Investment in residential real estate involves almost all members of the public at some stage of their lives, whether this be one's first home or the purchasing of one‟s first investment property. Understanding how to maximise the return on one's investment is something that can benefit the investor from before the investment is made until after the property has been sold, if it is sold at all. Literature surveys have concluded that there are a number of variables to consider when maximising the return on investment. As residential real estate is not a perfect science, there are guidelines and routes that are more beneficial to the investor depending on the current market, environment and economic standing. A survey was undertaken by members of the public that are involved in residential real estate investment, relative to the maximisation of the return on investment in residential real estate. The salient findings include: Investors in residential real estate spend more than average to extensive time prior, to investment researching the chosen residential real estate property; Investors in residential real estate perform a feasibility study before committing to the development whereas; Investors in residential real estate make use of financial advisors/valuers/estate agents or other investors' knowledge bases in deciding whether to invest in a residential property development; Investors in residential real estate believe that their degree of knowledge about the residential property market and residential property investments are average to very high. Investors in residential real estate somewhat agree that residential real estate investors do not effectively manage their investments. It was recommended that investors make use of help and guidance when investing in residential real estate, perform a feasibility study and ensure that they know their market before investing in a project. It was also noted that location plays a large role when deciding on an investment opportunity worth investing into. By creating awareness and ensuring that all methods and guidelines have been used to maximise the returns that their proposed residential real estate investment, investors can ensure a stronger, healthier cash flow and reap the highest possible benefits from their residential real estate portfolio.

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

This study examines the economic sense in policies that promote or aim to attract more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by specifically focusing on the determinant of FDI and how they impact the economic growth of South Africa. The study empirically identifies and investigates the determinants of FDI on South African economic growth as well as FDI attraction and its correlation with economic growth over the period 1994 to 2010 through the utilization of Cointegration and Error-Correction Model to identify the variables in explaining FDI in South Africa. This study analysis trends and the determinants of FDI as well as their impact on the South African economy. FDI is seen as the means of providing the needed capital injection to stimulate growth in the host economy. FDI can as well result in increased employment rate, managerial skills and technological increase. Multinational Corporation (MNC) should agglomerate in such a way that is consistent with country specific externalities. There is somewhat weak evidence that FDI generates positive spillover effects to the host country. In instances where FDI generates positive productivity spillovers for domestic market economy, FDI subsidies and incentives should be warranted particularly where they have been proven to have a catalytic role in FDI attraction. The study also indicates a positive and significant impact of reform on FDI in South Africa. The study considers trade Openness, GOP per capita as well as the Cost of labour variables on explaining FDI inflows. All variables indicate correct signs and are statistically significant except for cost of labour. There is some mild evidence that labour cost impedes FD I inflows. The infrastructure levels as well as other variables are directly related to FDI. In its endeavour to attract FDI , the host country undertakes various policy incentives to attract foreign investors. All these outcomes have important implications for improving the national economy which can be helpful in the allocation of funds and resources much needed for FDI attraction. This study clearly emphasizes the role of policy in FDI attraction as well determining short-run and long-run growth in South Africa by firstly providing the macroeconomic background. Secondly, it reviews FDI literature on its determinants and related policies undertaken in South Africa. It further establishes a linear empirical relationship between these determinants, and variables to determine the direction of the causality as well as contribute to the debate on the relationship between FDI and growth through regression analysis. It assesses the growth implications of FDI in South Africa and the regional economic implications by subjecting FDI to Granger causality tests within the cointegration framework. The results suggest that in the host country, there exist a positive correlation between FDI and economic growth. In relation to other developing countries as well as the size of the economy, South Africa still receives low levels of FDI inflows with exception of 1997, 2001 and 2005. The major contributors are financial sector, mining and manufacturing sectors. One can conclude that the South African government should consider encouraging capital-intensive FDI through capacity building and further development of skilled labour force. The empirical analysis indicates that openness, the rate of exchange as well as the financial development and improved labour costs are important long run determinants of FDI . The study sets up further research that may be helpful in exposing the South African economy with greater FDI potential as well as indentify regional specific interventions needed to improve certain conditions to receive more FDI. The effects of trade liberalization imply that African countries require African specific solution. Policies that have been successful in other countries may not suggest that they equally successful in African countries. / Thesis (M. Commerce in Economics) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2012

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This thesis explores, in a case study, the interests served by the UK Financial Services Act of 1986. The Act put in place a revolutionary new regulatory framework for controlling the sale of investment products such as pensions and insurance. The stated objectives of the new regime were to protect the ordinary investor, 'Aunt Agatha', from mis-selling and bad advice. However, there is casual evidence to suggest that the regime has failed in this objective. Moreover, there exists, in public choice theory, an explanation for why regulation might fail in this way. The study investigates whether regulation did fail to achieve its official objectives, and if it did, what were the reasons for this failure? Does public choice provide an explanation for the failure of the FSA? The study explores the interests served by the FSA. Specifically, it contributes to knowledge on three fronts: (i) related to the application of a sophisticated public choice analytical framework to a case study of British government regulation; (ii) related to the comparing of the practical adequacy of the public interest and public choice theories of regulation; and (iii) related to the case study itself, which develops a greater understanding of the origins, development, effects, and interests served by the FSA. The thesis concludes that the regulators, in large part, failed to enforce the rules and moreover that the cause of this failure, as public choice theory suggests, was the influence of the industry. In short, the thesis finds that the regulators were captured by the industry.

This paper investigates the relation between a firm's investment opportunity set (IOS) and the demand for audit quality. This paper hypothesizes that a firm's IOS influences the demand for audit quality indirectly through the IOS's influence on the firm's agency costs. A firm's IOS is expected to influence a firm's agency costs through the IOS's influence on the nature of the firm's contracts, and through the IOS'S influence on the relationships between the firm's management and the firm's owners and creditors. The sample is comprised of those firms who were being audited by Laventhol and Horwath (LH) when LH declared bankruptcy in November of 1990. The auditors appointed to replace LH ranged from members of the big six accounting firms to regional and local auditing firms. Because of the variation in the size of the replacement auditors, these auditor-replacement choices provide a good setting to study the factors associated with the demand for audit quality. The demand for audit quality is measured by the size of the replacement auditor. Two measures of this proxy are used. The first is a dichotomous variable representing the selection of a big six/non-big six auditor as the replacement auditor. The second is a continuous variable representing the subsequent auditor's size as measured by the combined sales of the replacement auditor's clients. Results obtained in this study are supportive of quality differentiated audits using both measures of auditor size. Firm-specific factors that are found to be significant in explaining a firm's demand for audit quality are: (1) management ownership, (2) debt, (3) the type of debt (public or private), and (4) risk. Control variables of firm size and the issuance of debt and equity securities are both positively associated with the size of the replacement auditor. The existence of a bonus plan and a direct measure of the firm's IOS are not significant in explaining the size of the replacement auditor. Tests of stock price reactions surrounding the bankruptcy of LH, and to the appointment of a successor auditor provide mixed results regarding the stock market's reaction to the effect of perceived audit quality on firm value.

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