1,720,978 research outputs found
The impact of strategic Facilities Management on the Employee Value Proposition
Full text linkFacilities Management (FM) has and continues to evolve strongly as a strategic function in many organisation. Many organisations have also recognised the importance of human capital for the success of their operations. This is why the concept of Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is growing in popularity and is becoming one of the main focuses especially in human capital management spheres. Whilst there are many factors that contribute to the EVP, strategic FM has not been one of the focus areas. Although strategic FM has had a focus on user satisfaction as well as the usability of facilities, the focus of research to date has not necessarily been directed to EVP. Hence, this study explores the impact of strategic FM on employee value proposition. It explores this through quantitative and qualitative research means in a chosen case study of an organisation where strategic FM has been and still in the process of being implemented. The research establishes employee’s opinions on the importance of their work environment; whether their workspace support their effectiveness; whether their workspace provides flexibility for collaborations and teamwork; and other factors related to employee satisfaction. The findings of the study indicate that strategic FM does have an impact on employee value proposition. There are also indications that employees believe that FM services play a role in employee satisfaction which may lead to employee retention as well as employee recruitment which are two of the identified factors of employee value proposition
A study of the impact of technological innovations on the social sustainability of facilities management employees in South Africa
Full text linkThis research investigates the impact of technological innovations (TIs) on the social sustainability of facilities management (FM) employees in South Africa. The rationale for the study is that no empirical evidence shows how the adoption of TIs impacts the social sustainability of FM employees. The study adopts the sequential mixed-methodology approach. The quantitative phase makes use of a questionnaire survey which formed the foundation for the qualitative interview phase. The relative importance index (RII) is used to analyse different questions, such as (1) the factors influencing the adoption of TIs in FM organisations (2) the impact of the TIs on FM practice, (3) the localisation of the employee social sustainability factors and (4) the determination of the impact of TIs on the social sustainability of FM employees. An Interpretive Structural Model (ISM) approach is used to determine which social sustainability factor(s) should be prioritised while promoting the social sustainability of the FM employees. The findings of this study show that cloud-based TIs, ICT-based TIs and sensor-based TIs are the most popular in FM organisations in South Africa. Furthermore, the impact of TIs on the core business factors in FM organisations have a mean score of between 3.00 to 3.19 depending on the factor of interest. The RII analysis led to the development of the initial FM employee social sustainability framework which identified “job security”, “remuneration” and “professional status” as the three most important FM employee social sustainability factors. However, the ISM analysis which considered hierarchy, driving power and dependence of the factors identified “organisation policy” as main factor in level five that drives other employee social sustainability factors. Furthermore, “overwork”, “autonomy”, “interpersonal relationship”, “work and home-life balance” and “retirement development plan” were the root factors in level four that must be prioritised by facilities managers to promote employee social sustainability. The study contributes to knowledge by identifying the most popular TIs that are adopted by FM organisations in South Africa, and determining the interrelationship, hierarchical importance and dependences of the various employees’ social sustainability factors in FM organisations. Through the development of the framework for FM employee social sustainability, facilities managers have the knowledge of the factors to prioritise when they need to promote the social sustainability of their employees. The study recommends that FM organisation policies on TI adoption must align with the overall socio-economic wellbeing program to contribute to social sustainability in South Africa
An investigation into the adaptive re-use of commercial buildings in satisfying the demand for residential in the central business district of Cape Town, South Africa, an emerging market
Full text linkThe built environment contributes 40% to total global greenhouse gas emissions and 87% of the buildings we will have in 2050 are already built (Wilkinson & Remoy, 2015). If predicted climate changes are correct we need to adapt existing stock sustainably. Reuse is an inherently sustainable option, which reduces the amount of waste going to landfill. Inevitably, settlements and areas undergo change, whereby land uses become obsolete and buildings vacant. At this stage, the options are either to demolish or to convert to another use. In central business districts (CBDs) outside of South Africa, there are many examples of office to residential conversion. It is expected that Cape Town CBD will take the learnings from this international market and the adaptive reuse of Cape Town’s existing buildings will be explored in greater depth. Globally there is a movement of people towards centralised living locations due to the increased congestion of transport networks to cities and the need for people to be close to the services that cities offer. This movement will only become exaggerated in time as the urbanisation of Africa continues at an increasing rate. The ability to sustainably reuse existing commercial structures thus becomes a pertinent topic in providing an efficient solution to satisfy the housing demand. Some 9000m2 of office space is currently earmarked for residential conversion in Cape Town as demand for central residential property grows and a low interest rate economic environment creates good financial conditions for developers. Coupled with this, is a stock of ageing offices and a population projected to increase by 15% by 2031 requiring approximately 30,000 new housing options across the Cape metropolitan area. With the low projected economic growth rate of South Africa, the Cape Town office market is expected to remain relatively stagnant in 2017, 2018 and 2019 - so the macro economic conditions for residential conversion are better than ever. Based on the above mentioned, this research aimed at answering the questions: (a) which drivers encourage residential conversions in Cape Town, and, (b) what are the barriers for successful reuse of existing commercial buildings. This research investigated the nature and extent of commercial conversions experienced in other global cities (London, Sydney and New York) so as to establish an understanding of how Cape Town can best adapt, as well as the drivers and barriers to successful conversion of existing structures in a CBD. Through an extensive literature study, the research identifies the key lessons from international residential conversion projects. Subsequently, interviews were held with local property experts in the Cape Town market. This research explored the potential of delivering sustainability to the Cape Town CBD through the reuse of commercial buildings. The mix of these various forms of research allowed key themes to emerge and for these themes to be exploded so as to establish a view on whether conversion projects are here to stay. The research indicates that conversion projects within the CBD area of cities are only going to become more frequent as the financial feasibility of these conversion projects improves. This, together with an ever growing wealth of knowledge amongst developers and investors about conversion projects encourages the provision of significantly more residential units in the central city. This increase in the central city population is expected to have many positive benefits for the city on a social, cultural and economic level. It is for these benefits that Public organisations are now slowly putting their weight behind supporting the adaptation of vacant and problem commercial buildings. This proactive focus on diminishing the number of obsolete buildings in prime locations has becoming a key trait of a successful CBD. This research has therefore highlighted the real role that CBDs should play and how the physical environment that forms the CBD plays such an integral role in the formulating the culture of a city. Cities should be exciting central places where people can interact safely, that supports the sharing of ideas, and nurtures the cultural fabric that gives a city its soul
Sustainable urban development and its impact on facilities management: the case of the city of Doha, Qatar
No full textThis research study examines the extent of urban development in Doha in relation to the impact this development poses on Facilities Management (FM). The focus of this study is on the city of Doha, Qatar. Urban growth that is not underpinned by a sustainable development ethos presents unique challenges on social, economic, human and environmental development. Two fundamental drivers of the urban development, namely: the implementation of Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV) and the preparation to host major sports events such as Men's Handball Tournament 2015 and FIFA Football World Cup in 2022 have been investigated. Particular emphasis is to be placed on the government to look beyond ambitions for creating a 'global hub city' and contextualise the position of Qatar in terms of limited population numbers, dependence on a foreign workforce and the hiring of knowledge instead of creating a base. The emergence of FM as an important dimension to sustainable development requires a paradigm shift in encouraging FM involvement in the development process. A case study was undertaken and a thematic analysis was adopted within a non-interventional interpretative paradigm. Field data were collected using semi-structured interviews with respondents being identified through convenience and purposeful sampling considerations. The data show that while the hosting of major sports events presents legacy issues and FM pressures after the events, it is the implementation of the QNV that also provided significant challenges on rapid urban growth, sustainable development and FM. Implications of the findings are that a national development strategy for an emerging economy is required to be underpinned by the application of a holistic and sustainable approach that provides social and economic development to the communities; the formulation of an urban development process that assists in creating a controlled urban growth that can offer a viable creation of social inclusivity needed to achieve sustainable development; and that the low level of FM expertise as a result of the limited number of FM firms and the lack of technology and techniques presents unique FM challenges in Qatar
Urban facilities management as a systemic process to achieve urban sustainability in South Africa
No full textA key challenge for urban facilities management (UFM) is to identify ways to promote sustainable urban development at a community/precinct level. One potential approach is via the application of sustainable community assessment/rating tools which have seen increased popularity amongst urban planners and developers over the past decade. This study investigates the efficacy and applicability of this approach to urban sustainability, particularly within the "developing country"context of South Africa. Furthermore, the paper suggests that the deployment of UFM in creating a management platform for urban precincts, one that focuses on the process of achieving urban sustainability within a specific locale, will deliver improved strategies for operationalising urban sustainability. Using soft systems methodology (SSM), the study aimed to establish the fundamental requirements for sustainable community development frameworks in both "developing" and "developed countries". Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 11 key stakeholders who consisted of two main categories. Firstly, participants from private and public sector engaged in the management and development of sustainable urban precincts. Secondly, participants from NGO's that develop sustainable community rating tools. The tools included: Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design for Neighbourhood Development (LEED-ND), Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology for Communities (BREEAM-C), Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency for Urban Development (CASBEE-UD), EcoDistricts, Green Star Communities (GSC), and the Living Community Challenge (LCC). Interviews were conducted in both Cape Town and Vancouver; representing the "developing" and "developed"contexts respectively. It was found that the prescriptive and outcomes-based nature of assessment tools excludes "developing countries" from the sustainable community development conversation. The logical next step is to develop frameworks that offer sustainable solutions appropriate to these contexts. Findings also highlighted a need for a more robust procedural framework to manage relationships between various professionals and interest groups involved in the development of sustainable communities/precincts. This in turn provides a unified method to facilitate the achievement of urban sustainability. This research concludes that urban sustainability needs to draw upon the management principles of facilities management (FM), and more specifically UFM, to develop and assess the sustainability of communities and cities within a specific locale. Without a process-orientated method such as this, cities will continue to fall short of their sustainable imperatives
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
The FM Market in the Nordic Countries – Volume, Structure and Trends
No full textThe main purpose of this research is to give an overview of the FM market in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. A detailed study of the Danish FM market was done in 2008-9. This was followed up by a series of workshops facilitated by the author with groups of specialists in each of the countries in 2010 and 2011 to collect up-to-date information about all the 4 countries in relation to market volume, degree of outsourcing, structure and trends. The method for data collection was inspired by Delphi method. During the workshop the participants filled in a questionnaire with individual answers after the facilitator’s introduction of each question and followed by group discussion and possibilities to revise the initial individual assessments after discussions. The questions were based on the new European standard about FM Taxonomy, which just have been accepted. This research was part of a EuroFM project about FM Market Data in Europe. In connection with the mentioned workshops another set of workshops were organized – except for Finland on the same day and with the same group of specialist – as part of a research project on FM Futures. The main purpose of this research is to provide input to a common Nordic FM research agenda. A number of future trends, challenges and needs for new competence and knowledge from this research are have been identified. Among the conclusions are that the size of the FM market varies considerable between the four countries and even though some trends like increased globalization and focus on sustainability are common, there are not many similar trends across the countries
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Sustainable urban development - the need for a South African rating tool for sustainable precinct developments
No full textGlobally, urban sustainability is shifting its focus from individual building to sustainability at precinct, neighbourhood and community levels. This dissertation aims to determine whether the South African urban development industry has a need for the introduction and incorporation of a precinct level urban sustainability rating tool. This dissertation employs a literature review and single case study approach to define precinct level urban sustainability, to explore existing sustainability initiatives and to investigate the expected impacts of a South African precinct level urban sustainability rating tool. The research finds that while there ha been interest in precinct level sustainability from the private sector and some leading municipalities, precinct level sustainability runs the risks of becoming nothing more than a political catch-phrase and of becoming stuck in an ongoing cycle of planning, especially from a national regulatory point of view. It is expected that the introduction of a South African precinct level sustainability rating tool will mitigate this situation by providing motivation for the adoption of, and a clear guideline for the physical implementation of, wider sustainability principles and objectives
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