scholarly journals Die invloed van inligtingstegnologie op werkverskaffing in die Suid-Afrikaanse finansiële sektor

1992 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-20
Author(s):  
Gideon S. Hom ◽  
Charles V.R. Wait
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
South African ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Telecommunication Networks ◽  
Production Functions ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Building Society ◽  
Building Societies

The influence or information technology on the provision of employment in the South African financial sectorThe higher levels of productivity in the manufacturing sector, as a result of the automation and other significant changes in production functions, often lead to fears of higher levels of unemployment, as certain types of labour could become redundant. The application of information technology in the form of computers, data banks and telecommunication networks has, to a great extent, contributed to the automation of routine functions, as well as to the integration of various production functions. The danger exists that a great number of workers released from the manufacturing sector are not always trained and suitable for employment in the service sector. In addition, there may not be sufficient employment opportunities to accommodate these workers. The influence of information technology on employment should, however, be considered in terms of the net effect of the three distinguishing effects of information technology on an economy, namely the process, product and organization effects. In South Africa, employment and value added increased in the building society and banking fields during the period 1980-89. Those increases are attributed specifically to the product effect. Since the eighties, banks, building societies and insurance companies have all started to market new and more products that are directly linked to information technology.

Implementation of lean in IT SME company: an Italian case

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Torri ◽  
Kaustav Kundu ◽  
Stefano Frecassetti ◽  
Matteo Rossini
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Lean Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Lean Practices

Purpose In spite of huge advancement of Lean in the manufacturing sector, its advantage in the service sector is not fully investigated. The purpose of this paper is to cover this gap in particular for the information technology (IT) sector through the implementation of the Lean philosophy in a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME), operating in the IT sector. Design/methodology/approach A case study is conducted and following the A3 model, Lean is deployed in the case company. Data were collected through on-site interviews, waste sources were identified and then countermeasures for their reduction were proposed and adopted. Findings This study reveals that the implementation of the Lean practices in an SME operating in the IT sector offers good operative and financial results, thanks to the higher productivity obtained through the reduction of non-value-added activities. Research limitations/implications This paper reports a single case study, not enough to generalize the results. Moreover, more Lean tools and practices should be tested in IT companies to assess their effectiveness. Practical implications This paper increments the knowledge base for the application of Lean and A3 model outside the manufacturing industry. This paper should assist practitioners and consultants who have the desire to understand a better way of Lean implementation in fast-growing IT industry and in SME. Originality/value Research on Lean implementation in an SME company and in IT sector is scarce. This study aims to assess the efficiency of the adoption of Lean practices following the A3 model. The results could be highly valuable for similar companies (dimension or sector), especially those that are facing transition situations in terms of size and at the same time want to improve their operations performance, efficiency and avoid waste.

A new route to the rapid growth of the service sector: rise of the standard of living

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harutaka Takahashi ◽  
Kansho Piotr Otsubo
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Structural Change ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Standard Of Living ◽  
Living Standard ◽  
Intensity Effect

Abstract In the present study, we set up a continuous-time two-sector optimal growth model with services and manufacturing goods and then examine structural change: the rapid growth of the service sector. Earlier studies of structural changes can be separated into two categories: preference-driven and technology-driven. Here we introduce a new and distinct category of structural change: consumption externality identified as rise of the living standard. A key assumption is that (1) a representative consumer has a non-homothetic Stone–Geary type utility function with respect to manufacturing goods and that (2) its subsistence level will be regarded as the standard of living and will be affected by the average consumption of manufacturing goods, which also affects the consumption level of services. We also assume that the manufacturing sector is more capital-intensive than the service sector, which takes an important role in our proofs. Results show that a steady state equilibrium exists that is globally stable as well as saddle-point stable. Then, given certain production parameters in a steady state, there exists optimal steady state where the value-added and employment shares by service sector will dominate those of the manufacturing sector under the condition that external effects of the service sector dominates capital-intensity effect of the manufacturing sector. In other words, through the transition process, the service sector will dominate the manufacturing sector in the steady state.

Agro-processing Industries in the South AfricaN Economy

2021 ◽  
pp. 216-239
Author(s):  
Horman Chitonge
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Inclusive Growth ◽  
The South ◽  
Employment Creation ◽  
Business Opportunities ◽  
Medium Enterprises

This chapter provides an overview of the agro-processing sector in the South African economy, focusing on the sector’s potential to contribute to inclusive growth through high value-added activities. The chapter shows that agro-processing industries have been the largest subsector of the manufacturing sector in the country since the 1970s, accounting for the largest share of both manufacturing output and employment. Apart from being the largest segment of the manufacturing sector, agro-processing industries have the potential to contribute to the broader national objective of transforming the structure of the economy through the creation of jobs and business opportunities for new small and medium enterprises on both sides of the agro-processing value chains. Employment creation potential lies in the fact that most agro-processing industries are labour intensive. Agro-processing industries, on average, use 40 per cent more labour per unit of capital relative to the manufacturing sector as a whole. However, the challenge is that several of the most labour-intensive agro-processing industries are experiencing declining or stagnating value-added, investment, and, most importantly, employment levels. Consistent and coordinated implementation of strategies which revive dynamism in labour-intensive industries is required to overcome this challenge.

scholarly journals Predicting the German Economy: Headline Survey Indices Under Test

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Lehmann ◽  
Magnus Reif
Keyword(s):  
Gross Domestic Product ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
German Economy ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Leading Indicators ◽  
European Research ◽  
Out Of Sample

AbstractThis analysis investigates the predictive power of the headline indices of the four most important German survey providers. We conduct an out-of-sample, real-time forecast experiment for growth of total and private sector gross domestic product and growth of gross value added in both the manufacturing and the service sector. All providers publish valuable leading indicators for both GDP measures, with some advantages for the ifo indicators and the Economic Sentiment Indicator, respectively. For the manufacturing sector, indicators provided by the ifo Institute are clearly superior. For the service sector, all indicators prove to have a similar nowcasting performance, whereas the Economic Sentiment Services of the Centre for European Research is preferable for one quarter-ahead predictions.

scholarly journals Mutuality and regulation: The transition from mutual to public in the South African longterm insurance industry

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 567-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grietjie Verhoef
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Financial Services Industry ◽  
The South ◽  
Organisational Form ◽  
Services Industry ◽  
Building Societies

The mutual structure of various financial institutions has changed internationally, especially during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Various explanations have been offered. Some commentators argue the mutual organisational form has become redundant, others consider structural changes in the financial services industry as the main reason for organisational changes. In the United Kingdom the stronger emphasis on profitability had a profound impact on the decision to demutualise many building societies. In the USA the failure of mutual savings and loan associations resulted in demutualisation as a rescue strategy. This paper will explore the specific circumstances in South Africa of the changes in the mutual organisational form of building societies and insurance companies. The mutual form of organisation has a long history in South Africa. This paper will explore the reasons for the early choice of mutuality and the recent forces leading to the demutualisation of companies in order to list as public entities on stock exchanges, both in South Africa and abroad. South Africa experienced varying degrees of international isolation and sanctions, but, in the financial services industry, a strong international connection was sustained. The South African experience will be considered against the international changes in the financial services industry as well as the regulatory changes in South Africa. The paper will explain the peculiar South African conditions as the context for the organisational changes in South African mutual.

scholarly journals Information technology-enabled explorative learning and competitive performance in industrial service SMEs: a configurational analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 1625-1651
Author(s):  
Louis Raymond ◽  
François Bergeron ◽  
Anne-Marie Croteau ◽  
Ana Ortiz de Guinea ◽  
Sylvestre Uwizeyemungu
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Competitive Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Explorative Learning ◽  
Industrial Service ◽  
It Capabilities ◽  
Strategic Capabilities

Purpose As purveyors of knowledge-based and high value-added services to the manufacturing sector, industrial service small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must develop the information technology (IT) capabilities that, in combination with other non-IT capabilities, enable their capacity for organizational learning (OL) and for explorative learning in particular. In this context, this study aims to identify the different causal configurations that account for the nonlinear complex interplay of IT capabilities for exploration and strategic capabilities for explorative learning as they affect these firms’ competitive performance. Design/methodology/approach Survey data obtained from 92 industrial service SMEs were analyzed with a configurational approach, using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Findings As it allows for equifinality, the fsQCA analysis identified two sets of causal configurations that characterize the sampled firms’ explorative learning capability as it relates to competitive performance. In the first set, two configurations were equally associated with high innovation performance, whereas in the second set, four configurations were equally associated with high productivity. Originality/value By viewing explorative learning as a dynamic capability that is enabled by the firm’s IT and strategic capabilities, the study contributes to OL theory by providing a more concrete or “operational” grounding, which allows for a greater practical applicability of this theory. By taking both the configurational and capability-based views of the OL-IT-performance causal framework, the authors provide an empirical basis for unraveling, explaining and understanding the complex non-linear relationships embedded within this framework.

Business Reorganisation and Regional Development: The Case of the British Building Societies Movement

1991 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 1759-1777 ◽  
Author(s):  
C J S Gentle ◽  
J N Marshall ◽  
M G Coombes
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Financial Services Industry ◽  
Building Society ◽  
Regulatory Changes ◽  
Services Industry ◽  
Building Societies ◽  
The Impact

In this paper the impact of corporate restructuring in the British building societies movement is examined as an example of the changing organisation of the financial services industry, a significant component of the service sector. It is argued that regulatory changes, which have broken down the segmented and compartmentalised nature of the financial sector, have provided the opportunity for large building societies to diversify into new markets, and this in turn has encouraged a round of innovation in the financial services industry. It is also suggested that as the building society movement has become more deeply integrated into the financial sector as a whole, this has promoted a drift in employment towards the south and east of the country and a shift back to larger urban areas in the provinces.

Enterprise Performance Analysis of the Selected Service Sector by Applying Modern Methods with an Emphasis on the Creation and Application of the Modified Creditworthy Model (MCWM)

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Onuferová ◽  
Veronika Čabinová
Keyword(s):  
Service Sector ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Financial Indicators ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Future Success ◽  
Financial Growth ◽  
Net Assets ◽  
Third Dimension

The aim of presented paper was to create and subsequently apply the Modified 3D Creditworthy Model (MCWM) of performance reflecting sectoral characteristics and financial specificities of the selected sample of Slovak tour operators over the years 2013 – 2017. The intention of this research study was to implement the key financial indicators and appropriate prediction models into both dimensions of the traditional 2D Creditworthy Model of performance and to supplement its third dimension applying the selected modern assessment methods – the Economic Value Added and the Return On Net Assets as we consider them to be one of the most important indicators of future success and company's financial growth. This modification will help to better identify the current financial position of tour operators and more accurately identify causes that hinder the development of financial performance of the selected sample of enterprises. However, after adjusting the upper and lower quartile averages of a particular industry, this methodology is applicable in the wider context of enterprises, not only those operating in the tourism sector.

The Service Sector in the Economy in Poland and European Union Countries

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-207
Author(s):  
Walentyna Kwiatkowska
Keyword(s):  
Service Sector ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Total Employment ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Gross Value Added ◽  
European Union Countries ◽  
Service Sectors ◽  
Sector Theory ◽  
The Eu

The role of the service sector in the economy is increasing in the process of socio-economic development. This tendency has been confirmed and explained by the three-sector theory formulated by A.G.B. Fisher, C. Clark, and J. Fourastie. The main goal of the paper is to show development tendencies in service sectors in Poland and the EU countries and assess them in view of the three-sector theory. The share of the service sector in the total employment and in the total gross value added in the years 2005-2013/2014 will be analysed together with two sub-sectors including market and non-market services. The research shows that the share of the service sector in total employment and total gross value added has been recently increasing in Poland as well as in other EU countries, but there is a gap in this process between Poland and the most developed EU countries. Moreover, in Poland, the role of market services has been recently increasing much faster than the role of non-market services. 

scholarly journals Women’s Economic Empowerment in Vietnam: Performance and Constraints of Female-Led Manufacturing SMEs

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
MinhTam Bui ◽  
Trinh Q. Long
Keyword(s):  
Labor Productivity ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Medium Enterprises

This paper identifies whether there was a performance difference among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) led by men and by women in Vietnam during the period 2005–2013 and aims to provide explanations for the differences, if any, in various performance indicators. The paper adopts a quantitative approach using a firm-level panel dataset in the manufacturing sector in 10 provinces/cities in Vietnam in five waves from 2005 to 2013. Fixed effect models are estimated to examine the influence of firm variables and demographic, human capital characteristics of owners/managers on firms’ value added, labor productivity and employment creation. We found that men led MSMEs did not outperform those led by women on average. Although the average value added was lower for female-led firms in the informal sector, the opposite was true in the formal sector where women tend to lead medium-size firms with higher value added and labor productivity. The performance disparity was more envisaged across levels of formality and less clear from a gender perspective. Moreover, while firms owned by businessmen seemed to create more jobs, firms owned by women had a higher share of female employees. No significant difference in business constraints faced by women and by men was found.

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