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The purpose of this chapter is to cover banking efficiency using the concept of the Meta frontier function and to study group and subgroup differences in the production technology. This study estimates the technical efficiency (TE) and technology gap ratios (TGRs) for banks in Islamic countries. Using the assumption of the convex hull of the Meta frontier production set using the virtual Meta frontier within the nonparametric approach as presented by Battese and Rao (2002), Battese et al. (2004), and O'Donnell et al. (2007, 2008) and after relaxing this assumption, the study investigates if there is a significant difference between these two methods. To overcome the deterministic criterion addressed to nonparametric approach, the bootstrapping technique has been applied. The first part of this chapter covers the analytical framework necessary for the definition of a Meta frontier function and its estimation using nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) in the case where we impose the assumption of the convex production set and follows in the case of relaxation of this assumption. Then we estimated the TE and the TGR in concave and nonconcave Meta frontier cases by applying the Bootstrap-DEA approach. The empirical part will be reserved for highlighting these methods on data bank to study the technical and technological performance level and prove if there is a difference between the two methods. Three groups of banks namely commercial, investment, and Islamic banks in 17 Islamic countries over a period of 16 years between 1996 and 2011 are used.

The purpose of this study was to determine the requirements and guidelines for the disclosure of taxation information in the financial reports of South African companies in order to determine the extent to which leading South African companies comply with these requirements and guidelines. It was determined that there are comprehensive requirements and guidelines in respect of the disclosure of taxation information in the financial reports of South African companies. These requirements and guidelines are regulated by the Companies Act, No. 61 of 1973, as well as the statements of Generally Accepted Accounting Practice that are issued by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. The analyses undertaken of the financial statements of the selected companies indicate that leading companies in South Africa comply to a large extent with the requirements and guidelines for the disclosure of taxation information in financial reports.

In the light of the acceleration in the international and local information and knowledge revolution, the University of Stellenbosch (US) has introduced an e‐learning strategy to gain maximum benefit from the developments in information technology. In support of this strategy, the US has implemented WebCT as an electronic course management system. Subsequent consultations have revealed doubt among accounting lecturers and students about the effectiveness of WebCT assessment of tests in Financial Accounting. The purpose of the study was therefore to investigate this perception on the basis of the available literature, our own experience, categories of student learning and feedback from students. The WebCT assessment function was also contrasted with traditional assessment methods. It was concluded that although WebCT is not a quick fix, it could be implemented successfully in bigger classes, provided that innovative lecturers are responsible for these classes.

The amendement of the carriculum for the so‐called four‐year LLB degree that has been presented at universities since 1998 put great pressure on faculties of law at that time, because they had to reflect on the curriculum for the degree over a relatively short period. Legal Accounting was one of the courses that were probably included by most universities as optional subjects in the curriculum and no longer as a compulsory subject as the situation used to be for the BProc degree. However, the admission examination for attorneys still includes an examination paper on Legal Accounting. Therefore an increasing number of students have to sit for this examination without having attended a course in Legal Accounting. In the light of this situation, two research projects were undertaken in 1997 to determine the views of attorneys and prospective attorneys on accounting training for the two groups. As three years have passed and persons with the four‐year LLB degree are entering the legal profession, it was decided to repeat the project to determine whether the views of the two groups of respondents had changed since the previous project. In this article, the views of the practising attorneys and prospective attorneys are discussed and compared with the results of the 1997 project.

This paper reports on an investigation into the possibility of implementing activity‐based costing and activity‐based management in the Fuel Purchases Department of Eskom. This Department purchases coal from various mines on behalf of ten power stations. The problem is that power stations are charged by the Fuel Purchases Department in accordance with the quantity of coal that is purchased on their behalf and in not accordance with the quantity of work done. Activity‐based costing resolves this problem by using seven cost pools and seven cost drivers to allocate the cost of the Fuel Purchases Department to the power stations. This leads to a more accurate cost allocation and cross‐subsidising between power stations is also eliminated. Activity‐based costing also provides information on activities in the Department. This clears the way for activity‐based management.

Collective Investment Schemes in Securities (‘CISS’) and Collective Investment Schemes in Property (CISP’) are common business vehicles in the South African economy. Nevertheless, there is still some uncertainty with regard to the tax treatment of these business structures, as the application of the specific income tax and capital gains tax provisions applicable to CISS and CISP results in several anomalies. The purpose of this article is to identify and highlight these anomalies by discussing the specific income tax and capital gains tax provisions applicable to CISS and CISP, and to suggest how some of these anomalies should be treated for tax purposes. It is submitted that the legislator did not consider the legal nature and practical operation of a CISS when the tax provisions for CISS were drafted. The tax treatment of CISP is also not without difficulties, especially where the CISP is constituted as an open‐ended investment company (OEIC’).

The progressive importance of the small business sector to the facilitation of economic growth that is necessary for the creation of job opportunities in South Africa, cannot be overemphasised. The role which tax reform plays in the encouragement of the small business sector is of the utmost importance in providing an enabling environment. The purpose of this article is to address the less advantageous treatment of, especially, assessed losses in the corporate form as opposed to the non‐corporate form. In the course thereof an alternative tax proposal, based on the working of the S Corporation in the United States of America, is put forward, which could improve neutrality between the various enterprise forms. The tax treatment and functioning of the S Corporation is investigated to determine the applicability and practicality of such a treatment of assessed losses and profits for the corporate form in South Africa. Such an application is necessary because of the assumed influence that the treatment of assessed losses have in the choice of an enterprise form. This choice should, however, be based on economic considerations rather than on tax considerations. A neutral tax system should not influence people to choose one course of action above another mainly or solely because their position is more favourable under one of the options.

Caching is commonly used to improve the performance of mobile computers. Due to the limitations of wireless networks (e.g. low bandwidth, intermittent connectivity), ensuring the consistency of cached data becomes a difficult issue. Existing research have shown that broadcast‐based cache invalidation techniques can effectively maintain cache consistency for mobile applications. However, most existing performance analysis of cache invalidation algorithms were carried out through simulation. Therefore, an analytical study is important to provide a deeper understanding of broadcast‐based invalidation techniques. In this paper, we present detailed analytical models of the major existing cache invalidation schemes. The models provide a basis to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the different schemes and facilitate further investigation into cache invalidation for mobile environments. Extensive simulation has also been performed, and verifies the accuracy of the models developed.

Scrip dividend schemes provide shareholders with the option to choose shares instead of a cash dividend. Scrip dividends became popular in South Africa after the introduction of Secondary Tax on Companies (STC) in 1993. Thus far, no guidance on the recognition, measurement or disclosure of scrip dividends has been issued by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). This article proposes disclosure regarding scrip dividend schemes that will provide relevant information to the users of financial statements. The proposed disclosure is based on the assumption that entities recognise and measure scrip dividends in accordance with the re‐investment method, as opposed to the capitalisation issue method.

Scrip dividends have become increasingly popular in South Africa since the introduction of secondary tax on companies (STC) in the 1993 budget. To date there is no accounting standard in South Africa that prescribes a particular accounting treatment for scrip dividends; therefore, different accounting approaches are used in South Africa to account for scrip dividends. These different approaches do not always meet the substance over form principle, as required by Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAAP). The result is that the information disclosed to the users of the financial statements differs from company to company. This study proposes an accounting treatment for scrip dividend schemes in South Africa. It concludes that the reinvestment approach is the most acceptable accounting treatment for scrip dividend schemes in South Africa.