An analysis of indicators disclosed in the integrated annual reports of selected South African retailers
- Authors: Blignaut, Anna Cornelia
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Financial statements -- South Africa -- Case studies , Retail trade -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140859 , vital:37924
- Description: This study aimed to analyse the indicators disclosed in the Integrated Annual Reports (IARs) of selected South African retailers. This was firstly done by identifying the six capital and governance indicators retailers report on in order to analyse the commonalities and differences between them, secondly by identifying and assessing evidence of integrated thinking and lastly by making recommendations for optimal retail sector reporting. IARs from Pick n Pay Stores Ltd, Shoprite Holdings Ltd, Spar Group Ltd and Woolworths Holdings Ltd were analysed using content analysis. The results found noteworthy differences in IAR composition in terms of report length and the sections retailers devoted more or less of their report to. Governance and Remuneration indicator disclosure did not allow for broad comparison among all four retailers. In terms of indicator disclosure few indicators were disclosed by all retailers, whilst many were only disclosed by one retailer. Disclosures related to all six capitals were found, yet some indicators were disclosed excessively. Paradoxically, insufficient disclosure of indicators that are easily measurable and low levels of negative or unfavourable indicator disclosure was also apparent in this study. The comparability of indicators was influenced by the aggregation and disaggregation of indicators as well as the lack of consistency in the terminology used in IARs. Indicator disclosure also revealed several trends in the South African retail industry. This research identified the following six themes related to integrated thinking in the sample IARs. Retailers understand the connection between capitals, express consideration for multiple stakeholders and appreciate the context in which they operate, to some extent. Retailers were also found to have different interpretations of sustainability as part of their strategy and risk management whilst the completeness and consistency of information disclosed and retailers’ conceptualisation of value-added in IAR has not yet developed to the same extent across the retail industry. This study finally makes recommendations that may be used for optimal retail sector reporting with regards to the integrated reporting process as well as the integrated report itself. Addressing the former it is recommended that: integrated reporting be viewed as a means to build an internal understanding of their sustainability practices; integrated thinking be included as part of their strategic planning process; all capitals be considered in decision making; communication be established with others in the retail industry and that retailers engage with the IIRC on integrated reporting issues. In terms of the IAR itself, it is recommended that retailers ensure consistency in the terminology used and that the disaggregation of indicators is done in a consistent way. Retailers should include a balance of positive and negative disclosures as well as context-based indicators and seek assurance of the social, environmental and ethical information in their IARs. Finally, retailers need to set measurable sustainability performance targets and link them to specific performance indicators. The results of this study are not without limitations. The identification and categorisation of an indicator was largely based on the researcher’s own judgement in the content analysis process and can be highlighted as the main limitation of this research.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Blignaut, Anna Cornelia
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Financial statements -- South Africa -- Case studies , Retail trade -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140859 , vital:37924
- Description: This study aimed to analyse the indicators disclosed in the Integrated Annual Reports (IARs) of selected South African retailers. This was firstly done by identifying the six capital and governance indicators retailers report on in order to analyse the commonalities and differences between them, secondly by identifying and assessing evidence of integrated thinking and lastly by making recommendations for optimal retail sector reporting. IARs from Pick n Pay Stores Ltd, Shoprite Holdings Ltd, Spar Group Ltd and Woolworths Holdings Ltd were analysed using content analysis. The results found noteworthy differences in IAR composition in terms of report length and the sections retailers devoted more or less of their report to. Governance and Remuneration indicator disclosure did not allow for broad comparison among all four retailers. In terms of indicator disclosure few indicators were disclosed by all retailers, whilst many were only disclosed by one retailer. Disclosures related to all six capitals were found, yet some indicators were disclosed excessively. Paradoxically, insufficient disclosure of indicators that are easily measurable and low levels of negative or unfavourable indicator disclosure was also apparent in this study. The comparability of indicators was influenced by the aggregation and disaggregation of indicators as well as the lack of consistency in the terminology used in IARs. Indicator disclosure also revealed several trends in the South African retail industry. This research identified the following six themes related to integrated thinking in the sample IARs. Retailers understand the connection between capitals, express consideration for multiple stakeholders and appreciate the context in which they operate, to some extent. Retailers were also found to have different interpretations of sustainability as part of their strategy and risk management whilst the completeness and consistency of information disclosed and retailers’ conceptualisation of value-added in IAR has not yet developed to the same extent across the retail industry. This study finally makes recommendations that may be used for optimal retail sector reporting with regards to the integrated reporting process as well as the integrated report itself. Addressing the former it is recommended that: integrated reporting be viewed as a means to build an internal understanding of their sustainability practices; integrated thinking be included as part of their strategic planning process; all capitals be considered in decision making; communication be established with others in the retail industry and that retailers engage with the IIRC on integrated reporting issues. In terms of the IAR itself, it is recommended that retailers ensure consistency in the terminology used and that the disaggregation of indicators is done in a consistent way. Retailers should include a balance of positive and negative disclosures as well as context-based indicators and seek assurance of the social, environmental and ethical information in their IARs. Finally, retailers need to set measurable sustainability performance targets and link them to specific performance indicators. The results of this study are not without limitations. The identification and categorisation of an indicator was largely based on the researcher’s own judgement in the content analysis process and can be highlighted as the main limitation of this research.
- Full Text:
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) adoption in the South African retail sector: an investigation of perceptions held by members of the retail sector regarding the adoption constraints
- Authors: Liu, Haidi
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Radio frequency identification systems , Retail trade -- South Africa , Business logistics -- Management -- South Africa , Retail trade -- Employees -- South Africa , Retail trade -- Technological innovations , Radio waves , Consumer profiling
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:1144 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002774 , Radio frequency identification systems , Retail trade -- South Africa , Business logistics -- Management -- South Africa , Retail trade -- Employees -- South Africa , Retail trade -- Technological innovations , Radio waves , Consumer profiling
- Description: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is a ethod of identifying unique items using radio waves that communicate between RFID tags and readers without line-of-sight readability. RFID technology provides great potential in many industries and a wide spectrum of possible uses. Areas of application include person identification, logistics, pharmaceutical, access control, security guard monitoring and asset management. One of the areas where RFID is being used and where it promises excellent results is the retail industry. While RFID systems have the potential to revolutionise the way products and goods are tracked and traced in the retail supply chain, barriers to its widespread adoption exist: for example; technical constraints, return on investment constraints, a lack of awareness and education and as well as privacy and security issues. The research aims to identify the barriers to the adoption of RFID and to investigate the perceptions of RFID held by members of the retail sector in South Africa (SA). Current research and available literature are used to identify RFID adoption barriers and a conceptual framework on this subject is proposed, which is then verified by SA retailers’ perceptions, established by means of a survey. Initial barriers to widespread adoption include a shortage in skills, a lack of standards, high costs associated with RFID devices, the difficulty of integrating with current legacy systems, and a lack of familiarity with the system. Finally, an enhanced framework is proposed, describing RFID adoption barriers within the South African retail sector. In summary, the framework is an outline of the barriers impacting RFID adoption in the SA retail sector that need to be considered and addressed. The framework identifies six categories of RFID adoption barriers, with each category containing two or more barriers relating to that particular category. These categories are Technological, Cost and return on investment, Privacy and security, Implementation, Organisational factors and People.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Liu, Haidi
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Radio frequency identification systems , Retail trade -- South Africa , Business logistics -- Management -- South Africa , Retail trade -- Employees -- South Africa , Retail trade -- Technological innovations , Radio waves , Consumer profiling
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:1144 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002774 , Radio frequency identification systems , Retail trade -- South Africa , Business logistics -- Management -- South Africa , Retail trade -- Employees -- South Africa , Retail trade -- Technological innovations , Radio waves , Consumer profiling
- Description: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is a ethod of identifying unique items using radio waves that communicate between RFID tags and readers without line-of-sight readability. RFID technology provides great potential in many industries and a wide spectrum of possible uses. Areas of application include person identification, logistics, pharmaceutical, access control, security guard monitoring and asset management. One of the areas where RFID is being used and where it promises excellent results is the retail industry. While RFID systems have the potential to revolutionise the way products and goods are tracked and traced in the retail supply chain, barriers to its widespread adoption exist: for example; technical constraints, return on investment constraints, a lack of awareness and education and as well as privacy and security issues. The research aims to identify the barriers to the adoption of RFID and to investigate the perceptions of RFID held by members of the retail sector in South Africa (SA). Current research and available literature are used to identify RFID adoption barriers and a conceptual framework on this subject is proposed, which is then verified by SA retailers’ perceptions, established by means of a survey. Initial barriers to widespread adoption include a shortage in skills, a lack of standards, high costs associated with RFID devices, the difficulty of integrating with current legacy systems, and a lack of familiarity with the system. Finally, an enhanced framework is proposed, describing RFID adoption barriers within the South African retail sector. In summary, the framework is an outline of the barriers impacting RFID adoption in the SA retail sector that need to be considered and addressed. The framework identifies six categories of RFID adoption barriers, with each category containing two or more barriers relating to that particular category. These categories are Technological, Cost and return on investment, Privacy and security, Implementation, Organisational factors and People.
- Full Text:
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