Abstract Active vs passive management is a central debate within asset management, with active managers promising superior market beating performance after fees through their superior knowledge and stock selection. This study investigates the performance of 34 South African property unit trusts over multiple periods between 2005 and 2018. Fund performance was evaluated using three risk-adjusted measures, namely the Sharpe ratio, information ratio and Jensen’s alpha, in order to determine w...
ABSTRACT Background. Human capital, often referred to as talent, has become a key source of competitive advantage. Due to the scarcity and competition for such talent scholars and practitioners are constantly trying to find new ways to attract, engage and retain highly soughtafter employees. The recent recession and economic slow-down has, however, led to diminished financial resources which has meant that talent management strategies have had to shift with greater focus being placed on non-...
Abstract Africa still has the lowest electrification rates in the world with over 600 million people estimated to be living without access to electricity. What makes the challenge even greater for Africa is that the continent is so sparsely populated that building grid infrastructure is not viable in many cases. However, “pay-as-you-go” solar home systems have provided the continent with the opportunity to correct its electrification deficit. These innovations are not new and many of the...
ABSTRACT There is sufficient evidence to show that climatic conditions are changing all over the world. The agricultural sector, especially in developing countries, is one of the hardest hit by the impacts of climate change and variability. Within these countries, the arid and semi-arid areas are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and variability. Farmers in these regions have to cope and adapt to changes in climatic conditions so as to reduce losses. There are many respons...
ABSTRACT How effectively governments can use tobacco tax as a public health and a revenue-generating measure depends on how able smokers are to circumvent the tax by switching to other tobacco products. Recently, tobacco product switching has become more common, especially with many new tobacco product types appearing on the market. The research on these switching behaviors is scarce. This thesis provides analysis in three aspects tobacco product switching: (1) price-driven between-product s...
Abstract While countries around the world have experienced unprecedented shifts in their population age structures over the last 70 years, it has only really been over the last 20 years that research into the impact of the structure of the population on the economy has gained momentum. Analytically, it is the recognition that engagement in the economy and the resulting economic ows between individuals vary with age that underpins this impact: children consume more than they produce; prime wor...
Abstract This thesis discusses reward bundling as a process that enables decision makers to self-regulate their choice behavior. Most empirical work on intertemporal choice has focused on analyzing impulsive choice. Less effort has been dedicated to explanations of how individuals manage to overcome self-defeating behavior. This thesis evaluates the theory of reward bundling. It presents a set of econometric tools that can be employed to investigate whether actual choice behavior is consiste...
Abstract This thesis consists of three different essays-organized as different chapters-that deal with empirical as well as theoretical aspects of the economics of retirement. The first essay contributes to the theoretical life-cycle literature by analyzing in depth the role of retirement date expectations in determining saving behavior. As our main contribution, we demonstrate that the magnitude of the reaction of consumption and saving behavior of younger individuals to a change in the ret...
ABSTRACT Researchers and policy makers agree that studying the relationship between school quality and academic achievement will benefit public investment in education. An important turning point in educational delivery in Africa came during the 1990 World Conference on Education for All where renewed commitments to quality basic education were made. Against this background, interest in how African education systems are progressing has increased. This thesis contributes to this understanding ...
Contents Contents ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Chapter I: Introduction to the Problem ....................................................................................... 4 The Role of the Labour Market in Poverty and Inequality ................................................ 5 The Costs of Unemployment ....................................................................................
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate the role of anger on managerial effectiveness. To this end, a sample of male managers in a South African financial organisation completed questionnaires on the experience of anger, the expression of anger, and Type A behaviour. Managerial effectiveness was assessed in terms of the behavioural dimensions of the organisation's assessment centre and performance appraisal, as well as a managerial achievement quotient. A factor analysis computed se...
ABSTRACT Talent management involves positioning the right people in the right jobs for competitive advantage. Many organizations at times fail to engage in the activities that enhance their talent pipelines, equip individuals with critical knowledge and skills, and deny employee an opportunity to enhance teamwork or be engaged to their jobs. This leads to many negative employee outcomes that affect the organizational outcomes because business objectives are not linked to individual competenci...
ABSTRACT Many public corporations experiencing decline in performance have opted to implement turnaround strategies to improve their performance. This study extends previous research findings by seeking to examine the effect of turnaround strategies on performance of Public Corporations in Kenya, by identifying the turnaround strategies adopted in these Corporations, and to determine the effect of turnaround strategies on their performance. To achieve this objective, correlational research w...
Abstract In die ~are 1825 tot 1855 is aan die Kaap betrek1ik veel geskrywe wat van 'n letterkundige aard kan beskou word. Die , / ,Nederdultsch Zuid-Af'rikaansch Tydschrif't was die 1etterkundige orgaar raar bydrae het in a1 die Nederlandse en self's ook in . " h_ ~}. r-., Engelse tydskrifte verskyn. Die nuusblaaie was destyds merendeels tweetalig, en was die organe vir die publikasie van letterkundige sowel as 10ernalistieke bydrae. Blaaie soos De Verzamelaar van de .Lima ~n Sam Sly's Journ...
ABSTRACT Media convergence is an effective mechanism to enhance brand visibility of medium enterprises in the market as it’s varied and cost effective. However medium enterprises are hampered by fragmented marketing structures and efforts which prevents them from taking advantage of media convergence to amplify brand messaging across media sites and channels. In fact some medium enterprises marketers still view paid, owned, earned and shared media as separate hence develop brand media stra...