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The purpose of this paper is to understand both the facts and the values associated with the breadth of issues, and the principles related to sustainable real estate for institutional investors. Sustainable real estate is a growing sector within the commercial real estate industry, and yet, the decision-making practices of institutional investors related to sustainability are still not well understood. In an effort to fill that gap, this research investigates the post-global financial crisis (GFC) motivations driving the implementation of sustainability initiatives, the implementation strategies used, and the predominant eco-indicators and measures used by institutional investors.

This paper presents the results of a three-round modified Delphi study conducted in the USA in 2011-2012 investigating the nature of performance measurements and reporting requirements in sustainable commercial real estate and their impact on the real estate decision-making process used by institutional investors. Two rounds of in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 expert panelists. An e-questionnaire was used in the third round to verify qualitative findings.

The key industry drivers and performance indicators influencing institutional investor decision making were associated with risk management of assets and whether initiatives can improve competitive market advantage. Industry leaders advocate for simple key performance indicators, which is in contrast to the literature which argues for the need to adopt common criteria and metrics. Key barriers to the adoption of sustainability initiatives are discussed and a decision framework is presented.

This research aims to help industry partners understand the drivers motivating institutional investors to uptake sustainability initiatives with the aim of improving decision making, assessment, and management of sustainable commercial office buildings.

Building on the four generations of the sustainability framework presented by Simons et al. (2001), this research argues that the US real estate market has yet again adjusted its relationship with sustainability and revises their framework to include a new, post-GFC generation for decision making, assessment, and management of sustainable real estate.

Both neoclassical and Keynesian economists have widely favored the use of equilibrium models to understand economic activity, but dramatic periods of change such as the current global economic downturn are poorly understood by assuming equilibrium. The economist Joseph Schumpeter tried to inject dynamism and disequilibrium into economic models by arguing for the role of entrepreneurs in creating microeconomic change, and for examining long-term macroeconomic change as represented in business cycles. No economist, including Schumpeter, has ever connected these two approaches to change and these approaches are not typically used as alternative and complementary ways of viewing transformation over time. We suggest that these theories can be connected in a “mesoeconomic” institutional analysis rooted in economic sociology; we demonstrate this connection by examining the US commercial building industry. This industry has changed in qualitatively distinct ways over the past two centuries in what we call market orders, economic orders sometimes lasting for decades or more. In each market order, entrepreneurs of different sorts are able to flourish and push forward institutional changes that result in long-term economic shifts. Credit and finance have been pivotal influences in each market order, a factor supporting Schumpeter's focus on entrepreneurial action and speculation and one not largely discussed today. We view the recent disruption of financial markets as a signal of the destruction of a reigning market order.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the strategies of formal customer evaluations and the use of satisfied customer index in the Swedish commercial real estate industry.

This research is based on an inventory of 24 commercial real estate companies use of formal customer evaluations and an analysis of 15 interviews with top-level managers in the Swedish commercial real estate sector.

Only half of the companies included in the study conduct formal evaluations, although they are considered to work customer oriented. Two different strategies for using formal evaluations is, for improvement work and for signalling quality. One proposed explanation to why only half of the companies conduct formal evaluations is the possibility that the official Swedish Real Estate Barometer is not sufficient if the company would like to use the result for organisational development. There are instead indications that this barometer mainly is used in publicity and marketing purpose, to signal quality.

The research in this paper is limited to Swedish commercial real estate sector. But, the overall strategies for conducting formal evaluations should be applicable in general.

The insight the paper provides regarding how the industry perceive the Swedish Real Estate Barometer gives direct implications of improvements of the barometer.

It provides an insight regarding the use of formal customer evaluations and a proposition of how the Swedish Real Estate Barometer could be changed to better support and fulfil the aim of being a barometer for benchmarking.

The purpose of this paper is to synthesise the plethora of research that has been conducted into the relationship between sustainability and market value in real estate, by critically analysing the research and the applicability of sustainability and value research in valuation practice.

The research on the relationship between sustainability and market value in real estate is examined from the perspective of its usefulness to the valuation profession in providing guidance, information and evidence to be used in valuation practice.

Existing research conducted into the relationship between sustainability and market value has not provided the valuation profession with evidence which would allow the incorporation of normative theories on the value of sustainability in valuation practice. This review highlights the lack of evidence, and the applicability of current research into sustainability and value to the valuation profession in providing guidance and information in valuing real estate incorporating sustainability.

This paper highlights the limited applicability of research to date in regard to the relationship between sustainability and market value for the valuation profession. The lack of historical evidence, data or information on the quantifiable effects on market value of this new trend (sustainability), leaves the valuation profession uncertain as to the relationship between sustainability and market value. There is a probable risk of valuers interpreting strategic research incorrectly, and making inappropriate adjustments or comparisons because of their lack of knowledge and limited sustainability assessment skills. Although there is an evolving body of knowledge, there is a need for extensive analysis of unbiased, evidence‐based research in individual and broader markets to provide guidance, evidence and knowledge of the implications of sustainability in the valuation of real estate.

The examination of research investigating the relationship between sustainability and value from a valuation perspective provides an alternative insight into the applicability of current research in valuation practice. The increasing profile and role of sustainability in the real estate sector needs to be addressed in valuation practice; however, the variety of research to date needs to be interpreted by valuers in the correct context. This paper brings to light the applicability of sustainability and value research for the broader valuation profession, and the potential implications of misuse or misunderstanding of that research.

In a controversial 2018 interview, commercial real estate mogul Sam Zell insinuated that companies should promote their employees based exclusively on merit and avoid purposefully taking steps to get “more pussy on the block” in the name of gender equality. The comment was criticized not only for its crassness, but also for its failure to recognize the challenges many women working in the commercial real estate industry face in their efforts to obtain the same opportunities, compensation and status as similarly-qualified men. In an effort to overcome these disparities, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the pervasiveness of second-generation gender bias and stereotyping in the field through a qualitative analysis.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 39 women serving as local chapter presidents of a prominent commercial real estate trade group to explore the impact of gender on their career advancement and their experiences with second-generation gender bias.

The findings suggest unintentional discrimination often influences women’s careers by drawing their communication skills, professional credibility and commitment to the organizations for whom they work into question.

The research contributes to the existing literature by offering additional evidence that unintentional discrimination is common in male-dominated industries, such as commercial real estate. It also provides clear examples of social cues women perceive to heighten tension along gender lines and impinge upon their ability to ascend to leadership positions.

The purpose of this paper is to identify different strategic pathways for structuring the real estate management organization. Different strategic pathways regarding commercial real estate organizations, and the alignment of their business models with the environment are studied and outlined.

This research is based on an analysis of 15 interviews with top‐level managers in the Swedish commercial real estate sector.

When making strategic plans for a company, the commercial real estate industry has two strategic pathways to consider regarding real estate management. The first is to choose whether to have its own frontline personnel or to outsource this function. The second is to decide how the leasing task should be treated: Should it be treated as a real estate manager's task or should it be a function of its own in the organization? The conclusion of the study is that the organizations studied can be structured using both pathways, and the firm can still be successful. Furthermore, the argument by the top‐level managers are the same regardless of how their organization is structured. They all base their strategic plans on the view that their structure of the organization is the best way to take care of the customer. In other words, they have the same arguments but haves chosen different strategic pathways to achieve strategic fit.

The research in this paper is limited to the Swedish commercial real estate industry.

This paper outlines the strategic pathways for real estate management from a top‐level management view.

The paper explores the emergence of the “big data regime” and the disruption that it is causing for the real estate industry. The paper defines big data and illustrates how an inductive, big data approach can help improve decision-making.

The paper demonstrates how big data can support inductive reasoning that can lead to enhanced real estate decisions. To help readers understand the dynamics and drivers of the big data regime shift, an extensive list of hyperlinks is included.

The paper concludes that it is possible to blend traditional and non-traditional data into a unified data environment to support enhanced decision-making. Through the application of design thinking, the paper illustrates how socially responsible development can be targeted to under-served urban areas and helps serve residents and the communities in which they live.

The paper demonstrates how big data can be harnessed to support decision-making using a hypothetical project. The paper does not present advanced analytics but focuses aggregating disparate longitudinal data that could support such analysis in future research.

The paper focuses on the US market, but the methodology can be extended to other markets where big data is increasingly available.

The paper illustrates how big data analytics can be used to help serve the needs of marginalized residents and tenants, as well as blighted areas.

This paper documents the big data movement and demonstrates how non-traditional data can support decision-making.

The goal of this paper is to present a roadmap for real estate operating companies (REOCs) to transform themselves into tech-centric enterprises.

This qualitative approach is based on the impact of technology on physical real estate assets and organisational structures as reviewed in industry and academic literature, professional experience and current property technology (PropTech) applications.

New technologies are rapidly changing how investors, tenants and managers use, invest and finance property. The revolutionary change for the industry will be in its organisational and industry structure, away from the traditional hierarchical-mechanistic form to a virtual open-agile-innovative organisational form.

Research limitations come from the lack of real estate companies utilising the hybrid flipped form of organisational structures.

Due to the current state of the economy, effects of the pandemic and rapid adoption of new technologies, real estate companies are likely to radically change the way they are organised, how they add value, innovate and their leadership/management style.

The revolution in real estate technologisation will not come from the application of these technologies but the rapid change in ideological thought and management leadership style and culture.

The introduction of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), blockchain, virtual reality, tablets, cell phones, applications, 5G, etc. is putting pressure on real estate organisations to change. These changes are long overdue and the future, modern real estate company will take a hybrid PropTech form – a company focussed on delivering high-quality products and services to its clients in real time.

The purpose of this paper is to examine internet search query data provided by “Google Trends”, with respect to its ability to serve as a sentiment indicator and improve commercial real estate forecasting models for transactions and price indices.

This paper examines internet search query data provided by “Google Trends”, with respect to its ability to serve as a sentiment indicator and improve commercial real estate forecasting models for transactions and price indices.

The empirical results show that all models augmented with Google data, combining both macro and search data, significantly outperform baseline models which abandon internet search data. Models based on Google data alone, outperform the baseline models in all cases. The models achieve a reduction over the baseline models of the mean squared forecasting error for transactions and prices of up to 35 and 54 per cent, respectively.

The results suggest that Google data can serve as an early market indicator. The findings of this study suggest that the inclusion of Google search data in forecasting models can improve forecast accuracy significantly. This implies that commercial real estate forecasters should consider incorporating this free and timely data set into their market forecasts or when performing plausibility checks for future investment decisions.

This is the first paper applying Google search query data to the commercial real estate sector.

With corporations reinventing and changing themselves with increasing frequency and speed, what is the real estate industry doing to enable that change? This paper presents the perspectives of a corporate tenant, a developer and an interior designer to answer the question of what some companies are doing to make workspace more flexible and to shorten the cycle time for the processes by which workspace is constructed, procured and fitted‐out for new occupancy. The following questions will be answered ‐ In the low vacancy market prevalent in so many parts of the United States, what strategies are corporate real estate executives in high‐growth companies using to acquire space fast? ‐ What trends are emerging in the industry to streamline the processes to build, acquire, fit‐out and manage space? ‐ How is the industry changing its product to ensure that the space that is delivered can meet a variety of users and uses as occupants churn through the space in unforeseen ways?