Japan is one of the world’s major importers of wood products. Most of the wood entering the country is destined to Japan’s house building industry. However, Japan has been an indifferent market regarding demand of wood products certified for sustainable forest management. Current pressures that may indicate a shift in market conditions include: the recent economic recovery, increasing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and the new government’s public purchasing policies (PPP) titled Timber Procurement Policies. In order to assess the market prospect (in the next 5 years) for wood products certified as coming from sustainable and/or legal sources a study was completed focusing on Japanese home builders. Data was collected through a self administered mail survey of residential builders in Japan. Results show that there is a low level of understanding, as well as willingness to adopt, forest management certification among Japanese builders. Consequently, current market demand for certified products is low and builders expect little change in consumers’ demand for wood materials certified for sustainable management as well as those certified for legality in the next five years. Builders considered the most important potential drivers for increased demand for certified and/or legal wood products to be rigorously implemented public purchasing policies, followed by increasing final consumers’ demand and the growth in CSR. Builders also estimated that the positive impact of PPPs would be rather modest but widespread. Finally, builders indicated that PPPs would favour demand for certain product categories, such as: domestic wood, softwoods, wood from plantation and to a lesser degree wood from temperate forests.

The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of factors associated with nonmedical anabolic steroid use among males ages 18-30 who do not participate in intercollegiate athletics. The Behavioral Intentions and Ergogenic Aid/Performance Enhancer use among non-intercollegiate athlete males survey instrument was developed, reviewed for content validity by a jury of experts, and pilot tested. The pilot testing results (n=25) demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach’s alpha= 0.74). The final version of the Behavioral Intentions and Ergogenic Aid/Performance Enhancer use among non-intercollegiate athlete males survey instrument was administered at two distribution sites which included Ford’s Fitness Center in Lexington, Kentucky and the Johnson Center on the University of Kentucky’s campus to non-intercollegiate athlete men between the ages of 18-30 (n=121). The final version of the survey instrument was also found to be reliable (Cronbach’s alpha= 0.86).Of the 121 respondents, 7 (5.9%) reported using nonmedical anabolic steroids at least 1-2 days a week or more. A total of 9 (7.4%) men reported intending to use nonmedical anabolic steroids within the next year. Age was found to have a statistically significant association with intention to use nonmedical anabolic steroids (p=.037).Perceived behavioral control (p=.029) was found to be the strongest predictor variable of study participants’ intention to use nonmedical anabolic steroids. Muscle mass builder use (p=.011) and muscle mass builder use in combination with multivitamin use (p=.000) were found to be significant predictors of actual nonmedical anabolic steroid use. Study participants were more likely to use nonmedical anabolic steroids if they were currently using a muscle mass builder or using a muscle mass builder in combination with a multivitamin. No decision about the effectiveness of the components of perceived behavioral control (self-efficacy and control) as a one or two part construct was possible because of the small number of study participants. Two additional demographic predictor variables were found to be statistically significant with predicting the intention to use nonmedical anabolic steroids. Being a competitive bodybuilder (p=.001) was positively correlated and being satisfied with body image (p=.025) was negatively correlated with the intention to use nonmedical anabolic steroids.

Japan is one of the world’s major importers of wood products. Most of the wood entering the country is destined to Japan’s house building industry. However, Japan has been an indifferent market regarding demand of wood products certified for sustainable forest management. Current pressures that may indicate a shift in market conditions include: the recent economic recovery, increasing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and the new government’s public purchasing policies (PPP) titled Timber Procurement Policies. In order to assess the market prospect (in the next 5 years) for wood products certified as coming from sustainable and/or legal sources a study was completed focusing on Japanese home builders. Data was collected through a self administered mail survey of residential builders in Japan. Results show that there is a low level of understanding, as well as willingness to adopt, forest management certification among Japanese builders. Consequently, current market demand for certified products is low and builders expect little change in consumers’ demand for wood materials certified for sustainable management as well as those certified for legality in the next five years. Builders considered the most important potential drivers for increased demand for certified and/or legal wood products to be rigorously implemented public purchasing policies, followed by increasing final consumers’ demand and the growth in CSR. Builders also estimated that the positive impact of PPPs would be rather modest but widespread. Finally, builders indicated that PPPs would favour demand for certain product categories, such as: domestic wood, softwoods, wood from plantation and to a lesser degree wood from temperate forests.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The study of employer associations in Australia has focused on the activities of state employers’ federations and peak employer organisations in the federal sphere and on the effect on those organisations of Australia’s compulsory conciliation and arbitration system. The majority of literature has continued to mainly focus on national employer associations and on their difficulties in achieving national unity due to the differing views of their State branches. Despite their historic relevance, state employer associations that were established during the colonial era have been virtually ignored. Whilst single industry associations at the state level have also had to come to terms with the demands of Australia’s dual industrial relations systems, the role of the state systems and of the state-based employer associations appear to have attracted comparatively little academic interest. The effect on employer associations of the character and status of those who direct and influence their operations has received little, if any, analysis. Leading builders who were the major contractors of their time established the Master Builders Association of NSW (MBA/NSW) during the colonial era, and those that led the association throughout the turmoil of the 1890s, a major depression and two world wars continued to be the leading builders in the State of New South Wales. Following the Second World War, the character of the MBA/NSW changed with the absorption of suburban associations that comprised small to medium-sized builders. That development was compounded by the changes in the size, height and complexity of buildings within the Central Business District of Sydney and in other centres throughout the metropolitan area. Enormous capital was required to fund construction works and large corporations were formed and the bench-mark of what constituted a major contractor was raised considerably. Those events had an enormous impact on the character and operations of the MBA/NSW. This historical thesis seeks to explain why the MBA/NSW was successfully established in 1873 after two previous attempts; and, what accounts for its subsequent survival and growth. It analyses the various challenges that faced the MBA/NSW during its first one hundred years and the effect on that association of the policies and practices of iii architects, governments, trade unions and other employer associations. It traces the 1890 establishment of the Master Builders Federation of Australia (MBFA), the oldest federal industry association in Australia, by the MBA/NSW and its sister associations from other areas of Australia and analyses the manner in which the State-based Master Builders Associations each fought to retain their individual independence and reject any attempts to cede their powers so as to convert their federation into a national centralised body. The need for quick national responses of major building companies during the 1970s was addressed through a composite organization created by the Master Builder movement and the Australian Federation of Construction Contractors due to the continued refusal of the Master Builders associations to cede their powers to MBFA. The development of the trade union movement in the building industry in New South Wales is also analysed together with reference to the history of building industry awards in this State. The study also outlines the history of MBA/NSW initiatives and policies related to tendering and industrial relations which came under increasing pressure due to legal challenges from disciplined members and to changes arising from industrial and trade practices legislation. The practice of convening tender meetings, the introduction of Builders Licensing in New South Wales and, the origins of the MBA/NSW Group Apprenticeship Scheme are each described.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1988. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves [230]-248.

Thesis (D. Mus. Arts)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-106).

Japan is one of the world’s major importers of wood products. Most of the wood entering the country is destined to Japan’s house building industry. However, Japan has been an indifferent market regarding demand of wood products certified for sustainable forest management. Current pressures that may indicate a shift in market conditions include: the recent economic recovery, increasing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and the new government’s public purchasing policies (PPP) titled Timber Procurement Policies. In order to assess the market prospect (in the next 5 years) for wood products certified as coming from sustainable and/or legal sources a study was completed focusing on Japanese home builders. Data was collected through a self administered mail survey of residential builders in Japan. Results show that there is a low level of understanding, as well as willingness to adopt, forest management certification among Japanese builders. Consequently, current market demand for certified products is low and builders expect little change in consumers’ demand for wood materials certified for sustainable management as well as those certified for legality in the next five years. Builders considered the most important potential drivers for increased demand for certified and/or legal wood products to be rigorously implemented public purchasing policies, followed by increasing final consumers’ demand and the growth in CSR. Builders also estimated that the positive impact of PPPs would be rather modest but widespread. Finally, builders indicated that PPPs would favour demand for certain product categories, such as: domestic wood, softwoods, wood from plantation and to a lesser degree wood from temperate forests. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Research Background: Climate change poses a core threat to the current and future welfare of society. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly susceptible to challenges associated with climate change, most of which are bound to have large-scale societal impacts. Fortunately, Grand Challenges (GCs) can also enable opportunities for sustainable entrepreneurship to emerge. As entrepreneurs work in larger interrelated ecosystems, it is noteworthy to explore the utilization of ecosystems to develop sustainable ventures that address GCs. Current research has not addressed the interplay between external enablers and entrepreneurial ecosystems, especially in the Sub-Saharan context. The focus of this study is to explore how sustainable entrepreneurs acted on GCs in the pursuit of venture opportunities, and how ecosystems were utilized to foster the development of entrepreneurial agents and their ventures. Research Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify how GCs facilitate sustainable entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa, given the interaction between entrepreneurs, their ecosystems, and climate change-associated GCs. Method: The research paradigm for this study follows critical realism. Meaning, we question the nature of reality as inherently multilayered and align with epistemic relativism. An explorative interview-based study was adopted for our methodology. We sampled our interview candidates purposively through the formation of several criteria. In total, we collected data from 20 semi-structured interviews through online platforms. We analyzed our data by interpreting principles of thematic analysis and the theory- building approach, to connect empirical themes to theoretical constructs. Conclusion: The results for this study show that sustainable entrepreneurs act on a wide variety of GCs. Within ecosystems, we noticed that sustainable development, cultural belief systems, educational infrastructure, governance, and resource accessibility influence the potential for ecosystems to develop. Specifically, we adopted three dimensions in which these pillars have influences: the entrepreneurial, communal, and structural level. The findings indicated that the scope of external enablers is fluid due to ecosystem interactions. Moreover, opacity and agency-intensity of enabling mechanisms can be reduced by developing entrepreneurial ecosystems. We also noted that entrepreneurs themselves can take on the role of ecosystem-builders. Our findings revised current understandings of sustainable entrepreneurship and redefined the concept to create a more inclusive label.

This study analyzes the market share of the top 10 home builders in nine Metropolitan Statistical Areas, along with fourteen other independent variables, to find a statistical relationship with median home sales price. Through a stepwise regression of the independent variables it is determined that there is no correlation between median home sale price and market share of the top 10 home builders. In the stepwise regression two variables are found to be correlated to median homes sales price: Owner Occupancy Percentage and Residential Construction Wages, a data point compiled for this study. A linear regression is run between market share of the top 10 and median home sale price and no correlation is found. / Master of Science

A pesquisa enfoca os séculos XII e XIII, conhecidos como o período do Renascimento Medieval. É a época do auge da produção da arquitetura gótica, onde as inovações construtivas aparecem e se consolidam. É na óptica dos procedimentos práticos e dos conhecimentos geométricos que estão as principais vertentes da pesquisa. O tipo e a profundidade do conhecimento da geometria – que era considerada o coração do ofício do pedreiro medieval – são pesquisados junto às obras de Euclides (Os Elementos) e Vitrúvio (De Architectura), demonstrando a intensidade de sua difusão junto aos mestres por toda a Idade Média. Com os cadernos de Villard de Honnecourt temos a prova da utilização dos manuais da Geometria Prática – Geometria Fabrorum – pelos arquitetos mestres construtores. A formação dos arquitetos se dava fora da educação formal. Era através das tradições do ofício quase sempre ensinadas oralmente e através de textos antigos, acessíveis por traduções em língua vernácula que ela acontecia, principalmente dentro das Corporações. Conhecimentos transmitidos através de clérigos que dominavam o latim, também foram importantes meios para o enriquecimento de procedimentos e habilidades tradicionais, que seguiam sendo disseminadas oralmente. Somente ao final da Idade Média, alguns mestres alemães dispõem-se a escrever e desvelar o segredo dos pedreiros. Todas as escolhas são privativas do arquiteto mestre construtor, o que comprova a existência do projeto medieval que com suas diferentes formas de representação e execução, variados instrumentos e ferramentas, materializou um espaço arquitetônico coerente com o conhecimento geométrico e a tecnologia disponível. / This study concentrates on the XII and XIII century. The period is known as the Medieval Renaissance and is considered the time of the prime production of gothic architecture, with the appearance and consolidation of innovations in construction techniques. The main focus of this research is on practical procedures and know-how on geometry of the period. The type and depth of knowledge in geometry, considered at the time, the heart of the medieval stone masons profession, are studied in conjunction with the writings of Euclid (The Elements) and Vitruvius (De Architectura), showing the extent to which these works were known by masters builders throughout de Middle Ages. In the books of Villard de Honnecourt, proof exists that the manual on Practical Geometry – Geometria Fabrorum – were used by architects masters builders. The training and education of architects at the time was not formal, but occurred through the tradition of practicing skills of the profession, mostly taught orally or through antique texts, available through translations in the vernacular language used mainly in Guilds. Knowledge transmitted by monks or clergy, who dominated Latin, were also important ways of enriching the procedures and traditional skills, spread orally from this source. Only at the end of the Middle Ages, some German masters builders started writing about and revealing the secret of stone masons. Design and construction detailing decisions were private, belonging essentially to the architect master builder, which proves that the medieval design, in its different forms of representation and execution, as well as various uses of tools and instruments, brought about an architectural space coherent with the knowledge of geometry and technologies available at the time.