This Masters research took place in the Kat River Valley in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The Kat River Valley is a semi-rural catchment that covers an area of approximately 1700km2 and is characterized by a complicated history of dispossession and resettlement. Farming is the main activity that is practiced in the area. This includes the farming of citrus at a commercial scale, rangeland stock farming and small-scale vegetable farming. The economy of the catchment is enhanced mostly by commercial citrus farming, which consumes by far the largest amount of water in the river through irrigation. Water allocation is a burning issue among water users in the catchment and needs to be negotiated taking into consideration social, economic and environment impacts. The aim of this study is to describe, discuss and evaluate the Companion Modelling (ComMod) approach, which used a simulation model and a role-playing game related to the model in order to facilitate and develop negotiating skills as well as build capacity in decision-making amongst local stakeholders for water resource management in the Kat River Valley. The ComMod approach, developed by a group of Companion Modellers, is a community-based science approach that emerged in the 1990s. The ComMod approach is used in order to facilitate collective learning, negotiation and institutional innovation in dealing with resource management complexities faced by rural communities. Through ComMod, the model (KatAWARE) and its related role-playing game was developed by having the contact with local stakeholders. The information to feed the model and the role-playing game came from informal interviews, surveys, geographic information systems (GIS), workshops and focus groups. The use of workshops in the implementation of ComMod was a success. Results show that (1) new knowledge was acquired, which allowed stakeholders to have a broad understanding of a catchment system. (2) Awareness was created about complex systems and enabled stakeholders to see an individual action into to the broader system. (3) Strong interrelationships were fostered amongst different water users, which allowed stakeholders to share their view points. The ComMod process was however associated with a number of limitations, many of which resulted from the constraints that were imposed by the socio-economic background of the study area. Nevertheless, the outcome of the study shows that the ComMod process was useful in helping the Kat River Water Users Association (KRWUA) stakeholders develop negotiating skills regarding water allocation strategies for the development of the Catchment Management Plan.

This research examines the relationship between primary postgraduate (PGCE) students’ conceptions of geography, knowledge and pedagogy and their development as teachers of primary geography over two years – the primary PGCE course and the first year of teaching. The methodology is essentially qualitative and based on the principles of grounded theory. Personal Construct Theory (PCT) has also informed the choice of research techniques, PCT being seen to be appropriate for a research project that aims to access and therefore examine a range of alternative constructions. Concept mapping was used at the beginning and end of the geography component of a PGCE Primary course to elicit all students’ conceptions of geography, teaching and learning. Analysis of the concept maps from the whole cohort (n=79) show that primary students’ conceptions of geography are generally rather simplistic and reflective of the descriptive-rich and scientific persuasions identified by Barratt Hacking (1996). Only a few students’ maps reflected environmental or humanistic/welfare persuasions. The concepts maps were also sorted into four categories from most sophisticated to least sophisticated conceptions of geography. It was noted that of the eight students in category one (most sophisticated) only one had a geography degree. A sample of 11 students was then interviewed (using a stimulated recall technique (Calderhead 1986)) about their conceptions using the elicitation data as a stimulus for the discussion. This enabled the researcher to both probe students’ conceptions in greater depth, and to validate initial analysis of the elicitation data. Finally, three students – one a geographer (with a geography degree) and the others non-geographers – were observed teaching geography and interviewed directly after the observations on three occasions over the two years. A coding system was developed from all the data, and was then used to analyse the interviews using Microsoft Word index and cross-referencing functions. These analyses, along with elicitation data, formed the basis of case studies of the development of three students as geography teachers over two years. A model for beginning teacher development in the field of primary geography is then proposed.  The model emerged from interpreting and synthesising the evidence from the three case studies, and through the use of the constant comparison technique (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). The model is applied to the series of lessons observed for each case study providing an overview of their development as teachers of primary geography. Comparison of the three cases over two years shows some startling similarities as well as some differences in their development. It seems that each of them, whether they held a geography degree or not, discounted the geographical knowledge they have gained from life experiences as a valuable base to work from, despite the relevance of this knowledge to their teaching. It also seems that each of them, when observed during their PGCE course, were most likely to draw on their memory of geography lessons from when they were a pupil as a model to inform their teaching. As the two years progressed, and their pedagogical knowledge developed, they began to replace these early experiences with ones more suited to effective teaching – that is, their more recent experiences as teachers.  Of the three beginning teachers, only David, who had a geography degree, developed to become an effective geography teacher during the research period. However, it is considered that, for the majority of primary teachers, the most that can be expected is that they will develop into effective teachers of primary geography because it is unlikely that they would have opportunities to develop the depth of subject knowledge required to be an effective geography teacher. The thesis concludes by offering some thoughts for the development of primary geographical education. It proposes that primary geography could be usefully conceptualised as ‘everyday’, or ‘ethno-‘geography, that is a geography that recognises and seeks to address the ‘false split between practical, everyday knowledge and abstract, theoretical knowledge’ (Frankenstein & Powell, 1994). This is a geography that explicitly values the geographical knowledge that we all build up from everyday experiences in the world and that, in conjunction with the development of a geographical imagination, might form the basis of a primary geography framework.

This thesis justifies, designs and tests a new transport appraisal technique – the Transport Quality of Life (TQoL) model. In the United Kingdom the New Approach to Transport Appraisal (NATA) is presently used to appraise the economic, environmental and social impacts of transport projects. Although recently updated, NATA still does not include the assessment of individual’s travel experience – and yet, to make fully informed decisions on the impact of future schemes, it is important to understand more about passenger’s current journey quality. This thesis thus explores the potential of Quality of life (QoL) techniques as one means of addressing this gap in appraisal methods and scope. For the purposes of this thesis, TQoL is defined as the passenger experience of travel. Through the thesis a TQoL model was progressively refined and developed –from an initial Mark I model to a more evolved and developed Mark III model - to produce an appraisal tool that highlights differences in journey experience. To develop the model and to determine whether a TQoL approach was a valuable addition to transport appraisal, QoL techniques were applied to the transport networks of Glasgow and Manchester. In each city three modes of public transport were analysed to identify the mode providing the highest TQoL. A two-part household survey was used to gather data. The first survey was city-wide to gain the weightings for the TQoL indicators. The second was collected from selected transport corridors to evaluate TQoL. The results were quantified and presented in spider diagrams. T-tests were then used to identify the significant differences in TQoL. Factor analysis on the data from both Glasgow and Manchester showed that a TQoL model can be based on five factors - access and availability, sustainable transit, environment, personal safety and transport costs. Applying the final TQoL model showed that in both locations fixed modes - particularly Light Rapid Transport - provide a significantly higher TQoL compared to bus TQoL. By evaluating transport from the passenger’s viewpoint, the TQoL model can make transport appraisal more comprehensive. The thesis therefore concludes that the TQoL model should be used to supplement existing techniques to enable policy makers and practitioners make better informed decisions about improving the quality of transport.

Prior to 2008, reference to green infrastructure (GI) in Irish planning, advocacy and guidance documentation had been limited. However, by November 2011, GI was referenced in statutory guidance at national, regional and local levels, while also enjoying reference in many non-statutory planning policy and advocacy documents. This thesis seeks to examine and explain the processes which facilitated the rapid emergence, evolutionary trajectory and institutionalisation of GI planning policy in Ireland. Specifically, the investigation seeks to critically examine why and how GI was introduced, interpreted and advanced in planning policy formulation in Ireland between November 2008 and November 2011. Situated within the field of interpretive policy analysis, the thesis adopts a discourse centred approach focused on the context sensitive constitution of the ‘meaning(s)’ of GI. The potential implications of such meaning(s) are also examined. The research involves extensive documentary analysis of both Irish and international planning policy related material. The investigation also involves the analysis of semi-structured interviews with 52 interviewees from the public, private and voluntary sectors. Information obtained from participant observation at 2 planning workshops is scrutinised. The thesis provides a number of original empirical and theoretical contributions to knowledge. This is achieved by presenting a critical interpretive analysis of policy dynamics in a context where attention to ‘meaning-making’ is largely absent in academic literature regarding landuse planning. The research identifies, examines and discusses the influential roles played by planning rationalities, motivated agents, professional networks and timing in the dissemination and institutionalisation of a new policy initiative within Irish landuse governance. The thesis also provides a broader contribution to understandings of the policy process by presenting an innovative theoretical explanation of how representation and interpretation may shape the content, currency and consequences of policy.

The purpose of this study is to investigate online customer-perceived value in relation to the online purchase of tourism products in Taiwan. The concept of value has been discussed in different fields for a long time. This study synthesises findings from these areas in order to identify the key antecedents and consequences which influence customer-perceived value in a B2C e-commerce setting. The customer-perceived value model which is developed broadens the value literature by integrating a range of key variables (i.e. price, quality, sacrifice and satisfaction) into a single theoretical framework. A systematic process of model development is followed to ensure a robust foundation for assembling the measure. A mixed-method research approach has been employed in order to gather in-depth data from a wide area, thereby enhancing the reliability and validity of the analysis. 40 company respondents from 18 companies and 45 consumers were interviewed in the exploratory phase, which enabled the components of the customer-perceived values to be considered. By co-operating with Taiwanese travel agents 914 usable consumer questionnaires were collected in the main survey. The model was tested in a retail setting using a sample of real consumers who were in the process of searching for a tourism product. The findings suggest that Taiwanese consumers, place greater importance on the sacrifice associated with purchasing tourism products than they do on the price, quality and satisfaction elements. The proposed customer-perceived value model explains greater variance in the value construct than other models from the literature, indicating strong analytical support for the framework.

This thesis develops three chapters which extend our understanding of asset performance within the London office market by analysing the determinants and measurement of capital returns. The first chapter examines whether enlisting the services of a star-architect allows developers to persuade city planners to build bigger within the tightly regulated London property market, and therefore to engage in rent-seeking behaviour. We find that outside protected conservation areas famous architects can not only build taller, but that their designs have no effect on building sale prices holding the amount of space constant. For a given land plot however, the ability to build taller increases total floorspace and developer profits even when accounting for the increased costs of hiring a famous architect and building to their higher standards. The second chapter investigates potential sources of bias in commercial repeat-sales price indices by constructing such an index for the central London office market and examining the sources of index change relative to the underlying market. We find evidence that employment density changes and the restrictiveness of new development in the relevant local authority are key external drivers of bias on estimated price levels. This discrepancy arises because repeat-sales occur disproportionately in areas where changes in these attributes differ relative to the stock as a whole. The third chapter presents a comparison of seven competing real estate price index construction methodologies in the London office market. This exercise sheds light on the history of London office market returns from 1998-2010, and the relative pros and cons of the major index construction methods utilized by research and industry. This comparison also reveals substantial differences between indices in the timing of market turning points and various descriptive statistics, and demonstrates that the hedonic model outperforms the repeat-sales index due to the greater inclusivity of sale observations.

The thesis examines conceptions and experiences of space in later medieval and early modern England with specific reference to the Yorkshire Wolds, a region of low chalk hills in the historic East Riding of Yorkshire. Particular attention is paid to the spatial and symbolic relationships between manor houses, parish churches and rural settlements in the period before c. 1600, and to the ways power was articulated through such a landscape. Chapter IV examines evidence for early church foundations and argues that the geographical relationships between manor houses and churches evident in the Wolds and elsewhere in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were not simply an outcome of earlier pre-Conquest practices. The remainder of the thesis explores the continued meaning of these relationships in the later medieval and early modern period, arguing that while landowners might constitute or maintain their power through the architecture of their houses or patronage of nearby churches, these practices were at least partially dependent on the geographical relationships between manor, churches and settlements. Chapters V and VI examine the use and meaning of manorial and church space in the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in greater detail. Both chapters are attentive to the ways that manorial lords might articulate their gentility, status and power, as well as their piety, through these spaces. Conversely, the thesis also investigates evidence for public use of manorial and church space, and consideration is given to the ways manor houses and churches might be constituted and experienced as public, private, secular or religious spaces. The thesis also examines evidence for the meaning of private space and property within the wider landscape and in doing so, investigates a variety of sites at which individuals and groups other than the gentry might assert identity, status and power. The thesis concludes by suggesting that buildings and landscapes not only reflected the status, wealth and lineage of those who occupied and used them, but also provided sites through which social status and political power could be actively negotiated and maintained.

The primary aim of this thesis is to identify and assess the correspondences which occur between Gulliver's Travels and non fiction travel writing to which Swift is known to have had access before and during the period of composition. Books of travels listed by Harold Williams in Dean Swift's Library (Cambridge, 1932) have been consulted. In particular, the thesis examines the possible contribution of travel documents published by Hakluyt and Purchas. The method of research employed has been to concentrate upon themes such as the veracity of travel writers, stylistic features, primitive savages, strange islands, magic,attitudes to voyaging, bows and arrows, pygmies and giants, motives for travel, law and customs. The first chapter summarizes known and possible influences, considering the broad combination of fabulous and imaginary prose travel with Swift's mock realism. The second chapter develops the analysis of literary parody and considers the uneasy satirical relationship between travel lies and Gulliver's ironic veracity, with particular reference to magic and astrology. Chapters 3-7 comprise five regional studies of several themes which have been considered of special relevance to Gulliver's Travels, following this survey of travel writing. The conclusions reached in the course of the thesis relate to the allusive power and ironic depth of Gulliver's Travels. Whereas R.W. Frantz, W.A. Eddy, Arthur Sherbo and others have noticed incidental parallels in real travel literature, no comprehensive study exists of the subject as a whole. The thesis treats Hakluyt and Purchas in detail in working towards establishing the conventions of travel writing which are partly imitated and partly mocked by Swift. The extent to which it is intended that the reader should be conscious of the real travel background is also explored. Although source hunting can be an unprofitable activity, the large number of correspondences between Gulliver's Travels and the literature of real travel upon which the work is partly based suggest Swift was more conversant with voyages and travels than may have been presumed. These travel features appear to have been carefully intermingled with recognizable Homeric, Rabelaisian and Lucianic elements.

This thesis aims to investigate the diverse roles information and communications technologies (ICT) play in shaping individuals’ mobility behaviour. In doing so, three strands of interrelated research questions are empirically analysed to better understand the use of ICT and its implications for travel among both working adults and millennials. A cross-sectional analysis is firstly performed to examine the variations in the relationships between Internet use and non-mandatory travel patterns according to household working status. By employing data from the 2005/06 Scottish Household Survey (SHS) and the two-part model, the ICT-travel relationships are found to be characterised by individual employment status and intra-household interactions, which impose different constraints on individuals’ non-mandatory mobility patterns. A repeated cross-sectional analysis using the difference-in-differences (DD) estimation and the pooling of cross sections from the 2005/06 SHS data and the 2015 Integrated Multimedia City Data (iMCD) subsequently examines the evolutions in the ICT-travel relationships over time, and how temporal changes differ between the general adult population and the millennial generation. Findings suggest that the changes over time are generally characterised by diminishing complementarity and increasing substitution. Moreover, while the temporal changes for the general population are mostly found among the medium-to-heavy Internet users, for millennials, it is the light or medium-to-light users who see significant temporal changes. Finally, using the longitudinal datasets from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the Understanding Society Survey, an exploration is undertaken of the direct and indirect effects of prior experience with using ICT (as children) on millennials’ current travel behaviour. The structural equation model is applied to examine the relationships between ICT use, travel choices, and environmental attitude. The longitudinal analysis finds that millennials’ long-term exposure to ICT (since adolescence) may shape their current travel patterns by influencing their environmental attitudes. The findings from these analyses highlight the importance of considering the effects of personal, household, and social characteristics on the ICT-travel interactions. In addition, the research focuses on dynamic interactions and on the indirect or higher-order roles of ICT in affecting travel behaviour as well as on the implications for transport planning practices and policy making.

Coastal flooding is a natural hazard causing devastation to many regions throughout the world, induced by the coincidence of high spring tides, large storm surges and waves. To reduce the risk posed by coastal inundation, warning systems have been developed to enable preparations to an expected threat. Although current operational predictions provide invaluable warnings, uncertainty in model formulations and input datasets, can lead to errors in forecasts. In order to provide coastal managers with the best possible information with which to make decisions, recent research has begun to focus on the movement from deterministic to probabilistic forecasting, which aims to explicitly account for uncertainty in the system. This research described the implementation of a regional tide-surge-wave model for the Solent-Southampton Water estuarine system, a region that is likely to experience increased risk of coastal flooding in the coming century. The accuracy of the model predictions were examined relative to in-situ measurements and those obtained from independent systems. Using the model, sources of error were examined and their effects upon the model predictions quantified, with particular reference made to the spatial variability throughout the region. In light of recent research, a probabilistic modelling approach, utilising a Monte Carlo technique used to provide a forecast capable of representing the uncertainty in the system, within a suitable time-frame for real-time flood forecasting that included an hourly Kalman filter data assimilation update. The findings presented in this thesis will be of interest to coastal modellers working in complex estuarine environments where the influences of tide-surge-wave interactions upon model predictions are uncertain. Furthermore, the application of a computationally efficient model, presented here, will provide a useful comparison with traditional physically-based systems to those wishing to quantify uncertainty in regions where computational resources are low