Bell (Gigli, et al. 2007:ix) believes that “design that is good should be embedded within all that surrounds us in the unnatural world. Good design and good architecture improve all our lives - they are not just about decoration.” An understanding of what good design entails and a comprehension of the interior designer’s role within the built environment and public realm could anchor this belief. The International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) established Design Frontiers: The Interiors Entity (DFIE) to define the interiors discipline for IFI stakeholders and the general public alike. The planned Interiors Biennale in 2013, the final phase of the DFIE, is intended to visualise this knowledge, actualising the global consensus as reflected in the IFI Interiors Declaration. The objective of the dissertation is to design a travelling exhibition for the IFI Interiors Biennale 2013. The study investigates exhibition design as a method of communicating the seven basic pillars of the interiors profession as described by the Declaration. A normative position derived from the event title, ‘designing from the inside out’, establishes the premise for the design approach. The project explores the temporary imprint that results from the relationship between the general (host structure) and the specific (installation). While acknowledging that the design cannot be completely site specific, the proposal identifies characteristics of ‘the universal exhibition host’ to obtain a set of constraints that inform the design of a travelling installation. A proto-site is identified within Johannesburg, embodying the universal specification. The site typology has the least impact on the design development with the event typology (travelling exhibition), and the design brief (IFI Interiors Declaration) driving the process. The investigation points to an adaptive solution: design for disassembly. This design philosophy influences the chosen construction and fabrication method as well as the selected material type. The design objective is not to curate the event, but rather to provide a flexible and innovative ‘kit of parts’ to facilitate the projected communication needs of the client (IFI). / Dissertation (MInt(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Architecture / unrestricted

During adolescence, the need for social connection increases. Yet, fostering emotional closeness in relationships becomes more complex, as the need for autonomy also increases and social environments must adapt to become conducive to these seemingly competing needs. This complexity necessitates more research on what happens to close relationships during adolescence, so parents, scholars, and practitioners are better equipped to help individuals navigate the unique social atmosphere of adolescence. The current study draws upon multi-level modeling techniques to estimate growth models of Australian adolescents' closeness to parents and closeness to friends from ages 12-17 and examine predictors of these trajectories. Findings reveal that on average, adolescents' levels of closeness to parents exhibit a moderate decrease while remaining relatively high, and boys appear to have a closer relationship with their parents than girls throughout the period examined. Levels of closeness to friends similarly decline while remaining relatively high, with girls exhibiting both greater levels of closeness and a faster decrease than boys throughout the timeframe examined. These results are discussed in light of the current literature and recommendations for future studies are provided.

Den här rapporten är skriven för att utvärdera en livförstärkningsmetod för en knutpunkt i ett balk- och pelarsystem med kontinuerliga balkar som belastas med ett givet lastfall. Knutpunkten består av HSQ-balkar och VKR-rör där prefabricerade betongbjälklag lagts upp på underflänsarna av balkarna. Det som har studerats i detalj är hur knutpunkten påverkas av att full anliggning mellan livförstärkningsplåtarna och överflänsen saknas. Det vill säga, vad händer med bärförmågan när plåtarna inte är rakt skurna eller när utförandet inte är perfekt? Tre olika varianter av knutpunkten studerades, en med full anliggning mellan alla plåtar, och två stycken där full anliggning saknades mellan livförstärkningsplåtarna tvärs balkens längdriktning eller de som sitter längs med. Ett brottlaststest utfördes för att kunna mäta hur stor inverkan avsaknad av full anliggning mellan plåtarna hade på bärförmågan. Ett avstånd på 1 mm, som enligt utförandestandarden är det största värdet som accepteras lokalt (1/3 av tvärsnittsytan), hade inte någon större inverkan på bärförmågan för det givna lastfallet och plåtarna trycktes då ihop cirka 0.6 mm. När knutpunkten analyserades med ett brottslaststest, där avståndet mellan plåtarna sattes till 10 mm för att de inte skulle gå ihop under analysen, resulterade det i en minskning av bärförmågan med cirka 30 % för båda fallen. Knutpunktens förstärkningsplåtar var av den dimensionen att pelarna inte klarade av att trycka sönder dem utan att själva gå till brott. Det betyder att det är pelarna som är dimensionerande för knutpunktens bärförmåga. Storleken på förstärkningsplåtarna skulle kunna minskas utan att riskera bärförmågan för knutpunkten, de skulle troligtvis kunna ha samma dimensioner som pelaren. Linjelastens inverkan på knutpunkten verkar vara försumbar eftersom knutpunktens bärförmåga inte förändrades nämnvärt när linjelasten varierade. / This report is written to evaluate a web reinforcement method for a joint in a beam- and column system with continuous beams that is loaded with a given load case. The joint consists of HSQ-beams and VKR-pipes where prefabricated concrete decks are supported by the bottom flange of the beams. The phenomenon that has been studied in detail is how the joint is affected if full contact between the reinforcement plates and the top flange is not achieved. With other words, what is happening with the load carrying capacity when the reinforcement plates are not perfectly straight or when the execution is not done correctly? Three different types of the joint was studied, one that had full connection between all the plates, and then two where full connection was missing between either the web reinforcement plates that goes across the length of the beam or the one directed along the beam. An ultimate load carrying capacity test was also performed to easier be able to measure the consequences on the ultimate strength when full connection between the plates was missing. A space of 1 mm, which according to the Swedish execution standard is the largest value that is approved locally (for 1/3 of the section), will in the end not affect the joint with any larger reduction of the load carrying capacity. The plates were then pressed together approximately 0.6 mm. When the joint on the other hand was analyzed with an ultimate load carrying capacity analysis with a spacing of 10 mm between the plates, the load carrying capacity was reduced with approximately 30 % in both cases. The dimension of the reinforcement plates in the joint was of the magnitude that the columns were not able to press them to failure without going to failure themselves. This means that the columns are the dimensioning factor for the load carrying capacity of the joint. The size of the reinforcement plates could be reduced without risking the load carrying capacity for the joint, they could then be reduced to the same dimension as the columns. The influence of the uniformly distributed load seems to be neglectable since the load carrying capacity for the joint barely changed when the uniformly distributed load was varying. This means that the reinforcement plates could be designed as a welded column with fixed supports clamped in between the top- and bottom flange of the beam.

Current recommended cutoffs for determining measurement invariance have typically derived from simulation studies that have focused on multigroup confirmatory factor analysis, often using continuous data. These cutoffs may be inappropriate for ordered categorical data in a longitudinal setting. This study conducts two Monte Carlo studies that evaluate the performance of four popular model fit indices used to determine measurement invariance. The comparative fit index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) were all found to be inconsistent across various simulation conditions as well as invariance tests, and thus were not recommended for use in longitudinal measurement invariance testing. The standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) was the most consistent and robust fit index across simulation conditions, and thus we recommended using ≥ 0.01 as a cutoff for determining longitudinal measurement invariance with ordered categorical indicators.

This degree project is about designing sustainable, comfortable and aesthetically pleasingunderwear. The market does not currently offer many options for those who want to feelattractive and comfortable at the same time. Users have a hard time finding the perfect fit,since sizing systems are problematic. In addition, most panties are made of non sustainabletextiles, which does not live up to users wishes. In this essay we investigate which factorsinfluence panty fit, as well as an exploration of materials to find a suitable proposal forunderwear. The process is based upon a user-focused approach. We worked closely togetherwith a focus group and arranged a large quantitative study of users needs and preferences. This resulted in the thong Venusa, in sizes XS-XL, made out of ribbed Tencel™ fabric. Thethong has a differently designed crotch to better fit women’s genitals. The seams aresewn on the outside of the fabric, to avoid chafing against skin and placed for the bestcomfort possible. While developing the concept and making decisions we have relied onour requirement specification as well as the goal to create sustainable, comfortable andaesthetically pleasing underwear.

Research is needed that examines the effects of kiosk technology on restaurant operational performance measures, such as total sales. The study employs a 2X2 between-subjects field experimental design to empirically test the hypothesized relationships proposed in the research model. The data collection site was Burger King located in the student union of a large Tier 1 research university in southwest USA. The independent variables included ordering method (kiosk vs. cashier) and operational volume (peak vs. off-peak). The dependent variables were cognitive and affective attitudes, behavioral intention, satisfaction, sales per person, and order time. Consumers at Burger King were approached before they started ordering their meal to ask for voluntary participation. If they agreed to participate, they were randomly assigned into two test groups. Participants in one test group used kiosk technology to order their meals, while those in the other test groups spoke with a cashier to order their meals. The same number of participants were recruited from peak and non-peak volumes. The seconds used to order was observed and recorded after consumer engagement with the ordering method. After participants ordered, they completed a paper survey that measured their behaviors while ordering with each method and asked participants to indicate total purchase amount. Results of 192 surveys indicated to different extents that consumer behaviors were more positive with kiosk technology. Affective attitude results, however, were insignificant. On average, kiosk technology was found to be a faster method of ordering in quick-service restaurants, but it yielded less sales than when the consumer ordered from a cashier.

Interests are often considered a key element in vocational choices and are often used in both structured and free forms of career assessment. This master level thesis seeks to view the interest inventory Self-Directed Search as a process of learning and competence development. Four psychologists at the Swedish Public Employment Service were interviewed in an open fashion about how they integrate interest inventories in the career counselling and assessment process. The collected data were then analysed according to thematic analysis in relation tocompetence. Systems theory was used to understand relations between parts and whole in aprocess of mutual meaning and sense-making between psychologist and client. Interest inventories can in this way show characteristics of competence development when conducted ina process over time and being facilitated by a psychologist. Some elements of competence were represented to a greater extent than others. The study raises questions about how interest inventories can be developed and used in career intervention in order to manifest different aspects of competence and facilitate competence development.

Thesis advisor: Zhushan Li / Higher education institutions are expected to improve the employability-related outcomes of their graduates. Previous assessments of graduate employability have largely focused on assessing the quality of a graduate’s first career-related position after graduating, referred to as their first destination, under the assumption that graduates who secure higher quality first destinations are more highly employable. Previous assessments of first destinations have focused more on simple descriptive information (e.g., monetary compensation, number of hours worked per week, etc.) as opposed to evaluating more complex, multidimensional constructs related to employment quality. Assessing these types of constructs would not only provide institutions with more information on graduate employability outcomes, but could also improve the quality and utility of this information. This study investigated whether the theory of Person-Job (P-J) Fit could be generalized to assess a new self-report employment quality construct for recent Bachelor’s degree graduates called First Destination Fit (FDF). Using a mixed-methods research design, the study investigated the dimensionality of this construct, the extent to which the construct is invariant for graduates who secure employment first destinations versus all other types of first destinations (e.g., continued education, military service, etc.), and the extent to which the construct is associated with similar constructs as P-J Fit. Survey scale items were rigorously developed, evaluated, and refined using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, including both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, as well as cognitive interviews. The results suggested a four-dimensional framework for understanding FDF. These dimensions were Needs-Tasks fit, Needs-Field fit, Previous-Experience-Tasks fit, and Previous-Experience-Field fit. In large part, these dimensions were found to be related to similar constructs as P-J fit has been found to be related to, particularly for graduates with employment-type destinations. However, this four-dimensional framework was found to be better fitting for graduates with employment-type destinations compared to graduates with non-employment destinations. The study contributes a newly developed and rigorously evaluated scale for HEIs to use to collect new, important information about their graduates’ employability. It also began the process of validating this new scale using advanced psychometric testing. Implications for the scale and future directions for research are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation.

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of person-job (P-J) fit on the impact of organizational resources (training and service technology), and a personal resource (customer orientation) on frontline bank employees’ job performance and turnover intentions. Design/methodology/approach – A large-scale survey of 530 frontline employees of a national bank in New Zealand serves as the study setting. Findings – Among others, results show that P-J fit fully mediates the impact of training on turnover intentions and job performance. Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional nature of the study does not allow causal inferences. Therefore, future studies should adopt longitudinal designs. Practical implications – Management should be careful in planning and providing organizational resources to frontline employees to enhance their perception of P-J fit. Also investing in the recruitment and selection of customer-oriented frontline employees would be a prudent course of action. Originality/value – Empirical research in the banking services literature pertaining to the mediating role of P-J fit is scarce. There is also a lack of research regarding the interaction between personal and organizational resources resulting in complementary or supplementary effects on frontline employees’ fit perceptions. This study fills in the void in both areas.