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The purpose of this article is to discuss the barriers to effective corporate governance principles in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Zimbabwe in order to have an influence on policy debates. This study used a qualitative research approach, and a case study research design was followed, in order to attain the objective of the research. Semi-structured interviews were carried to get the views of the respondents on barriers to effective corporate governance principles in SOEs in Zimbabwe. Respondents chosen were members of the audit committees (ACs), permanent secretaries (PSs), chief executive officers (CEOs), senior managers (SMs), board of directors (BoDs) and chief audit executives (CAEs). Respondents were chosen due to their ability to act on the study's findings and recommendations. Data was analysed using Atlas.ti version 8. The study revealed that there are cases of poor and mis-governance in SOEs in Zimbabwe. Egregious cases include non-adherence to corporate governance rules and laws, degenerating against the Public Finance Management Act, [Chapter 22:19] as well as paying ignore in the submission of the financial statements which are audited. The article therefore, recommends that for an emerging country like Zimbabwe to enjoy the advantages of effective corporate governance principles, reviewing the legislations which are currently there as well as strengthening the enforcement strategies of the regulatory institutions is of paramount importance. The findings are limited to a Zimbabwean case study alone. Be that as it may, great lessons can be drawn for other developing economies from the case study. Apart from classifying cases of poor or mal-governance in SOEs in Zimbabwe, the article gives recommendations for policy in-order to improve corporate governance in SOEs in Zimbabwe. There is a dearth of study on barriers to effective corporate governance principles in SOEs in Zimbabwe; therefore, there is a gap in the literature. Hence, the paper makes an original contribution to the literature. ...

The social security system in South Africa plays an important role in mitigating the impact of socio-economic challenges among female-headed households (FHH). Social grants are expanded by the government as a measure of reducing poverty and improving the socio-economic indicators of the poor. South Africa's social grant system is advanced and covers a wide range of vulnerable individuals over their life course from childhood to adulthood; into old age. Policy discourse surrounding the social grants focuses on the sustainability of the system and the implications to livelihood and socio-economic development. It is therefore important that the significance of social grants is shown and particularly highlight their impact on poor FHH. This study investigates the effectiveness of social grants as a safety net among FHH in Bophelong, South Africa. Data was collected from a total of 262 sampled FHH. A significantly larger proportion of FHH qualified for social assistance. Access to the old age pension, child support grant and disability grant remained relatively stable, highlighting the high take-up rate of this grant. Results indicate that social grants play an important role in poverty alleviation among FHH; this translates into a significant reduction of the incidence and severity of poverty in affected households. DOI:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n8p160

article ; The social security system in South Africa plays an important role in mitigating the impact of socio-economic challenges among female-headed households (FHH). Social grants are expanded by the government as a measure of reducing poverty and improving the socio-economic indicators of the poor. South Africa?s social grant system is advanced and covers a wide range of vulnerable individuals over their life course from childhood to adulthood; into old age. Policy discourse surrounding the social grants focuses on the sustainability of the system and the implications to livelihood and socio-economic development. It is therefore important that the significance of social grants is shown and particularly highlight their impact on poor FHH. This study investigates the effectiveness of social grants as a safety net among FHH in Bophelong, South Africa. Data was collected from a total of 262 sampled FHH. A significantly larger proportion of FHH qualified for social assistance. Access to the old age pension, child support grant and disability grant remained relatively stable, highlighting the high take-up rate of this grant. Results indicate that social grants play an important role in poverty alleviation among FHH; this translates into a significant reduction of the incidence and severity of poverty in affected households.

Military turnover involving air force staff is a unique and rare phenomenon. Eyebrows were therefore raised when it was observed that there were hundreds of aircraft technicians who were ex-members of a particular government air force organisation, and were now concentrated in one geographic location, which was distant to their homes. This incident had to be empirically investigated, and the causes for the mass exodus explained. We explored antecedent factors contributing to the mass exodus of aircraft technicians from an air force in Southern Africa. Turnover occurring in military organisations is infrequent and does not often attain disturbing levels. Nevertheless, there was an alarming mass departure of aircraft technicians from a particular air force organisation; a development which merited an empirical investigation. It is important to understand the drivers of turnover in military organisations, as this facilitates the more effective planning of various human resource practices within that organisation. A cross-sectional survey design was applied on a convenient sample of aircraft technicians (n=231). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied to identify factors contributing to the Regression analysis was used to test relationships between the extracted factor. The mean-score ranking approach was used to examine the importance of the factors relative to each other. Six factors that accounted for 64.9% of the variance were extracted, namely job satisfaction, management style, job content, employment equity, individual cognition and personality, economic and employment opportunities. Inter-factor relationships and predictor variables were identified. Among these factors, job satisfaction was found to be the most important factor and internal equity was the least important factor that contributed to the attrition of aircraft technicians. To retain their specialist staff, managers in military organisations must pay special attention to the factors identified in this study. Optimisation of these factors is important in reducing the intention to quit among specialists in military organisations. The findings of the study are useful in the attraction, reward and remuneration, selection, development, placement and retention of critical employees in military organisations. The results are important for managers intending to retain scarce skills; they provide valuable pointers for designing effective retention strategies. DOI:10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n3p523

This paper assesses risk management practices at South African universities by analyzing the extent of risk management disclosure recommended by King IV and the level of risk governance maturity. This study was motivated by #Feesmustfall disruptions, which pointed to the lack of effective risk management, preparedness for volatility and increased scrutiny by stakeholders. A qualitative content analysis using a risk disclosure checklist was conducted on 18 annual reports and analyzed using an exploratory research design. The results revealed that over 80% of the sampled South African universities have disclosed most of their risk management practices, showing an improved disclosure due to King IV's "apply and explain" philosophy as introduced in 2016. However, there were areas of improvement identified, such as: defining and approval of risk appetites and tolerance; development and implementation of business continuity plans; confirming the unpreparedness for volatility; annual revision of policies; and integration of risk management into the culture and daily activities of the university. This paper builds upon previous studies that highlighted a lack of detailed disclosures in South African organizations' annual reports. This study also provides interesting insights into the impact of social events on organizational practices and supports the notion that legislative accounting practices should echo stakeholders and societal expectations.