scholarly journals Strategic Technology Management As A Causality To South African Company Performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 815
Author(s):  
Theuns G. Pelser

Cutting edge technology management goes beyond basic research and development (R&D). Increasingly, corporate strategists are making a more precise distinction between “technology” and “technology management.” The main purpose of this study was to develop an empirically derived classification system (taxonomy) for sustaining industry leadership, through the relationships that exist between technology and innovation strategy, technology management and company performance. A non-probability, judgment sample of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) were taken. Seminal research studies were used to identify a set of technology strategy, technology management and innovation strategy dimensions. Four distinct technology factors obtained with the analysis, were proved to positively influence the company performance dimensions and were classified as Control Market Planning, Product Development Intensity, R&D Commitment and Technology Focus factors. As a result a conceptual model has been developed to demonstrate the integrated properties of this new proposed taxonomy of technology and innovation. The results show that strategic technology management choices can significantly affect company performance.

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 915
Author(s):  
Theuns G. Pelser

The ever-increasing emphasis on knowledge acquisition and assimilation is forcing companies to focus on methods to improve their effectiveness in technology management. Corporate strategists are increasingly focusing on the integration of technology throughout the organisation as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. The purpose of this study was to investigate technology management principles in widespread use in technology intensive industries and to explore their relationship to company performance. A non-probability, judgment sample of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) were taken. The study makes a contribution to the field of strategic management research by integrating the dimensions of several previous studies, to derive a more comprehensive taxonomy of technology management archetypes. Two distinct technology management factors obtained with the analysis were proved to positively influence the company performance dimensions and were classified as R&D Commitment and Control Market Planning factors. The results show that strategic management choices can significantly affect company performance. It thereby indicates which of the underlying dimensions have the strongest relationship with company performance. From an industry perspective, the greatest significance of these findings may be that they accentuate the importance technology management in developing and implementing a strategic approach to technology. This study has expanded on the identified technology process dimensions and has highlighted the link between technology strategy and technology management through different measures of performance.


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 697
Author(s):  
Theuns G. Pelser

The ability to innovate and exploit innovations globally in a rapid and efficient manner is a significant source of competitive advantage. However, the management of innovation is made difficult by the complexity, unpredictability, and pace of turbulence in the environment, which compresses the time horizons for strategic planning. The main purpose of this study was to investigate innovation management practices in technology-intensive industries and to explore their relationship to company performance. A non-probability judgment sample of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) was taken. The study makes a contribution to the field of strategic management research by integrating the archetypes of several previous studies to derive a more comprehensive taxonomy of innovation strategy archetypes. Two distinct innovation strategy factors obtained with the analysis were proven to positively influence the company performance archetypes and were classified as New Product Innovation and Process Innovation factors. The results show that innovation strategy choices can significantly affect company performance. It thereby indicates which of the underlying archetypes have the strongest relationship with company performance. From an industry perspective, the greatest significance of these findings may be that they accentuate the importance of innovation policy in strategic management. The substantial differences in performance associated with the archetypes do not necessarily indicate that a given company should choose a particular innovation strategy, but rather indicates that innovation policy decisions may have a substantial leverage on a companys performance and should be analysed and exercised with care.


2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 763
Author(s):  
Theuns G. Pelser

Strategic management is inter alia a process of managing a companys relationship with the environment. A critical concern of this discipline is optimising returns to the companys stakeholders over the long term. This means sustaining performance by balancing strategic investments in technology with short-term profitability. The main purpose of this study was to investigate technology strategies in widespread use in technology intensive industries and to explore their relationship to company performance. A non-probability, judgment sample of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) were taken. The study makes a contribution to the field of strategic management research by integrating the dimensions of several previous studies, to derive a more comprehensive taxonomy of technology strategy archetypes. Two distinct technology factors obtained with the analysis were proved to positively influence the company performance dimensions and were classified as product development intensity and technology focus factors. The results show that strategy choices can significantly affect company performance. It thereby indicates which of the underlying dimensions have the strongest relationship with company performance. From an industry perspective, the greatest significance of these findings may be that they accentuate the importance of technology policy in strategic management. The substantial differences in performance associated with the dimensions do not necessarily indicate that a given company should choose a particular technology strategy, but rather indicates that technology policy decisions may have a substantial leverage on a companys performance and should be analysed and exercised with care and deliberation.


Author(s):  
Jonty Tshipa ◽  
Leon M. Brummer ◽  
Hendrik Wolmarans ◽  
Elda Du Toit

Background: Premised on agency, resource dependence and stewardship theories, the study investigates empirically the existence of industry nuances in the relationship between corporate governance and financial performance of companies listed in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Aims: The main objective of the study is to understand the relationship between internal corporate governance and company performance from the perspective of three distinct economic periods, as well as industry nuances, cognisant of endogeneity issues. Setting: South Africa, as an emerging African market, offers an interesting research context in which the corporate governance and financial performance nexus can be examined empirically. Method: A sample of 90 companies from the five largest South African industries, covering a 13-year period from 2002 to 2014 (1170 firm-year observations) was examined with three estimation approaches. Results: Two key trends emerged from this study. First, the relationship between corporate governance and company performance differed from industry to industry. Second, the association between corporate governance and company performance also changes during steady and non-steady periods, which is an indication that the nexus is driven by the state of the global economy and the type of the industry. Conclusion: Evidence from the study suggests that companies should be allowed to optimise rather than maximise their corporate governance options. This finding questioned the approach of the recently published King IV Code of Good Corporate Governance, which requires Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed companies to ‘apply and explain’ as opposed to ‘apply or explain’ as pronounced by King III Code of Good Corporate Governance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3(J)) ◽  
pp. 160-168
Author(s):  
Misheck Mutize ◽  
Victor Virimai Mugobo

The study explores the relationship between the unemployment rate in the United States and South Africa’s stock prices from the beginning of 2013 to the last day 2017. The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of the US unemployment rate announcement on the South African financial market. Results of Impulse Response analysis show that there is a very minimal impact from the US unemployment announcement to South Africa’s stock prices which disappears within two days of the announcement. In addition, the Johannesburg stock exchange index marginally responds to own shocks, which marginally fades away within two days. These findings imply that the changes in the US employment policies have a direct ripple effect on the South African macroeconomic environment, its investing public sentiments and corporate confidence on the future prospects of businesses.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 83-94
Author(s):  
Busisiwe Carol Ringane ◽  
Patricia Lindelwa Makoni

This paper sought to shed light on dividend policy within the gold mining industry in South Africa. Several cause-and-effect variables of dividend policy are discussed, in order to lay down the theoretical framework for the research. These are size, managerial ownership and foreign ownership. To meet the objectives of the study, data from seven mining companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) was analysed for a 5 year (2008-2012) period. As found in earlier studies, there is a positive correlation (r = 0.59) between the dividend policy and the size of the organisation. This was expected as no cashflow is available for distribution during the early stages of exploration, hence no dividends are paid. As the organisation grows and profit increases, there is free cashflow which can be distributed to shareholders. Managerial ownership negatively correlates with dividend pay-out (r = -0.53). Contrary, a weak correlation was observed between foreign ownership and dividend pay-out.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matabane T. Mohohlo ◽  
Johan H. Hall

The financial leverage-operating leverage trade-off hypothesis states that as financial leverage increases, management of firms will seek to reduce the exposure to operating leverage in an attempt to balance the overall risk profile of a firm. It is the objective of this study to test this hypothesis and ascertain whether operating leverage can indeed be added to the list of factors that determine the capital structure of South African firms. Forty-six firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange between 1994 and 2015 are analysed and the impact of operating leverage is determined. The results are split into two periods, that is, the period before the global financial crisis (1994–2007) and after the global financial crisis (2008–2015). The impact of operating leverage during these two periods is then compared to determine whether a change in the impact of operating leverage on the capital structure can be observed especially following the crisis. The results show that the conservative nature of South African firms leading up to 2008 persisted even after the global financial crisis. At an industry level, the results reveal that operating leverage does not have a noticeable impact on capital structure with the exception of firms in the industrials sector of the South African economy.


2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Wesson ◽  
W. D. Hamman

This study aims to establish whether the repurchasing of treasury shares by a holding company is a regular occurrence for companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE); whether these repurchasing companies have complied with the relevant legal and reporting requirements; and what their stated motivations were for these repurchases.In a sample of 251 companies listed on the JSE from 1999 till their 2009 financial year-end, 120 (47,8%) companies executed share repurchases. Thirty-six (30%) of the 120 companies repurchased treasury shares from their subsidiaries in 55 different transactions, representing 22% of the total number of shares repurchased.Companies which repurchase treasury shares do not always comply with the legal requirements (such as obligatory Security News Agency (SENS) announcements and circulars); and the accounting requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) (relevant to the disclosure of the reconciliation of the number of shares in issue) are applied in an inconsistent manner in annual reports. The most common reason for the repurchase of treasury shares was that the 10% limit (on treasury shares held by subsidiaries) had nearly been reached. Various business purposes were also given. Income tax implications did not seem to be a conclusive motivation for repurchasing treasury shares.The repurchase of treasury shares by the holding company is not allowed in most other countries, like the UK, and presents unique challenges to the South African share repurchase environment. More stringent application of the JSE Listing Requirements, as well as better guidance on the IFRS disclosure requirement on the reconciliation of the number of shares in issue, is needed in South Africa. This will enable stakeholders to make better-informed decisions and will also assist research on share repurchases.This material is based upon work supported financially by the National Research Foundation. However, any opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors alone, and the NRF does not accept any liability in regard thereto.


2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Durbach ◽  
D Katshunga ◽  
H. Parker

This paper conducts a search for community structure in the South African company network, a social network whose elements are South African companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Companies are connected in this network if they share one or more directors on their respective boards. Discovered clusters, called communities, can be considered to be compartments of the network working relatively independently of one another, making their distribution and composition of some interest. We test whether the discovered communities of companies are (a) statistically significant, and (b) related to other attributes such as sector membership or market capitalization. We also investigate the relationship between the centrality of a company’s position in the network and its market capitalization.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elda du Toit ◽  
John Henry Hall ◽  
Rudra Prakash Pradhan

Purpose The presence of a day-of-the-week effect has been investigated by many researchers over many years, using a variety of financial data and methods. However, differences in methodology between studies could have led to conflicting results. The purpose of this paper is to expand on an existing study to observe whether an analysis of the same data set with some added years and using a different statistical technique provide the same results. Design/methodology/approach The study examines the presence of a day-of-the-week effect on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) indices for the period March 1995-2016, using a GARCH model. Findings The findings show that, contrary to the original study, the day-of-the week effect is present in both volatility and return equations. The highest and lowest returns are observed on Monday and Friday, respectively, while volatility is observed on all five days from Monday to Friday. Originality/value This study adds to the existing literature on day-of-the-week effect of JSE indices, where different patterns or, in some cases, no pattern have been noted. Few previous studies on the day-of-the-week effect observed the effect at micro-level for separate industries or made use of a GARCH model. The present study thus expands on the study of Mbululu and Chipeta (2012), by adding four additional observation years and using a different statistical technique, to observe differences that arise from a different time period and statistical technique. The results indicate that a day-of-the-week effect is mostly a function of the statistical technique applied.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document