This thesis project took "community dining room" as the theme. Based on the research of different types of public eating places, I came up with a new type of community restaurant system that meets the needs of modern development. Multiple choice and affordable price are the most important feature of this new container construction system. The general background of my thesis topic based on issues of community service, interaction between the public, buildings and community. Moreover, I found two typical methods of showing community relationships, the kitchenless home and hawker centre, which became the supporting materials of my thesis general thoughts. And then, the research section is the most important part of the entire thesis process. In research part, I analyzed and sorted out different types of "public dining areas", summarized their commonalities, and drew several different types of prototypes. Finally, the design of project is based on the summary of the research section. Thesis project was designed based on the prototypes, following the micro-meso-macro scope design step.

Purpose – Ever since Sarasvathy’s (2001) seminal article, scholars have sought to test effectuation’s affect on firm performance. Although recent work has begun the arduous process of testing effectuation’s effect on entrepreneurial performance, there is still much to learn about its impact on firm performance. One such area is the relationship between effectuation and innovation. The purpose of this paper is to first, propose a scale suitable to the explication of the effectuation construct relative to innovation. Second, it proposes a more parsimonious scale for the measurement of innovation. Third, these scales are tested relative to firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – This paper develops and tests a structural model, which investigates aspects of effectuation as mediators between innovation orientation and product/service innovation. This is accomplished using a sample of 169 electronic product manufacturing-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Subjective measures of performance are used as the dependent variable. Findings – The three most widely used measures of innovativeness were found to break cleanly into two sub-constructs, namely innovation orientation and product/service innovation. Effectuation measures included means (who I know), leverage contingencies (experimentation), pre-commitments and affordable loss. Means and leverage contingencies were found to positively mediate innovation orientation and product/service innovation leading to increased firm performance. Affordable loss did not show a mediating role, but had a direct effect on firm performance. Research limitations/implications – This study establishes two distinct sub-constructs of firm-level innovation; namely innovation orientation and product/service innovation. Second, by testing an innovation-centric effectuation model, this research establishes an empirical relationship between effectuation, innovation and firm performance. Practical implications – Practical implications include establishing a relationship between means, leverage contingencies and innovation-performance, indicating that the ways through which small and medium-sized enterprises use their innovation networks may affect innovation outcomes and ultimately firm performance. Originality/value – This research establishes an empirical relationship between effectuation, innovation and firm performance, extending effectuation theory from the entrepreneurship to the innovation literature.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act drastically transforms the United States healthcare infrastructure. This law, passed in 2008, will shift financial incentives, payment methods, policies, and, in fact, the very way our physicians practice medicine. Currently, the US ranks 1st in healthcare costs, but 37th in healthcare service in the world. It is estimated that there are between 35-42 million uninsured Americans that ultimately cost 50 billion in taxpayer dollars annually. The 4,033 behemoth of a law sets the groundwork to provide high quality healthcare to all Americans with either insufficient or no insurance. Although it will affect every aspect of healthcare and medicine, this paper will assess the changes being made in primary care. The renewed dedication to family medicine provides the foundation to create a more cost efficient healthcare system and a healthier America. We will review the current state of primary care, assess the provisions enacted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and evaluate future goals of family medicine. Ultimately the Affordable Care Act attempts to boost primary care, focus on prevention, and use research-based policies in order to lower healthcare costs and provide accessible healthcare. In order to do so, the United States needs to address the insufficiencies of the previous healthcare system and re-evaluate our healthcare expenditures.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Difficulties caring for people living with dementia (PWD) contribute to their family caregivers’ diverse unmet needs and adverse outcomes in health and well-being. This dissertation research explored the influence of macro systems on individual caregivers' well-being reflecting on the prevalence of online use among caregivers. Caregivers have migrated to online platforms to seek support. However, there is limited understanding of how online social support [OnSS] compares to offline support [OffSS] in terms of caregivers’ well-being. The first study examined the associations of OnSS and OffSS with the psychological well-being [MH] of caregivers. A subsample of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) from 2017 to 2018 (n=264) was analyzed. The data indicate that OnSS supplemented rather than replaced OffSS. Emotional support delivered offline had a positive direct association with MH, while OnSS did not. OffSS interacted with caregiving stressors while OnSS interacted with life stressors. Caregivers who are in less favorable situations, such as working part-time while caring for a PWD, living with economic hardship, and being unhealthy, tended to be significantly affected by OnSS. The results suggest that practitioners need to incorporate caregivers’ OffSS into OnSS to maximize the available support resources, specifically for those who are in less favorable conditions. There is limited understanding of caregivers’ experiences within the complex health care system, especially after the significant policy changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The second study analyzed caregivers’ perceptions of and experiences with the ACA using national online forum data posted in 2011-2017 (n=514 posts). Text-mining thematic analysis method was used to analyze the posts. Three overall themes emerged: (a) concern about cost implications of placement decisions for care recipients, (b) skepticism about government and healthcare system support of their caregiving roles, and (c) caregivers’ own well-being and concerns about health insurance. Efforts are needed to enhance clear and effective communication among policymakers and health professionals serving service users, including caregivers of PWD. The present dissertation provides preliminary evidence to increase understanding of the complex contexts that affect the overall well-being of caregivers. Implications and suggestions for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers are discussed.

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Thesis advisor: Geoffrey Sanzenbacher / Racial housing discrimination in the United States has created systemic segregation which precludes black Americans from living in the well-resourced suburbs of their white counterparts. Certain housing policies such as inclusionary zoning (IZ), a policy that offers real estate developers incentives in exchange for the creation of affordable housing, seek to counteract these injustices. Research on inclusionary zoning thus far has proven the policy’s effectiveness in providing low-income groups access to high-performing schools in low-poverty neighborhoods, increasing children’s academic and long-term economic outcomes. However, sparse research exists which examines if inclusionary zoning provides access to low-poverty settings specifically for black Americans, a goal that should be a priority for housing policies intended to make communities inclusive. Using data on inclusionary zoning policies from the Lincoln Institute and IPUMS NHGIS decennial census data, this study employs a difference in difference regression to analyze the changes in racial and socioeconomic composition of 420 jurisdictions across the United States as a result of their implementation of an IZ policy. This paper finds that while the effects on a jurisdiction’s socioeconomic makeup are minimal, the implementation of an inclusionary zoning policy does significantly increase the percentage of black residents. When controlling for policy characteristics (i.e. whether a policy is mandatory, and what range of income it serves), IZ policies can increase the percentage of black residents by more than 0.8% over 10 years. However, this study also finds that when IZ policies are implemented voluntarily, without regard to the income range served or the location of the affordable units, the policies can have an adverse effect on the black population. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Economics.

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This Master’s Project is separated into two parts: the introduction and background informing an affordable senior housing market study, and a market study prepared for People’s Self Help Housing (PSHH). The introduction begins by providing current and future trends for seniors at the national and state levels. This includes discussion of the “Baby Boomer” age cohort and their rapid growth and potential impact to the housing market. The introduction then describes challenges facing developers of affordable senior housing. These challenges include the type, location, and funding sources for future senior housing projects. All federal funding sources for affordable senior housing projects are then briefly presented and their applicability to the proposed project is explained. The introduction sets the stage for a market study created to determine the feasibility of an affordable senior housing project in the Santa Maria/Orcutt market area.

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