Critical Assessment of Banking Institutions in South Africa

Banks play an important role in a country’s economy through investments, deposits and withdrawals. Many banking products are sold to clients to meet their financial needs and obligations. Their performances are therefore very critical in supporting socio economic development. Financial institutions still facing challenges linked to the lack of financial previsions through the use of financial tool that allows preventing financial distress. Banks are not always well-managed because managers lack capacity and the sound knowledge in dealing effectively with the analysis of risk and return and decision-making. The current study highlights and gives orientations on key performance indicators that bank can use to manage their financial conditions in advance in a sustainable manner. The major objective of this research is to critically assess the South African banks performance using Financial Ratio Analysis (FRA)and descriptive statistics through comparative financial statement analysis form 2010 to 2013 between“ the big four†South African banks. In using correlational analysis, the study aim to establish the link between exogenous and endogenous variables of bank performance. The results showed that FirstRand bank was the best achiever with a higher level of performance following by Standard bank, then Absa and Nedbank. Furthermore, it appears that there is a strong relationship between bank performance and bank size because the volume of assets represents the bigger source of bank incomes. This study opens door to further study including both large and small banks and a comparative analysis between two research methods. The paper is divided into five major sections

Seroprevalence of avian leukosis virus in local chickens in five live bird markets, Kaduna metropolis, North-western Nigeria

Avian leukosis virus is recognized as an important viral pathogen in the poultry industry, resulting in salient severe economic losses due to reduced production, uneven flock growth rates, reduced growth, and immunosuppression which predispose affected birds to other infections. This study examined the seroprevalence of avian leukosis virus (ALV) in local chickens (LC) in 5 different live bird markets (LBMs) in Kaduna Metropolis. A total of 276 sera were tested for ALV p27 antigen using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). An overall seroprevalence of 28.3% (78/276) was recorded in the study. At the market level, the seroprevalence of 35% (21/60), 30% (18/60), 32% (16/50), 28.6% (16/56), and 14% (7/50) were recorded for Sabon Tasha, Central market, Railway station, Kawo and Sokoto Road LBMs respectively. With regards to sex, female LC showed a significantly higher prevalence of 30.5% (46/105) compared to male chickens 26.9% (46/171) with no significant difference (P > 0.05) observed. This study established the presence of antigen to ALV in local chickens sold in LBMs. We recommend surveillance and further studies on the isolation, molecular characterization and pathogenicity of ALV in the study area

Nonparametric estimation of copulas and copula densities by orthogonal projections

42 pages, 6 figures, 9 tablesIn this paper we study nonparametric estimators of copulas and copula densities. We first focus our study on a density copula estimator based on a polynomial orthogonal projection of the joint density. A new copula estimator is then deduced. Its asymptotic properties are studied: we provide a large functional class for which this construction is optimal in the minimax and maxiset sense and we propose a method selection for the smoothing parameter. An intensive simulation study shows the very good performance of both copulas and copula densities estimators which we compare to a large panel of competitors. A real dataset in actuarial science illustrates this approach

Externalités de voisinage, communication entre agents et Pareto optimalité : étude théorique et par un SMA

National audienceLes auteurs s'intéressent à des interactions entre processus de production localisés et voisins sur une grille de voisinage donnée, telles que les décisions prises par les agents économiques qui les contrôlent. Ces interactions ont une influence sur le résultat des voisins et cela, sans qu'il soit possible d'attribuer l'effet en question à un agent en particulier (anonymat de l'effet externe). Les auteurs étudient cet effet d'externalité de voisinage, et spécifiquement le cas d'une externalité de production. L'externalité peut être positive ou négative. La présence d'externalité peut être connue ex ante ou constatée ex post. Cela ne change pas fondamentalement le problème, si ce n'est au stade des réponses plus ou moins adaptées qui peuvent être apportées. L'objectif dans ce document est double : partant d'un exemple le plus simple possible d'externalité de voisinage, les auteurs en font d'abord une approche analytique en le ramenant aux travaux antérieurs, notamment deux de Herz (1994) et de Lebreton et Weber (1995). Ils le développent ensuite dans un contexte multi-agents, sur la plate-forme de simulation CORMAS et ils étudient la formation des coalitions via la communication entre agents. Les conséquences sur la structuration de l'espace, et sur le caractère Pareto-Optimal de la structure spatiale obtenue, sont analysées

ESSAIS DE STABILISATION DE LA LATERITE AVEC LES FIBRES CELLULOSIQUES

RÉSUMÉ:- Afin de valoriser les matières premières locales, des blocs de latérite comprimée ont été stabilisés par des fibres cellulosiques provenant du Cyperus papyrus (cyperus), fibres longues et du Manihot esculenta (manioc), fibres courtes. Ainsi, la plus grande valeur de la résistance à la flexion statique à sec, 2,5 MPa, a été obtenue avec des blocs de latérite comprimée stabilisés à 5% de fibres longues. A cette même teneur, les blocs de latérite contenant les fibres courtes donnent une résistance inférieure, soit 1,69 MPa. De façon inattendue, à 10% de fibres courtes, la résistance à la flexion à sec des briques (2,47 MPa) est supérieure à celle des briques à fibres longues à teneur égale (2,08 MPa). La résistance à la flexion humide de tous ces blocs apparaît nulle avec, cependant une conservation du réseau des blocs de latérite contenant les fibres cellulosiques du cyperus et du manioc à des teneurs supérieures ou égales à 5%. Les briques absorbent l'eau de remontée capillaire en fonction de leur teneur en fibres cellulosiques et de la nature de ces dernières. Pour les briques non stabilisées, le pourcentage d'eau absorbée est de 9,5%. A 7,5% de fibres longues, il n'est plus que 6,0%, alors qu'à 10% de fibres longues, il monte à 15,3% pendant que celui des fibres courtes atteint la valeur de 16,2% au bout d'une période de 22 heures. Mot clés: latérite, briques stabilisées, fibres cellulosiques, résistance à la flexion, absorption par capillarité. ABSTRACT:- In order to give added value to local raw materials, compressed laterite bricks have been stabilised with cellulose fibres of Cyperus papyrus (cyperus), long fibres and Manihot esculenta (cassava), short fibres. The highest value of the dry flexural resistance, 2.53 MPa, was obtained with blocks stabilised at 5% long fibres content. At the same content the blocks of laterite containing short fibres gave a dry flexural resistance of 2.47 MPa which is higher than the value of 2.08 MPa for long fibres. The wet flexural resistance of all blocks is zero. But it can be noted that bricks containing cellulose fibres of cyperus and cassava at percentages higher or equal to 5% conserve their shape during complete immersion. The bricks absorbed water by capillarity depending on the nature and the percentage content of cellulose fibres. After a period of 22 hours, bricks containing 7.5% long fibres absorbed 6.0% water, less than 9.5% for unstabilised bricks; while at 10% of long fibres, absorption increased to 15.3%. In the same period, with 10% short fibres, the percentage water absorbed rose to 16.2%, indicating the better performance of the longer fibres. Key words: laterite, stabilised bricks, cellulose fibres, flexural resistance, absorption by capillarity. African Journal of Science and Technology Vol.5(1) 2004: 22-2

Externalités de voisinage, communication entre agents et Pareto optimalité : étude théorique et par un SMA

National audienceLes auteurs s'intéressent à des interactions entre processus de production localisés et voisins sur une grille de voisinage donnée, telles que les décisions prises par les agents économiques qui les contrôlent. Ces interactions ont une influence sur le résultat des voisins et cela, sans qu'il soit possible d'attribuer l'effet en question à un agent en particulier (anonymat de l'effet externe). Les auteurs étudient cet effet d'externalité de voisinage, et spécifiquement le cas d'une externalité de production. L'externalité peut être positive ou négative. La présence d'externalité peut être connue ex ante ou constatée ex post. Cela ne change pas fondamentalement le problème, si ce n'est au stade des réponses plus ou moins adaptées qui peuvent être apportées. L'objectif dans ce document est double : partant d'un exemple le plus simple possible d'externalité de voisinage, les auteurs en font d'abord une approche analytique en le ramenant aux travaux antérieurs, notamment deux de Herz (1994) et de Lebreton et Weber (1995). Ils le développent ensuite dans un contexte multi-agents, sur la plate-forme de simulation CORMAS et ils étudient la formation des coalitions via la communication entre agents. Les conséquences sur la structuration de l'espace, et sur le caractère Pareto-Optimal de la structure spatiale obtenue, sont analysées

A Framework for Good Health Governance During the Covid-19 Pandemic Response and Recovery in South Africa

From the Ubuntu philosophy to peace management, good governance application enables socioeconomic and environmental development. It happens that a fear atmosphere due to global disaster in health care management compromise good governance sustainability. This study seeks to design a framework for good health governance during the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic response and recovery in South Africa. Using a case study, research data were collected through questionnaire and analysed using correlation, variance and regression tools in statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). 75%, 74%, 69% and 82% of respondents agreed and strongly agreed that good health governance metrics, government modernisation, pandemic governance strategies and pandemic governance challenges constitute the components of an effective framework for good health governance during the response and the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, there was a positive, strong and significant connection between the framework for good health governance and its constituents. Although health measures were taken at the early stage to limit the severe consequences of the pandemic in South Africa, the government is still required to redouble efforts in implementing rules of laws, initiate and develop capacity building, build integrity cultures together with the implementation of e-governance to ensure effective responsiveness and recovery. Countries in respective regions around the world should join forces to combat the spread of the virus through adoption of International good health governance solutions as proposed by the World Health Organisations. In South Africa specifically, government should incessantly initialise post-pandemic resolutions beforehand to counterattack continuous shocks on the country' economic growth

Strategic Entrepreneurship Risk-taking on Technological Opportunism to Enhance Revenues and Manage Bank Viability in Competitiveness

The risk of relying on technology within organizations is whether it generates success and profits related to the objectives of the overall plan or no success and loss of objectives and finances in opposite. As a result, strategic entrepreneurship can be used to develop methods of asserting whether the introduction of new models or tools can lead to intended outcomes. Entrepreneurial strategy underpins several concepts that support the development of an outcome to expect from both entrepreneurial orientations and planning flexibility; in particular, risk-taking, responsiveness and innovation, which can be measured in the course of operations, in order to determine, if they exist, moderating and mediating factors between technological opportunism and performance of organisations achieving a high rate of success through a new product, revenue growth, ROI ( return on investment), substantial share of the market, or outstanding lucrativeness.This article investigated the technological opportunism effects on the performance of firm and the effects of mediating and moderating of risk taking in strategic entrepreneurship. The banking sector is the domain in which the influence of risk-taking was assessed using hypotheses

O tempora O mores: Building an epistemological procedure for modelling the socio-anthropological factors of rural Neolithic socio-ecological systems: Stakes, choices, hypotheses and constraints

International audienceTrying to model a rural society, and even more so a past and disappeared rural society, is a dangerous task in the sense that we deal with the complexity of a whole society whatever the purpose of the model, to integrate and/or to simplify in a proper manner. This article deals with this complexity mainly by exploring the least risky way to apprehend it: starting from the question to be modeled, it is possible to gradually define the different scales, the set of variables to be considered, and therefore the disciplines to be included and mobilized. Then comes only the evaluation of the data quality criteria but also of their source. We are continuing with the scheduling of modules describing the environment itself, the resource use practices, and finally societal rules. Finally, we discuss the methodological, social, and professional constraints in involving people in the creation of such models