This dissertation presents innovative demand management techniques for service systems with limited resources. The first study analyzes demand management policies of animal shelters with limited Kennel space as a set of interacting stochastic queueing systems. In practice, there are two main policies being used, which we call "Kill" and "No-Kill" policies. In a "Kill" system, animals may be euthanized if a shelter is full. Many shelters have moved to a "No-Kill" policy, where they avoid killing for space and adopt other approaches to reduce supply and demand mismatch. Our goal is to provide insights on how No-Kill policies, such as coordination, adoption and neutering campaigns, help reduce the animals' killing rate so that the shelter management can choose the way to effectively solve their problems. In the second part, we consider a topic of demand management for the Sports and Entertainment (S&E) industry, called "Scaling the house", i.e., how to divide seats into zones for different prices to maximize revenue across the venue. From the data obtained from several performance venues in the U.S., we find ticket demand is impacted by locations of seats as well as by price. We characterize closed-form solutions for the optimal two-dimensional zoning decision (with row and column cuts) and the one-dimensional decision (with row cuts), and explore when each model should be applied. The third study considers pricing as a tool to manage demand for the S&E tickets. We develop dynamic pricing with demand learning models where demand is also affected by time left until the show dates. Since the show's popularity is usually uncertain to the seller, we propose a method to learn the overall popularity via Bayesian updates. We perform computational experiments to understand properties of the model solutions and identify when demand learning is most beneficial.

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Social movement literature suggests that organizations espousing radical ideologies must develop bureaucratic structures in order to survive, changes which inevitably create an organization more concerned with self-maintenance than social transformation. In the Battered Women's Movement, some radical feminists argue that trends toward increased formalization and centralization in feminist collectives provide evidence that the movement has been coopted, and thus radical organizations seeking to challenge inequitable social structures have been transformed into more traditional social service agencies. This thesis examines one shelter for battered women which, due mainly to severe internal conflict, found it necessary to modify its structure from a collective to a hierarchy led by a coordinator. This change led neither to decreased radical ideology nor to an increased focus on organizational maintenance at the expense of socially transformative goals. However, due to a lack of formalized procedures, this outcome largely reflects the personal inclinations of the coordinator.

In Durban as well as many other cities around the world one can find the phenomenon of street children. Studies have highlighted various factors such as historical, political, social and economic, which have contributed to the formation of this phenomenon. The aim of this project is to analyse these factors in an attempt to understand the underlying issues and circumstances that lead to the phenomenon of street children. In conjunction with this, one needs to study existing examples of architectural solutions both local and abroad in order to identify the fundamental requirements that a design of this nature would need to include. It is also important that one analyse the local context as it may hold region specific needs that may not be evident from studies of foreign examples. This project seeks to identify the specific methods of rehabilitation and development, in order to create a successful architectural solution. In order to achieve this, one needs to recognise the specific design needs of children in an attempt to create a more conducive environment for rehabilitation. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

The aim of this study was to examine women shelters conditions as an organization and how these conditions affect their work with children who have experienced family violence and live in their shelters. In order to achieve a more profound and comprehensive view of the women shelters and their work with these children we selected to execute a qualitative method with semi-structured interviews with collaborators from nine different shelters in Sweden. We found that the women shelter as a non-governmental organization was bicameral and complex where their work with children distinguishes on several areas. We discovered that the women shelters were an organization, affected and formed by its environment. From our empiricism we could distinguish differences on a municipality level where collaborations with schools and social services occur in a resource guided hierarchy which influences the women shelters work with children. The women shelters work also showed to have a focus on the mother, even when they worked with the children. We also found that the shelters work varied in ways of including ideological foundations of moral to its work and therefore where directed and adapting their work with children from different approaches to its working procedures. As a conclusion, women shelters work with children can appear as a lottery of support and help due to its variations in what help the children are offered on their shelters.

The study was motivated by a dearth in qualitative research on shelters. Moreover, the complex nature of the phenomenon of street shelters appeared to present challenges for researchers, policy makers as well as service providers in arriving at a shared understanding of the causes and symptoms and possible responses to addressing the needs of street children. This study focused on shelter services to street children. Three Shelters registered with the Department of Social Development participated in the study. The researcher used semi-structured interviews as a primary source of information in conjunction with other relevant available sources of material to gather information from service providers. The investigation was undertaken over two cycles. The initial investigation was carried out prior the passing of the Children’s Act No 38 of 2007 and the follow up investigation was conducted three years into implementation. The aim of the study was to explore the nature and extent of programmes offered to street children prior and post implementation of the Children’s Act. The investigations revealed that although shelters initially gained legal recognition through the registration process, they were not recognized in the same light as other child care and protection services and were discriminated against, directly as a result of exclusion from relevant policy. The passing of the Children’s Act No. 38 of 2005 signalled hope for shelter services. It set in motion a paradigm shift in the manner in which shelters operate and function and signals partnerships and co-operation between the state and non-government sector. However, the findings revealed that three years into implementation, the Children’s Act No 38 of 2007 has not yielded much progress in shelter services. This research draws attention to the prevailing gaps in services as well as the purposeful implementation of policy towards meaningful interventions to street children. It is hoped that the findings will influence purposeful engagements between the Shelters and the Department of Social Development in addressing identified gaps. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

Within the context of a rapidly urbanizing population, both globally and nationally, this dissertation investigates how street living strategies can assist in conceptualizing a nurturing inner city environment. Responding to the dearth of implementable social policies in South Africa, this research sets out to explore methods for architects to enhance the life opportunities and choices of pavement dwellers by incorporating their livelihoods and aspirations in the design of the built environment. The research was carried out by way of reviewing existing literature on the subject, relevant case studies and precedent studies. The theories and literature discussed guide the focus of this dissertation highlighting the importance of taking people's needs, interests, livelihood strategies and their circumstances into account. The discussion illustrates how the inner city environment, underpinned by theoretical analysis of Theory of Living, Complexity Theory and Critical Regionalism, can be nurturing to life. Quantitative and qualitative methods are used to gather social and architectural data, outlining the interaction between street living strategies and the built environment, illustrating how an inner city can cater to the needs and well being (positive orientation) of the community, or in other cases, fail to do so. This will be further understood through an examination of the pavement dwellers' complex and difficult life in the Durban CBD, and how this creatively assists the design of a nurturing multipurpose dream centre, as a solution to the needs of street living and a conceptualization of a nurturing inner city environment. The outcome is the conceptualization of an inner city environment from which a set of principles and guidelines are established to inform the design of a new multipurpose dream centre in the inner city - the Durban CBD. A dream centre is possible because of the ability of "The architect [to] confront human needs and desires [and] mould the environment closer to the human dream" (Mumford, 1938: 403). / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

The impact of the Cold War on architecture in the United States is exemplified in the promotion and construction of fallout shelters. The development of the hydrogen bomb by the United States and Soviet Union in the first half of the 1950s increased fears of the far-reaching effect nuclear war could have on public health and safety. Government agencies, such as the Office of Civil Defense, promoted the widespread construction and use of the fallout shelter as a safeguard against human annihilation in the event of nuclear war. This thesis examines the various types of residential fallout shelters designed by public and private entities. The location of the fallout shelter within the family residence had the largest impact on the style and construction method adopted. This thesis investigates a wide variety of examples and techniques used to encourage fallout shelter construction. An in-depth discussion of the preservation of the residential shelter completes the text, including two examples of current preservation practices. / Nuclear weapons, the Cold War and a need for shelters -- Evolution, promotion and requiremens for residential fallout shelters -- Interior residential shelters -- Exterior residential shelters -- Preservation issues of the residential fallout shelter. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Architecture

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 1994. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [54]-57).

Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / A presente dissertação tem como tema de estudo a proteção à infância e adolescência, tendo a medida de proteção abrigo como foco de análise. O abrigo é uma das medidas de proteção estabelecidas no Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (ECA), que devem ser aplicáveis sempre que os direitos reconhecidos no Estatuto forem ameaçados ou violados. De acordo com o ECA, a medida de proteção abrigo é provisória e excepcional e não implica privação de liberdade. Além disso, está previsto no ECA que a falta ou carência de recursos materiais não constitui motivo suficiente para perda ou suspensão do poder familiar. No entanto, observa-se que as grandes causas de abrigamento estão ligadas às condições de pobreza em que vive grande parte da população. Para a realização da pesquisa foram desenvolvidos três capítulos. Nos dois primeiros abordamos temas como o lugar das políticas sociais no desenvolvimento do capitalismo e da proteção social e políticas de assistência em tempos neoliberais e história da assistência e proteção à infância, dando ênfase ao processo de institucionalização de crianças e adolescentes no Brasil e aos discursos e práticas sobre a infância e a família pobres. No terceiro capítulo, a partir de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com pessoas da equipe de um abrigo da prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro uma pessoa da direção, duas assistentes sociais e três educadores sociais buscamos conhecer e analisar as percepções dos trabalhadores sobre o tema da proteção à infância e adolescência, dos abrigos, e seus desdobramentos. Objetivamos, com este estudo, conhecer e problematizar o que está sendo produzido e oferecido para crianças e adolescentes no âmbito das ações de assistência e proteção, na busca pela garantia e ampliação das condições de cidadania dos mesmos.