Magister Legum - LLM / Before the 1990s, corporate governance was a very rarely used term within the business world.1 Corporations over time have become more influential, larger and more complex within the global economy; therefore to ensure that they are operating on an economic and ethical basis, corporate governance has become more defined.2 Corporate governance can be defined as the procedures and methods that are used in order to ensure the functioning, direction and structure of a corporation.3 Not only can its key elements be described as procedures and methods but also a system of principles, policies, procedures, and clearly defined responsibilities and accountabilities. Corporate governance has roots in ethical behavior and business principles, with the goal of creating long-term value and sustainability for all stakeholders, thus including directors.4 This practice of good corporate governance by directors is used to promote equity and deters fraud and other deceptive practices.

Thesis (Ph. D. Commerce (Business Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The current work assessed the link between environmental sustainability commitment and financial performance of firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). Broadly, the researcher aimed to establish whether environmental sustainability commitment as measured by energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste management, carbon emission reduction, material efficiency, green products and services innovation, environmental compliance and stakeholder engagement do affect financial performance. Furthermore, the study tested the moderation effect of industry type on the link between environmental sustainability commitment and financial performance. The study was quantitative in nature with a case study research design. The longitudinal design was adopted where the researcher collected panel data from 2011-2018. The population of the study included all firms listed on the JSE Responsible Investment Index in South Africa. The sample constituted of 32 firms listed on the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index in South Africa. The researcher employed panel regression analysis model to analyse the data. Specifically, the Feasible Generalised Least Squares regression model was utilised in this study. Financial performance was treated as the dependant variable and was measured using return on equity (ROE), return on assets (ROA), earnings per share (EPS), share price and Tobin’s q. The independent variables of the study included components of environmental sustainability; energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste management, carbon emission reduction, material efficiency, green products and services innovation, environmental compliance and stakeholder engagement. Control variables such as firm size and liquidity were used in the study. Mixed findings emerged from the statistical tests. The findings on the relationship between energy efficiency and financial performance suggested that energy efficiency has no significant effect on financial performance as measured by ROE, ROA and Tobin’s Q. Conversely, a significant and negative link was established when energy efficiency was tested against EPS and share price. A significant positive relationship was established between water efficiency and EPS as well as share price. The results further revealed that being water efficient may not significantly affect financial performance when ROE, ROA and Tobin’s Q are used. The results showed no significant relationship between waste management and all dependent variables. The findings indicated that carbon emission reduction was positively and significantly related to EPS and share price. Nevertheless, it was discovered that the nexus between carbon emission reduction and measures of financial performance such as ROE, ROA and Tobin’s Q was positive but insignificant. In terms of material efficiency and financial performance, the findings indicated that material efficiency had an insignificant effect on ROE, ROA, share price and Tobin’s Q. Nevertheless, a significant and negative relationship was established between material efficiency and EPS. Considering green products and services innovation and performance, the findings established a significant negative relationship between green products and services innovation and share price. However, the results further indicated that the link between green products and services innovation and ROE, ROA, EPS as well as Tobin’s Q was insiginificant. The findings exhibited that environmental compliance was negatively related to ROE and Tobin’s Q yet positively related to EPS and share price. An insignificant relationship was established between environmental compliance and ROA. Stakeholder engagement was found to be positively related to EPS. It was also found that the effect of environmental sustainability commitment on financial performance did not differ based on the industry type. The findings rather showed that firms within each industry had specific environmental sustainability commitment and financial performance combinations which were unique to that industry. It was also found that industry type significantly moderates the relationship between environmental sustainability commitment and financial performance. It was concluded that firms can enhance their financial performance from environmental investments which are unique to certain industries as determined by key stakeholders in that sector. Recommendations were made to different stakeholders such as the government, corporate managers and organisations which provide environmental reporting guidelines to play an active role in promoting environmental sustainability commitment among firms. Keywords: environmental sustainability commitment; financial performance; firms; sustainable development; Johannesburg Stock Exchange; South Africa

The study investigates the relationship between the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Listing Status and performance of selected South African private Hospital Operators covering a 10- year period from 2008-2017. The selected proxies for the hospital performance measured were: Total Annual Revenue, Revenue per Bed per Day, Total Number of Hospital Beds, and EBITDA margin while controlling for Healthcare Inflation and Medically Insured Population, respectively. The specified regression equation was expanded to include simultaneous equations for the proxies of hospital performance. From this system of simultaneous equations, the study estimated the panel regression model using Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR). The findings showed that (1) JSE-listed Hospital Operators command higher Total Annual Revenues generated, superior Hospital Bed Numbers, and higher Revenue per Bed per Day compared to their unlisted peers, but their operating efficiency is not superior to that of their unlisted peers. In addition, the study found (2) a positive and statistically significant relationship between JSE Listing Status and Private Hospital Operator Performance for the performance proxies of Total Annual Revenue, Revenue per Bed per Day and Total Number of Hospital Beds, but a positive statistically insignificant relationship in respect of EBIDTA margin, the operating efficiency measure of performance; (3) a positive statistically significant relationship between Medically Insured Population and Private Hospital Operator Performance for the performance proxies of Total Annual Revenue, Revenue per Bed per Day, Total Number of Hospital Beds, but a positive statistically insignificant relationship in respect of the operating efficiency measure of performance; (4) a negative statistically insignificant relationship between Healthcare Inflation and Private Hospital Operator Performance for the performance proxies of Total Annual Revenue, Revenue per Bed per Day, Total Number of Hospital Beds, but a positive also statistically insignificant relationship in respect of the operating efficiency measure of performance. These results corroborate the theoretical predictions and are supported by previous studies. The study has important implications for public bourse listing as a strategic organisational consideration in terms of funding mobilisation for corporate performance and growth strategy. The sizeable macroeconomic contribution of the private hospital sector, and the importance of the medical insurance-private hospital performance nexus, behoves policy makers to ensure that the proposed universal health fund in South Africa must not totally crowd out the development of private health insurance.

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.M. (Finance & Investment)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, 2016 / This study investigates how interest rates impact the South African Stock market. We investigate how the selected interest rates proxies predict the level of the FTSE/JSE All Share Index returns. The vector auto-regression (VAR) model was estimated and interpreted, based on the monthly data from June 1995 to September 2014. Using tools such as Granger causality, impulse response function and variance decomposition, we found that the selected variables did not significantly influence the FTSE/JSE All Share Index returns. Consequently, these variables are not useful as predictive tools for the South African stock market returns. / MT2017

A research report presented in partial fulfillment (50%) of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce in Business Economics (Finance) in the School of Economic and Business Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg September 2017 / Utilising the seminal work of Sloan (1996) this study investigates the accrual anomaly in South Africa. Utilising all firms listed on the All Share Index (ALSI) for the period 2002 to 2016, this study employs various tests surrounding the accrual anomaly. A regression analysis highlights a low persistence of earnings and the popular Mishkin (1983) test fails to prove a sufficient market reaction following changes in earnings. Accruals could pre-empt dramatic changes in future earnings but the observed stock price adjustment was only implicit in firms that suffered a drop in earnings. Additionally, the presence of post-earnings announcement drift (PEAD) meant the market reaction following an earning’s announcement was gradually reflected in the stock price. The accrual anomaly relies on an overreaction following an earning’s surprise in the month that financials are released. All the previously mentioned meant that a simple fundamental-based (cash flow) investment strategy far outperformed a strategy based on earnings’ fixation (accruals). This study failed to find conclusive evidence of the accrual anomaly on the JSE. / MT 2018

This study examines the impact of strike action on the stock market in SA, particularly the company share price. In recent years, SA has seen a steady increase in strike actions related to wage increases, which have generally been of short duration. The study is conducted by computing abnormal returns and subsequently cumulative abnormal returns for listed companies that had experienced strikes between 2003 and 2009. The sample included 49 listed companies on Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The results of the study reveal that stock prices react negatively to the news of a strike action five days prior to the strike and continue on a downward trajectory approximately 5 days post the strike action. The study finds that JSE is not an efficient market as it takes days for the market to return to equilibrium after an announcement. The research observed that there were numerous factors that influence the occurrence of strikes/industrial actions in South Africa namely; SA’s political history, trade unions irrational behaviour, information asymmetry and economic climate among other factor.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce (M .Com (Finance) in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2018 / This research seeks to better understand the determinants of fund performance in a South African context. It will focus extensively on fund size, past performance, fees, and expense ratios and their relationship with performance. While other research has shown an inverse relationship between fees and performance, it seems divided on the relationship between fund size and performance in various markets. Due to the high regulatory environment, asset managers in South Africa face multiple restrictions that have limited their investible universe. The results presented in this research show that funds in South Africa exhibit the “Hot Hands” phenomenon as well as it documents the negative relationship between fees and performance for South African funds. Lastly, results show a positive relationship between fund size and performance where funds in South Africa enjoy economies of scale. / XL2019

Magister Commercii - MCom / The efficient market hypothesis (EMH) is a controversial theory in Finance. Advocates of the EMH argue that it provides a basis for understanding financial markets while critics suggest that the hypothesis is unreasonable in its assumptions of the real function of these markets. Although the EMH may not be perfect, it provides a sufficient baseline against which financial markets may be analysed. Over the past couple of years, academics have broadly examined the EMH in both developing and developed financial markets. However, limited research has been done on African markets. Therefore, this study examines the weak-form EMH of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) after 2008 to ascertain the impact the 2008 global financial crisis had on its efficiency. This study analysed the JSE using weekly and monthly returns of the three major indices (RESI 10, FINI 15, INDI 25) as well as the individual companies under these indices from 30th January 2009 to 30th January 2019. Analysis was carried using various statistical tests i.e., runs test, variance ratio test, unit root tests, and a GARCH model which revealed mixed results. Results of the unit root tests (ADF and PP) confirm that the JSE is weak-form efficient when both the weekly and monthly data of the indices and individual companies are analysed. The results of the runs test reveal that all the weekly and monthly data apart from the weekly data of the companies under RESI 10 index exhibit weak-form efficiency. The variance ratio test confirms weak-form inefficiency when weekly data is used while the monthly data confirms weak form efficiency of the JSE and shows that the market moves from periods of efficiency to periods of relative predictability. The results of the GARCH model on the other hand confirm the weak-form efficiency of the JSE when both the weekly and monthly data of the indices are analysed.

In South Africa, over-the-counter (OTC) bond options may be used in order to either hedge or speculate. However, since 2001, this market deteriorated significantly. The current research assessed the role of the local bond option market, reasons for the deterioration of the South African OTC bond option market, and how this bond option market could possibly be restored as a primary hedging instrument. The opinions of individuals operating in this market were obtained using a questionnaire. In the opinion of the respondents, wide bid–offer spreads, regulatory interferences and poor participation within this market caused market deterioration. The market could be restored as a hedging instrument if effective market integration exists, interbank trading regularly takes place, liquidity was enhanced, transparency increased and investor knowledge improved. Future research could focus on regulatory transformation, the types of derivatives used for hedging, and an assessment of appropriate continuous professional development interventions for investors. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)