The Residential Department at Moreland Developments (Pty.) Ltd. (Moreland), the property development arm of the Tongaat-Hulett Group (THG), has for some time questioned the benefits of setting up and maintaining Home Owner Associations (HOAs) for the residential suburbs that they develop. This concern is a consequence of the significant time and cost incurred in setting up and maintaining these associations with very little perceived added value. The intention of this study is to quantify this added value (if it exists) and in so doing, assist management in matching the right product in the right market with the right price. In an effort to try to understand the concept of added value, the writer has chosen a theoretical framework on which to base the research methodology. The writer has used Michael Porter's Value Chain system as this theoretical foundation. The Value Chain disaggregates the various value-adding activities a company performs and establishes which value-creating activities lead to sustainable competitive advantage. This study develops Moreland's Value Chain and enables the writer to hone in on the value creating activity of setting up and maintaining HOAs. A scientific approach is adopted in the research design. A stratified disproportionate random sample was used because of its greater statistical efficiency. A sample size of 93 were interviewed telephonically using a standardized questionnaire containing a mixture of structured and unstructured questions. The five projects chosen were Broadlands, Somerset Park, Gardens, Mount Edgecombe Country Club Estate (MECCE) and Zimbali. Both descriptive and analytical statistical analyses were performed on the 93 data sets. The data shows that the main drivers of value within a HOA are security, architecture, landscaping, general environmental upkeep and maintenance, communication and rules and regulations. In Broadlands and Somerset Park, the main drivers of value at the time of purchase and presently are architectural theme and rules and regulations. For Gardens, MECCE and Zimbali, the main drivers of value at the time of purchase and presently are security and architectural theme. The research objectives were reduced to two hypotheses, which were tested at the 95% level of confidence :- Hypothesis 1: The presence of a HOA has no effect on the decision to purchase vacant land. This hypothesis was not rejected for Broadlands but rejected for the remaining projects as well as for the full population. Judging from the confidence intervals for the project means, it is evident that the presence of a HOA had a positive effect on the decision to purchase in all projects (except Broadlands) and for the full population. Hypothesis 2: The presence of a HOA will not allow Moreland to command a price premium on the sale of vacant land. This hypothesis is rejected for all projects as well as for the full population implying that Moreland can charge a price premium on the sale of vacant land. The only limitation is that the Broadlands price premium cannot, in real terms, be charged as Hypothesis 1 was accepted for Broadlands, as prospective purchasers perceived value but are unwilling to pay for it. The price premium that could be achieved for the projects are as follow Somerset Park 4% to 20% Gardens 1% to 17% Mecce Zimbali 16% 13.5% to to 45% 24.5% Further analysis revealed that when the added value items of HOA are tested against the project, the location of the project is the prime driver of value. However, when security is tested against the project, the project value subordinates to the security effect indicating that security is the only added value item that is more important than location. The writer has made two recommendations to Moreland. The first is that immediate withdrawal from the Broadlands Home Owners Association is necessary as the value created by the establishment of a HOA is not captured, either in full or in part, by Moreland. The second is that Moreland restructure its commitment to the other HOAs in line with the quantified added value ranges. There is no doubt that this work greatly enhances the existing, very limited, body of knowledge on this subject area in South Africa. It is hoped that future research students will expand the existing body of knowledge by future investigating the issues that have limited this study. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, 2002.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2007. / Advisor: Keith Ihlanfeldt, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences, Dept. of Economics. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Hous. M.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007.

This dissertation explains the existence, sources, and variability of intra-organizational conflict in a hybrid organization. It assesses the usefulness of "structural" and "cultural" explanations of conflict and ultimately advances an alternative explanation for the presence of and variability in conflict in a hybrid organization. Homeowners' associations are used as a case for understanding the development of multiple institutional logics and the relationship between institutional pluralism and complexity and the presence of and variability in conflict in a hybrid organization. Drawing from quantitative and qualitative research conducted on homeowners' associations in the Greater-Boston area, including 250 surveys and 56 in-depth interviews with board members of homeowners' associations, I show how the American history and ideology of homeownership has generated two multiple, permanent, and functionally contradictory institutional logics--one based on the market and the other based on the community--in homeowners' associations. Using institutional theory and the concepts of institutional work and ambidexterity, I argue that organizational actor's responses to the presence of institutional pluralism and complexity, as evidenced in their perceptions and practices, determine whether a hybrid organization is subject to more or less conflict. My findings lead to three general conclusions. First, many homeowners' associations experience significant conflict. Second, structural and cultural explanations of conflict only partially explain the presence of conflict in homeowners' associations. They do not explain the variability of conflict in homeowners' associations. Third, and most significantly, the micro-actions of organizational actors matter in situations of institutional pluralism and complexity. I propose that organizational actors' responses to institutional pluralism and complexity explain variability in conflict; organizational actors either "don't do" or "do" logics. Organizational actors who "don't do" logics respond to institutional pluralism and complexity by eliminating and compartmentalizing logics. They perceive multiplicity as novel and problematic and enact disruptive practices to contest and separate logics. This results in more conflict. Organizational actors who "do" logics respond to institutional pluralism and complexity ambidextrously. They perceive multiplicity as routine, and even beneficial, and enact practices to maintain multiple institutional logics via context-specific and purposeful practices including adjustment, improvisation, and switching. This results in less conflict.

Please read the abstract in the dissertation. / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Consumer Science / unrestricted

Information sources used by homeowners in their purchase of major appliances were compared with the home-owner's occupation, education, and income. The sample consisted of 60 Logan City homeowners who had purchased a major appliance within the past 5 years. The respondents completed a questionnaire consisting of: 1) personal background information and 2) questions concerning their major appliance purchases. By testing with the adjusted chi square test, if was found that of the 3 consumer variables: education, income, and occupation, education was relatively significant (.175), and occupation was very significant (.074) in determining the type of information sources a homeowner used.

This study investigates the purchase and consumption of a house. An interpretive methodology was used, which resulted in multiple indepth interviews with fourteen informants and ten months of participant observation with Appalachian Mountain Housing building two houses for needy consumers. Chapters two to four describe the major emergent themes from the study. Specifically, chapter two looks at the house as a constraint on consumption. The purchase of a house channels a large portion of the consumers’ resources into payment of the mortgage and purchase of complementary items, and constrains future consumption. Chapter three examines the transformation of a house into a home, and describes four ways by which the informants for this study made this transformation. Chapter four provides an interpretation of the emergent themes discussed in chapters two and three, and suggests the home is a continuously evolving entity. The home changes both physically and symbolically to reflect changes in the lives of the informants. Chapters five and six connect the findings of this study to the existing literature on consumer acquisitiveness. Specifically, chapter five discusses materialism in the context of the purchase of a house, and concludes that the experiences of the informants for this study are substantially different from the existing theories of materialism. This may be due to nonmaterialistic informants, but it may also reflect inadequate theories of materialism. The ideological assumptions of current theories of materialism are examined, and the study concludes an ideological bias exists. Some of the results are then reinterpreted using political ideology as a guide. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the impact of children on materialistic consumption. Chapter six expands on McCracken’s (1988a) theory of Diderot unities and the Diderot effect to better understand the findings of this study. McCracken’‘s theory is expanded by integrating 1) sources of the correspondence between possessions and certain cultural categories; 2) meaning extraction and creation; 3) the extended self; and 4) materialism. The results of previous chapters of this study are then reinterpreted in light of the integrated model. The study concludes with a summary of the findings, and a discussion of the contribution of the study, as well as limitations and future directions for subsequent research. / Ph. D.

Cheng Hau-ling. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-100). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.2 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- "HOME, SWEET HOME" --- p.17 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- DREAMY HOME IN ADS --- p.30 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- RE-DEFINING SEA VIEW --- p.39 / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- CONSUMING HOME --- p.47 / Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- CONSUMING SEA VIEW --- p.70 / Chapter CHAPTER 7 --- BUYING A DREAM --- p.79 / APPENDIX I --- p.88 / APPENDIX II --- p.89 / APPENDIX III --- p.91 / APPENDIX IV --- p.92 / APPENDIX V --- p.93 / APPENDIX VI --- p.94 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.95

Prior to the development of programing and outreach materials it is important for Extension outreach and education professionals to assess the educational needs and preference of the communities they serve. Survey data was gathered from residents of Cedar City, UT, in an effort to gain an understanding of current lawn management practices and the resources homeowners utilize when making management decisions. In addition, soil samples were collected from a subset of participants to compare nutrient levels to management practices. Survey results found that homeowners accessed multiple sources, with preferences leaning towards the use of friends and family members, the internet, and the point of purchase. Few homeowners are aware of and utilize educational resources and services provided by Extension. This is especially true for those under the age of 50, which poses a challenge to Extension professionals to find effective ways to reach younger generations. It was difficult to form associations between nutrient levels and management practices Although, there was a strong association between those with excessive phosphorus concentration and the application of biosolids. More research needs to be done to examine the distribution and end use of biosolids.

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management