The Corporatization and Commercialization of Local Body Entities: A Study of Reported Financial Performance

Authors: Hooks, Jill; Van Staden, Chris

Source: Abacus, Volume 43, Number 2, June 2007 , pp. 217-240(24)

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Abstract:

This research examines the financial performance of three entities over a fifteen-year period. The aim is to determine the influence of corporatization, commercialization and ownership form on the reported financial performance of the three entities. Underpinning this is the premise, derived from the literature, that financial performance and funding can be expected to change following corporatization and commercialization and will reflect the effects of the form of corporate ownership.

A comparison of four performance measures shows that the reported financial performance of the entities improved following corporatization and that their gearing changed. Although the entities were initially similar and faced the same regulatory changes, there were definite differences in the resulting financial performance and gearing between the three entities. In general, by the end of the study period the privatized company was the largest and the one with the highest gearing, the highest ROA and the highest profit margin, whereas the public (council-owned) company was the smallest and had the lowest profitability. The trust-owned company performed in between these two, but on average its performance was closer to that of the public company. The study concludes that corporatization, commercialization and ownership form influenced financial performance and the level of debt funding.

Keywords: Corporatization; Commercialization; Deprival value; Performance; Rate of return

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6281.2007.00226.x

Affiliations: 1: Massey University

Publication date: 2007-06-01