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Managing Facilities and High -end Homes in Hurricane Prone Zones - with specific focus on the Caribbean


I live in an active hurricane area where our hurricane season runs from May to October each year.  We have been known to have hurricanes in November also with September month being the most active. 

Areas I wish to address includes causes, climate change, impact, sustainable building material, risks, mitigation and recovery, insurance.  I will consider planning as regards coastal erosion from ocean surges, building set-backs.  I will also include the business and operational significance of managing high-end, luxury facilities while showing how design and construction can have an impact on durability and the ability of the facility to withstand hurricanes and the natural spin-offs of hurricanes to include flooding, mud/ land slides and in some cases earthquakes in the Caribbean.  How to manage and protect electrical, mechanical and data services during before, during and after a storm in addition to major components such as roofs, windows and doors. 

In essense I will be including things learnt from construction technology and facilities management and applying them.  I am passionate about this topic after nearly experiencing two devastating hurricanes and in light of the trauma caused last hurricane season in the Bahamas.

Also, properties in our area affected by hurricanes often become the subject of insurance claims and are also of importance to banking and lending institutions and as such these institutions often request valuations post hurricane damage.  I am keen to be an expert in the area.  Building construction, engineering, repairs, maintenance,  and procurement is of interest to me s it falls in-line within my family group of companies which includes retail automotive and hardware shops, general construction and property management and manufacturer of medical and industrial gases. 

I hope to explore some planning permission and strategies as regards specialist planning decisions, government planning controls and sustainable development and how it all ties in to risk assessment and tolerance as it relates to the Caribbean.

• Fundamentals of the design and construction process and the critical decision-making process
• Appraisal of alternative of design and construction solutions
• Characteristics of ground conditions and the design and construction of foundation solutions
• Structural forms using a variety of structural materials
• Means of building enclosure in the forms of roofs and walls
• Internal space division techniques including walls and floors
• Internal surface finishes
• Mechanical and electrical installations
• Selection and application of mechanical construction plant and its impact upon productivity and quality
• The strategic significance of facilities management for organizations and the relationship to organizational
effectiveness
• The principles of delivery of facilities management services
• Facilities and property management strategies
• Systems of procurement and commercial terms of engagement
• Measurement of facilities performance
• Workplace design and performance and its impact upon organizational goal achievement
• The management and utilization of corporate built assets
• The environmental impact of facilities management
• Business continuity planning and management

•    The role of the property manager.
•    Good practice principles in property management and agency.
•    The development of an effective Asset Management Plan
•    Property management by property sector
o    Private sector property management (commercial and residential)
o    Public sector property management (commercial and residential)
o    Third sector property management (residential


Weighting Sections of the Proposal Descriptor Mark
20%
Working title: Relatively short and simple? Provide an appropriate level of the
breadth/scope of study?
Aim (or RQ): Focused, unambiguous? Encapsulates the coverage and boundaries of
the proposed study? Appropriately related to the programme of study?
Hypothesis:(optional) Conjectural statement of the relationship between two or
more variables that can be measured?
Objectives: Appropriately cover all aspects suggested by the Aim? Statements of
intended outcomes?“SMART”?
20%
Justification and focal Literature review: Need for the research convincing? Initial
literature review covering key texts(in relation to aim/objectives)? Critically
reviewed? Range of sources including research journals?
25%
Research Strategy: Discussion as to which research strategy(s) will be adopted?
Chosen strategy justified? Evidence of reading of research methods texts in order to
understand differing approaches to research?
25%
Implementation: Evidence of reading of research methods texts in order to
understand and justify research techniques used? Detailed justified explanation of
proposed methods for data collection? Detailed justified explanation of proposed
methods for data analysis? Understanding of potential problems and realistic
strategies to minimise those problems?
10%
Ethics: The ethical implications of the research have been appropriately considered?
Referencing: A standard method of referencing has been used? Is further work
require don referencing technique?
Use of English: Argument development? Level of spelling and grammar appropriate
for Masters level work?
Total Mark: 0%