Government size, labour productivity and economic growth in South Africa
- Authors: Mbaleki, Chuma Innocent
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/48915 , vital:41170
- Description: This study investigates short-run and long-run effects of fiscal consolidation on labour productivity in South Africa using the autoregressive distributed lag bounds testing approach of cointegration. We use quarterly data collected in the period of 1994Q3 to 2017Q1. We disaggregate government expenditure as well as revenue and find a positive and significant long run relationship between revenue variables and labour productivity. This relationship is also positive and significant in the short run except for net tax variable, which seems to be growth contractive. The results further suggest a positive and significant long run relationship between government expenditure on health, public safety and order, culture and recreation as well as education and labour productivity. Government expenditure on education and health variables are also positive and significant in the short run, whilst expenditure on defense is negative and not significant both in the short run and long run.
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- Date Issued: 2020
The impact of crime in socio-economic development of Mdantsane township
- Authors: Matyeni, Bukelwa Wendy
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Crime -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Criminal behavior , Criminal justice, Administration of -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9204 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020425
- Description: This study examined the impact of crime on socio-economic development in Mdantsane Township which is an urban area under Buffalo city Municipality. The study is concerned with the growing rate of crime, which is perceived to have affected community development. A survey was conducted for this study and questionnaires were administered for data collection. The study found that Mdantsane area is fraught with problems of high unemployment, high crime levels and lack of physical infrastructure. It was shown that the levels of crime like robbery and assault cases are the order of the day. Many crimes are committed either during the day or at night. This study made several recommendations relating to what should be done to ensure that local residents, potential developers and investors feel safe in Mdantsane. Amongst other recommendations put forward are the establishment of community relations with the police, namely community policing forums (CPFs) and development community safety centres.
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- Date Issued: 2013
The effect of real exchange rate volatility on export performance: evidence from South Africa (2000-2011)
- Authors: Chamunorwa, Wilson
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Monetary policy -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Foreign exchange rates -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Com
- Identifier: vital:11499 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1018600 , Monetary policy -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Foreign exchange rates -- South Africa
- Description: The effect of real exchange rate volatility on export performance: evidence from South Africa (2000-2011) This study sought to investigate the relationship between exchange rate volatility and export performance in South Africa. The main objective of the study was to examine the impact of exchange rate volatility on export performance in South Africa. This relationship was examined using GARCH methods. Exports were regressed against real effective exchange rate, trade openness and capacity utilisation. The research aimed to establish whether exchange rate volatility impacts negatively on export performance in the manner suggested by the econometric model. The result obtained showed that exchange rate volatility had a significantly negative effect on South African exports in the period 2000-2011.
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- Date Issued: 2014
An analysis of the long run comovements between financial system development and mining production in South Africa
- Authors: Ajagbe, Stephen Mayowa
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa , Econometric models , Mineral industries -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic conditions , South Africa -- Economic policy , Principal components analysis , Cointegration , Stock exchanges -- South Africa , Banks and banking -- South Africa , Foreign exchange rates
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:955 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002689 , Economic development -- South Africa , Econometric models , Mineral industries -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic conditions , South Africa -- Economic policy , Principal components analysis , Cointegration , Stock exchanges -- South Africa , Banks and banking -- South Africa , Foreign exchange rates
- Description: This study examines the nature of the relationship which exists between mining sector production and development of the financial systems in South Africa. This is particularly important in that the mining sector is considered to be one of the major contributors to the country’s overall economic growth. South Africa is also considered to have a very well developed financial system, to the point where the dominance of one over the other is difficult to identify. Therefore offering insight into the nature of this relationship will assist policy makers in identifying the most effective policies in order to ensure that the developments within the financial systems impact appropriately on the mining sector, and ultimately on the economy. In addition to using the conventional proxies of financial system development, this study utilises the principal component analysis (PCA) to construct an index for the entire financial system. The multivariate cointegration approach as proposed by Johansen (1988) and Johansen and Juselius (1990) was then used to estimate the relationship between the development of the financial systems and the mining sector production for the period 1988-2008. The study reveals mixed results for different measures of financial system development. Those involving the banking system show that a negative relationship exists between total mining production and total credit extended to the private sector, while liquid liabilities has a positive relationship. Similarly, with the stock market system, mixed results are also obtained which reveal a negative relationship between total mining production and stock market capitalisation, while a positive relationship is found with secondary market turnover. Of all the financial system variables, only that of stock market capitalisation was found to be significant. The result with the financial development index reveals that a significant negative relationship exists between financial system development and total mining sector production. Results on the other variables controlled in the estimation show that positive and significant relationships exist between total mining production and both nominal exchange rate and political stability respectively. Increased mining production therefore takes place in periods of appreciating exchange rates, and similarly in the post-apartheid era. On the other hand, negative relationships were found for both trade openness and inflation control variables. The impulse response and variance decomposition analyses showed that total mining production explains the largest amount of shocks within itself. Overall, the study reveals that the mining sector might not have benefited much from the development in the South African financial system.
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- Date Issued: 2011
An assessment of local economic development as a mechanism for poverty alleviation: a case study of selected municipalities in Amathole District
- Authors: Dube, Kethiwe
- Date: 2011-06
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa , Poverty -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24410 , vital:62788
- Description: The legacy of apartheid created uneven development in South Africa, which led to lack of effective service delivery, high levels of poverty and unemployment. This resulted in many people within the communities being vulnerable to poverty. In response to the retarded development, the post apartheid government formulated a number of policies and legislations. Local Economic Development (LED) is one of the policies mandated to guide developmental local government initiatives in addressing poverty, unemployment and redistribution. The aim of the study was to assess LED as a mechanism for poverty alleviation, focusing on the effectiveness of the LED strategies employed by the selected municipalities in Amathole District Municipality (ADM). The literature and the empirical study revealed that LED is seen as a tool through which socio-economic development can be achieved. To achieve the objectives of the study, the study employed both quantitative and qualitative research methods. A thematic content and pie chat analysis were employed to analyse data, which was gathered using questionnaires, interviews, non-participant observation and documentary survey. The findings of the study revealed that LED strategies have a significant impact on improving infrastructure and service delivery, have both a pro-poor and a pro-growth focus on improving the general welfare of the residents and that LED agencies play a pivotal role in promoting sustainable development, thereby alleviating poverty. Though the current LED strategies employed by ADM are deemed to be effective, they do not fully meet the intended goal of eradicating poverty. Therefore, the researcher recommended that the municipalities should, inter alia, encourage responsible leadership, expand capital investment, promote capacity building and communities should be fully committed in working together with the municipalities in promoting sustainable development. , Thesis (MPA) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2011
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- Date Issued: 2011-06
Assessing the impact of the transition from MIDP to APDP in the South African automotive industry
- Authors: Strydom, Elwin
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5908 , vital:21010
- Description: The South African automotive industry is by no means a ―cut and paste‖ version of their overseas counterparts. The industry and the market are very complex. The historical background of the industry is such that companies have difficulty forming partnerships and joint ventures with bigger international conglomerates. The difficulty with this kind of mindset is that it is restricting growth and development of the nation as a whole. Globalisation is a future we cannot be avoided. Should the nation continue to reject it and embrace the mindset of countries in Africa, South Africa (SA) will continue on the path that the rest of Africa is heading, a path that leading to self-destruct and segregation. Even though SA is a developing country, it is in some areas as developed as many other first world countries. For a country to generate wealth it needs to be innovative and develop an entrepreneurial consciousness. A young country like South Africa needs creative thinkers and opportunists that can see into the future, seizing every opportunity, to grow and develop new ideas and business. In order for a country to grow it needs a leadership that is to nurture the baby of innovation. If South Africa wants to be part of the global village it need to develop a trade policy that welcomes trade and at the same time creates stable and sustainable jobs. The environment for investments needs to be cultivated in a problem-free and growth prone nation. This can only happen when the educational level of the nation is improved. The fact that so many skilled workers need to be imported creates tension in the labour market. People with talent need to have a reason to stay in the country. Their salaries should match that of their overseas counterparts. Furthermore, with the same skill level and work ethic, should have the same rewards and remuneration.
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- Date Issued: 2015
The impact of capital flows on real exchange rates in South Africa
- Authors: Mishi, Syden
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Capital movements -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Foreign exchange -- South Africa , Interest rates -- South Africa , Currency question -- South Africa , Saving and investment -- South Africa , Free trade -- South Africa , Anti-inflationary policies -- South Africa , Cointegration -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Com
- Identifier: vital:11466 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007089 , Capital movements -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Foreign exchange -- South Africa , Interest rates -- South Africa , Currency question -- South Africa , Saving and investment -- South Africa , Free trade -- South Africa , Anti-inflationary policies -- South Africa , Cointegration -- South Africa
- Description: The neoclassical theory suggests that free flows of external capital should be equilibrating and thereby facilitating smoothening of an economy's consumption or production patterns. South Africa has a very low savings rate, making it highly dependent on capital inflows which create instability and volatility in global markets. A policy dilemma is undoubtedly evident: capital inflows help to cater for the domestic low savings and at the same time the inflows pose instability, a threat on competitiveness and volatility challenges to the same economy due to their impact on exchange rates. The question is: are all forms of capital flows equally destabilizing? Since studies based on South Africa considered only the relationship between aggregate capital flows and real exchange rate, modelling individual components of capital flows could enlighten policy formulation even further. The composition of the flows and their effects on the composition of aggregate demand determine the evolution of real exchange rate response to surges in capital flows. Through co-integration and vector error correction modelling techniques applied to South African data between 1990 and 2010, the study found out that foreign portfolio investment exerts the greatest appreciation effect on the South African real exchange rate, followed by other investment and finally foreign direct investment. Thus the impact of capital flows on real exchange rate in South Africa differs by type of capital. This presents varied policy implications.
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- Date Issued: 2012
The relationship between electricity supply, power outages and economic growth in South Africa
- Authors: Khobai, Hlalefang
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa , Energy consumption -- Economic aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9024 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020069
- Description: The economic boom in South Africa following the 1994 democratisation led to increased welfare of the citizens and their purchasing power. This further resulted in increase in electricity consumption. The electricity supply did not increase proportionally to the increase in electricity consumption leading to the 2008 shortage of electricity which nearly damaged the power generating circuit. The literature review has shown that electricity supply and consumption have a positive impact on economic growth. It further showed that employment enhances economic growth. Conversely, it showed that power outages negatively affect economic growth. The research serves to investigate the relationship between electricity supply and economic growth in South Africa and to examine the impact of power outages on economic growth. It also seeks to find the appropriate structure for electricity supply industry that will lead to increase in economic growth. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds approach was used to find the relationship between economic growth, electricity supply, power outages and employment using quarterly data from 2000 to 2012. The ARDL technique was chosen over the conventional models such as Johansen technique for the research because it uses a single reduced form of equation to examine the long run relationship of the variables as opposed to the conventional Johansen test that employs a system of equations. The ARDL technique is also suitable to use to test co-integration when a small sample data is used and does not require the underlying variables to be integrated of similar order. The Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) Granger causality was also employed in the study to establish the causality between economic growth and electricity supply. It was chosen for its ability to develop longer term forecasting, when dealing with an unconstrained model. The results from the ARDL bounds test showed that there is a long run relationship between economic growth, electricity supply, power outages and employment. Based on the causality tests, the findings showed a unidirectional causality flowing from electricity supply to economic growth. This implies that electricity supply affect economic growth in South Africa. The results further showed no causality flowing from economic growth to electricity supply which indicates that when economic growth is booming fewer funds are used for improvement of the electricity generation. Lastly, the results showed that power outages negatively affect economic growth in the long run. To sum up, electricity supply is an important factor for economic growth in South Africa. It is therefore necessary that South Africa must put in place measures aimed at stimulating electricity supply. One of the measures aimed at increasing output of electricity is to unbundle the electricity sector. This process involves allowing entry of the Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Independent System Operator (ISO) and Regional Electricity Distributors (REDs). This will lead to increased supply of electricity and competitively lower prices of electricity. The study further recommends that renewable energy sources should be used to produce electricity instead of coal and nuclear fuels as they failed to produce enough electricity for the nation.
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- Date Issued: 2013
A critical assessment of economic policies and their impact on entrepreneurship development in South Africa: a case of Khayelitsha Township in Cape Town
- Authors: Oduwole, Olusola https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1563-7392
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship , Economic policy , Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26302 , vital:65236
- Description: The complexity of the South African society due to past systematic exclusion of some communities from economic activities resulted in the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment. Although various economic policies had been developed since the advent of the democratic dispensation in 1994, these policies focused on levelling the economic environment, poverty alleviation and massive social security system. However, despite all the interventions, South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. This is profiled by the mushrooming of informal settlements around cities with job seekers and frequent protests by people who are impatient to experience improvement in their quality of life and who feel cheated out of their social contract. Advocacy from the governing party’s tripartite alliance towards a developmental state had placed more obligations on the government. This requires deliberate interventions through policies implementation to improve or at best alleviate the well-being of the citizenry. A survey conducted in the township of Khayelitsha to assess the impact of such economic policies on the development of entrepreneurship. Khayelitsha is one of South Africa’s largest townships, an informal settlement profiled by unemployment, poor infrastructure and unavailability of basic services. The study explored the entrepreneurial perception, start-up barriers, entrepreneurship climate, and general cultural factors relating to the environment of entrepreneurship development. The results reveal that despite the various economic policies, high level of unwillingness of citizens towards entrepreneurial activity and business venture is rife notwithstanding the high level of unemployment and poverty. The antidote to these challenges would be a rapid entrepreneurship drive among people most affected that would cause them to mind their own business” and become “masters of their own destinies. Given the complexity and massiveness of the challenges, the conclusion shows that a pragmatic solution is required. Therefore, the emancipation of entrepreneurship development in South Africa townships needs attention. The recommended solution is a pragmatic and innovative strategy based on the acronyms NEEDS HELP which stand for Neighbourhood Enhancement and Environmental Development Strategy and Holistic Entrepreneurial Lifestyle Programme. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2015
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- Date Issued: 2015
The effect of transport infrastructure investment on economic growth in South Africa
- Authors: Matsolo, Khanya
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Transportation -- South Africa , Infrastructure (Economics) -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51699 , vital:43364
- Description: The objective of the study was to examine the effect of transport infrastructure investment on economic growth of South Africa. The time series data that covered the period from 2001-2019 using converted quarterly data was used. The study applied autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) to analyse the relationship between transport infrastructure investment and economic growth in South Africa. The empirical results shows that there is positive relationship between these two variables both in the short run and long run. Thus, it is recommended that policy makers should develop strategies that are aligned with effective and efficient transport infrastructure investment to enhance economic growth in South Africa. , Thesis (MPhil) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Development Finance, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-04
Financial development and economic growth in South Africa
- Authors: Mhango, Joseph
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Finance -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41117 , vital:36358
- Description: Since the identification of financial development for economic growth by Schumpeter (1911), the importance of financial development has been emphasised. However, the nature of the relationship is unclear, whether financial development is demand-following, supply-leading, feedback relationship or no causal relationship with economic growth. The revolution of the relationship between finance and economic growth has left a void of the exact nature of the relationship and importance of financial development in literature and empirical evidence. In addition, the variation of the nexus between financial development and economic growth in developed and developing countries has left policy makers uncertain on the exact policy to employ. In awe of this, after the discovery of diamonds and gold in South Africa, policy makers have attempted to improve the access, depth and efficiency of the finance sector to spur economic growth. However, South Africa has been subject to apartheid, low economic growth, global financial crises, international sanctions, unemployment and other challenges to the finance sector. In light of this, this study aims to empirically investigate the relationship between financial development and economic growth in South Africa. The study used the recently developed financial institutions index and financial markets index by the International Monetary Fund to represent bank-based and market-based financial development. This study utilises annual data over the period 1980 to 2014. The study applied the Autoregressive Disturbed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing, Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) Granger – Causality, Impulse Response Function (IRF) and Variance Decomposition to uncover the relationship between financial development and economic growth in South Africa. The ARDL was selected over the Johansen Cointegration because the variables can be I (1) or I(0) before carrying out the bounds testing. It is more suitable to a small sample size. It uses a reduced form equation, and it provides unbiased estimates of the long-run model. Lastly, it can be transformed into an error correction model. The VECM Granger-Causality was chosen because it represents the short-run and long-run causalities. After selection of the optimal lag, the ARDL bounds testing shows that economic growth, bank-based financial development, market-based financial development, savings and investment have a long-run relationship in South Africa. However, after estimation of the coefficients, financial development has a positive relationship with economic growth, but insignificant and only savings and investment were significant in determining long-run economic growth. The VECM granger-causality results show that financial development (bank and market), savings and investment granger cause economic growth in the long-run. While, economic growth, market-based financial development, savings and investment granger cause bank-based financial development in the long-run. Therefore, a feedback relationship exists between bank-based financial development and economic growth in the long-run. In the short-run, it was clear that bank-based financial development positively causes economic growth. The causality results show that a feedback relationship exists between bank-based financial development and economic growth in South Africa in the short-run as well. The IRF shows that a shock in economic growth negatively and positively affects bank based and market-based financial development respectively. A shock in bank-based financial development causes a positive effect on economic growth. Lastly, a shock in market-based financial development causes a positive effect on economic growth. Whilst, the variance decomposition shows that fluctuations in economic growth are increasingly explained by financial development (bank and market). While, fluctuations in bank-based financial development are increasingly explained by market-based financial development, savings and investment. The fluctuations in market-based financial development are increasingly caused by economic growth, savings and investment. It is recommended that policy makers utilise bank-based financial development for economic growth and reduced unemployment, to increase savings for long-run economic growth. Furthermore, challenges against market-based financial development should be reduced in order to create a positive relationship between investment and economic growth in the long run.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Local economic development: disseminating global best practices to affect futuristic thinking in SA
- Authors: Perks, Sandra
- Subjects: Economic development , Economic development -- South Africa , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20966 , vital:29423
- Description: The aim of Local Economic Development (LED) is to ensure that the economy of a community, region or country grows faster than the population, so that there can be surplus resources for future expansion (Rucker, Kinnett & Barbash 2012). This suggests that LED is more than economic development at local level. LED is often not viewed from an economic perspective but from a political perspective. Birkhölzer (2005:3) outlines four possible political LED viewpoints. The first perspective is “development from above” with an authoritarian state dictating to regional government and local authorities. This perspective has been proven flawed when political or economic turbulences occur. The second perspective is “development from outside” with reliance on outside investors to bring into the country the necessary resources, mostly funding. This perspective is risky from a sustainability point of view. The third perspective is the “wait and see” where migration occurs if there are problems. This perspective is equally flawed as it is becoming increasingly difficult to migrate because it is so costly, and also finding the right place to go can prove to be problematic. The last perspective is the “development from within” where people play a key role, and do not rely on government or the economy to serve their needs or solve their problems; this points to self-sufficiency.
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Why has South Africa been relatively unsuccessful at attracting inward foreign direct investment since 1994?
- Authors: Fulton, Mark Hugh John
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Investments, Foreign -- South Africa , Investments, Foreign -- Africa, Southern , Investments, Foreign -- Chile , Investments, Foreign -- Botswana , Economic development -- South Africa , Economic development -- Developing countries , Political corruption -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic policy -- 1994-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1097 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013056
- Description: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows into South Africa have been very low for several decades, and this research examines the reason(s) why this has been the case since 1994. There is a common belief amongst economists that there is a positive relationship between the amount of FDI received and economic growth, thus the desire to attract greater FDI inflows. A literature review was conducted to establish the determinants of FDI globally and then data were collected and assessed to test which causes are most important. The performance of developing nations in attracting FDI was first compared with that of the developed nations. Thereafter, a regional breakdown of FDI flows was presented, with a particular focus on the Southern African region. FDI inflows to South Africa since 1994 were compared against the identified determinants of FDI, as well as with FDI inflows into two other major mining economies, Chile and Botswana. The friendliness of the government towards business was identified as a significant determinant of FDI inflows and the importance of this factor in explaining FDI inflows into environment in South Africa was looked at in more depth. It was found that many investors perceive the South African government as hostile towards business and as corrupt and/or inefficient. The empirical results show that this negative perception helps explain the FDI inflows attracted by South Africa since 1994. Therefore, increased friendliness to business by the government should increase future inward FDI flows into South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Establishing perceptions of an entrepreneur using word associations
- Authors: Goliath, Jasmine Estonia
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Businesspeople -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9321 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020785
- Description: Entrepreneurship as a source of economic growth and competitiveness as well as job creation and the advancement of social interests is well documented. Despite these important contributions to the economies of countries, a shortage of entrepreneurial activity exists across borders and specifically in developing countries such as South Africa. The purpose of this study was to determine the perception and image of an entrepreneur in the eyes of various stakeholders. The reasoning behind this was that if the image of an entrepreneur could be determined, one could establish whether the image positively or negatively influences entrepreneurial intentions as well as potential future entrepreneurial activity. More specifically, the primary objective was to identify the perception and image that potential entrepreneurs (students) and existing entrepreneurs (small business owners) have of an entrepreneur. In the body of knowledge or general literature on entrepreneurship, the most commonly discussed topics are the nature and importance of entrepreneurship, the attributes (personality traits, characteristics and skills) associated with an entrepreneur, various push and pull factors, various rewards and drawbacks of such a career and the challenges entrepreneurs face. It is these aspects of entrepreneurship that stakeholders will most likely have been exposed to, and that most possibly have influenced their perception and image of an entrepreneur. The aforementioned aspects provided an overview of the theoretical body of knowledge on which the perception and image of an entrepreneur is based. The present study adopted a qualitative research paradigm with a phenomenological approach to achieve the research objectives of the study. Within this context, the study made use of a qualitative method for data collection and a quantitative method for data analysis. As such, a mixed methods approach was adopted. More specifically, a qualitative dominant mixed research method was implemented. A continuous word association test, which is a projective technique, was adopted as the qualitative means of data collection. This test involved asking participants to recall the words that come to mind when presented with the word “entrepreneur”. This method was selected because of its ability to reveal both affective and cognitive associations with the concept “entrepreneur”. A quantitative summative (manifest) content analysis was used as the quantitative research method for analysing the data. The continuous word association test was conducted among three sample groups, namely students prior to commencing, and students after completing a module in entrepreneurship, and small business owners. Student and small business owner participants were asked to write down as many words or phrases as possible that came to mind when they thought of the word “entrepreneur”, which was the stimulus word, within a ten-minute period. These responses were then collated and coded by developing a coding framework based on brand image and entrepreneurship literature. In studies on brand image, the components of image are considered to be tristructured in nature, consisting of cognitive (what the individual knows), affective (how the individual feels) and holistic (overall symbolism, combination of affective and cognitive) evaluations. The words generated by the participants in this study were broadly coded according to these categories and further subcategorised by searching for themes within the broad categories, which was facilitated and guided by an in-depth investigation of the entrepreneurship literature. The findings of this study show that the words generated by all three groups of participants were mostly of a cognitive nature, followed by words of a general or affective nature. As such, the vast majority of words generated by all three groups related to what the participants knew about an entrepreneur (cognitive) versus how they felt about one (affective), and were grounded in the management or entrepreneurship literature. When comparing the top ten words most frequently associated with the term “entrepreneur” by the three groups of participants, the attribute risk-taker was the most frequently recalled word among all three groups. Students prior to undertaking the entrepreneurship module associated an entrepreneur with being creative and a risk-taker, having a business enterprise and being involved in the selling of goods and services. Students after completing the module in entrepreneurship associated an entrepreneur with being profit-orientated, a risk-taker, innovative and original, and being opportunistic. Small business owners, on the other hand, associated an entrepreneur with being a risk-taker, innovative and original, goal- and achievement-orientated and profit-orientated. The findings show that all groups of participants associated an entrepreneur principally with certain attributes rather than with learned skills and competencies, and that all groups had a more positive than negative image of an entrepreneur. It was also found that exposure to entrepreneurship literature has an influence on the perception and image that students have of an entrepreneur. Because the words recalled by students after completing the entrepreneurship module were more in line with those recalled by small business owners, than with those recalled by students before starting the module, it can be suggested that entrepreneurship literature contributes to a more realistic image of an entrepreneur among students. This study has contributed to the field of entrepreneurship research by adopting a qualitative dominant research paradigm in conjunction with quantitative research methods to explore the complexity of the term “entrepreneur”. Furthermore, this study has been able to establish how individuals feel about entrepreneurship, in terms of being either positive or negative, by adding an affective aspect to the cognitive aspect of entrepreneurial decision-making. By conducting a continuous word association test among students prior to beginning and after completing a module in entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurial knowledge of students before being exposed to entrepreneurship literature was established, and subsequently the effectiveness of the entrepreneurship module determined. It is hoped that the findings of this study have added value to the entrepreneurship body of knowledge and can be used in future studies as a tool to address the problem of low entrepreneurial intention and activity among South Africans. Furthermore, it is hoped that by creating a positive image of an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship as a desirable career choice can be promoted and an entrepreneurial culture developed within communities and broader society.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Exploring a capacity development framework for South African foreign economic representatives
- Authors: Williams, Mario Rene
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa , Finance, Public South Africa -- Economic aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13491 , vital:27210
- Description: Commercial trading in various formats has characterised relations between humans for centuries. However, in a world driven by higher levels of consumption, and where citizens demand higher returns for their hard-earned taxes, governments are becoming more active in ensuring favourable conditions for their own enterprises, either operating or seeking to operate, in foreign markets, as well as local enterprises that seek to extract value from foreign markets. The past failure of the markets to self-regulate, with the recent events of the 2008/09 market crash, gave fresh impetus for governments to play a more active role in ensuring favourable outcomes for their local economies. To be effective, requires the deployments of capable officials to fulfil this mandate. However, given that governments have traditionally not operated in the sphere of what is termed as ‘commercial diplomacy’, it is evident that a concerted effort needs to be made to have a skilled and capable workforce which can function in both the commercial and diplomatic market spaces across the world. Against the background sketched above, the South African government, with the dti spearheading the initiative, has been running capacity building programmes to train officials as designate FERs, to function as commercial diplomats in targeted foreign markets. This contrasts with its sister-department, DIRCO, which has established 126 foreign missions focusing on political diplomacy. Anecdotal evidence, and previous capacity building reports, have highlighted the need for a framework to regulate and inform the development of officials. Due to the framework’s broader focus, and the acknowledgement of the rich experiences of the officials being trained in the programme, it has been termed as capacity development. An initial review of the topic, revealed that there had been limited research into a framework that regulates the capacity development of foreign economic representatives (FERs), the term used for commercial diplomats of the South African government. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore a capacity development framework (CDF) for South African FERs. This exploratory capacity development framework will then be tested, to inform the capacity development programme used for the training of designated FERs. To achieve this goal, a literature review of academic sources of information regarding the concepts of commercial diplomacy, capacity development and conceptual frameworks, was conducted. This led to the development of a qualitative questionnaire which was then distributed to all currently posted (27) and returned FERs (33), with 18 completed questionnaires returned. The questionnaire contained both closed and open-ended statements that delved deeper into the experiences and opinions held by the respondents. Using the dti as a case study, the content analysis method, which uses open coding, was applied to identify the theme and codes emanating from the data. This was assessed against the research questions (RQs) constructed in the research proposal, and was found to be in line with the sentiments flowing from the research data. The theme, indicated as capacity development and its concomitant codes (Process, Content, Technology and Management Support), thus formed the basis and skeleton of the exploratory capacity development framework. The codes were further analysed and sub-codes identified, which were incorporated into the exploratory capacity development framework. The analysis further revealed that, while the dti is committed to ensuring the designate FERs are adequately capacitated before being posted, much more could be done to improve the efficacy of the training provided. To this end, a number of gaps were identified from the data and these will need to be addressed to ensure that an effective capacity development programme is developed.
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- Date Issued: 2017
The impact of domestic investment on economic growth in South Africa: a Sectoral Approach (1993 to 2020)
- Authors: Hobongwana, Khungile Goodwell https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0223-7370
- Date: 2023-01
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa , Investments -- South Africa , Gross domestic product
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26753 , vital:65982
- Description: This study examined the impact of domestic investment on economic growth in South Africa: a sectoral approach from 1993 to 2020. The overall results as discussed by panel data ARDL revealed that domestic investment has an impact on at least one sectoral economic growth in South Africa in the long run. The panel data ARDL test reveals that domestic investment, employment, imports and exports have a significant correlation to influence GDP in the long run in at least one of the sectors. A pairwise Dumitrescu Hurlin panel causality tests determine that domestic investment (DI) does not homogeneously cause gross domestic product (GDP). This is because in South Africa the sectoral or structural change development relies much on foreign direct investment (FDI) rather than domestic investment, hence the negative homogeneous results. Therefore, we need to attract DI as the result shows, because a positive relationship can be expected between domestic investment and economic growth in line with the Keynesian theory where investment is expected to promote economic growth. The new-endogenous growth theory of investment that can be applied in detecting the effect of aggregate and disaggregate domestic investment on sectoral economic growth and aggregate economic growth. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2023
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- Date Issued: 2023-01
The effect of bond market on economic growth in South Africa
- Authors: Dingela, Siyasanga
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Bond market -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7218 , vital:21306
- Description: This paper investigates the effect of bond market on economic growth in South Africa. Quarterly data for South Africa for the period 2003-2014 was used to develop a general- to- specific Auto-Regressive Distribution Lag (ARDL) approach. The empirical results confirm that there is a positive relationship between Bond market and economic growth in South Africa. A co-integrated relationship between economic growth, stock market and banking sector was noticed in both the long-run and short-runs.
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- Date Issued: 2016
The impact of private capital flows on economic growth in South Africa
- Authors: Dzangare, Gillian
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa , Capital movements -- South Africa , Investments, Foreign -- South Africa , Development economics -- South Africa , Interest rates -- South Africa , Free trade -- South Africa , Cointegration -- South Africa , South Africa -- Commercial policy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Com
- Identifier: vital:11472 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007134 , Economic development -- South Africa , Capital movements -- South Africa , Investments, Foreign -- South Africa , Development economics -- South Africa , Interest rates -- South Africa , Free trade -- South Africa , Cointegration -- South Africa , South Africa -- Commercial policy
- Description: In this study an analysis of the long-term equilibrium relationship between economic growth measured as real GDP growth and private capital inflows is explored. The link between private capital inflows and economic growth is well-documented in the literature. However, a void in the literature relates to examining the cointegrating relationship between private capital inflows and economic growth particularly for South Africa. It is widely claimed that private capital inflows foster economic growth by closing the savings/investment gap. However, clarity on this point is necessary because of the seemingly unclear nature of the relationship in the literature. The exact form of this relationship as well as the nature of capital flows that could impact on real growth requires further investigation. Moreover, what exactly happens to this relationship in an economic crisis such as recently recorded in the global financial crisis is not clear. The analysis is undertaken by employing cointegration and vector error correction modeling approach using quarterly data for the period 1989q4-2009q4. This study employs the Johansen (1998) cointegration test. This technique distinguishes itself since it establishes the long run relationship between variables. Thereafter, residual diagnostic checks are performed on the variables. Our results show among others, that private capital inflows have impacted positively on the growth of the South African economy. The areas for further research that emerge from this study include the effect of some government policies on economic growth that should also receive more attention in the future since political instability slows down investment.
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- Date Issued: 2012
Trade union investment schemes: a blemish on the social movement unionism outlook of South African unions?
- Authors: Rubushe, Melikaya
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Labor unions -- South Africa , Labor unions and communism , Cosatu , Economic development -- South Africa , National Union of Mineworkers (South Africa) , Labor unions -- Finance , Business enterprises, Black -- South Africa , Investments -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3331 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003119 , Labor unions -- South Africa , Labor unions and communism , Cosatu , Economic development -- South Africa , National Union of Mineworkers (South Africa) , Labor unions -- Finance , Business enterprises, Black -- South Africa , Investments -- South Africa
- Description: South African trade unions affiliated to Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) have taken advantage of the arrival of democracy and newly found opportunities available through Black Economic Empowerment to venture into the world of business by setting up their own investment companies. The declared desire behind these ventures was to break the stranglehold of white capital on the economy and to extend participation in the economic activities of the country to previously disadvantaged communities. Using the National Union of Mineworkers and the Mineworkers’ Investment Company as case studies, this dissertation seeks to determine whether unions affiliated to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) are advancing the struggle for socialism through their investment schemes. Secondly, the dissertation determines whether, in the activities of the schemes, internal democracy is preserved and strengthened. The theoretical framework of this dissertation emerges from arguments advanced by Lenin and Gramsci on the limitations of trade unions in terms of their role in the struggle against capitalism. In addition, the argument draws on the assertions by Michels regarding the proneness of trade union leadership to adopt oligarchic tendencies in their approach to leadership. Of interest is how, according to Gramsci, trade unions are prone to accepting concessions from the capitalist system that renders them ameliorative rather than transformative. Drawing from Michels’ ‘iron law of oligarchy’, the thesis examines whether there is space for ordinary members of the unions to express views on the working of the union investment companies. By looking at the extent to which the investment initiatives of the companies mirror the preferences of the ordinary members of the unions, one can determine the level of disjuncture between the two. The study relies on data collected through interviews and documentary material. Interviews provide first-hand knowledge of how respondents experience the impact of the investment schemes. This provides a balanced analysis given that documents reflect policy stances whereas interviews provide data on whether these have the stated impact. What the study shows is a clear absence of space for ordinary members to directly influence the workings of union investment companies. It is also established that, in their current form, the schemes operate more as a perpetuation of the capitalist logic than offering an alternative system.
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- Date Issued: 2010
National Economic Development and Labour Council
- Authors: NEDLAC
- Date: 1995?
- Subjects: Nedlac , South Africa -- Economic policy , Economic development -- South Africa , Labour policy -- South Africa
- Language: eng
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/77038 , vital:30658
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- Date Issued: 1995?