LL.D. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. ( Information studies) / Information and knowledge are the new wealth of our time. Knowledge is a resource that is valuable to an organisation's ability to innovate and compete. As every business has to operate in an increasingly competitive and dynamic environment, business managers should base all decisions on their competitive standing in the world economy and the competitiveness of their knowledge competencies. The ability of a company to mobilise and exploit its intangible and invisible assets has become far more important than investing and managing physical, tangible assets ...

The research centred around the fact that the existing methods of distributing life and investment products was inefficient and it was decided to research the issue to determine whether a more suitable cost effective method could be developed. Currently the distribution of life and investment products is very expensive and therefore an alternate method of distribution was being explored. This was also endorsed in a survey conducted by the Financial Services Board were it was found that in order for financial services company to survive and compete new models need to be developed to compete in this increasingly globalised industry. Life assurance and investment products in South Africa and elsewhere in the world is sold by agents who are employed by the life assurance and investment companies. More recently other distribution channels have emerged and these include the internet, direct mail and call centres. The share of business that is obtained through these means is also an interesting feature to explore when investigating the methods used by new entrants to this multi billion rand industry. The situation prevailing in the local industry is that independent brokers secures a contract with the life company's and this places the broker in a position to market the company's products through the use of business consultants. There are significant costs associated with the current model of distributing the companies' products. These are broker consultant salaries, car allowances and traveling expenses, entertainment expenses, overriding commission on the business sold by the broker they servIce, management and support staff expenses and related expenses. The proposed model will have following characteristics. • Have distribution contracts with all independent brokers. • Using the franchise methods of training and recruiting business consultants. • Variable costing methods in determining payments for service delivered. • This method would also significantly reduce the cost of distribution by the new entrants into this multi billion rand industry. In the final analysis it was shown that the third party distributor would make a difference to the manner in which life and investments products is distributed in this dynamically changing industry. / Theses (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology Project Management in the Faculty of Business at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / In past, the impact of communication on project quality did not receive considerable attention, perhaps since the inception of project management as the field of enquiry. This is in spite of the fact that the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) has nine knowledge areas, and amongst these elements, communication is regarded as an integral part of these aspects of project quality. While (in principle) communication is regarded as a core element of project quality, in practice, the four core elements, which are used to determine the success of the project are time, cost, scope, and quality. This study aims to investigate the effects of communication on project quality with reference to the Facilities Management Project at a the Life Assurance Company located in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. The services, which are offered by facility management companies differ across the spectrum of companies, but most of these services include build operations, maintenance, real estate, human and environmental factors , project management, space planning, basic management activities, finance, quality assessment, communication and general administrative support. The major question that the study seeks to address is to determine if stakeholder communication impacts on the quality of projects at all. The research used qualitative methodology research design to approach data collection and analysis, which was supported by survey questionnaires to analyse the effect of communication on Facility Management project quality. In this context, project quality is determined by the extent to which project outcomes meet the needs and expectations of project-end users. The researcher argues that these expectations must be communicated in order to improve the success of the project (i.e. project quality). With regard to the FMU project at the Life Assurance Company, the study revealed that stakeholder communication is crucial and hence it is a core essential element, which affects the quality of FMU projects. The study also revealed that in recent years, tenants have expressed their dissatisfaction about projects that are executed by the facility management division. The major problem for the tenant’s dissatisfaction appeared to stem from the lack of stakeholder communication during facility management projects. This dissatisfaction has led to tenants rating facility management projects quality as poor. In view of these challenges, the study thus concludes with an analysis of stakeholder communication at the life assurance company and its impact on the quality of facility management projects. The findings of the study suggest that communication amongst stakeholders is crucial and can affect the quality of projects. Even though tenants were the custodians of the facility management projects, they only received limited information during the project life cycle. In some instances, communication in the form of layout design, held desk and telephone, were identified as major communication channels that are used to facilitate communication. However, there was a lack of communication with respect to decision-making about the project across the project lifecycle and thus the study recommended that stakeholder communication should occur in all project phases.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In Februarie 2000 het die Minister van Finansies aangekondig dat die regering besluit het om 'n inflasie teiken van 3 tot 6 persent vir 2002 daar te stel en het dus 'n beleid om 'n bepaalde inflasiekoers na te streef, aangeneem. 'n Eksplisiete lae inflasiekoersteiken is gestel as deel van die regering se ekonomiese beleid. Dit is 'n aanvaarde aanname dat hierdie teikenkoers vir die afsienbare toekoms sal geld. Veranderinge in die inflasiekoers, ongeag of dit na hoer of laer vlakke beweeg, het 'n invloed op hoe bateklasse reageer. Dit is dus belangrik dat beleggers die dinamika van inflasie verstaan en hoe dit beleggingsopbrengste bernvloed. Dit sal hulle help om deurdagte beleggingsbesluite te neem en om realistiese verwagtinge van be leggings - en polisopbrengste te he. Vir verskaffers van beleggingsprodukte in Suid-Afrika, veral die lewensversekeringsindustrie, is daar twee beduidende uitdagings in die huidige omgewing van lae rentekoerse en lae inflasie: om 'n winsgewende kontantvloei te genereer en om aan kliente se verwagtinge te valdoen. Volgens kliente is daar in die onlangse verlede nie aan hul verwagtinge valdoen nie, aangesien il1lustratiewe uitkeerwaardes wat gekwoteer is toe die polis uitgeneem is, nie geldig is in die huidige lae-inflasie omgewing nie. Kliente is ook teleurgesteld met huidige nomina Ie opbrengste wat laer is wat voorheen bereik is. Alhoewe[ dit algemeen aanvaar word dat 'n lae en stabiele inflasiekoers 'n voorvereiste is vir volhoubare ekonomiese groei en vooruitgang. verander dit die beleggingsomgewing vir private beleggers, verskaffers van beleggingsprodukte en beheerliggame. Hierdie verslag ondersoek die impak van lae inflasie op beleggingsopbrengste asook die implikasie daarvan vir beleggers, beleggingsproduk-verskaffers en beheerliggame in die finansiele dienstesektor in Suid-Afrika.

Thesis (PhD (Accounting))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African long-term insurance industry is currently believed to be at an important crossroads in its existence. The industry is haunted by concerns about high cost structures, a lack of transparency in disclosure to policyholders, unfulfilled expectations of policyholders and the proliferation of available investment vehicles in the market. These concerns are exerting pressure on the existing products and practices of South African long-term insurers. The audits of these insurers are of a complex and high-risk nature as a result of the complexity of their operations and, in particular, the highly complex actuarial valuation process in respect of policy liabilities. The prevailing auditing standards in South Africa require auditors to include policy liabilities in the ambit of their audit opinions. Recent investigations into failed long-term insurers and their audits, including those of local Fedsure Life, British Equitable Life Assurance Society and Australian HIH Insurance, demonstrate the high risk involved in the audits of long-term insurers. Against this background, the objective of this research was to develop a best practice framework for the formulation of overall audit strategies for policy liabilities arising under insurance contracts and the related earnings of listed South African long-term insurers. To justify the focus of the research on the abovementioned components of the financial statements of listed South African long-term insurers, a questionnaire was developed and sent to auditors of all long-term insurers listed on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa for completion. Responses were processed to calculate a Relative Inherent Risk Index specifically developed for use in this research, ranking various industry-specific account balances and classes of transactions on the basis of their potential exposure to inherent risk. The results of this process provided significant support for the hypotheses that policy liabilities and the related earnings are potentially exposed to the highest levels of inherent risk. The remainder of the research consequently focused on these components. A further very comprehensive questionnaire was developed to collect data with respect to respondents’ views of potential best practices for the audit of various aspects relating to policy liabilities arising under insurance contracts and the related earnings of listed South African long-term insurers, on the basis of their extensive experience in the industry. This questionnaire was sent to experienced auditors responsible for the audits of the five largest listed long-term insurers in South Africa for completion. Responses were received from four of the five potential respondents, resulting in an 80% response rate, enabling meaningful analysis and interpretation of the data. Responses were analysed, interpreted and documented in the form of a detailed best practice framework for the formulation of overall audit strategies for policy liabilities arising under insurance contracts and the related earnings. The lack of a fifth response was compensated for by a review of the research findings by experienced auditors of Deloitte and the provision of their opinions thereon. Deloitte was selected for this purpose as the fact that this auditing firm is the only one of the so-called “Big Four” auditing firms that does not act as auditor of one of the selected target long-term insurers, resulted in the initial exclusion of the firm’s views from the research. The framework was updated to reflect these opinions and now incorporates input from all of the so-called “Big Four” auditing firms. The framework provides a comprehensive discussion of all possible types of audit procedures that may be relevant to the audit of all aspects of policy liabilities arising under insurance contracts and the related earnings of listed South African long-term insurers. As no such framework existed prior to this research, the development thereof made a significant contribution to existing knowledge. This contribution is the result of, inter alia, the method followed in designing the framework, resulting in it representing a synthesis of, inter alia, the following: • existing international and limited local guidance for auditors and, in particular, auditors of long-term insurers, customised for the South African environment; • best practices currently in use on the audits of listed South African long-term insurers; and • views of experienced practitioners on the abovementioned types of best practices that might not be employed at the moment, but that should, in their views, be employed in future. The valuable contribution of this research to existing knowledge is clear from the fact that numerous publications in popular professional as well as accredited academic journals, plus a paper delivered at a conference have resulted from it (refer to the source list and Appendix A). Furthermore, the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants has approved a project to update existing South African guidance for auditors of long-term insurers on the basis of the findings of this research.