Economic and other forces over recent years have resulted in the rise, in size and importance, of a group within the business community known as &quotknowledge-intensive firms". These organisations typically operate in such sectors as information and communication technology, specialist engineering and other services, consulting, research spin-out companies, multimedia, advertising and education and, in effect, trade in the development, management and adaptation of contemporary knowledge. They are often small-to-medium enterprises and use new business and operational models drawing together human and social capital, contemporary ICT, technologies and networks to produce intangible knowledge products. This research work investigates the interface between those firms and the commercial property assets that provide a platform and environment for their activities. The accommodation of significant change may hold challenges for such large-scale built assets. However, this work considers that evolutionary change is achievable and will present new opportunities for property as integrated and adaptable business environments, responsive to changing demands. The research methodology involves a literature review establishing key economic, business, built environment and social capital parameters for these emerging firms and their operations. That review is reinforced by both primary data collection from 36 knowledge-intensive firms and by the investigation of four relevant but diverse case studies. To allow this wide body of information to be distilled, a Delphi process, using a panel of ten experts, has been successfully applied to prioritise the demand drivers for start-up, established and mature knowledge-intensive firms in the South East Queensland environment. Consensus was secured after four rounds. These outcomes have been again tested against the four previous case studies and a further case study not previously investigated. Conclusions establish that these firms do have priority requirements in their demands for commercial property and that such demands evolve as firms progress through their various stages of development. Overall, firms through all development stages were strongly influenced in locational decisions by business plans parameters, the importance of attracting quality staff, and the provision of an office environment most conducive to the performance of these individuals and teams. Only in the early, start-up stage was accommodation cost a determining factor. Further, the research establishes that significant opportunities exist for the development sector, particularly in the re-use of older buildings and in the creation of clusters. To achieve this, however, new approaches to development and asset and property management may be required. As a result of this research, it is anticipated that asset owners and managers will be better able to align both new and existing commercial buildings to these emerging demands and opportunities.

Housing -as a special product- distinguishes the behaviour of its demand and supply. An imbalance of housing supply against demand can be a crucial part of economic crises, as happened in Thailand between 1996 and 1997. Can the housing market be controlled in a robust and rigid system? A secure market depends on balancing demand and supply dynamics; therefore, any demand has to be quantified. This research demonstrates how housing demand can be modelled by using a System Dynamics approach. This modelling concept has been set up, using the root causes which generate housing demand. Causal factors which influence housing demand are collated, and mapped. A model simulating housing demand was developed. Keys to this are demographic, social and economic factors. This model is presented with a view to pursuing new approaches for housing demand modelling. Conceptual ideas are developed on how to quantify housing demand, and the result of the simulation can then be used as a basis for policy and decision making in housing markets. The housing demand model developed from this research depends on many interrelated factors. These factors can be categorized into three broad groups, following precedent set by a review of available literature. Initial factors included demographics which deal with population number, age structure, including migration, birth and death rate. Next, social factors, in terms of marriage, divorce and splitting-household rate (i.e. household formation rate) play a major role in creating

There are a number of factors recognised as significant for nursing staff retention. These include, a lack of organisational care, bullying (commonly referred to as horizontal violence), and high workload acuity. However, there does not appear to be any indication that these factors influence the retention of nurses within the speciality of acute perioperative nursing. A descriptive study using postpositivist methodology and triangulation of methods was designed to answer the question: What are the critical factors that influence staff retention in an acute perioperative environment? Forty-eight (n = 48) perioperative nurses answered a questionnaire in relation to individual needs, provision of nursing care and administration and management. Four (n = 4) nurses subsequently participated in a focus group interview that explored in more depth, the survey data related to the following characteristics: Educational opportunities; Level of workload acuity; Rostering flexibility; Management; Established policies/Quality assurance; Graduate orientation programs and Professional relationships in an acute perioperative setting. Data analysis revealed that > 90% of respondents agreed that these characteristics are important for job satisfaction and influence staff retention in an acute perioperative environment. A sense of belonging appears to be the most important theme that emerged from the qualitative data. Job satisfaction and staff retention are attained when nurses have a sense of belonging in the workplace. To achieve these, nurses need to identify barriers, develop their communication and leadership skills and determine the ideal professional practice model. The themes (Figure 5), "Finding time" and increased "sick leave", in relation to workload acuity are new findings that provide a platform for future research.

Aboriginal Australians have a significantly lower health status than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. To facilitate healthy living practices necessary for good health, a high level investment is currently made in water services, on the assumption that there is a relationship between the volume and quality of water supplied with health outcomes, despite the high economic and environmental cost. This thesis investigates whether the current design supply criteria of 1000-1200 litres per person per day of water, meeting the Australian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines, is both sufficient and necessary to improve the health of Aboriginal Australians. The scope of the thesis is limited to the sufficiency of design guidelines although it necessarily also touches on the broader issues of Aboriginal health. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to explore current water consumption patterns of consumers at multiple hierarchical levels (community, household and individual) and hence the requirements of physical infrastructure on which consumers depend. Multiple linear regression was used to consider factors correlated with supply volume, while metering was used at both the domestic and appliance level to determine where and how water was used. Meters were installed on fixtures in two houses in a community near Alice Springs. This was then complemented by qualitative information obtained through focus group discussions, key informant interviews and observation in the field. The appropriateness of the supply of high quality water for all uses was addressed by considering the volume of drinking water intake and its impact on the derivation of water quality guidelines. This was achieved by a face-to-face survey involving 57 volunteers. Fieldwork was conducted predominantly in three communities near Alice Springs although some additional data was collected in other communities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The results showed that the factors influencing water consumption were highly complex and variable between communities and individuals. However, there were some culturally specific needs identified in Aboriginal communities, such as the need for temperature and dust control, as well as the reduction of losses. The unique characteristics of each community made it difficult to provide a more precise estimate for design supply. As a result, overly conservative guidelines such as those already used are necessary in the short term despite there being no guarantee of improved health. In the long term, issues of community governance and capacity building will start to be addressed, and the realisation that social systems are both complex and dynamic will need to be reflected in policy. These issues were represented in a systemic conceptual model at the end of the thesis, which also highlighted inadequacies of reductionist approaches such as design supply guidelines. The thesis concluded that complex problem situations such as that of health, require a systems approach.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2007. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-115). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. S.)--Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Maurizio Iacopetta; Committee Member: Olga Shemyakina; Committee Member: Tibor Besedes.

Thesis equivalent (M.H.A.)--University of Michigan, 1970. / "H.A. 752-3."