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Superlatives abound when talking about the impact of the Internet in business. Facilities management is no exception. However, simply becoming Internet enabled is not enough for facilities management firms. The Internet itself is undergoing a process of perpetual renewal. Firms already have Internet based systems that are obsolete. Systems have passed through a first phase of static delivery, through to dynamic delivery and we are now witnessing the emergence of intelligent delivery. This will result in an Internet environment that can be interpreted by machines (agents) as well as humans. This paper attempts to shed some light on this evolution. The author considers the groundswell of activity that is likely to take place as facilities management addresses the virtual value chain as well as the physical value chain. The discussion in the paper is based in the research explored in a forthcoming book Net Gain in Construction.

This paper aims to explore and review the critical perspectives of stakeholders in the facility management (FM) industry as regards the barriers to building information modelling (BIM) integration, with the view to providing significant insights to mitigate the barriers to BIM implementation.

An extensive literature review was conducted to identify critical barriers to BIM–FM integration. Ten categories of barriers were identified from the literature review and used to design a Likert scale-based questionnaire, which was administered to registered members of International Facility Management Association based in Lagos, Nigeria. The data collected were analysed using both descriptive (mean score, standard deviation, frequency tables and charts) and inferential statistics (Shapiro–Wilk and Kruskal–Wallis tests).

The descriptive and inferential analysis demonstrated a disparity in the ranking of the ten barriers among the groups. Six (out of ten) barriers to BIM implementation for FM practices are identified as critical (mean score greater than 4.0): insufficient awareness levels of BIM–FM integration benefits, non-existence of contractual and legal framework for BIM implementation, limited studies on BIM–FM inter-relationship, poor acceptance levels and resistance to change among stakeholders, perception of BIM and inadequacy of mode data. And the results of the one-sample t-tests show that there were statistically significant differences in the six.

This study offers significant insights to industry stakeholders in understanding BIM implementation barriers in FM, as well as the framework for mitigating them. These findings could also be applied to other developing countries, with special consideration given to locational differences.

The valuable information provided in this study could be used as a roadmap to improve BIM–FM practice implementation in Nigeria. It also measured differences in the opinions of professionals.

The purpose of this paper is to increase the knowledge of real estate firms’ capabilities to innovate and, consequently, their capacity to absorb new innovations and benefit from digital technologies in an ecosystem context.

The results are based on 32 interviews with representatives of Swedish real estate owners, real estate owner industry associations and suppliers of digital technology to real estate owners. The data are interpreted using theories on absorptive capacity (i.e. the capacity to absorb new innovations), innovation capabilities and innovation ecosystems.

The real estate owners, technology suppliers and real estate owner industry associations have expanded their innovation capabilities and reshaped their innovation ecosystem by initiating a number of different digitalization activities; for example, the development of new IT systems, digital platforms, services and business models. The absorptive capacity has been improved as the organizations have changed routines and structures related to innovation, and they have taken on new roles related to digitalization and innovation, making them better able to absorb new innovations. Also, this paper identifies several drivers and obstacles to digitalization in the real estate sector.

The increased capabilities related to digitalization can lead to better absorptive capacity on an individual firm level, which can contribute to the overall development of these firms in a longer-term. Also, new capabilities may lead to better absorptive capacity in the real estate sector at large, as firms may benefit from each other’s capabilities through collaboration. The limitations are that this study does not interview tenants or facility management firms and that the findings represent the context of the Swedish real estate market.

This paper investigates innovation capabilities, absorptive capacity and innovation ecosystems of real estate owners, their technology suppliers and real estate owner industry associations on the organizational level and on the sector level, into which there is little previous research. Also, this paper highlights the novelty of digitalization as a phenomenon in the sector.

Explores the role, purpose and potential of facility management within the organization. Also investigates the depth of management role and application of facility management. Presents three characteristics which need to be recognized for facilities management to be effective.

Market orientation is widely held as a credo for organisational success. Essentially, this means that organisations that are market oriented tend to perform better than those that are not. As a result of this logic (i.e. market orientation‐performance link), scholars from a wide array of disciplines are showing an increasing interest in fleshing out the factors that determine organisational market orientation stances. Based on a sample drawn from the UK's facilities management industry, this paper examines the impact of organisational climate factors on market orientation stances of facilities management firms. The results reveal that organisational climate has a determinant influence on market orientation stances.

The case can be taught to MBA/PGDM students to give them experiential learning in the course on entrepreneurship. The case can be used to specifically make the student understand the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the male-dominated business sector and recognize the entrepreneurial competencies needed to run a business.

Entrepreneurship.

Shany Jalal, Promoter and Managing Director of Servicecare Pvt. Ltd., and the protagonist of the case proud owner of Servicecare Pvt. Ltd. reminisced the circumstances that drove her to start the business venture in Bangalore, India. At the age of 17, a personal setback instilled in Shany a strong desire to become self-reliant and independent. Backed with a degree in hotel management and a meager loan amount of INR 10,000 provided by her father on certain terms and conditions, Shany deep dived into the soft facility management sector business way back in the year 1999 and since then there has been no turning back. Today, Shany Jalal is proud that her venture by starting a proprietorship company “Service Care”, and later converted it into a Private Limited Company, “Servicecare Private Limited” in 2011. Shany Jalal was proud that her venture is a name to reckon with in Bangalore. She has had a team of 4,200 employees, which operates Pan India, providing top-notch corporate cleaning solutions. Her motto was not to compromise on quality and she continues to provide the highest level of service to her esteemed clients, some of them even dating back to the days of inception. Her determination powered by a strong value system is what keeps the company a cut above the rest. Being in the soft facilities management service for almost 20 years, Shany Jalal feels she has achieved her dream. Today, she is a highly successful woman entrepreneur. As she retraces her career path, she owes her success earned through years of dedication, commitment, hard work and timely intervention of some kind-hearted individuals. Since 2011, the company witnessed an average growth of 41% year on year. Though there was stiff competition from domestic and multinational property management companies, Shany sailed through. However, in the global pandemic of 2020, when her business was impacted, Shany realized that to sustain organizational growth, she had to integrate technology with service. She contemplated ways and means of integrating technology with services to meet the clients’ demands. However, Shany believes that to sustain organization growth, technology must be integrated with service. She is currently contemplating ways to introduce and integrate technology with services to efficiently and effectively meet clients’ demands.

1. Understand the gender issues in India and its impact on women entrepreneurs. 2. Analyse the ecosystem that supports supported women entrepreneurs in creating a new venture. 3. Identify the leadership traits and style, entrepreneurial competencies and capacities of the women entrepreneur in this case. 4. Recognize the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the facilities management business sector. 5. Explore various options of integrating technology to improve facilities management services provided to the clients.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Shany was able to face the challenges that came her way successfully with grit and courage. She was able to expand her business. Her business helped lighten the lives of many people as she provided a means of livelihood to the underprivileged. Shany was also able to motivate her husband to start a business venture and stood by him. She encouraged women to stand on their own feet especially motivating women to set up their own businesses. She is also in constant touch with other like-minded women entrepreneurs who share similar experiences in handling crises. This gives her more insight to take proper decisions.

Women entrepreneur, Facilities management services, Technology supported services

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Property is a key resource for the delivery of public services and needs to be managed well. The previous Conservative government had a conviction that better value public services could be delivered by harnessing private sector expertise and, since the late 1980s, embarked on an unprecedented level of competitive tendering. This procurement method had extended to the appointment of property consultants, but the system encountered difficulties which research by the College of Estate Management (CEM) sought to explain. The research, undertaken in 1995 and 1996, involved interviews and major questionnaire surveys covering managers and property professionals in the public and private sectors, leading to recommendations about changes to practice and policy. This paper traces developments in local government, by comparison with central government, from before the advent of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) for property services in April 1996 through to the latest changes proposed by the new Labour government after May 1997. It concludes that competition is an important management tool, but recommends greater flexibility in the way procurement is implemented.

This paper aims to discuss the current debates in facility management to understand where the research community is working and where the facility management sector and discipline might be heading.

A review of research outputs has been undertaken to identify research themes. The discussion is based on developments that are already shaping how one should view facility management and outlines a possible future based on a number of strategically important questions and their likely answers.

There is a broad landscape of research themes; yet, a significant portion of the most-cited journal papers were published more than 10-15 years ago. Current debates are focused mostly on operational improvement; few are directed at more strategic objectives. Those in the informal media are concerned with more speculative themes, particularly the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), which are indicative of disruptive technology. These themes are debated mostly by practitioners.

Many views are expressed in this editorial – some are controversial whilst others should be regarded as matters of fact. The underlying aim is to stimulate debate and action among readers about what appears to be a dilemma for the facility management sector and discipline. Does it continue along the same trajectory or should it be bold and strike out in new directions and meet the challenges presented by disruptive innovations, notably the IoT and AI? Hard choices await and not all decisions will lead to preferred outcomes.

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise a dynamic model on the impact on office space and its boundaries of growth firms due to studied factors subject to fluctuations of business cycles.

Theories are based on a literature study on space relation to business cycles, entrepreneurial theories and the service‐oriented society of today. The data are collected from an extensive study of pre‐classified growth firms from all major business sectors in Sweden during the period 1998‐2003, which is studied as an upturn and a downturn period. The study is related to a questionnaire distributed to entire Sweden of 967 listed firms where the response rate was 40 per cent. Investigated factors are: fluctuations of GDP, outsourcing events of core business, events of mergers and acquisitions (Ms&As), creation of subsidiaries, proportion of office workers and temporary staff in offices.

The detected significant correlations of the survey give a platform for a model that indicates that opposite but various forces due to business cycles seem to adjust the space after the events of outsourcing or M&A.

The study could fruitfully be developed theoretically with inclusion of a transaction cost theory and economics encompassing the society in general.

Significant correlations that are found could certainly function as an input for the various stakeholders in the provision of office spaces of growth firms during fluctuations of GDP and market growth.

An extensive survey is a base for a conceptualisation of the dynamics of office space related to studied factors.

This study aims to investigate how to manage the stressors that facility managers (FMs) face with the aim of reducing their stress and strain levels.

Using the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, stressors are operationalized from job demands, job resources and personal resources constructs. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from FMs based in Singapore.

FMs have significantly high levels of stress, but they are able to manage this well. Job demands that cause stress and strain are those relating to insufficient time to complete the work and difficulties in handling the work. The lack of job resources in terms of lack of organizational support and inadequate stress mitigation programs are associated with high levels of stress and strain.

The limitations are the relatively small sample size and absence of a database of FMs in Singapore, and correlation is not causation when determining the association between stressors and stress and strain.

Based on the recommendations, employers and FMs may manage the specific stressors identified so that FMs’ stress and strain levels are under control to enable them to work optimally.

This research discovered that the JD-R model is moderated by certain features of facilities management and FMs. When these features are present, FMs are predisposed to more stressors, and higher stress and strain. For the facilities management profession, the discovery is that there are significantly more job demands: for in-house FMs compared to those working for outsourced firms; for FMs who need to carry out estate and asset management, landlord activities and facility planning compared to FMs who focus on operations and maintenance; and for FMs who work longer than five days compared to those who work a five-day week.