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1 – 3 of 3Keith Massheder and Edward Finch
This is the second of two papers looking at the use of benchmarking in the UK (the preceding paper appeared in the previous issue of Facilities). It looks specifically at the…
Abstract
This is the second of two papers looking at the use of benchmarking in the UK (the preceding paper appeared in the previous issue of Facilities). It looks specifically at the types of metric used to assess facility performance. The study is based on a survey of 25 of the top 100 UK organisations.
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Keith Massheder and Edward Finch
The use of benchmarking is regarded by many as a panacea to modern day business problems. Irrespective of what business you are in, or the financial state of your business;…
Abstract
The use of benchmarking is regarded by many as a panacea to modern day business problems. Irrespective of what business you are in, or the financial state of your business; proponents of the procedure insist benchmarking, if correctly applied, ensures organizations are able to gain the competitive edge necessary in today’s business world. But how can this technique be usefully exploited in the facilities management arena? The theory suggests that a structured approach to the benchmarking of facilities management will give organizations the competitive edge necessary to survive in the worldwide market. But what happens in practice? Is benchmarking used by major companies, and if so, is it used by facilities managers responsible for the company’s office buildings? If it is, is it successful and, more importantly, is it being correctly employed? This paper forms part of a two‐part report which seeks to answer these questions, taking account of the broad range of company sizes and activities who use office space, looking specifically at the UK situation.
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Facility/facilities management’s (FM) continuing struggle with its search for a strategic identity is attested by publications of many leading authorities in the field. Some…
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Facility/facilities management’s (FM) continuing struggle with its search for a strategic identity is attested by publications of many leading authorities in the field. Some advocates of the alignment of strategic management with the real estate of facilities resource argue for new terms, for example infrastructure management or real estate asset management. This paper argues a different approach. FM is considered as a replicating memetic discourse; one that has traded the original strategic vision of the discipline’s founders for wider spread. To close the gap between strategic business alignment and operational management FM must learn to consider its performance with language and measures relevant to a particular business sector. While one can argue that core businesses should change the language in which they speak of FM, the blunt assertion is that most of the effort must be the other way. The alternative is that some other discourse will capture the strategic niche.
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