Purpose: The global interest in the ability of corporate governance to increase a firm’s wealth
based on its reaction to corporate scandals/collapses has led to contestation of the agency
theory favoured by extant studies compared to stewardship and tournament theories. The
study aimed to develop a conceptual model linking RGC (RGC), executive pay, pay performance link, executive-employee pay-gap, and firm performance of JSE-listed firms.
Methodology: A pragmatism ontology and convergent parallel mixed approach was
employed on selected JSE-listed firms between 2011 and 2020. Secondary data from annual
reports, the IRESS database, and extant literature were employed to develop a RGCI and to
extract key variables including firm performance measures (FPMs) and key performance
indicators KPIs). Descriptive statistics, correlations, regression, and comparative analysis
were used to achieve research objectives.
Findings: The results indicate a declining RGC among the selected firms, a negative
association between RGC and executive pay, a positive connection between RGC and firm
performance, a negative moderating effect of RGC on the pay-performance link, a positive
moderating effect of RGC on the connection between pay-gap and firm performance, and a
disconnection of FPMs from KPIs of the JSE listed firms, suggesting a neglected endogeneity
problem.
Implications and recommendations: There is a need to enforce and monitor RGC, and to
review methodological and theoretical foundations in research that involves governance and
executive pay, performance, or pay-gap. This is since the type and nature of KPIs are
dissimilar to the FPMs, which is likely to result in research that is disconnected from what is
happening in practice.
Contribution to knowledge: The study is the first to have selected firms from the full range
of JSE listed firms, with specific focus on RGC post-King III and IV, tested RGC moderation
effect, compared FPMs against KPIs, studied pay-gap locally and used firm performance
proxies aligned with practice. The study has also identified methodological flaws and
challenged the agency theory.
Injongo: Umdla wehlabathi jikelele ekukwazini kolawulo lwenkampani ukwandisa ubutyebi
befemu ngokusekelwe kwindlela esabela ngayo kumahlazo / ukuwa kwenkampani
kukhokelele ekukhuphisaneni kwengcamango yeagency theory ethandwa zizifundo
ezikhoyo, xa kuthelekiswa ukulawula/ukuphatha kunye netournament theories. Uphando
lujoliswe ekuphuhliseni imodeli yengqiqo edibanisa ukuthotyelwa kolawulo lwemivuzo
(iRGC), umvuzo wesigqeba, unxibelelwano lomvuzo wokusebenza, umsantsa kumvuzo
womsebenzi osisigqeba, kunye nokusebenza okuzinzileyo kweefemu ezidweliswe kwiJSE.
Isikholelo sophando/imethodoloji: Kusetyenziswe ipragmatism ontology kunye nendlela
yohlalutyo lwedatha yophandontyilazwi nolweenkcukachamanani (iconvergent parallel mixed
approach) ekujongeni iifemu ezikhethiweyo ezidweliswe kwiJSE phakathi kuka2011 no2020.
Kukwasetyenziswe idatha elandelayo evela kwiingxelo zonyaka, ulwazi olucwangcisiweyo
olukwikhompyutha/idathabheyisi yeIRESS, uncwadi olukhoyo ukuphuhlisa isalathiso seRGC
kunye nokukhupha iinguqu eziphambili, kubandakanya amanyathelo okusebenza
okuzinzileyo (iFPMs) kunye nezalathisi eziphambili zokusebenza (iKPIs). Kusetyenziswe
iinkcukachamanani ezichazayo, ukuhambelana, ubudlelwana kwiinguqu ezixhomekekileyo
nezizimeleyo, kunye nohlalutyo oluthelekisayo ukufezekisa iinjongo zophando.
Iziphumo: Iziphumo zibonisa ukuhla kweRGC phakathi kweefemu ezikhethiweyo,
unxulumano olungalunganga phakathi kweRGC kunye nomvuzo wesigqeba, unxibelelwano
oluhle phakathi kweRGC kunye nokusebenza okuzinzileyo, ifuthe elingalunganga
lokumodareyitha leRGC kunxibelelwano lokuhlawula ukusebenza, ifuthe elihle
lokumodareyitha leRGC kunxibelelwano phakathi komsantsa kumvuzo kunye nokusebenza
okuzinzileyo, kunye nokwahlukana kweFPMs ezivela kwiKPIs zeefemu ezidwelisiweyo
kwiJSE, okubonisa ingxaki yempembelelo engakhathalelwanga.
Iziphumo kunye neengcebiso: Kukho isidingo sokunyanzelisa nokubeka iliso kwiRGC,
kunye nokuphonononga iziseko zesikhokelo sophando kunye nethiyori kuphando
olubandakanya ulawulo kunye nomvuzo wesigqeba, ukusebenza, okanye umsantsa
kumvuzo. Oku kungenxa yohlobo kunye nokungafani kokudalwa kweKPIs neFPMs,
okunokwenzeka ukuba ziphumele kuphando olwahlukeneyo koko kwenziwayo.
Igalelo kulwazi: Olu phando lolokuqala ukuba nezi nkalo zilandelayo: iifemu ezikhethiweyo
ezivela kuluhlu olupheleleyo lweefemu ezidweliswe kwiJSE, ngokugxininisa ngokukodwa
kwiRGC post-King III kunye neIV; ifuthe lokumodareyitha leRGC elivavanyiweyo; ukuthelekiswa kweFPMs neKPIs; ukufundwa komsantsa kumvuzo
ngokwalapha/ngokwasekuhlaleni; lwaze lwasebenzisa abameli bokusebenza okuzinzileyo
abahambelana noko kwenziwayo okanye umsebenzi. Olu phando luye lwachonga neziphene
zesikhokelo sophando laze lwacela umngeni weagency theory.
Sepheo: Thahasello ya lefatshe ya bokgoni ba puso ya koporasi ba ho eketsa leruo la feme
ho latela karabelo ya yona ho manyofonyofo/ho putlama ho entse hore ho be le phehisano
ya kgopolo ya lefapha le ratwang ke diphuputso tse seng di ntse di le teng, ha di bapiswa le
botsamaisi le dikgopolo tsa tlhodisano. Phuputso ena e ikemiseditse ho hlahisa moralo wa
mohopolo o hokahanyang boikamahanyo ba puso ya meputso (RGC), meputso ya
batsamaisi, lehokelo la ho lefshwa, sekgeo sa meputso ya basebetsi ba botsamaisi, le
tshebetso ya feme ya difeme tse lenaneng la JSE.
Mekgwa e sebedisitsweng phuputsong: Ho sebedisitswe katamelo ya phuputso ya se teng
ya nnete le moelelo le e kopantseng bongata le boleng ho sheba difeme tse thathamisitsweng
ho JSE pakeng tsa dilemo tsa 2011 le 2020. Dintlha tsa bobedi tse tswang ditlalehong tsa
selemo le selemo, datapeisi ya IRESS, le dingodilweng tse seng di ntse di le teng di ile tsa
sebediswa ho hlahisa indekse ya RGC le ho ntsha dintlha tse ka sehloohong, ho
kenyelletswa mehato ya tshebetso ya difeme (di-FPM) le matshwao a bohlokwa a tshebetso
(di-KPI). Ho sebedisitswe dipalo-palo tse hlalosang, dikamano, ho kgutlela morao, le
tlhahlobo ya papiso ho fihlella dipheo tsa patlisiso.
Diphumano: Diphetho di bontsha ho fokotseha ha RGC hara difeme tse kgethilweng,
mokgatlo o fosahetseng pakeng tsa RGC le meputso ya batsamaisi, kamano e ntle pakeng
tsa RGC le tshebetso ya feme, phello e mpe ya RGC ho lehokela la tshebetso ya meputso,
phello e ntle ya tekanyetso ya RGC mabapi le kamano pakeng tsa sekgeo sa meputso le
tshebetso ya feme, le ho kgaoha ha di-FPM ho tswa ho di-KPI tsa difeme tse
thathamisitsoeng ho JSE, ho fana ka maikutlo a bothata bo sa tsotellweng ba ho qetela.
Diphello le dikgothaletso: Ho na le tlhokahalo ya ho qobella le ho beha leihlo RGC, le ho
lekola mekgwa le metheo ya kgopolo-taba diphuputsong tse amang puso le meputso ya
batsamaisi, tshebetso, kapa sekgeo sa meputso. Sena se bakwa ke hore mofuta le sebopeho
tsa di-KPI di fapane le tsa di-FPM, e leng ntho e ka nnang ya fella ka patlisiso e sa amaneng
le se etsahalang tshebetsong.
Tlatsetso tsebong: Thuto ena ke ya pele ya ho ba le: difeme tse kgethilweng ho tswa
lethathamong le felletseng la difeme tse thathamisitsweng ho JSE, tse tsepamisitseng
maikutlo ho RGC kamora Morena wa III le IV; phello e entsweng teko ya RGC; di-FPM tse
bapisitsweng le di-KPI; sekgeo sa meputso se ithutilweng lehaeng; le tshebediso ya baemedi ba difeme ba tshebetso e tsamaellanang le tlwaelo. Phuputso ena e boetse e hlwaile
mefokolo ya mekgwa le ho phephetsa kgopolo ya setsi.