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Determining a method to measure the capital intensity for enterprises listed in the industrial sector of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange for the period 1989 to 1996

Assignment (MComm)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A definite need exists for a measure which can be used to determine the degree of capital
intensity of an enterprise. One of the main reasons why it is important to determine if an
enterprise is capital or labour intensive is that the two types of enterprises react to
changes in the economic environment in different ways. Some changes in the economic
factors will have a totally different effect on a capital intensive enterprise than they would
have on a labour intensive one. The degree of capital intensity of an enterprise can
therefore be used to predict how it will react to economic changes, and it is therefore a
valuable source of information for financial decision-making.
The measurement of capital intensity, however, presents a major problem. A large
number of different measures have been developed and used in the literature. These
measures include the measures of total assets to revenue; property, plant and equipment
to revenue; property, plant and equipment to total assets; depreciation as a percentage of
revenue; as well as property, plant and equipment per employee. A number of measures
are also based on value added figures, and these include salaries to revenue; value added
per employee; property, plant and equipment to value added; and salaries to value added.
In the literature most researchers provide no or little justification for their preferred
measure of capital intensity.
The main objective of the study is to determine an appropriate method to measure capital
intensity. For this purpose the above-mentioned measures, which are generally used to
determine capital intensity, are considered critically and evaluated by classifying
enterprises listed in the Industrial Sector of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange during the
period 1989 to 1996. During this period the South African economy experienced a
decline, followed by an upswing in the economic cycle. Principal component analyses (PCA) are used to analyse the data. These analyses are
carried out for each year separately as well as for the period as a whole. Biplots are used
to provide a multidimensional graphic representation of the results.
The results indicate that the five traditional measures of capital intensity which are not
based on value added figures are all suitable to use as measures of capital intensity. Only
one of the measures based on value added figures, however, are able to indicate capital
intensity. The five traditional measures of capital intensity which are not based on value
added figures, as well as the measure property, plant and equipment to value added, are
therefore included in the principal component analyses. The principal component scores
obtained from the first principal component are proposed as a composite measure of
capital intensity. These principal component scores represent a linear combination of the
six measures of capital intensity. The relative contributions of the various measures to
this composite measure are also investigated, and it is found that all six the measures
provide an important contribution. The results indicate that a number of enterprises listed
in the Stores and Food sectors are relatively less capital intensive, while enterprises listed
in the Building and Construction, Engineering, Steel and Allied, and Electronics sectors
are relatively capital intensive. A visual evaluation of the results indicates that the
proposed method IS able to distinguish between capital and less capital intensive
enterprises.
The results of the study provide researchers with a more efficient way of measuring
capital intensity, and can be used to provide more information about the effect of changes
in the economic cycle on the expected financial performance of enterprises. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Duidelike behoefte bestaan VIr 'n maatstaf wat gebruik kan word om die
kapitaalintensiteit van 'n onderneming te bepaal. Een van die vernaamste redes waarom
dit belangrik is om te bepaal of 'n onderneming kapitaal- of arbeidsintensief is, is die
verskillende wyses waarop die twee tipes ondernemings gedurende 'n verandering in die
ekonomiese siklus reageer. Sommige veranderinge in die ekonomiese faktore sal die
teenoorgestelde effek op 'n kapitaalintensiewe onderneming hê as wat dit op 'n
arbeidsintensiewe onderneming mag hê. 'n Onderneming se graad van kapitaalintensiteit
kan dus gebruik word om te voorspel hoe die onderneming op ekonomiese veranderinge
sal reageer, en is dus 'n belangrike bron van inligting by finansiële besluitneming.
Die meting van kapitaalintensiteit is egter 'n belangrike probleem. 'n Groot aantal
verskillende maatstawwe van kapitaalintensiteit is ontwikkel en word algemeen in die
literatuur gebruik. Hierdie maatstawwe sluit totale bates tot inkomste; eiendom, aanleg
en toerusting tot inkomste; eiendom, aanleg en toerusting tot totale bates; depresiasie as
'n persentasie van inkomste; asook eiendom, aanleg en toerusting tot aantal werknemers
in. 'n Aantal maatstawwe wat op waarde toegevoeg gebaseer is, is ook ontwikkel, en sluit
die maatstawwe salarisse tot inkomste; waarde toegevoeg per werknemer; eiendom,
aanleg en toerusting tot waarde toegevoeg; asook salarisse tot waarde toegevoeg in. In
die literatuur verskaf die meeste navorsers min of geen motivering vir die spesifieke
maatstaf wat hul voorkeur geniet nie.
Die primêre doelstelling van die studie is om 'n geskikte metode te vind om
kapitaalintensiteit te meet. Ten einde hierdie doelstelling te bereik, word die
bogenoemde maatstawwe, wat algemeen gebruik word as maatstawwe van
kapitaalintensiteit, krities ondersoek en geëvalueer deur ondernemings wat genoteer is in
die Industriële Sektor van die Johannesburgse Aandelebeurs gedurende die periode 1989
tot 1996 te klassifiseer. Gedurende hierdie periode het die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie 'n
afname, gevolg deur 'n opswaai in die ekonomiese siklus beleef. Hoofkomponent analises word gebruik om die verskillende maatstawwe te evalueer. Die
analises word individueel uitgevoer vir elke jaar, sowel as vir die periode as 'n geheel.
Bi-stippings word gebruik om 'n meerdimensionele grafiese voorstelling van die resultate
te verskaf.
Die resultate toon dat die vyf tradisionele maatstawwe van kapitaalintensiteit wat nie op
waarde toegevoeg gebaseer is nie almal geskik is om as maatstawwe van
kapitaalintensiteit gebruik te word. Slegs een van die maatstawwe wat op waarde
toegevoeg gebaseer is, is egter in staat om kapitaalintensiteit aan te toon. Die vyf
tradisionele maatstawwe van kapitaalintensiteit, sowel as die maatstaf eiendom, aanleg en
toerusting tot waarde toegevoeg, word derhalwe ingesluit in die hoofkomponent analises,
en die hoofkomponenttellings wat verkry word uit die eerste hoofkomponent word as 'n
saamgestelde maatstaf van kapitaalintensiteit voorgestel. Hierdie hoofkomponenttellings
verteenwoordig 'n liniëre kombinasie van die ses maatstawwe van kapitaalintensiteit.
Die relatiewe bydraes van die verskillende maatstawwe tot die saamgestelde maatstaf
word ook ondersoek. Die resultate dui aan dat 'n aantalondernemings wat in die
Winkels en Voedsel sektore genoteer is relatief minder kapitaalintensief is, terwyl
ondernemings wat in die Boubedryf, Ingenieurswese, Staal en Bedrywe, asook die
Elektronika sektore genoteer is, relatief kapitaalintensief is. 'n Visuele evaluasie van die
resultate toon aan dat die voorgestelde maatstaf in staat is om tussen kapitaalintensiewe
en minder kapitaalintensiewe ondernemings te onderskei.
Die resultate van die studie stel navorsers in staat om 'n meer effektiewe meting van
kapitaalintensiteit te verkry, en kan ook meer inligting verskaf oor die invloed van
veranderinge in die ekonomiese siklus op die verwagte finansiële prestasie van
ondernemings.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52183
Date04 1900
CreatorsErasmus, Petrus Daniel
ContributorsLambrechts, I. J., Le Roux, N. J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Economics.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Format89 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch University

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