A research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA by coursework and Research Report in the field of Industrial Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. February/May 2017 / Much evidence exists with regard to indoor plants and their positive effect on psychological perceptions as well as environmental air quality. However, this type of research has only ever been conducted once in a South African setting, which can be argued, is different to international contexts, in terms of climate and financial status. Indoor plants and their positive effects may have monumental effects on employees. This research assessed the presence of plants, on a sample of 34 employees at Discovery VitalityLife, consisting of Human Resources workers and call centre agents, on psychological perceptions (work engagement; psychological well-being; physical well-being and aesthetics) and on environmental factors (Total Volatile Organic Compounds; Benzene; Xylene; Carbon Dioxide (CO2); temperature and relative humidity). This research was conducted over a period of approximately three months whereby at Time 1 plants were absent and Time 2 plants were present. The same questionnaires were administered at both times. So too were Volatile Organic Compounds measured weekly and three measurement devices were installed in the workplace taking measurements of CO2, humidity, and indoor temperature every hour. The results found were that there were no statistically significant differences for the psychological perceptions from Time 1 to Time 2. This was concluded to be a result of the context in which this research took place. Total Volatile Organic Compounds, Benzene and relative humidity levels statistically significantly decreased at Time 2. Xylene levels statistically significantly increased at Time 2. There was no evidence to suggest statistically significant differences for CO2 and temperature from Time 1 to Time 2. / MT2018

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Property Management and Development to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016 / Purpose – Within the paradigm of consumer behaviour, the purpose of this study was to determine the relative importance of the various property-specific factors that influence office occupation decisions in the decentralized office nodes of Johannesburg. The aim was to provide more definitive information on office space occupation to real estate marketers, managers, investors and owners. Design/Methodology/Approach – A Malaysian study by Adnan et al. (2012) was replicated in the South African context, utilizing their (adjusted) questionnaire survey. After review, Adnan et al.’s (2012) data analysis methods were altered and, in addition, three key-informant interviews were conducted to discuss the results of the survey and to try and gain further insight into the findings. Findings – The three categories that were considered of highest importance were Cost/Financial Considerations, Services and Management. Factors that scored the highest overall were Security & Access Control, Car Parking Provisioning & Accessibility, Electricity Systems & Provisioning and Rental Rate. The categories On-site Amenities, Space Functionality & Atmosphere and Location were considered of least importance. Research Limitations/Implications – The study was confined to property-specific factors and limited to tenants in P-grade, A-grade and B-grade office buildings in the decentralized office nodes of Johannesburg. It also took place during a specific stage of the South African economic cycle. Further research is required to determine the impact of office grade, firm type, firm size and economic climate on office occupation decisions. Originality/Value – No research on this topic exists within the South Africa context and this study contributes to the limited research, internationally, on real estate within the consumer behaviour paradigm. / MT2017

State supervision of financial activities The topic of this dissertation thesis is the state supervision of financial activities. The topic is really wide, so the author can take into account all of the financial relationships related to this area. This thesis focused on theoretical issues, on the legal relationships in this area, and specifically on the selected areas, in which was a drafted question later on in detail analyzed. In the theoretical area are considered terms such as regulation, supervision and control. The aim was to define these concepts theoretically, to chart their frequency and semantic nature in the area of financial activities. The aim of this thesis was also to investigate, whether it is possible to set out the terms that are used both in everyday and in professional life in an identical meaning, and define specifically for the area of financial law. It has been found that it is very difficult, if not impossible task, as any definition cannot cover the diversity, frequency and a steady increase in the financial legal relations. Higher attention is paid to external control exercised by the Supreme Audit Office. This issue is consider to be very important, but it is underappreciated and very sporadically also published, which is inconvenient and inadequate to the importance of...

O crescimento industrial, comercial e de serviços traz para as sociedades mais evoluídas uma série de benefícios, como o desenvolvimento econômico e o crescimento populacional, aliados a maiores oportunidades de emprego e renda. Entretanto, pela falta de uma consciência mais apurada sobre os possíveis impactos negativos de ritmo acelerado de crescimento, acaba-se verificando uma série de problemas sociais e, sobretudo, ambientais. Em razão disso, nos últimos anos, constata-se a preocupação de alguns setores da sociedade na busca do desenvolvimento fundamentado em práticas mais sustentáveis. Isso não tem sido diferente no setor da construção civil. A preocupação com a sustentabilidade nos empreendimentos é tema e foco de diversos eventos, tanto no meio acadêmico, como no profissional e governamental. Particularmente, o segmento de mercado de EDIFÍCIOS DE ESCRITÓRIOS CORPORATIVOS tem sido alvo de pressão para o uso de práticas mais sustentáveis em todo o seu ciclo de vida, desde sua concepção, projeto, implantação e operação até a sua revitalização. Para aferir a sustentabilidade dos EDIFÍCIOS DE ESCRITÓRIOS CORPORATIVOS, muitas empresas do setor buscam certificações de origem estrangeira, que possuem certas limitações em sua aplicabilidade no Brasil, as quais são discutidas neste trabalho. Neste contexto, esta tese visa à construção da CERTIFICAÇÃO DA SUSTENTABILIDADE DE EDIFÍCIOS DE ESCRITÓRIOS CORPORATIVOS no Brasil, que é oportuna e necessária para tratar das condições de contorno e de realidade nacional. Para isso, foram realizados: [i] levantamento do estado da arte deste tema; [ii] construção da MATRIZ DE ATRIBUTOS para a avaliação da sustentabilidade dos EDIFÍCIOS DE ESCRITÓRIOS CORPORATIVOS; [iii] entrevistas com formadores de opinião deste segmento do mercado imobiliário; [iv] visitas em EDIFÍCIOS DE ESCRITÓRIOS CORPORATIVOS relevantes para as arbitragens iniciais; [v] a construção dos procedimentos, regras e rotina, com testes de validação e calibragem do SISTEMA PARA CLASSIFICAÇÃO. / The industrial, commercial and service growth provided the developed societies with many benefits, such as the economic development and the population increase, along with greater work and income opportunities. However, due to the lack of a better understanding about any possible negative impacts the fast growth pace created many social and environmental issues. Because of that, in the last years, there has been a greater concern of a few society groups aiming at using more sustainable practices. The civil construction segment has been no different. The concern with sustainability is a primary topic of several corporate events, either academically, professionally and governmentally. Especially the Office Buildings market has been a target for the use of more sustainable practices, both in its design, project, implementation, operation and revitalization. In order to measure the sustainability of Office Buildings, many companies seek for foreign certificates, with specific limitations as for their use in Brazil, which will be detailed in this paper. In this context, this Thesis aims at designing a system for the SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATE OF OFFICES BUILDINGS in Brazil, convenient and needed to treat the national conditions. That required: [i] a bibliographical research on the topic; [ii] building the ATTRIBUTE MATRIX to evaluate the sustainability of OFFICES BUILDINGS; [iii] interviews with influent people in the real estate segment; [iv] visits to relevant OFFICES BUILDINGS for the initial arbitrations; [v] setting the procedures, rules and routine, with validation tests.

Este trabalho discute a dinâmica do mercado de edifícios de escritórios para locação, especificamente o comportamento oscilatório resultante do equilíbrio dinâmico entre a oferta e a demanda por espaços de escritório. O papel dos sistemas de informação atualmente existentes na indução e manutenção destes movimentos é verificado, sendo analisada a produção dos indicadores de mercado e os problemas relacionados com a abrangência e a consistência dos bancos de dados atualmente existentes. Com base nesta discussão, é apresentada uma sistemática para a construção de um índice mercado oriundo da locação em empreendimentos de base imobiliária compostos por edifícios de escritórios, que permita observar a variação temporal da referência de preço pelo uso do espaço, possibilitando tanto a comparação entre segmentos deste mercado, segregados por regiões de ocupação típica e classificação dos edifícios, quanto entre outras tipologias de real estate. A sistemática do trabalho incorpora diferentes aspectos de sistemáticas análogas, reconhecendo os métodos existentes para construção de índices de preços para então, a partir de ajustes nestes métodos, fazer uma aplicação específica ao mercado de edifícos de escritórios para locação. Para ilustrar a sistemática é construído um protótipo do índice, utilizando o ‘aluguel efetivo’ como referência de preços. O uso de expectativas racionais acerca do comportamento futuro do mercado beneficia os empreendedores ao permitir a consecução de análises conceitualmente bem estruturadas. Além disto, o meio acadêmico se beneficia por contar com uma ferramenta que possibilita a construção de séries históricas, auxiliando na realização de estudos setoriais / This work discusses the office market dynamics, specifically the oscillatory behavior resultant of the dynamic balance between supply and demand for office spaces. The role of contemporary information systems, in the induction and maintenance of these movements, is discussed; being analyzed the production of market indicators and problems related with the broadness and consistence of the current databases. Based on this discussion, it is presented a method for the construction of a market index originating from office’s leases, that allows to observe the temporal fluctuation of the price reference for the use of the space, namely the ‘effective rent ', making possible the comparison so much among segments of this market, segregated by areas of typical occupation and classification of the enterprises, as with other typologies of real estate. The methodology of the research incorporates different aspects of similar methods existent, being analyzed the available tools for calculation of ‘effective rent ', soon after recognizing the existent methods for construction of price indexes, making some fittings in these methods, to do a specific application to the office market. The use of rational expectations about the future behavior of the market benefits the entrepreneurs by allowing the attainment of conceptually well-structured analyses. Besides, the academy benefits for counting with a tool that makes possible the construction of historical series, aiding in the accomplishment of sectorial studies.

Thesis advisor: Richard Lennan / A number of theologians claim that the church has not tapped into the fullness of Vatican II’s teaching on the sensus fidelium. As an attempt to address that concern, this dissertation examines the teaching authority of the laity as a key element in the expression of the sensus fidelium in the church. It argues for a fuller realization of Vatican II’s emphasis on the laity’s participation in Christ’s prophetic office. It proposes a three-part lay hermeneutic (hermeneutic of everyday life, hermeneutic of desire, and hermeneutic of trust) as a relevant, authoritative framework for discerning the sensus fidelium, of which Filipino popular Catholicism is a living expression. This dissertation employs a method that is primarily critical, hermeneutical and practical. It is structured in two parts: the first two chapters establish the theological underpinnings of the study, while the last three chapters focus on the laity, their sense of the faith, their reception process, their lived faith expressed through popular Catholicism, and their participation in the prophetic office of Christ. Through an analysis of the laity’s sensus fidei as an integral dimension in the discernment of the sensus fidelium, this dissertation emphasizes that authority in the church derives from all its members and that the interpretation of faith is a process that invites the participation of all the baptized as sharers in Christ’s prophetic function. In such a church, not only the ordained, but the laity, equally belong to the guild of interpreters of God’s revelation. The laity possess a teaching authority that contributes significantly to the life of the church. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis advisor: Joseph O'Keefe / Effective instructional leadership is central to principal practice. Thus, the Massachusetts Model System for Educator Evaluation (MMSEE) mandates that all principals demonstrate proficiency in instructional leadership to be considered proficient overall. Given this mandate, it is imperative that central office administrators (COAs) support principals in this regard. Accordingly, this qualitative single case study examined how COAs in one Massachusetts district supported principals’ instructional leadership. Analyses of documents and semi-structured interview data found that COAs supported principals’ instructional leadership through professional development for supervising and evaluating teachers, preparation of school improvement plans, and increased staffing of assistant principals and academic coaches. However, principals reported interim feedback and summative evaluations as not supporting their growth as instructional leaders. To address this gap in support with instructional leadership, recommendations included assigning additional COAs to evaluate principals for consistent and targeted feedback, reviewing MMSEE performance expectations with principals, and including principal voice in the district decision-making process. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Rebecca Lowenhaupt / Purpose and Research Questions: Some educational reform efforts aim to support marginalized populations and narrow long-standing achievement and equity gaps, influencing the ways in which educators implement policy. While researchers have identified ways that educators implement policy, there is a research gap concerning how central office administrators implement policy in support of traditionally marginalized students. This study describes the policy implementation process of one central office administration team with the specific goal of supporting traditionally marginalized students, addressing two research questions: (1) In what ways are central office administrators working together to implement policy in support of traditionally marginalized students? (2) How do central office administrators balance external policy demands with internal goals when implementing policy in support of traditionally marginalized students? Methods: This qualitative study draws upon semi-structured interviews, observations, and document review to answer the aforementioned research questions. Findings: Central office administrators in this turnaround district organize policy work by dividing up tasks according to established goals and benchmarks, and communicating to other central office administrators regarding the progress towards meeting them. These goals and benchmarks represent the primary policy work designed to support traditionally marginalized students. Central office administrators have a shared understanding of and respect for the turnaround plan’s goals and benchmarks. Since this district is under state receivership, central office administrators face demands from the state department of education regarding progress towards meeting the goals of the turnaround plan. As part of this work, central office administrators bridge internal goals of the district to external pressures of the state Department of Education, forming a unique partnership between district and state actors. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Martin Scanlan / This qualitative case study explored the role of central office leaders as they supported principals’ development of high instructional expectations in the Lawrence Public Schools. One of the key strategies of central office transformation is the creation of assistance relationships with principals, which serves as the conceptual framework for this study. Data were gathered from interviews with central office leaders and principals as well as a document review. The results of the study found that central office leaders employed high quality practices that strengthened principals’ instructional leadership capacity and raised instructional expectations within schools and of teachers. Principals reported that having central office support through systems and structures, curriculum, culture and working conditions created heightened instructional expectations and contributed to their growth as instructional leaders. The central office leaders and principals reported the strong culture of assistance relationships contributed to increased expectations and improved student outcomes. Recommendations include continual examination of assistance relationships among central office leaders in support of principals in the context of a turnaround district. Future researchers may continue to contribute to the growing body of literature by examining these findings and offering a longitudinal view of this practice. This strand’s findings can serve as a guide for the practice of central office leaders who are working with principals to raise and create heightened instructional expectations required for improving achievement and equity system-wide in habitually underperforming schools and districts across our country. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Martin Scanlan / This qualitative case study explored the role central office leaders played in recruiting, developing and retaining principal human capital in Lawrence Public Schools. One of the key strategies of central office transformation is the creation of assistance relationships with principals, which serves as the conceptual framework for this study. Data was gathered from interviews with central office leaders and principals as well as a document review. The results of the study found that central office leaders targeted principals with certain characteristics and recruited candidates from within and outside of the district. Central office leaders provided in-district professional development and engaged external organizations in the process. Work environment and a focus on cultivating local talent contributed to principal retention. Findings further indicated that the assistance relationships developed between central office leaders and principals contributed to principal development and retention through their impact on the work environment. Recommendations include continual examination of work environment and development of assistance relationships for their contribution to principal human capital. Future researchers may continue to contribute to the growing body of literature by examining these findings and offering a longitudinal view of this practice. This strand’s findings may provide insights into practices to recruit, develop and retain principals in low-performing districts. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.