published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

This exploratory study examined the impact of company-provided training on the turnover rate of full-time leasing consultants in the apartment management industry. A national survey was conducted using the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) directory of Accredited Management Organization (AMO) companies.The survey was mailed to the 419 AMO companies that employ leasing consultants. with a response rate of 69 surveys. A statistically significant correlation was shown between the True Turnover Rate and the provision of education for leasing consultants. The three significant variables that appeared to reduce turnover included 1) tuition reimbursement at up to 50%, 2) tuition reimbursement at 51%-100%, and 3) number of hours of training per year provided. Other trends were found in this exploratory study. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering / The purpose of the study was to investigate ways of providing corporate real estate management services in the South African context. The data collection process started with a pilot study using a questionnaire. A qualitative approach was used with semi-structured interviews of six Corporate Real Estate managers from companies of various industries in Johannesburg in March 2014. The larger organizations prefer to have a formalized Corporate Real Estate unit that is situated at headquarters and have no links with core business. These companies refer to their corporate real estate units as facilities management, property management and workplace management, the actual term “corporate real estate” is not used in South Africa. The companies that have the formalized Corporate Real Estate units own their Corporate Real Estate or are triple net leasing their Corporate Real Estate. Respondent companies prefer to manage strategic aspects in-house and outsource the operational activities, because real estate is not their core business. Some of the respondents did not experience challenges with either outsourcing or in-house management. Respondents that experienced challenges with outsourcing had problems with performance issues, lack of knowledge and experience by service providers, the quality of the service and the lack of performance measurement tools. The challenges experienced with managing in-house included performance issues, lack of accountability from internal staff, lack of flexibility, and lack of skill and experience on the part of internal staff. South African practice may appear to match international best practice; however, more studies might be needed to validate the results. Key words: South Africa, corporate real estate management, outsourcing, in-house management

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

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Housing Management