, with numerous investment opportunities emerging within these regions. Historically many of the countries in these regions have been overlooked by investors due to a lack of data, unfavourable business environments, lack of scale in their economies and perceived barriers that exist within these economies. But, due to the slow of growth and decline of many developed economies, there seems to be a mad scramble for companies to enter these fast growing economies of developing countries. What are these prospective investors currently basing their investment decisions on? This research study will aim to create a weighted scorecard for investment decision making not based on a country by country analysis but rather based on a regional analysis of countries within the different economic corridors that are developing throughout these economies. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / pagibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

South Africa has a poor savings culture. This means that South Africans do not save enough income for a later stage resulting in a relative large number of South African consumers living in debt and using more credit than what they have saved. Almost half of the South African consumers were in debt during the year 2010 and had a negative credit record. Thus consumers in South Africa are not living only in poor conditions but are also open to exploitation by the informal economy. Lenders in the informal economy are known as ‘loan sharks’ because they charge consumers interest rates of between 40 and 60 percent. This is because low income consumers have less access to savings products and credit facilities from the formal economy. These factors are more prevalent among the black consumers, as they use informal credit providers. The sources of credit for black consumers in the informal market are social networks such as friends and family. Furthermore, black consumers have low levels of knowledge regarding issues such as bad debts. Black consumers are also more likely to experience financial problems than other racial groups. This means that black consumers may need to improve their levels of financial knowledge, financial skills and adopt positive financial attitudes to manage their financial problems without obtaining more debt. Thus, financial education may be the way of ensuring that black consumers improve their financial decision-making ability and their financial behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between financial literacy, financial inclusion and financial behaviour among the black community in Nelson Mandela Bay. To achieve the purpose of this study, a literature review was conducted on financial literacy, financial education, financial inclusion and financial behaviour. This was followed by an empirical investigation to establish the relationships between financial literacy, financial inclusion and financial behaviour. In this study, a quantitative research approach was adopted as necessitated by the purpose of this study and also to be able to collect a vast amount of perceptions from the black community. The sample of this study consisted of low to middle income black consumers living in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Dissertation (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Notwithstanding the importance of institutional financial investments and labour to the South African economy, relatively little attention has been paid by researchers to the interdependence of these two issues. As a result of this gap in the existing literature, a potential exists for inefficient financial investment decision-making by institutional investors with a resultant non-optimal allocation of valuable capital on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa (previously known as Johannesburg Stock Exchange). The objective of this study thus embodies the evaluation of the impact of labour-related risks on financial investment decision-making regarding long-term insurance assets, given the basic theory available in this regard, so that the resultant recommendations can lead to a better utilisation of the theory by investors in general. The resulting tasks of the study are as follows: • To do a literature study of the basic theory available in this regard. • To obtain information about the relevant aspects, by means of personal interviews with investment practitioners responsible for financial investment decision-making, as far as long-term insurance assets are concerned. • To develop a tool that can be used to measure the degree of labour-related risk at enterprises for the purpose of financial investment decision-making. • To make suitable recommendations based on the critical analysis of the obtained information. Twenty-three interviews were conducted during March and the first half of April 1999 to cover the financial investment decision-making practices of the 47 participating long-term insurers, resulting in a 100 per cent response rate. The personal interviews were structured by using a written discussion guideline that was drafted with reference to the literature study. A distinction was made between the perceived labour-related risks in manual and knowledge worker enterprises. In addition to general information, the discussion guideline required the participating institutions to disclose information about the financial investment decisionmaking process in use at their institutions and to respond with regard to the perceived importance of various labour-related risk factors. The discussion guideline also required the participants to rank certain aspects in order of their significance when the degree of labourrelated risk at enterprises is determined. Finally, questions were asked to determine the relative importance of labour-related risks in general when financial investment decisions are taken. The information obtained during the interviews was summarised on an Excel spreadsheet and subjected to an elaborate statistical analysis to satisfy the objectives of the study. The majority of the data that were obtained during the survey are ordinal, because the discussion guideline made use of an ordinal level of measurement. With this in mind, the mean (as a measure of central tendency) and the range (as a measure of dispersion) are used to describe the data. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient is used as a measure of correlation. The sign test, being one of the simplest non-parametric tests, is used throughout the study to investigate whether the observed differences in opinion regarding manual worker and knowledge worker enterprises are significant. The study highlights the significant role of long-term insurance assets on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa, as well as the significant differences between manual and knowledge worker enterprises regarding the perceived importance of labour-related risk factors for the purpose of financial investment decision-making. The large number of labour-related risk factors and the existence of significant correlation between many of them reflects the complicated nature of labour-related risks. The respondents regard labour-related risks between moderately and highly important for manual and knowledge worker enterprises when financial investment decisions are taken. Classification trees are introduced as the preferred method to deal with these complexities and to measure labour-related risks in manual and knowledge worker enterprises for the purpose of financial investment decisionmaking. These classification trees are constructed based on the wealth of experience of investment practitioners active in the long-term insurance industry at the time of the survey and with reference to the literature study. Generally, the most critical labour-related aspects to consider when the degree of labourrelated risk at manual and knowledge worker enterprises is determined, are internal to these enterprises and can be managed. Management and the labour force of enterprises should take cognisance of their responsibilities in this regard and the perceived ability they have to significantly influence the degree of labour-related risk at manual and knowledge worker enterprises. Other role players also have important roles to play in this regard, given the impact of the external environment on the degree of labour-related risk. The responsibility of enterprises to disclose the information required by investors to determine the prevailing degree of labour-related risk at enterprises is matched by the responsibility of investment practitioners to request and rationally assess this information. The resulting conclusions and recommendations of this study and the tool that is developed to measure the degree of labour-related risk at enterprises for the purpose of financial investment decision-making are largely based on the perceptions of investment practitioners active in the long-term insurance industry at the time of the survey. With this in mind, it is recommended that future research activities be aimed at enhancing the value of the classification trees developed in this study by applying the tree-growing method on actual cases where the variables can be measured and the eventual outcomes are determined. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Desnieteenstaande die belangrikheid van institusionele finansiele beleggings en arbeid vir die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie, het navorsers tot dusver relatief min aandag aan die interafhanklikheid van hierdie twee aspekte gegee. Die leemte in die bestaande literatuur kan lei tot oneffektiewe finansiele beleggingsbesluitneming deur institusionele beleggers met die gevolg dat waardevolle kapitaal nie optimaal op die JSE Sekuriteitebeurs Suid-Afrika (voorheen bekend as die Johannesburgse Effektebeurs) verdeel word nie. Die doelstelling van hierdie studie behels dus die beoordeling van arbeidsverwante risiko's se invloed op finansiele beleggingsbesluitneming met betrekking tot die bates van langtermynversekeraars, gegewe die basiese teorie beskikbaar in hierdie verband, sodat die voortspruitende aanbevelings kan lei tot 'n beter benutting van die teorie deur beleggers in die algemeen. Die take van die studie is as volg: • Om'n literatuurstudie te doen van die basiese teorie wat in hierdie verband beskikbaar is. • Om inligting rakende die relevante aspekte te bekom deur middel van persoonlike onderhoude met beleggingspraktisyns wat vir beleggingsbesluitneming rakende die bates van langtermynversekeraars verantwoordelik is. • Om'n hulpmiddel te ontwikkel wat gebruik kan word om die graad van arbeidsverwante risiko in ondememings te meet vir die doeleindes van beleggingsbesluitneming. • Om toepaslike aanbevelings te maak op grond van die kritiese ontleding van die verkrygde inligting. Drie en twintig onderhoude is gedurende Maart en die eerste helfte van April 1999 gevoer om die beleggingsbesluitnemingspraktyke van die 47 deelnemende langtermynversekeraars te dek. 'n Een honderd persent reaksiekoers is dus behaal. Die persoonlike onderhoude is gestruktureer deur gebruik te maak van 'n geskrewe besprekingsriglyn wat na aanleiding van die literatuurstudie opgestel is. 'n Onderskeid is tussen die waargenome arbeidsverwante risiko's gemaak waar hande-arbeiders en werknemers wat kennis aanwend in ondememings werksaam is. Bo en behalwe algemene inligting, het die besprekingsriglyn ook van die deelnemende instellings gevra om inligting te openbaar rakende die beleggingsbesluitnemingsproses deur hulle gebruik en om 'n mening uit te spreek orntrent die belangrikheid van 'n verskeidenheid arbeidsverwante risikofaktore. Die besprekingsriglyn het ook versoek dat die deelnemers sekere aspekte rangskik in terme van hul belang wanneer die graad van arbeidsverwante risiko by ondememings bepaal word. Ten slotte is vrae gestel ten einde die relatiewe belangrikheid van arbeidsverwante risiko's in die algemeen te bepaal wanneer finansiele beleggingsbesluite geneem word. Die inligting wat tydens die onderhoude verkry is, is op 'n Excel sigblad opgesom en aan 'n omvattende statistiese ontleding onderwerp ten einde die doelstellings van die studie te verwesenlik. Die data wat tydens die opname verkry is, is hoofsaaklik volgens 'n rangorde, aangesien die besprekingsriglyn van 'n ordinale vlak van meting gebruik gemaak het. Met dit in gedagte, is die gemidde1de (as 'n maatstaf van lokaliteit) en die variasiewydte (as 'n maatstaf van spreiding) gebruik om die data te beskryf. Spearman se rangorde korrelasiekceffisient is as 'n maatstaf van korrelasie gebruik. Die tekentoets, een van die mees eenvoudige nie-parametriese toetse beskikbaar, is in die studie gebruik om ondersoek in te stel of die waargenome verskille in mening rakende ondernemings waar hande-arbeiders en werknemers wat kennis aanwend, betekenisvol is. Die studie beklemtoon die betekenisvolle rol wat die bates van langtermynversekeraars op die JSE Sekuriteitebeurs Suid-Afrika speel, sowel as die betekenisvolle verskille rakende die waargenome belangrikheid van arbeidsverwante risiko's vir die doeleindes van beleggingsbesluitneming waar ondernemings hande-arbeiders en werknemers wat kennis aanwend, in diens het. Die groot aantal arbeidsverwante risikofaktore en die betekenisvolle korrelasie wat tussen talle van hulle bestaan, dui op die komplekse aard van arbeidsverwante risiko 's. Die respondente beskou arbeidsverwante risiko' s as tussen redelik belangrik en hoogs belangrik vir sowel ondernemings met hande-arbeiders en die met werknemers wat kennis aanwend wanneer beleggingsbesluite geneem word. Klassifikasiebome word bekend gestel as die gewenste metode om vir hierdie kompleksiteite voorsiening te maak en om arbeidsverwante risiko's in ondernemings wat hande-arbeiders en werknemers wat kennis aanwend, in diens het, vir die doeleindes van beleggingsbesluitneming te meet. Die klassifikasiebome word op grond van die omvangryke ervaring van beleggingspraktisyns (wat ten tye van die opname in die langtermynversekeringsbedryf bedrywig was) en met verwysing na die literatuurstudie opgestel. Oor die algemeen is die mees kritiese arbeidsverwante aspekte wat oorweeg moet word ten einde die graad van arbeidsverwante risiko te bepaal by ondernemings met hande-arbeiders en die met werknemers wat kennis aanwend, intern tot hierdie ondernemings. Sodanige aspekte kan gevolglik bestuur word. Bestuur en die arbeidsmag van ondernemings moet kennis neem van hul verantwoordelikhede in hierdie verband sowel as die waargenome vermoe wat hulle het om die graad van arbeidsverwante risiko by ondernemings wat handearb eiders en werknemers wat kennis aanwend, in diens het wesenlik te beinvloed. Ander rolspelers speel ook 'n belangrike rol in hierdie verb and vanwee die invloed wat die eksterne omgewing op die graad van arbeidsverwante risiko het. Die verantwoordelikheid van ondernemings om die nodige inligting aan beleggers te openbaar ten einde hulle in staat te stel om die heersende graad van arbeidsverwante risiko by die ondernemings te bepaal, stem ooreen met die verantwoordelikheid van beleggingspraktisyns om die inligting te versoek en rasioneel te beoordeel. Die voortvloeiende gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings van die studie en die hulpmiddel wat ontwikkel is om die graad van arbeidsverwante risiko by ondernemings te meet vir die doeleindes van beleggingsbesluitneming, is grotendeels gebaseer op die persepsies van beleggingspraktisyns wat ten tye van die opname in die langtermynversekeringsbedryf bedrywig was. Met dit in gedagte, word aanbeveel dat toekomstige navorsingsaktiwiteite gerig word op die verhoging van die waarde van die klassifikasiebome wat in hierdie studie ontwikkel is deur die boom-groei metodiek toe te pas op werklike gevalle waar die veranderlikes gemeet en die finale uitkomste bepaal kan word.