Bibliography: pages 120-128. / This study outlines and discusses recent changes in employer housing practices in the South African gold mining industry. Beginning in the 1970s, but more particularly in the 1980s, a number of factors compelled employers to introduce alternatives to the system of hostel accommodation. South African migrant workers now have access to a broader range of housing options including home ownership schemes and off-mine rental schemes. These initiatives are critically examined and their implications for workers and the migrant labour system are assessed. A general overview of the housing policies of the six major mining groups is provided, with a more detailed focus on the labour practices of Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Company Limited. At present, participation rates in management devised accommodation schemes remain low. It appears that existing schemes do not fully meet the needs and preferences of migrant workers. Affordability and migrant attitudes towards permanent relocation to the urban areas are two important considerations in this regard. A number of other obstacles to the implementation of a flexible housing model for the African workforce are identified. A central conclusion of this study is that progress towards a locally housed industry workforce will continue to be slow. The migrant labour system will undergo further transformation, but will continue as the central form of labour supply to the mines.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: 'Housing' has been addressed as a basic human right. In South Africa this right has become a challenge, which cannot be met by the government alone. It also requires a vast contribution from the broader non-State (private) sector. This includes large companies who need to provide housing assistance to their employees. The aim of this research was to develop an educational computer programme which can be used by companies in their employee housing assistance programmes. The objectives of the research included establishing the extent to which companies provide employee housing assistance; the viability of an educational computer programme; the requirements of companies; criteria and content of a computer programme; and the development and testing of a pilot demonstration module of an educational computer programme for employee housing assistance. Exploratory research was carried out on a sample of 112 companies by means of both postal and telephonic questionnaires. The results of these surveys indicated that 41 of these companies have already established employee housing assistance, providing general information on housing and housing related issues. Most of these companies, however, are only offering financial assistance to their employees without the necessary education and training which should accompany it. A programme which provides these aspects benefits both the company and the employees and should be implemented by many more institutions throughout the country. The main findings of this research, indicated the viability of an educational computer programme and the surveyed companies were positive about using it as part of their employee housing assistance. Throughout the world, computers have proved to offer high-quality interaction and unique learning opportunities to users of varying levels of understanding. They have also demonstrated that they are convenient to use and assist in promoting effective management of time and finances. On the basis of the responses to the survey, essential elements of an educational computer programme for the use of companies in employee housing assistance were identified. A pilot demonstration module was developed using a holistic and didactically sound approach. The development of this educational computer programme, will allow lower income employees to receive beneficial housing assistance at their own pace and level of comprehension and education through an enjoyable and contemporary medium. The results of the initial (but limited) testing of the pilot demonstration module, suggested that there is justification for the further development of the programme and for research to be carried out to examine its effect in the private sector. This research sheds light on the present trends in the provision of employee housing assistance in the private sector and the positive contribution which companies can provide to the housing crisis in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'Behuising' word as 'n basiese reg van die mens beskou. In Suid-Afrika het hierdie reg 'n uitdaging geword wat nie deur die regering alleen aanvaar kan word nie. Dit verg ook 'n groot bydrae van die breër gemeenskap, veral die privaatsektor, en dit sluit groot maatskappye wat behuisingshulp aan hulle werknemers behoort te verskaf, in. Die hoofdoel van hierdie navorsingsprojek was om 'n opvoedkundige rekenaarprogram te ontwikkel wat deur maatskappye as deel van 'n behuisingsondersteuningsprogram aan hulle werknemers gebied kan word. Die doelwitte van die navorsing was onder meer om die mate waartoe maatskappye reeds behuisingsondersteuningsprogramme vir hulle werknemers aanbied, te bepaal. Verder is die lewensvatbaarheid van 'n opvoedkundige rekenaarprogram bepaal, asook die maatskappye se behoefte aan so 'n program. Daar is ook vasgestel wat maatskappye se menings oor die kriteria vir en inhoud van 'n opvoedkundige rekenaarprogram, wat as deel van hulle behuisingsondersteuningsprogram aan werknemers gebied kan word, is. Verkennende navorsing is onderneem met 'n steekproef van 112 maatskappye deur middel van telefoniese- en posvraelyste. Die resultate van hierdie vraelyste het aangedui dat 41 van die maatskappye reeds 'n behuisingsondersteuningsprogram aanbied wat algemene inligting oor behuising en behuisingsverwante aangeleenthede aan die werknemers verskaf. Die meeste van dié maatskappye, wat behuisingsondersteuningsprogramme aanbied, bied egter alleenlik finansiële hulp aan hulle werknemers, sonder die nodige meegaande opvoeding en opleiding. "n Program wat beide finansiële en opvoedkundige hulp aanbied kan maatskappye en werknemers tot voordeel strek en behoort landswyd deur baie meer inrigtings geïmplementeer te word. Die hoofbevindinge van die navorsing het getoon dat die opvoedkundige rekenaarprogram lewensvatbaar is, en die deelnemende maatskappye het bereidwilligheid getoon om so "n program as deel van hulle werknemers se behuisingsondersteuningsprogram in te sluit. Die ontwikkeling van die rekenaarprogram sal dit moontlik maak vir werknemers om op verskillende vlakke van begrip en opvoedingspeil, voordelige behuisingsondersteuning teen hulle eie tempo en deur middel van "n genotvolle en kontemporêre medium te kan ontvang. Dit is wêreldwyd bewys dat rekenaars hoë kwaliteit interaksie en unieke leergeleenthede op alle begripssvlakke kan bied. Daar is ook bewys gelewer dat rekenaars nie net gerieflik is nie, maar ook effektief met die bestuur van tyd en finansies is. Op grond van die vraelys resultate, is noodsaaklike elemente van 'n rekenaargebaseerde behuisingsondersteuningsprogram vir werknemers geïdentifiseer, en "n proefmodule ontwikkel wat gebruik maak van "n holistiese en didakties gesonde benadering. Die uitslae van die eerste (maar beperkte) toetsing van die proefmodule dui daarop dat daar regverdiging is vir die verdere ontwikkeling van die program asook vir navorsing om te bepaal wat die effek van so "n program op die privaatsektor sou wees. Hierdie navorsing het lig gewerp op huidige neigings in die verskaffing van behuisingsondersteuning aan werknemers in die privaatsektor, asook op die positiewe bydrae wat deur maatskappye gelewer kan word tot die oplossing van die behuisingkrisis in Suid-Afrika.

The rapid restructuring of Hong Kong's economy as a result of China's economic reform and open door policy since the late 70s, has led to major shifts in the demand and supply of industrial buildings. These shifts resulted in misallocation of land resources due to various institutional constraints. The land use policies in Hong Kong have been changing since the late 80s in response to such misallocation. This study investigates the impact of these policies on prices and rental yields of industrial properties in Hong Kong. In addition, the impact of economic restructuring on the determinants of industry propel1y prices is also examined. The open door policy has attracted many industrialists to move their production base across the border to take advantage of the low land and labour costs leaving their industrial buildings in Hong Kong underutilized. Due to statutory zoning and restrictions in the land leases, redeveloping these industrial buildings for other uses is difficult and costly due to multiple ownership and high modification premium. However lease enforcement actions on industrial buildings are difficult and ineffective. The owners of industrial buildings will weigh the costs against the benefits of non-conforming use and decide whether they will leave their industry properties underutilized, use them for non-conforming uses, apply for change of use and pay associated fees / premiums or proceed with a combination of all these. The empirical results in this study suggest that the benefits outweigh the costs of non-conforming uses of industrial buildings, in particular for office uses. This is evidenced by the fact that industrial property prices were affected not only by the demand for spaces for industrial production but also by other demand drivers not related to the industrial productions in Hong Kong. These demand drivers included volume of re-export and service sector employment. These are demand drivers given the term Non-Industrial-Production Demand Drivers (NIPDD) in this study. Service sector employment is an office demand driver and that office use in industrial buildings is usually the highest valued non-conforming use, therefore the correlation between service sector and industrial property prices is an indicator of the intensity of non-conforming uses. Since the late 80’s, various changes in government policies toward industrial land use have been implemented with the aim to rectify land resource misallocation. These policy changes can be classified into (1) Planning Control Relaxation: changes that involve relaxation of planning control on redevelopment or conversion of existing industrial properties to other uses, which may involve rezoning of some industrial areas and (2) Use Restriction Change: changes that permit more types of uses in existing industrial properties with or without paying a premium or fee. The empirical results in this study suggest that, other things being equal, Planning Control Relaxation has a positive impact on industrial property prices while Use Restriction Change have strengthened or weakened the impact of service sector employment on industrial property prices depending on the nature of the policy change. In addition, empirical analysis also showed that only the Planning Control Relaxation could reduce the rental yield of industrial property by reducing the risk premium. The effect of Use Restriction Change on risk premium and therefore rental yield was not significant. Last year (2010), the government introduced the Revitalization of Industrial Buildings Policy, which further removed restrictions on the use of industrial buildings for production purposes. It will take time to accumulate sufficient data to show the impact of this major policy on industrial property prices and rental yields. / published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Military personnel are faced with having to move every three to four years, making it extremely difficult to build any equity in a home when they are forced to refinance their loan every time they buy and sell their home. This continuous churn of home loans over a 20 year career, results in military personnel ending their career with little equity in a home because they have primarily only paid the high interest portions of the loans to financial institutions and any equity gained from rising home prices is offset by closing costs. This research will review the current approaches to housing for military personnel, develop the stakeholders needs, propose new approaches to meet these needs, analyze these new approaches and identify the recommended new approaches. The major players in military home purchases have been the service member, Department of Defense, local real estate services, and financial institutions. Local real estate services and financial institutions are currently the groups benefiting from the churn of homes by service members so they have no obvious incentive to change. The research will break down the resources of each of these players and align them with new approaches to real estate. The new approaches listed below will establish the need for large property management/developers that have purchasing powers within the real estate markets similar to Wal-Mart/Sams Club within the consumer goods market. With the military base realignment and closure almost complete, Department of Defense looking to get out of the housing business and the military clearly at a low manning level, the markets are now primed for this transformation. New approaches include planned communities that are built specifically for military personnel and owned by the corporation. These communities can be strategically located near the bases (real estate values are often low adjacent to military bases), constructed according to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rate for each location, constructed for frequent resident moves, service contracts for maintenance, utilities maintained by corporation and then billed directly to residents, community center geared toward spouse and military activities and key business (veterinarian, pet boarding, video store, coffee shops, restaurants, military gear store, etc). If the corporation owned 2000 houses, there would be 4000 members with 30 year loans to maintain the equity for the homes.