Thesis (M.M. (Finance & Investment)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, 2016 / Corporate bonds issued by the four major commercial banks in South Africa, which account for 61% of the market, and their respective earning announcements in the period 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014 were used to analyse the reaction of daily corporate bond prices to the earnings announcements of South African companies. The reaction of the daily corporate bond prices to earnings announcements was empirically analysed using cross sectional regressions. We concluded that on average the South African corporate bond market incorporates any new information from earnings announcements. We also investigated if the asymmetrical payoff structure of corporate bonds causes daily prices to be more sensitive to bad earnings announcements than good earnings announcements. Our investigation found that daily corporate bond prices are insensitive to both bad and good earnings announcements. Lastly, we analysed if the lack of infrastructure and liquidity in the corporate bond market hinders corporate bonds in incorporating information relative to the stock market, which has better infrastructure and liquidity. We observed that both corporate bonds and stocks on average incorporate new information from earnings announcements, irrespective of illiquidity and the absence of adequate infrastructure in the South African corporate bond market, / DM2016

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Building), University of the Witwatersrand, 2016 / South Africa implemented the REIT structure in 2013 with the intention of encouraging local and international investment. A year after implementation South African listed property was reported to have performed better than the UK, European, and Asian REITs. This report assesses the initial performance of South African REITs and their portfolio diversification benefits when paired with Shares, Bonds, T-Bills, and other Listed Property in a mixed-asset portfolio, over the period May 2013 to December 2015. The findings show that REITs are the second best performing asset, risk-adjusted. REITs are a return-enhancer when included in a mixed-asset portfolio, and tend to contribute at the higher end of the risk spectrum. This reports contributes to the few that exist on emerging markets, it is a study of the only major REIT market in Africa, and is significant as it discusses South African REITs from their implementation. / MT2017

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for degree Master of Management in Finance and Investments in Wits Business School of the University of the Witwatersrand / This research paper examines an economy with debt and discusses the mechanism through which a financial crisis may arise, taking into account the business cycle theories as advocated by amongst others; Karl Marx, Friederich Hayek, and John Keynes. It is found that there are various channels through which financial crises may arise. Secondly, this research paper investigates the mechanism through which bank credit propagates and prolongs the business cycle. The analysis of the data reveals that post the crisis, recoveries are slower in developed nations versus developing nations and that the deeper the recession, the longer it takes for a country to recover. Thirdly, this research paper determines the critical debt level at which economies will start to recover, following a period of economic fragility. Finally, recommendations which could contribute towards the mitigation of causes and/or effects of economic crisis are made. Key words: Bank Credit, Business Cycle / GR2018

A research report submitted to the School of Economics and Business Science, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment (50%) of the requirements for degree of Master of Commerce in Finance Johannesburg, South Africa May 2016 / The empirical literature provides conflicting assessments about how firms choose their capital structure and how macroeconomic variables influence capital structure decision making. There has been a minimal research of the impact of macroeconomic conditions on the adjustment of capital structure towards target, specifically in the context of South Africa. This study employs a sample of South African companies listed on JSE Limited stock exchange from 2000 - 2014 to investigate: (1) the relationship between corporate leverage and firm characteristics as well as macroeconomic variables; (2) the impact of extreme capital market frictions on capital structure decisions; and (3) the relation between macroeconomic conditions and capital structure adjustment speed using an integrated partial adjustment dynamic capital structure model. The research results find evidence that certain firm characteristics and macroeconomic factors have pronounced influence on the capital structure of the sample of listed companies. The empirical results are compared to previous international evidence from developed markets and are in line with the international evidence. Results show that profitability, size and tangibility are significant determinants of firms’ capital structure in the pre- extreme capital market friction periods. The rand crisis of 2001 – 2002 and the global financial crisis period of 2007 – 2009 are considered extreme capital market friction periods. The findings highlights that profitability and size have a different relation to leverage during these extreme capital market friction periods. The extreme capital market friction dummy is significant which means that capital supply conditions are also amongst important factors that need to be considered while determining the financing mix during periods where the supply of capital is disrupted. The findings highlight that demand-side and supply-side factors need to be considered in firms’ financial decision making processes, especially during periods where there is extreme capital markets friction. The research also finds evidence supporting the prediction of theoretical framework that firms adjust to target leverage slower in good states than in bad states, where states are defined by real GDP growth rate and inflation rate. / MT2017

Thesis (M.Com. (Accounting))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Accountancy, 2017. / This study investigates whether there is a significant difference between the capital structures of firms listed on the JSE’s main board and those listed on the AltX. The factors influencing the differences are also explored in detail. Non-financial firms listed on the JSE and AltX respectively between 2011 and 2015 were chosen for the study. A panel data regression model was used and five measures of leverage were tested. The findings indicate that the exchange on which a firm is listed has an impact on its capital structure, with firms listed on the AltX having significantly higher levels of leverage than those listed on the JSE’s main board. In support of the pecking order theory, AltX firms are found to be more likely to draw on their internal funds as a first source of finance, even though they are generally less profitable than JSE firms and have less internal funds available. Moreover, AltX firms are found to be more reliant on more accessible short term financing than JSE firms, making them more susceptible to liquidity risks. This higher risk is congruent with the finding that the availability of tangible assets to offer as collateral appears to be a more significant determinant of leverage for AltX firms. The AltX was established to support growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by enabling access to finance. Thus despite the establishment of the AltX, SMEs still face considerable constraints to accessing capital. Keywords: Capital structure, AltX, JSE, SME, information asymmetry / GR2018

Thesis (MBA) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises (SMMEs) as vehicles of growth, innovation and social transformation, are important categories of businesses which must be nurtured and harnessed by the South African authorities. This should enable them to quickly and effectively adapt to the challenges of globalization thereby benefiting the economy. The importance of SMMEs to the South African economy has already been acknowledged by government. Despite the growth in venture capital funding, access to funding remains a problem for small enterprises, in particular for empowerment groups in South Africa. In most surveys among small enterprises, the provision of concessionary finance comes out as one of the most urgently felt needs. Indeed extensive research reveals that access financing is one of the several important factors that are critical for business survival and growth while other factors are market access and lack of financial management skills. South Africa’s financial sectors have always been reluctant to provide comprehensive services for the fragmented, risk-prone and geographically dispersed small enterprises sector. Evidence of management skills and business knowledge are indications of how well an entrepreneur can perform important tasks and activities related to the eight functions of a business, which are: general management, operations, finance, purchasing, human resources,marketing, administration and external relations. One of the major hurdles that face entrepreneurial endeavours is the shortage of financial management skills. South Africa shows a grim picture of the skills gap. SMMEs become the hardest hit as the entire commerce sector forages for the scarcest skills. Small enterprises have been victims of instances of developing their employees only to lose them to bigger firms offering more lucrative incentives and currently SMMEs in South Africa’s expanding construction sector are losing the fight in the battle for scarce skills. Although government has tried to put in place policies and institutions with the aim of improving the accessing of finance by small business owners, their success has been minimal. It is, therefore, imperative that management capability and financial management acumen be regarded as key to accessing funding by the entrepreneurs themselves, and the parties involved in supporting and promoting them. It is important to bear in mind that training in entrepreneurial skills without training in business skills will not ensure optimal results. A combination of training to develop entrepreneurial skills and business training is most effective in preparing and developing successful entrepreneurs. Therefore, this study is an assessment on access to financial management services by SMMEs in Thohoyandou Business Centre, as funding has a bearing on the economic development and sustainability of SMMEs. The research wanted to establish if the SMMEs in Thohoyandou Business Centre had access to financial management services support and, if they have, are the SMMEs ready to receive these financial management services? The study revealed that the SMMEs do not possess financial management skills neither do they have access to financial management services although most of them acknowledged that there is a need for these skills for the success of their businesses. The lack of requisite bookkeeping and financial management skills results in most financial institutions being unwilling to provide funds to this sector, resulting in entrepreneurs relying on their own sources of finance which are limited as shown in the study. Management capability strengthens the financial capacity of SMMEs. Financial institutions are prone to be favourably biased towards SMMEs who can demonstrate eloquence in areas such as financial management (including basic bookkeeping), marketing and technology upgrading. It is recommended that government and other facilitators incorporate simplified components into their training packages to cover such areas as bookkeeping and compilation of business plans

M. Tech. Cost and Management Accounting / Long-term financial planning in South Africa was at the time of the study not regulated by legislation. In addition, municipalities were accused of failing to plan their finances, which included failure of adherence to the long-term commitments of long-term contracts, neglecting revenue collection, and consequent over-reliance on government grants and borrowing. The aim of this study was to assess whether the adoption of the Long-term Financial Strategy by the City of Tshwane, improved the municipality's financial performance, in order to determine whether a longer term financial strategy should become a legal requirement for all municipalities in South Africa.

M. Tech. Business Administration / Since 1994, South African local government has undergone significant financial reforms. Recently reform implementation has been focused on the budgeting and financial affairs of municipalities with the promulgation of the Municipal Budget and Reporting Regulations. Objectives included the modernisation of the financial planning and budgeting processes of municipalities in achieving higher levels of accountability, transparency, and appropriate lines of responsibility within the local government accountability cycle. Among other dimensions of financial planning, this reform introduced cash flow forecasting as a management tool in ensuring the budget is appropriately funded, resulting in implementation as planned. Notwithstanding these objectives, municipalities continuously face cash and liquidity challenges questioning the effectiveness of these reform efforts. The methodology incorporated a variance analysis of the budget as planned versus implementation, and a performance 'trend' instrument similar to a Likert scale for comparing municipal performance of six metropolitan municipalities. A general questionnaire was circulated to municipal finance practitioners in testing their opinion and attitude towards cash flow forecasting. The research is concluded with a structured interview with chief financial officers. The research finds that, although improvements can be observed, they have been at a slow and low-key pace owing to capacity limitations, an instrumentalist approach to reform implementation and the significant rate of change associated with the reform roadmap.

M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School. / Involvement in the attorney's profession makes it clear that the training of attorneys does not make sufficient provision in the fields of management and accounting. This led to the research of a business plan model, and the question was raised whether it is possible to develop a standard business plan. As it appears that there is a gap in the syllabus of the training of attorneys, it is recommended that a thorough analysis of the training of attorneys be done. An empirical task analysis of the running of a practice will be the scientific way to determine which skills an attorney needs. A follow-up study should be done with a control group over an extended period. The once-off use of the business plan is not sufficient and should be adjusted and changed when necessary on a continuous basis.

Thesis (DTech. in Managerial Accounting and Finance) / Optimum performance in the South African public service is paramount to eradicate the backlog in social services. The South African government introduced financial management reforms to address this challenge. There is, however, still instances of poor financial management and performance, but managers do not seem to be held accountable for these under performances. This study aimed to define financial performance in the South African public service and in particular the financial performance expected of line managers.