One of the most important change drivers to influence the working environment of management accountants during recent years has been the phenomenal development of information technology. This and other change drivers have influenced the workplace to such an extent that questions have arisen as to whether there is a gap between management accounting education and expectations in practice. Various research articles on this topic, as well as the problem of how such a gap, if there is one, should be addressed, prompted this specific research problem. The core of the study comprised a literature study and an investigation by means of a questionnaire to ascertain whether the education of management accountants equipped them adequately for the tasks they are expected to fulfill in practice and, if a gap between education and practice should be identified, what the reasons for this gap could be. Given the reasons, recommendations were made relating to various stakeholders. The most important recommendations are that professional bodies, educators and practitioners should form a closer alliance so that education and practice can be kept in line with each other; that case studies should be incorporated into the syllabi in order to help bridge the gap between theory and practice, and that certain skills and techniques should get either more or less exposure in the syllabi. / Thesis (DCom (Financial Management Sciences))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Financial Management / unrestricted

In SA different tariffs exist on the importation of meat. While a zero tariff applies on the importation of live animals imported for breeding or slaughtering, a ban exists on the importation of live animals for slaughtering purposes. This is based on the DA’s opinion that slaughtering animals close to their place of origin and transporting the meat using modern refrigeration technology are better practices. Although the DA received only one official permit application, various firms expressed interest to import live sheep from Australia for slaughtering purposes. The motivation for and the purpose of the present study are to address the economic implications that such imports will have on the meat industry. This study’s main contribution was to estimate slaughtering functions for SA meat adopting a pragmatic approach using data for the period 1971 to 2002 on slaughterings, own and substitute meat prices, production costs, prices of complementary products, prices of other production alternatives, exposure to world markets, quality of grazing and heard numbers. Both singe equation and systems estimation procedures were employed to estimate empirical model parameters. The empirical analysis resulted in a meat slaughtering system. In the case of the slaughtering for mutton equation all signs of the estimated coefficients were consistent with expectations. In the slaughtering for beef and chicken meat equations only some signs of the estimated coefficients were consistent with expectations. The positive relationship between slaughtering for beef and quality of grazing was inconsistent with expectations. This may be attributed to quality of the data available to support specification of a more appropriate indicator of grazing quality. The positive relationship between chicken meat slaughterings and mutton prices were inconsistent with expectations, indicating that these two are not necessarily substitutes but rather complements. In terms of its size the intercept was the most powerful variable in all equations. Aside from the intercept the real own price the retailer realised over the past five years proved extremely powerful compared to the rest of the variables in the case of the slaughtering for mutton equation. The number of stock kept two years ago also deserves mentioning at about half of the above-mentioned variable’s magnitude. In the case of slaughtering for beef and chicken meat equations the power of variables are distributed more evenly. The price of mutton had the most power in both the slaughtering for beef and chicken meat equations. In terms of statistical significance the power of variables was evenly distributed in the slaughtering for mutton equation with the average degree of exposure to international trade during the last five years as the most powerful variable. In the case of the slaughtering for beef equation the current real price for mutton producers received for their products and the average seven year effect of the quality of grazing proved more powerful compared to the rest of the variables. In the case of slaughtering for chicken meat the intercept and time trend were extremely powerful compared to the rest of the variables. Despite its reported system wide R-square of 82 percent Adam’s (1998) meat demand system did not give good in sample forecasts. Instead it was decided to account for demand factors indirectly through an auction price system. The empirical analysis resulted in an auction price system where the auction price of mutton depends on the retail price (0.324) and total supply (-0.343); and the auction price of beef depends on disposable income (-0.719), the retail price (0.645), total supply (-0.330) and the effect of time (0.062). As the auction price system only included mutton and beef, the meat sub-sector model was reduced accordingly. In sample forecasting based on ex post within the sample data applying the dynamic-deterministic simulation of the Gauss-Seidel solution, proved satisfactory and the model therefore adequate to run policy simulation experiments. Two scenarios were tested, namely: (1) increasing mutton imports by 5.9 % every year from 1995 up to 2002; and (2) increasing mutton imports by 100 % every year from 1995 up to 2002. The results illustrated that the short-term impact of increased imports will lead to an increased supply of mutton on the domestic market at decreased consumer prices. Producer prices are expected to follow consumer prices and will accordingly also decrease. Decreased producer prices will result in decreased domestic slaughterings and, finally, increased imports will also decrease the price realised for substitute products. As the meat sub-sector, however, has time to adjust to increased levels of imports, some of the results seem to be surprising. Never the less, even the long-term effects remain negative, in general. As a long-term solution to improve the results of the policy question at hand it is recommended that both the private and public sector embark on an effort to improve SA’s database. In the case of the meat sector a relatively small sample of 30 data points exist, with structural breaks in almost all time series data. For short-term result improvements it is recommended that a number of assumptions made in this study be revisited: (1) alternative or improved econometric estimation techniques in order to include the pork and chicken meat industries, (2) substitution of the auction price system with a demand / consumption system, (3) extension of the product side of the model to al least incorporate land as a production factor and (4) revisiting the validity of applying classical OLS estimation techniques. / Dissertation (MCom (Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

With the introduction of SFAS 95 in 1987, the cash flow statement became an integral part of financial reporting. With this a need arose for the development of ratios for the effective evaluation of the cash flow statement. The primary objective of this study was to determine the usefulness of the cash flow statement by means of cash flow ratios. Beaver (1966) was the first researcher to stress the importance of cash flow information for predicting financial failure and, therefore, the study investigated the available cash flow ratios of various authors. Eight cash flow ratios were suggested for inclusion in a financial analysis. Failed entities were selected and evaluated by means the selected cash flow ratios for five years prior to their failure. Non-failed entities were selected and included in the evaluation. The results of the ratios were used to calculate mean values for each ratio and year prior to failure. The ratios of the failed entities were compared with those of the non-failed entities. A comparison of the ratios revealed that the cash flow ratios have predictive value. The cash flow to total debt and ratio was identified as the ratio with the greatest potential to predict financial failure. The mean value of the ratio was weaker than the mean of the non-failed entities in four out of five years. The mean values of the cash flow ratios of the failed entities performed weaker overall than the non-failed entities. Failed entities not only have lower cash flows than non-failed entities but they also have smaller reserves of liquid assets. Therefore, they have less capacity to meet obligations and they tend to incur more debt. The ratios of the failed entities were also unstable. The study concluded that cash flow ratios calculated from the cash flow statement enhanced the usefulness of financial statements. A need, however, remains for consensus on a comprehensive set of cash flow ratios for financial analysis. If cash flow ratios are used in conjunction with traditional ratios it should lead to a better understanding of the financial strengths and weaknesses of an entity. / Thesis (DCom (Financial Management))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Financial Management / unrestricted

This study contributes to the debate regarding the impact of trade on manufacturing productivity and labour demand over the period 1980 to 2002. The analysis extends existing work in a number of ways. First, total factor productivity is decomposed into efficiency and technical change in order to provide more directions to policy makers. Second, an industry specific time varying measure of total factor productivity is estimated from an underlying production function using panel data of South African industrial sectors. Third, total factor productivity is interacted with trade measures, industry characteristics and macroeconomic factors to determine its key drivers. Finally, the impact of trade on derived labour demand is examined. Panel data econometric techniques are applied to estimate productivity loss due to technical inefficiency in South African manufacturing industries. Technical change and efficiency are estimated using stochastic frontier approaches that allow inefficiency to be either time invariant, or to evolve in a time varying decay mode. A generalised time index is employed to introduce more flexibility on the measurement of technical change. The results account for periods of technical progress as well as regress and indicate the presence of significant room for efficiency improvement, while the pattern of technical change was found to have been particularly slow over the period. The fact that a substantial amount of intermediate inputs into South African manufacturing are imported implies that significant improvement in industry efficiency will be related to the openness of trade policy in South Africa. More importantly, efficiency scores are also likely to be related to how labour force adjusts to these imported inputs. Skill improvements for the labour force are, therefore, fundamental, because the mix of goods manufactured and the factor proportions used to produce them depend on the skill competencies of local technicians. Skills are important for the labour force to produce at its full potential, avoiding waste in inputs and time. The estimation of the determinants of total factor productivity is able to account, in a simultaneous context, for the impact of trade policy, industry level characteristics and the role of macroeconomic factors. The results suggest positive payoffs for industrial productivity of an appropriately managed liberalisation of the external sector. Liberalisation of the external sector is good for competition and learning. Learning is available through increased access to world class intermediate inputs and technology. The evolution of derived labour demand in manufacturing is investigated using the dynamic Generalised Method of Moments estimator (GMM). The results indicate greater induced efficiency effects from some products entering South Africa that are produced at lower cost abroad than obtain for similar products in South Africa; such commodities have tended to displace South African products and labour. Increased import penetration serves to reduce inefficiency and encourages the use of new technology. The positive impact of export expansion on derived labour demand supports results from efficiency estimates that indicate the importance of skilled labour. Increased trade requires emphasis on skill development for the labour force, because intra-industry trade benefits can only arise in an environment in which the skill competencies of labour are improved. In a nutshell, trade has the potential to exact factor adjustment. It is therefore, important to identify the product specific effects that are inimical to some manufacturing sectors and which effects serve to reduce the level of employment in manufacturing for the sake of policy intervention. Increased trade with developed countries is found to provide South Africa with global production networks, where it supplies to the world market. In this arrangement, South Africa benefits from the use of the latest internationally available production and marketing techniques. These networks are important for accelerating the country’s development by transferring technology and innovation, as well as bringing new ideas, to increase its competitive advantage. This comparative advantage should be used to expand the untapped trade potential, particularly with the rest of Africa. However, more needs to be done to improve the technical competencies of industrial labour. Policies are also still required to significantly improve the speed of labour market adjustment. / Thesis (PhD (Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Economics / unrestricted

This study takes an eclectic approach drawing on historic, theoretical and empirical sources to identify the main factors influencing the pattern and direction of South Africa’s trade. Rather than focusing on and proving or disproving individual theories, it looks at the broadly at various determinants of trade rather. Each of the theories that have been accepted as part of the canon of international trade theory explains part of the picture. This study therefore focuses on informing policy and therefore identifies and critically evaluates the determinants of South African exports and the role these determinants should have in policy development. Trade volume is usually seen as determined by the level of income level and relative prices. These are in turn determined by the dynamics of each GDP component (investment, consumption, public expenditure, exports); the price competitiveness of domestic production (influenced by exchange and relative inflation rates); non-price competitiveness of domestic production (product quality, technological innovativeness, design, promotion); the country’s attitude toward foreign goods; historical links with certain origin countries; and economic integration. This study attempts to isolate the determinants of export prices and volumes for the different manufacturing sectors. It will give policy-makers a clearer understanding of exporters and the factors that contribute to export growth, and will in turn inform policies, programmes and other export schemes. This information will allow the evaluation of the impact of their decisions and policies on each of the sectors’ export performance. Different sectors and industries face a myriad of different, and often unique conditions: elasticity, technology, market supply positions etc., and will therefore react differently to different policies. While government makes policy decisions that impact on the whole economy, it simultaneously has programmes that assist firms (particularly the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) and Trade and Investment South Africa (TISA)). This micro-level support and macro-policy must therefore operate together and complement each other. After setting the global and domestic scene, highlighting relevant events and trends that effect trade, this study critically evaluates international and South Africa applications of classical and new trade theories. From these processes, determinants are identified. Econometric models are then applied to test these determinants empirically. These techniques are applied to South Africa’s various sectors and industries thus giving macro- and meso-determinants. Qualitative techniques are then used to determine specific drivers at a firm level. From this a model is proposed for specific interventions to assist new exporters enter global markets, and to retain and grow existing exporters. Based on sound economic theory and the empirical findings from these research approaches, policy recommendations are made. In an increasingly competitive and uncompromising world, the role of sound policy is fundamental to economic success. This thesis argues that policy must be comprehensive and made with an understanding of the critical interactions in place. / Thesis (DCom (Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Economics / unrestricted

The basic premise of this study is that the Church, with it’s prevailing representation and infrastructure, could be an important partner and role-player in existing development strategies and initiatives in especially the rural areas of South Africa. This study focuses on establishing a prima facie case by presenting two case studies from the author’s experience in the field of development, both of which make the positive contribution made by the local Church quite clear The study investigates the mixed, often disappointing results achieved by the prevailing, mainly positivistic, post modern approach to development over the last 50 years. By way of a literature study, some of the main problems and challenges experienced by the positivistic developmental model are analysed, expanding on the shortcoming of present models. It further expounds on how participation by the Church could contribute to the effective development of especially the rural people in South Africa, thereby allowing for a more integrated, community-centred approach. Manfred Max-Neef is considered the father of the community-centred development approach working from the premise that the development of people should be a commitment to value diversity and differences among people. He measures results in terms of nine human scale development indicators to determine whether the needs of people have been met, namely subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, recreation, creativity, identity, and freedom. Max–Neef has therefore moved away from the positivistic belief that social and natural worlds are sufficiently similar to enable a “universal” approach in terms of development work in different communities. In this context, the study investigates the success of the role of the Church in terms of the case studies measured against five of the human scale indicators, This study aims not only to illuminate the unique role that the Church can play in sustainable development in South Africa, but, more importantly, to inspire it to rise to the challenge of actual participation in such development. / Dissertation (M Inst Agrar)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

The primary goal of all research is to discover knowledge. The objectives of this research were; firstly, to investigate and describe the previous (that is pre-1994) and the current (post 1994) status of local government. Secondly, to identify and describe problems with service delivery at local sphere with particular reference to the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (the unit of analysis for the research). Thirdly, to investigate and explore the various delivery options that can be used as tools to improve the delivery process by exploring. Fourthly, the extent to which they are used presently at the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and in the future. Finally, to provide guidelines and recommendations for implementation as a hypothetical model for use by The Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and other municipalities in their efforts to improve/enhance service delivery. The year 1994 ushered in a new era for South Africa. It saw South Africa become a democratic country after decades of apartheid rule. Apartheid as a government system was discriminatory in nature on racial lines since 1948. The results of which are still felt and can be seen today. The apartheid system was such that government spending was directed towards the development of White people and White areas. The Black people were neglected with little or no spending on basic services such as health, housing, education, roads and infrastructure, water and electricity. In some respects the current government inherited a first world infrastructure, however it is still faced with third world issues and imperatives namely social development, service delivery, unemployment and poverty. The problem of service delivery backlogs is not one unique to South Africa but a problem faced by many African and developing nations. Creating the good life for its citizens will remain the challenge for the South African government on all its spheres, but even more so for the local sphere since municipalities (that make up this sphere) are the government closest to the people and interact more closely with communities through the delivery of the various services as required by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996). Municipalities, through their administration, policies and actions play a critical role in reshaping communities. Given the immense needs for service delivery particularly in previously neglected areas of the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality area, the research question asked was; To what extent can alternative delivery options be used to solve service delivery backlogs and problems in the local sphere of government in South Africa with particular reference to the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality? In the endeavour to answer the research question, a description of the current nature or status of local government in South Africa was given. An explanation was also given of the concept of alternative service delivery and the various alternative service delivery options that are available for application by municipalities such as the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality to enhance service delivery. It is a decade since South Africa became a democratic state and despite promises and efforts to improve service delivery to the public there still exist backlogs in service delivery. The research concluded that reform is obligatory to revitalise municipalities and enhance service delivery, thus ensuring access to services becomes a reality for all. It appears that based on this research, traditional institutional mechanisms and arrangements, and conventional management approaches have proved to be ineffective and inefficient to meet current realities of service delivery. Municipalities should remain true to the principle of a learning institution, continuously seeking to improve its performance by experimenting with new processes, approaches and ways of achieving its goals or by benchmarking. There is therefore, a need for innovative solutions, strategies and new ways of structuring institutions and delivering services. This implies a change in processes, a change in people and a change in culture. All municipalities including the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality need to constantly review and restructure their institutions in search for more effective ways of achieving goals and meeting service delivery needs of the communities they serve. However, a thorough institutional analysis of the status quo needs to be undertaken or else the restructuring endeavour is baseless and such an endeavour runs the risk of failure. Any restructuring endeavour is time consuming and complicated as all stakeholders have to be consulted and many circumstantial issues have to be considered. This study provides a recommended hypothetical model for reform that could be applied by municipalities wishing to reform for the purpose of enhancing service delivery. The model, though simplistic could serve as a basic guide that municipalities and municipal departments can use should they wish to undergo changes in order to improve service delivery. / Dissertation (MAdmin (Public Administration))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

The high incidence of malaria, coupled to the increasing occurrence of parasite resistance against commonly used anti-malaria drugs and the absence of an effective vaccine, makes the implementation of alternative strategies to combat this killer disease imperative. Antisense technology is one such alternative strategy, which makes use of complementary oligodeoxynucleotides designed to inhibit specific parasite mRNA sequences. These bind to their complementary mRNA target sequences and inhibit their translation. In this study <font face="symbol">a</font>-I-tubulin was chosen as protein target due to its vital role in cell division. Three antisense ODNs (ASL-1, ASL-2 and ASL-3) were designed, complementary to different regions of the parasite á-I-tubulin mRNA. ASL-1 was complementary to the region surrounding the translation initiation codon, with ASL-2 and ASL-3 being complementary to nucleotides 92-118 and 118-144, respectively. These regions were predicted to be accessible for ODN hybridization by RNA secondary structure determination and subsequent analysis. The above ODNs were modified to offer protection against nuclease degradation, by the inclusion of a 15 nucleotide, self-complementary 3’ terminal loop. The stability of these modified ODNs was investigated in serum-containing culture medium, by means of reversed-phase HPLC. These studies showed that the ODN was not significantly degraded after 6 hours of incubation at 37°C in complete culture medium. A sequence-specific inhibition of parasite proliferation of 20% was obtained after antisense ODN, ASL-1 was incubated with ring-phase parasitised cultures. The inclusion of cationic liposomal transfection reagent, DOSPER, abolished inhibition of parasite growth. Only minimal parasite inhibition was observed with ASL-2 and ASL-3. Studies on the effect of parasite phase on ODN uptake showed ODN uptake into trophozoite phase cultures to be 10x higher than in ring-phase cultures. No inhibition was obtained after ASL-1 ODN incubation with trophozoite-phase cultures. Higher uptake in the trophozoite-phase could be explained by modifications introduced into the erythrocyte membrane, by the maturing parasite (72% of trophozoite and only 14.6% of ring-phase parasitised cultures contained ODNs). Retrospective analyses showed that alpha-I-tubulin mRNA was available for ASL-1 hybridization only 40%-50% of the time. The lack of inhibition of the trophozoite developmental stage, by any of the ODNs tested, suggests that the targeted site is no longer available for hybridization. Since ASL-1 was directed to the initiation site and the surrounding sequences it is likely that the ODN is unable to compete with the initiation complex during active translation. The low inhibition observed during the ring phase appears to be due to two factors, low uptake in this phase and availability of the target site prior to translation. Retrospective analysis further showed that the mismatch control ODNs, particularly MSL-1, are complementary to several parasite nucleotide sequences. Inhibition due to antisense ODN ASL-1 could therefore be increased to 33%, when sequence-specific MSL-1 inhibition was not deducted. Inhibitory efficacy of ODNs targeted against the malaria parasite is therefore dependent on the choice of target protein, the local mRNA secondary structure of the target sequence and the transcription and translation stages of the target mRNA and protein, respectively, which include the parasite phases during which these take place. / Thesis (PhD (Biochemistry))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Biochemistry / unrestricted

This thesis sought to focus attention on the fact that currently in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) there is no specific governmental body that is charged with complete responsibility for policy-making and regulation of foreign direct investment (FDI) in general and multinational enterprise (MNE) investment in particular. This issue was identified for study as it was noted that firstly, several other countries (irrespective of their level of development) have such an organization in place. Secondly and more importantly, it was also noted that there have been several cases in which a multinational enterprise posed legal, social and political challenges for host country governments for which such governments were not empowered to resolve in either the a priori or ex-post facto sense. This inability on the part of governments to deal effectively with the challenges created by the unique characteristics and behaviors of multinational enterprises could possibly have been mitigated through the existence of a governmental unit tasked with MNE regulation. The objective of the thesis, was to study the feasibility of designing, developing, and/or proposing, for South Africa, a governmental unit for policy making, policy implementation and control of the inward foreign direct investments of multinational enterprises, where it could firstly be shown that such an administrative unit is indeed needed. The arguments made in the study were framed in the form of a null hypothesis and a single research question. The null hypothesis of the study being: Ho = there is a necessity to formalize a government administrative structure for policy setting and implementation of multinational enterprise regulations in South Africa. The hypothesis was examined in terms of being accepted or rejected based in part upon first resolving the research question of the study which is: Is there a need for foreign direct investment policies that apply exclusively to multinational enterprises? As the thesis was of a qualitative rather than quantitative nature, the methodological approach primarily examined theoretical, empirical and anecdotal evidence to ascertain whether the hypothesis should be supported or rejected. Given that the null hypothesis was not disproved and the research question was answered in the affirmative, the thesis concluded and recommended the establishment of a small specialized unit of experts to serve as part of the public service but independent of any other governmental department or unit. The proposed unit should work to provide support to other government agencies in the areas of research, advice and coordination services. As the environment within which such an organizational unit operates can be expected to be relatively stable over time, and the work of the unit highly specialized, it is envisioned that decision making in the unit will be more centralized than de-centralized. The thesis ended by exploring optional organizational designs with the aim of recommending the appropriate hierarchical arrangements to be established for the proposed organizational unit. More specific answers with respect to, for example, the number of people to be employed, their job descriptions, and the remuneration scales to be applied to their positions are recommended by the thesis for further study. / Thesis (DAdmin (Public Administration))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

No abstract available. Please read the Conclusion in 04back. / Thesis (DD (New Testament Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / New Testament Studies / DD / unrestricted