Building a liberal economy requires fulfilling some major conditions that are necessary for its proper operation. In order to have a healthy economy there is a need to have a variety of financial markets, such as money and capital markets. The capital market consists of two main markets; the primary and the secondary markets.

Accreditation of laboratories has been a subject of considerable interest because product quality guarantee has become one of the prime factors to be considered in the present time of highly competitive industrial activity. Accreditation is still a new issue for the laboratories in Libya. These laboratories need to establish a new strategy on accreditation focusing on the difficulties and barriers of implementation. The main aim of this research is to identify the attitudes of laboratory staff towards factors related to the establishment of accredited laboratories' in the Libyan Chemical and Petrochemical Industries. A total of 400 questionnaires were sent to laboratories within the Libyan chemicals and petrochemicals industries sector. 350 usable questionnaires out of the 400 were returned, thus giving a response rate of 87.50/0. The analysis led to the development of critical success factors to establish laboratories' accreditation by comprising 72 factors into 28 factors arranged in six categories: technical, management, culture, communication, quality and training, which affects laboratories' accreditation. This research identifies that the following are considered the main factors that affect the establishment of accreditation: Root causes of problems, Sampling procedure, Calibration of reference standards, Quality of equipment and resources, time and resources to do the job, Physical conditions at work, Quality of technical records, Quality is more important than volume of sales, Uncertainty of measurements, Security of records ,Happy to work in the laboratory, Periodic internal audits, Reports include information requested by client, Regular and effectiveness of meetings, Commitment to excellent customer services and continuous quality improvement, Loyalty and respect towards employees, Communication process, training, Staff involvement in the improvement process and, Clarity of job description The findings from this study wi II provide scholars, consultants and managers with valuable information on how to deal with laboratories accreditation issues.

The field of study for this research project is a recently established and rapidly evolving business concept, Facilities Management (FM). The focal theory for this project concerns the effectiveness of a tactic increasingly adopted by organisations as part of their FM strategy, namely contracting-out. This work places significant emphasis on the 'design' (i.e. the planning ) of the research project, in order to maximise the rigour of the study. In particular, a distinction is drawn between the design of the overall project and the design of the data collection strategy. The latter employs the multi-method techniques of •cas'e study and research review. The value of incorporating a looping or iteration element into the design in order to permit a dynamic and flexible approach is developed in some detail. The aim of the research project is to determine:- the advantages and disadvantages of contracting-out as they affect the individual organisations under investigation; the extent such factors play in determining whether the organisations adopt contracting-out; the potential for generalising the results across the case studies; and whether broader generalisations can be attempted. The following hypothesis for the study is developed based on the findings of a review of focal theory: 'The potential advantages to a User organisation of contracting-out discrete aspects or bundles of FM Services are likely to outweigh the potential disadvantages.' A matrix of the advantages and disadvantages of contracting-out is developed by conducting a 'research review'. The findings are ranked according to frequency of occurrence based on weighted averages. Six case studies are conducted as a means of collecting primary data. The data is systematically subjected to analytical methods, including testing against both the hypothesis and the rankings of the Research Review. Finally a cross-case analysis is undertaken. The findings progressively reached by this researcher have been tested out against knowledgeable audiences in two ways, viz: by presenting conference papers and lectures; and by regular reference back to a sounding board of key informants. The conclusions reached include: • that the proposition of the hypothesis is not generalisable; • that potential advantages and disadvantages of contracting-out not only vary between organisations, but in the way they influence the delivery of different FM services within a given organisation; • that factors other than these advantages and disadvantages influence Users' contracting-out decision-making.

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Purpose: The aim of this research is to develop a conceptual framework that incorporatesa new understanding of key elements that address and realign the roles of a school as a community hub in promoting community cohesion. Findings: The final finding is a new conceptual framework for the understanding of local community perspectives on the role of the school as a community hub. This framework enhances significant values and leads to the creation of guidance to promote community cohesion and to sustain opportunities for existing and future development of schools. Detailed themes in the findings demonstrate a need to propose significant strategies to address the key challenges of the role of school as a community hub. Research limitations/implications: This study looks at the relationships that underlie the visions to see the capabilities of school roles as community hub which then highlights significant ways of delivering efforts to promote cohesion in the community. The implementation of the research will depend upon the extent to which stakeholders discern and accept the new inter-relationships and community cohesion principles proposed. Design/methodology/approach: Grounded Theory Methods (GTM) and Rich Picture Diagrams (RPD) were the approaches taken to collecting and analysing the data from two case studies, one situated in the United Kingdom and the other in Malaysia. Practical implications: Promoting community cohesion requires the role of school to be rediscovered as a concept of a community hub that potentially meets current social needs and those of future generations. Practitioners and policy makers need to be aligned with the new conceptual framework as its represent the engagement of the local communities with the strategies and agendas of sustainable communities. Originality/value: In the world of social and culture diversity, this study lays out new understanding and strategies on the conceptual framework of a school as a community hub facility on promoting community cohesion.

Environmental issues surrounding railway operation and construction have become more prominent in recent years, increasing the need for administrators and researchers to understand how residents living around railways respond to the noise and vibration generated by them. Within this context, the University of Salford, within the project funded by Defra “Human response to vibration in residential environments” (NANR209), has derived exposure response relationships for railway traffic and construction for a population sample of 1281 people: 931 for railway traffic and 350 for railway construction. Vibration measurements within residences have been used for assessing human exposure to vibration alongside a social study questionnaire based on face-to-face interviews for quantifying the human response. The first part of this work is concerned with the exposure side of NANR209. The design and implementation of measurement methodologies are presented and discussed, which provide exposure data suitable for building an exposure response relationship for vibration caused by the sources mentioned above. In light of the large amount of vibration data gathered during the project, the analysis of vibration signals is considered in the second part of the dissertation. Two aspects connected with the assessment of the human exposure to vibration are investigated: wave field assessment and ground to building transmissibility analysis.

The purpose of this research is to define a framework for the enhancement and commitment of public participation in the context of river basin management (RBM) in Portugal based on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) to achieve good water governance. In Portugal, public participation is often scarce, in spite of stakeholders being invited to participate by water management companies, as later referred to in this research. The WFD also maintains that stakeholders should be involved in RBM decisions. Based on an interpretivist research philosophy the research adopted case studies and expert interviews to provide multiple sources of evidence on the nature and complexity of River Basin Management and Public Participation The main case study interviews were carried with the case study managers. Additional expert interviews were carried with other case study stakeholders and general stakeholders (from industry and agriculture sectors). Data was analysed using content analysis. Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) application produced “rich pictures” to identify the level of engagement and commitment by stakeholders to participation in national water resources management. Cross case analysis was performed using the outcomes of case studies and interviews. Following this, the final framework was developed to meet the aim and objectives of the research. This research provided the identification of gaps in stakeholders’ participation in RBM. A final conceptual model is presented aiming to guide decision makers to solve this problem. It is proposed that two types of partnering groups are created to fulfil the aim and objectives which were pursued. The importance of this research relies on RBM improvement and the enhancement of the body of knowledge in Public Participation, to minimize the gaps on good water governance in Portugal. This research provides a framework which may guide some of the policy makers in RBM on how to optimise the participation of the stakeholders, assessing multi-stakeholder viewpoints in parallel. It aims to support the achievement of a major societal goal which is to gain trust among all groups of stakeholders and the community served by the river basin, which can lead to improved contribution and commitment to reach good water governance.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / LEED, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, assists our building industry to become more sustainable. This paper examines three case studies of existing buildings which have evolved to become LEED certified through the rating system of LEED: Operations and Maintenance. Understanding how older generation buildings may still rejuvenate and become sustainable will provide benefits for the people, planet, and profit. As with many things, there are some drawbacks when it comes to LEED certification such as their fees and universal approach for credits acquired.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / In the United States, commercial rooftops are too often an afterthought, serving only to house HVAC systems and other utilitarian building components. Rooftops are the most underutilized valuable spaces in buildings. They comprise a great deal of real estate that could help boost a building’s energy efficiency, aesthetics, and even the wellness of occupants. Buildings are the leading contributors to energy consumption in the country, and implementing green roofs could significantly mitigate this energy use, so costly to society in so many ways. This proposal studies the benefits of implementing a green roof on the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA) in Tucson, Arizona. Extensive research was conducted on the implementation of a green roof in this hot arid region, as well as a survey among a pool of 50 occupants. The conclusions drawn: a green roof would be utilized by occupants, and would bring about benefits including cleaner air, an expanded roof lifespan, and reduced heat island effect. Conclusions also demonstrate that the cost of implementing a green roof might not be offset by energy savings alone, but when considering the benefits and costs to society, a green roof ultimately proves beneficial economically as well.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / The southwest region of the United States is stressed for potable water and needs to positively utilize its current water resource. With the urban environment being mostly made up of concrete, it is now crucial to assess its development and application. The concrete used today is a mixture of cement, water and aggregates and is not permeable. The non-permeable property of common concrete prevents natural water absorption by the earth and greatly inhibits water to percolate back into the local water table. As concrete, has developed, porous concrete has been discovered. Porous concrete or pervious pavement is made in the same way that concrete is made with cement, aggregate, and water, but the aggregate used in porous concrete creates pores that allow water to pass through. By allowing water to pass through concrete, urban development will result in greater ground water recharge. As global warming intensifies weather patterns across the planet, Tucson, Arizona will experience heavier rainfall seasons. As the world’s climate changes, Tucson will experience heavier monsoon rain fall events. With heavier rain fall events urban flooding will become more of an issue. Grey infrastructure is needed to manage flooding caused by heavy rain fall. Porous concrete can be used as an effective way to manage storm water. This capstone has undertaken an extensive range of literature reviews to identify where porous concrete can be used for storm water harvesting. The literature reviews range from climate change to the benefits of storm water harvesting. Porous concrete allows storm water to infiltrate through it and back into the local aquifer and directs storm water into retention ponds for treatment and reuse. Porous concrete is a low impact development (LID) building material, which will turn urban development into Sustainable development. Porous concrete if used correctly for storm water harvesting can reduce potable water stress, reduce pollutants found in local waters, and reduce the strain on current storm drains. The required maintenance associated with porous concrete is minimal and not costly, therefore will be only briefly explained throughout this research. While porous concrete has a wide range of benefits ranging from water percolation to the reduction of the heat island effect, this paper will focus on its use as a means of storm water harvesting.