Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / ENGLISH SUMMARY: During the period of change in South Africa in the year of the first democratic elections, 1994, the first King Report on Corporate Governance appeared. For the first time in South Africa, companies had a good reference for corporate practice and conduct. A second King report, commonly referred to as King II, appeared in March 2002 and expanded on the earlier Code to produce, what was considered at the time to be, a world-class code of corporate governance. In addition to the acceptance and incorporation of King II into corporate governance practice, the JSE included compliance with the King Code as part of its listing requirements. The code itself is not an enforceable set of rules, but rather guidelines to assist companies in implementing principles of good governance. In similar vein, the JSE has given companies the flexibility to justify non-compliance. This underscores the socalled comply or explain philosophy to which corporate governance in South Africa subscribes. Studies have found the level of corporate governance in South Africa to be high, especially for an emerging market. Compliance with corporate governance principles and transparency go hand in hand. In a comply or explain regime, where the regulation is considered to be done by the market, disclosure of compliance is especially important. The goal of this research project was to conduct a survey of the top listed South African companies to ascertain what the level of disclosure of corporate governance was, with specific reference to the recommendations contained in the King Code. For the purposes of this study, the top companies were defined as the FTSE/JSE Top 40 Index companies. The supposition was that most companies, having been confronted with the King Code for almost six years, would be compliant to a large degree and will disclose their compliance. This was expected to be more evident amongst top companies who have the resources and influence to effect changes sooner and take the lead on high profile issues. The study confirmed the supposition that companies, at least in the sample, were highly compliant. There were however some areas where improvements can be made to be more in line with global best practices. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gedurende die periode van vernuwing in Suid-Afrika en die jaar van die eerste demokratiese verkiesing, 1994, het die eerste King verslag op korporatiewe bestuur verskyn. Vir die eerste keer het maatskappye in Suid-Afrika ‘n goeie verwysing gehad in die bepaling van hul korporatiewe bestuurspraktyke en gedrag. ‘n Tweede King verslag, alombekend as King II, het in Maart 2002 verskyn en op die eerste verslag uitgebou om ‘n kode te voorskyn te bring wat ten tyde van publisering as wêreldklas bestempel is. Bo en behalwe die aanvaarding en toepassing van King II in die korporatiewe bestuurspraktyk, het die JSE ook nakoming van die Kode as deel van die noterings vereistes ingesluit. Die King Kode opsigself is nie ‘n afdwingbare stel reëls nie, maar eerder riglyne wat maatskappy bystaan in die implementering van beginsels van goeie bestuur. In ‘n soortgelyke manier gee die JSE ook aan maatskappye die buigsaamheid om gevalle van nie-nakoming te regverdig en verdedig. Dit onderskryf die sogenaamde voldoen of verduidelik filosofie wat korporatiewe bestuur in Suid Afrika aan gehoor gee. Studies het gevind dat die vlak van korporatiewe bestuursgedrag in Suid-Afrika hoog is, veral vir ‘n ontluikende mark. Nakoming met korporatiewe bestuurgedragskodes en deursigtigheid gaan hand aan hand. In ‘n voldoen of verduidelik regime, waar die mark geag word om te reguleer, is openbaarmaking van korporatiewe bestuursgedrag van kardinale belang. Die doel van hierdie navorsingsprojek was om ‘n peiling te maak van die voorste Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye om te bepaal wat die vlak van openbaarmaking in terme van korporatiewe bestuursgedrag was, met spesifieke verwysing na die King Kode. Vir die doeleindes van die studie is die voorste maatskappye gedefiniëer as die FTSE/JSE Top 40 Indeks. Die veronderstelling was dat meeste maatskappye, gegewe die feit dat die Kode al ses jaar in omgang is, tot ‘n groot mate aan die Kode sal voldoen en inligting rakende die voldoening openbaar maak. Dit is ook verwag dat dit veral die geval onder die voorste maatskappye sou wees aangesien hulle oor die hulpbronne en invloed beskik om veranderinge vroeër teweeg te bring en leierskap te neem met hoë profiel kwesssies. Die studie het die veronderstelling korrek bewys dat maatskappye, ten minste in die geval van die ingeslote groep, ‘n hoë vlak van voldoening en openbaarmaking ten toon stel. Daar is egter nogtans areas waar verbeterings gedoen kan word om meer in lyn met internasionale beste praktyke te kom.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Metropolitan Holdings Limited is a life insurance and investment company with a well-recognised brand, operating in a competitive environment. The Metropolitan Doyle model that the company developed in the 1980s was the first of its kind and is used to predict the course and impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Metropolitan has since been actively engaged in developing insurance products, designed to take HIV/AIDS into account. It has, moreover been active in advocating action on a wide range of issue relating to the disease, not least through its RedRibbon website, the publication of the respected journal, AIDS Analysis Africa, and through various community initiatives, particularly involving HIV/AIDS education. The company’s external work on the issue of HIV/AIDS is therefore well recognised. Although it has had an internal programme for several years, it has only seriously addressed the HIV/AIDS in the workplace since 2003 and in so doing, has not found the necessity of using any existing models of best practice. This case study examines the guidelines of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS programme, as set out by the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, with a view to finding out whether and to what extent a company such as Metropolitan might have implemented its recommendations and what impact it might have in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the workplace. The case study further examines the likely impact of the King II recommendations relating to the disclosure requirements on HIV/AIDS (in conjunction with the Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines) with a view to assessing whether these can enable a company such as Metropolitan, to have regard to the impact of the disease on the sustainability of their business and the steps that might be taken to mitigate the impact. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Metropolitan Holdings Beperk is ‘n lewensversekerings – en beleggingsmaatskappy, met ‘n alombekende handelsmerk, wat in ‘n kompeterende omgewing funksioneer. Die Metropolitan-Doyle model wat deur die maatskappy in die 1980’s ontwikkel is, was die eerste in sy soort, en word gebruik om die verloop en impak van die MIV/VIGS pandemie te voorspel. Metropolitan is sedertdien aktief betrokke in die ontwikkeling van versekeringsprodukte, was spesifiek ook MIV/VIGS as oogmerk het. Die maatskappy is boonop besig om betrokkenheid oor ‘n wye spektrum van uitkomste verwant aan die siekte te propageer, veral deur die RedRibbonwebtuiste, die publikasie van die hoogaangeskrewe joernaal, AIDS Analysis Africa, en deur verskeie gemeenskapsinisiatiewe wat spesifiek die opvoeding aangaande MIV/VIGS insluit. Die maatskappy se eksterne werk op die aangeleentheid van MIV/VIGS word dus wyd erken. Alhoewel dit ook al verskeie jare oor ‘n interne program beskik, is dit eers sedert 2003 dat MIV/VIGS in die werkplek ernstig aangespreek word. Deur dit so te doen, is daar nie die nodigheid gesien om enige bestaande modelle wat die beste werk, te gebruik nie. Hierdie gevallestudie ondersoek die riglyne van ‘n omvattende MIV/VIGS program, soos uiteengesit deur die Global Business Coalition oor MIV/VIGS, met die oogmerk om uit te vind tot watter mate ‘n maatskappy soos Metropolitan sy aanbevelings mag implementeer en watter impak dit mag hê op die bestryding van MIV/VIGS in die werkplek. Die gevallestudie ondersoek verder die waarskynlike impak van die King IIaanbevelings rakende die openbaarmakende vereistes oor MIV/VIGS (in samehang met die Global Reporting Initiative Riglyne) met die oogmerk om te bepaal of bogenoemde ‘n maatskappy soos Metropolitan in staat kan stel om geleentheid te hê tot die impak van die siekte op die volhoubaarheid van hul besigheid en die stappe wat geneem mag word om die impak te beheer.

This dissertation reflects the results of a study during which the 2006 annual reports of the top-40 JSE listed companies, were assessed for their disclosure of the required corporate governance statements. Content analysis was used to identify the information. The results obtained indicate that the majority of the JSE's top-40 listed companies adhere to good corporate governance disclosure practices. However, there are areas in which the non-disclosure of information was prevalent. These include the disclosure of information on the selection of external auditors and whistle blowing. Future research, employing sources such as SENS announcements, press releases, trading updates, cautionary announcements and websites together with annual reports should be conducted. / Financial Accounting / M.Com. (Accounting)

Proper records management plays a significant role in the auditing process, risk management and wider corporate governance. Despite this role, in South Africa, many governmental bodies are issued with disclaimer reports every year by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) due to a lack of supporting documentation. This problem is exacerbated by the exclusion of records management from the criteria for a sound financial management infrastructure in many governmental bodies. The other dilemma is that some records such as financial records, personnel records and electronic records usually fall outside the jurisdiction of the organisation’s records manager. Utilising the King Report III as a framework, this study sought to develop a framework to embed records management practices into the auditing process in the public sector of South Africa, with a view to entrench a culture of clean audits. The study relied on mixed methods research (MMR), with the quantitative study conducted first through informetrics analysis of audit reports, while the qualitative paradigm was used to substantiate numerical data. Data collection adopted a multi-approach with four key sources of data: a questionnaire, interviews, literature review and publicly available data from the consolidated general reports of AGSA. The study revealed that most governmental bodies have established internal audit units, audit committees and records management units, which did not work in unison. In most governmental bodies records management did not form part of the audit scope and records management professionals were not part of the audit committees. As a result, most governmental bodies continued to receive negative audit opinions from AGSA. The study recommends that records management community should utilise auditing and risk management as a springboard to propel records management to the new heights. A further empirical study on the role of auditing and risk management in records management that embraces both the private and public sectors is recommended. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)