Organizations in many domains such as healthcare, finances, telecommunications, educa-tion, and software development, must comply with an ever-increasing number of regula-tions, including laws and policies. In order to measure compliance to regulation, several recent approaches propose modelling regulations using goals and indicators. However, creating goal models for regulations is time consuming and prone to errors, especially as this is usually done manually. This thesis tackles this issue by automating some of the steps for creating goal models, and by offering better ways to create graphical views of goal models than what is currently available nowadays in goal modelling tools. The notation used in this thesis is the Goal-oriented Requirement Language (GRL), which is part of the User Requirements Notation standard and is supported by the jUCMNav tool. The concepts of regulations and their indicators are captured using a tab-ular presentation in Comma-Separated Value (CSV) files. An import mechanism is added to jUCMNav to automatically create regulation goal models from such files. The imported GRL model can then by visualized using novel features that enable the addition of multiple views/diagrams in an efficient and usable way.

Organizations in many domains such as healthcare, finances, telecommunications, educa-tion, and software development, must comply with an ever-increasing number of regula-tions, including laws and policies. In order to measure compliance to regulation, several recent approaches propose modelling regulations using goals and indicators. However, creating goal models for regulations is time consuming and prone to errors, especially as this is usually done manually. This thesis tackles this issue by automating some of the steps for creating goal models, and by offering better ways to create graphical views of goal models than what is currently available nowadays in goal modelling tools. The notation used in this thesis is the Goal-oriented Requirement Language (GRL), which is part of the User Requirements Notation standard and is supported by the jUCMNav tool. The concepts of regulations and their indicators are captured using a tab-ular presentation in Comma-Separated Value (CSV) files. An import mechanism is added to jUCMNav to automatically create regulation goal models from such files. The imported GRL model can then by visualized using novel features that enable the addition of multiple views/diagrams in an efficient and usable way.

Organisational and individual Health and Safety (H&S) competence is an essential element to the successful completion of a construction project in a safe way and without hazards to the health of all workforce. Under the Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations 2007, the client should take reasonable steps to ensure that the appointed duty-holders and engaged people are H&S competent to design, build or co-ordinate the project. Although the CDM Regulations 2007 and its Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) have established ‘Core Criteria’ to guide the client to assess duty-holders’ H&S competence in the outset of a project, it is still difficult for most inexperienced clients to discharge the duty of making the key decisions in H&S competence assessment. In order to help the client implement H&S competence assessment, it is important to develop a tool that can effectively and efficiently support the client to make reasonable decisions in the selection of H&S competent duty-holders. According to the findings of the case study of existing formal H&S competence assessment schemes undertaken as part of this work, H&S competence assessment was characterised as a subjective, qualitative and non-linear regulation-compliance checking process. In addition, the case study helped identify the latent shortcomings in the ‘Core Critiera’ and the operational drawbacks in current practice of implementing H&S competence assessment. Based on a review of Information Technology (I.T.) and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) applications in construction, Knowledge-Based System (KBS) is identified as being a suitable tool to support decision-making in H&S competence assessment, mainly due to its appropriateness to solve regulation-compliance checking problems and support subjective and qualitative decision-making process. Following a decision-making framework for H&S competence assessment, a KBS decision-support model was developed, applying three mechanisms to support the reasonable decision-making for H&S competence assessment. In order to develop an appropriate and practical KBS for H&S competence assessment, a textual knowledge base was developed, specifying the minimum satisfaction standards and a rating indicator system for ‘Core Criteria’. As a result, an online KBS was developed using Java Server Pages (JSP) technology and MySQL. The online KBS applied the textual knowledge base to support the screen, rating, ranking and reporting decision-supporting mechanisms. Simultaneously, the case inquiry and expert inquiry facilities were also included in the KBS for effective decision-making. Finally, construction experts and practitioners in H&S management evaluated the validity and usability of the KBS through a questionnaire survey. The prototype KBS was borne out to be an effective and efficient decision-support tool for H&S competence assessment and have the potential to be applied in practice.

From 2014 to 2015, deficiency fines cost Pennsylvania nursing homes more than $2.5 million. Costs associated with adhering to increased health care regulations can reduce profit and affect the financial sustainability of the nursing home industry. Some nursing home administrators (NHAs) lack successful strategies to improve state and federal regulation compliance and promote financial sustainability. Drucker's management by objectives theory was the conceptual framework for this study. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful strategies NHAs use to improve state and federal regulation compliance to mitigate deficiencies and derivative fines to promote financial sustainability of nursing homes. NHAs who manage 5-star rated nursing homes within a 100-mile radius of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania use effective management strategies to mitigate deficiencies and derivative fines to earn a 5-star rating which, helps promote financial sustainability. Data were collected from semistructured face-to-face and telephone interviews with 4 NHAs and from Medicare's Nursing Home Compare website. The data on the website provided information on the 3 domains of health inspections, staffing, and quality measures, that made up the overall star rating of nursing homes. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5-phase cycle. The findings revealed 3 major themes: develop knowledgeable staff, enhance communication with staff and residents, and promote innovation for continuous quality improvement. The implications for positive social change could include increased quality of patients' health care, creation of employment opportunities to promote prosperity in communities, and financial sustainability in the United States nursing home industry.