Acta Commercii最新文献

{"title":"Talent retention strategies: An exploratory study within the consulting industry in Gauteng province, South Africa","authors":"C. Mabaso, Malose T. Maja, Makan Kavir, Lesego Lekwape, Shereen S. Makhasane, Mbali T. Khumalo","doi":"10.4102/AC.V21I1.885","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/AC.V21I1.885","url":null,"abstract":"According to Consultancy (2018), the consulting industry is worth approximately R125 billion with 60 000 professionals. The consulting industry accounts for over half of the African continent’s overall industry and it has grown in recent years. The consultancy industry globally has however witnessed a paradigm shift over the past few years in terms of its nature, level of technology and overall scope of work (Srinivasan 2014). Over the last few decades, business consulting has recorded continuous and significant dynamic growth. The great economic relevance of the consulting industry has attracted many young professionals (Nissen 2019). However, the industry has also experienced some major changes over the past few years. These changes inform the introduction of new business processes and the approaches in designing their compensation system to retain talent. The objective of many organisations is to remain in, or gain, a competitive advantage within the market and to deliver more value to their stakeholders (Liberty 2017). This is often a challenge in the consulting industry as organisations struggle to attain commitment from their employees. The current study aims to bridge the gap by suggesting initiatives for retaining talent. In the consulting industry, which is a knowledge-intensive industry, human resources (HR) are considered to be the most important asset (Badiyala 2015), and maintaining their performance and retaining them is of particular importance. Orientation: The consultancy industry globally has witnessed a paradigm shift over the past few years in terms of its nature, employee turnover and attraction and retention of talent. These changes have posed a challenge because the industry struggles to attain commitment from their employees.","PeriodicalId":55663,"journal":{"name":"Acta Commercii","volume":"48 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85413794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strategic positioning of a motorcycle manufacturer within the Fourth Industrial Revolution","authors":"Zoé J. Bosch, D. Rossouw","doi":"10.4102/AC.V21I1.907","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/AC.V21I1.907","url":null,"abstract":"motorcycle industry faces a declining market, an additional challenge remains – the movement of the market into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), calling for strategic amendments. Research purpose: The purpose of this research was to investigate and analyse the current strategies of a specific manufacturer, with the aim of establishing a strategic positioning suitable for the 4IR to gain a competitive advantage. Motivation for the study: Acquired knowledge resulted in the establishment of various suggestions and recommendations, benefitting the manufacturer to gain a competitive advantage in the 4IR and thus strengthening its strategic positioning. Research design, approach and method: Following an interpretive paradigm, a qualitative approach was used, allowing for in-depth analysis of 29 semi-structured interviews at five different dealerships and the regional head office in South Africa. Interviewees were selected using purposive and convenience sampling for the initial contact with the individual dealerships and regional head office of the motorcycle manufacturer. Thereafter, further interviewees were acquired based on the study requirements. Content analysis was applied to analyse the data. Main findings: Some interviewees were less acquainted with the strategy and positioning of the manufacturer. Strong customer engagement strategies are necessary whilst targeting new markets. Practical/managerial implications: Additional training is required, ensuring the equal acquisition of knowledge amongst employees. The introduction of technologies and the 4IR to customers is required to grow the market. New markets need to be identified and analysed to ensure efficient targeting. Contribution/value-add: Whilst South Africa addresses the 4IR differently to Europe; this study’s focus provides insights for the specific manufacturer to accurately conquer the changing environment.","PeriodicalId":55663,"journal":{"name":"Acta Commercii","volume":"76 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80477748","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The trend and composition of payout methods over a period of tax reform: Evidence from JSE-listed companies","authors":"R. Nel, N. Wesson","doi":"10.4102/AC.V21I1.882","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/AC.V21I1.882","url":null,"abstract":"Orientation: This study investigated the trend and composition of total payout distributed by companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) over a period of tax reform.Research purpose: The aim was to investigate whether the payout methods post-2012, after the introduction of dividends tax, differed from pre-2012.Motivation for the study: Tax-related dividend literature predominantly explores the implications of differential taxes on dividends and of capital gains on dividends with a limited focus on total payout. The setting to investigate the total payout of JSE-listed companies is also unique as a result of South African tax reform.Research design, approach and method: Descriptive statistics and a mixed-model analysis of variance were employed to describe the payout methods (dividends, capital distributions, additional shares and share repurchases) in rand value and frequency of election. The population comprised of 116 JSE-listed companies for the financial reporting periods 2006–2018.Main findings: Ordinary dividends increased post-2012 whilst other payout, except for additional shares, decreased post-2012. An increase in scrip dividends (additional shares with a cash alternative) post-2012 confers flexibility to shareholders to manage their own financial needs, including tax considerations.Practical/managerial implications: The policy implication is that the increasing use of ordinary dividends as a payout method could inform future government initiatives to generate revenue or provide tax incentives for saving.Contribution/value-add: Submitted as the first article to investigate total payout of JSE-listed companies over a period of tax reform to provide evidence that payout policies adjusted based on the differential tax on dividends and capital gains.","PeriodicalId":55663,"journal":{"name":"Acta Commercii","volume":"96 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89636522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying the determinants of outward foreign direct investment decisions of South African retail enterprises investing into Africa","authors":"D. Chizema, E. Kleynhans, H. Bezuidenhout, Gabriel Mhonyera","doi":"10.4102/AC.V21I1.895","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/AC.V21I1.895","url":null,"abstract":"Foreign direct investment (FDI) is not a new phenomenon. In fact, the significance of FDI as a source of economic growth has increased rapidly over the past decades (Carril-Caccia & Pavlova 2018). Although many definitions of FDI exist in literature, it is widely accepted that FDI is an investment involving a long-term relationship and reflecting a lasting interest of a resident entity in one country on an enterprise resident in another country (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development [UNCTAD] 1999). The ‘lasting interest’ signals a substantial level of control in the management of the FDI enterprise and the continuation of an innate relationship between the foreign direct investor and the FDI enterprise. This is typically evident in the ownership of at least 10% of the voting rights of an entity resident in one country by an entity resident in another country (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2002). Orientation: Whilst Africa is a lucrative market with many opportunities for all types of retailers, expanding into the continent is not without its own challenges. Therefore, foreign direct investors have to make strategic decisions.","PeriodicalId":55663,"journal":{"name":"Acta Commercii","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85058904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Opportunities and challenges of social media in supply chain management: A study in the South African FMCG retail industry","authors":"Furaha Tungande, A. Meyer, W. Niemann","doi":"10.4102/ac.v20i1.864","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v20i1.864","url":null,"abstract":"Social media is often described a double-edged sword, yielding opportunities and challenges. It brings organisations closer to their customers, and when executed properly it can help drive business and provide a significant return on investment. Research purpose: To explore the opportunities and challenges that social media has created in SCM in the South African FMCG retail industry. Motivation for the study: Limited research has been conducted on the innate link between supply chain management (SCM) and social media, especially within the context of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) retail industry and within a developing country context such as South Africa. Research design, approach and method: A generic qualitative research approach was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 top and middle managers from the South African FMCG retail industry. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. This was done in sequential phases, namely by data familiarisation, generating codes, identifying themes, constructing thematic networks and drawing conclusions from the data. Main findings: The findings indicate that social media has created faster and more collaborative communication between an organisation's suppliers and their customers. However, it has also empowered consumers and forced FMCG retailers to respond faster to consumer complaints and queries to maintain customer relationships for sustained competitive advantage. The lack of control over content that is shared by customers on organisations' social media platforms is a challenge that organisations experienced. The predominant social media platforms found to be used were WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. Practical/managerial implications: Traditional methods of communicating are changing, and organisations need to adapt to social media as an alternative form of technology customer engagement and relationship management. For managers, if social media is embedded in the supply chain, the supply chain can gather information from a broad base of different sources. Contribution/value-add: This collective intelligence can be used to uncover evolving trends or for better-informed decision-making, planning and overall collaboration between supply chain partners.","PeriodicalId":55663,"journal":{"name":"Acta Commercii","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73435272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Supply chain risk management and operational performance in the food retail industry in Zimbabwe","authors":"Le-roy T. Mutekwe, C. Mafini, E. Chinomona","doi":"10.4102/ac.v20i1.863","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v20i1.863","url":null,"abstract":"Orientation: Supply chain risk management in the Zimbabwean business context is under researched, presenting numerous opportunities for further empirical investigations. This article is an attempt to address manifest research gaps in this area, using the food retail environment as a practical case.Research purpose: To investigate the nexus between supply chain risk management and operational performance in the food retail industry in Zimbabwe.Motivation for the study: The food retail industry in Zimbabwe faces numerous supply chain risks, as most of the products sold are imported. It is essential to understand how the management of these supply chain risks impacts the operational performance of firms.Research approach, design and method: The study employed a quantitative survey design, using a sample of 227 food retail firm managers and supply chain professionals based in Harare. The collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling.Main findings: The results of the study showed significant positive relationships between supply chain risk management and risk information sharing and risk analysis and assessment. Further significant positive relationships were observed between risk analysis and assessment and risk-sharing mechanisms. In turn, risk-sharing mechanisms significantly predicted operational performance. However, no significant direct relationship was observed between supply chain risk management and operational performance.Practical/managerial implications: The study demonstrates that the operational performance of food retailing firms can be improved significantly through the institutionalisation of the mediating variables (risk information sharing, risk analysis and assessment, risk-sharing mechanisms) considered in this study. Management in the food retail industry may use the results of this study as a problem-solving framework for addressing operational constraints.Contributions/value-add: The study provides information that aids in the understanding of supply chain risk management, risk information sharing, risk analysis and assessment, risk-sharing mechanisms and operational performance, as well as the connection between them in a food retail context.","PeriodicalId":55663,"journal":{"name":"Acta Commercii","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76412282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum: Customer experience, satisfaction and loyalty in business-to-business markets: Does the chain hold across customer segments?","authors":"G. Human, Caitlin C. Ferreira, Jeandri Robertson, Michelle Witherspoon","doi":"10.4102/ac.v20i1.899","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v20i1.899","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55663,"journal":{"name":"Acta Commercii","volume":"2613 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77954692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating the impact of antecedents of internal audit function effectiveness at a private university in Ghana","authors":"Ophelia A. Mensah, B. Ngwenya, Theuns G. Pelser","doi":"10.4102/ac.v20i1.778","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v20i1.778","url":null,"abstract":"Main findings: The results reveal that, independence of the internal auditing staff (mean = 6.05, standard deviation [SD] = 1.032); their competence (mean = 6.00, SD = 1.132); and support and commitment of management (mean = 4.80, SD = 1.679) have impact on the effectiveness of internal auditing (mean = 6.44, SD = 0.863). Further more, the antecedents (r = 0.834*, r2 = 0.686, p < 0.01, adj. r2 = 0.677) have a positive correlation with internal audit effectiveness, and collectively account for 68.6% of the effectiveness of internal audit function.","PeriodicalId":55663,"journal":{"name":"Acta Commercii","volume":"63 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74129458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Employment growth constraints of informal enterprises in Diepsloot, Johannesburg","authors":"Christina M. Ledingoane, Jacoba M. M. Viljoen","doi":"10.4102/ac.v20i1.827","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v20i1.827","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55663,"journal":{"name":"Acta Commercii","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79427033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating the subjective well-being of the informally employed: A case study of day labourers in Windhoek and Pretoria","authors":"Anthonie M. Van Wyk, P. Blaauw, Anmar Pretorius, Rinie Schenck, R. Freeman","doi":"10.4102/AC.V20I1.825","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/AC.V20I1.825","url":null,"abstract":"According to the official definition of unemployment, the latest figure puts unemployment in South Africa, which is the 103rd happiest country in the world, at 29.1% in the fourth quarter of 2019. Youth unemployment is more than 50% (Helliwell, Huang & Wang 2019; Statistics South Africa 2020). These are the highest levels of unemployment since 2008 and the onset of the world financial crisis. The expanded definition of unemployment, which includes those who are no longer looking for work, is 38.5%. This represents more than 10 million people (Statistics South Africa 2020). To put this into further perspective: South Africa, with a population of around 58 m people, has the same absolute number of unemployed people than the USA, with a population of around 320 m people. Namibia, which is the 113th happiest country in the world (Helliwell et al. 2019), faces similar problems of unemployment. The Namibian unemployment rate (measured using the same definition) was even higher at 33.4% in 2018 (Tradingeconomics 2019).","PeriodicalId":55663,"journal":{"name":"Acta Commercii","volume":"133 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79385151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}