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This paper utilises the findings from the largest‐ever national, omni‐sectoral survey into the impacts of ISO 9000 on UK business and specifically examines the real estate sector, contrasting the findings with those found for the larger universe. Analysis across all sectors shows that while companies’ expectations of ISO 9000 are not met in full, they are generally satisfied with the contribution made to their organisation. While the real estate sector differs in points of detail from the larger universe, statistical analysis indicates that there are no significant differences.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the actual impact of competition and management practices on performance quality of the outsourced professional housing maintenance services in Hong Kong. Much of the literature is theoretically based and there is a knowledge gap in empirical confirmatory testing of the validity of performance quality theories.

It was hypothesized that there was positive correlation between output performance quality and input competition and management factors. A triangulation methodology was used to develop and test the correlation. The literature review and qualitative interviews with the maintenance consultancy management practitioners of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) were used to generate hypothesis, which was then tested by quantitative regression, using data from the maintenance consultancies of the Authority.

The main hypothesis was transformed into sub‐hypotheses which considered the relationships between service quality and individual input factors of competition level, past performance, project leadership and quality benchmarking. The results of the qualitative and quantitative studies confirmed and validated the hypotheses, and hence substantiated the main hypothesis that there is a significant correlation between performance quality and the relevant competition and management practices adopted in the outsourcing process of professional housing maintenance services.

Whilst the correlation is validated in the context of professional housing maintenance services of the HKHA, it forms a conceptual baseline from which further research can build to provide a regression model in many other public and private sector settings, and for other housing services, including integrated housing maintenance and management professional services. Effective competition and management practices can then be identified to optimize performance quality.

This paper establishes the validity of the impact of quality practices which the housing or facility managers can apply to enhance the performance quality of outsourced professional housing maintenance services for the benefit of their organization and customers.

This study contributes to quality management of the outsourced professional housing services. Housing organizations can enhance the performance quality of their professional consultants by applying effective competition and management practices so that they can attain best service quality to satisfy the ever‐increasing tenant and owner expectations of value for money housing services from outsourcing.

This study seeks to investigate the actual impact of management practices on performance quality of the outsourced professional housing maintenance services in Hong Kong. Much of the literature is theoretically based and there is a knowledge gap in empirical confirmatory testing of the validity of the theories for effective management of the outsourced professional services.

It was hypothesized that there was positive correlation between output performance quality and input management factors. Triangulation methodology was used to develop and test the correlation whereby literature review and qualitative interviews with the maintenance consultancy management practitioners of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) were used to generate the hypothesis which was then tested by quantitative regression, using data from the maintenance consultancies of the Authority.

The hypothesis was transformed into sub‐hypotheses, which were primarily positive relationships, between service quality and individual input factors of competition level, past performance, project leadership and quality benchmarking. Results of the qualitative and quantitative studies confirmed and validated the hypotheses, and hence substantiated that there is a significant correlation between performance quality and the relevant management practices in the outsourcing process of professional housing maintenance services.

Whilst the correlation is validated in the context of professional housing maintenance services of the HKHA, it forms a conceptual baseline on which further research can build to test its significance for many other public and private sector settings, and for various professional property management services. Effective management measures can be identified to optimize performance quality.

This paper establishes the validity of the impact of management practices that property managers can apply to enhance the quality of outsourced professional housing maintenance services for the benefit of their customers and organizations.

This study should contribute to management of outsourced professional services in the context of housing. Property managers can enhance the performance quality of their professional consultants by applying effective management measures so that they can optimize service quality to satisfy the ever‐increasing tenant and owner expectations of value for money property services from outsourcing.

This study aims to develop an evaluation model for public managers in Hong Kong to assist in the procurement of best value consultants for professional housing maintenance services as part of the privatisation process.

The model developed is termed the “strategic evaluation model”, in which the strategic objective of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of resources through privatisation is used as the basis for evaluation. A value for money (VFM) ratio can represent both efficiency and effectiveness. This ratio refers to the output service quality versus the input costs, which are assessed independently. Production and transaction costs are quantitative figures, and as such the key issue in the analysis is the forecast of the output quality. It was hypothesized that there was a correlation between output quality and input management and economic factors. A triangulation methodology was used to develop and test out the correlation whereby the literature review and qualitative interviews with the maintenance consultancy management practitioners of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) were used to generate the hypothesis, which was then tested by quantitative regression, using data from the maintenance consultancies of the Authority. The hypothesis was validated, and hence an authentic, objective evaluation model was substantiated.

The main hypothesis was “In evaluating the competitive consultants for providing professional services for housing maintenance, the decision approach to ensuring the optimum use of resources can be determined by an objective comparison of the value for money of the respective services”. The sub‐hypotheses considered the relationships between output service quality and individual input factors of competition level, past performance, project leadership and quality benchmarking. The results of the qualitative and quantitative studies confirmed and validated the hypotheses, and hence substantiated the strategic evaluation model which is based on objective VFM assessment.

While the model was developed in the context of housing maintenance in the Hong Kong Housing Authority, it can form the baseline from which further research can build to provide an evaluation model for procuring property management and construction professional and contractor services in many other public‐ and private‐sector settings.

The weighted quality and price assessment method previously used is unable to obtain value services. This combined assessment method should therefore be replaced by the strategic model in order to achieve an optimum use of resources.

This paper establishes an evaluation framework for public managers to obtain best value services and hence ensure optimum use of resources in outsourcing of those facilities management (FM) services.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges of pricing quantity surveying (QS) professional services to enhance the understanding of practitioners in developing strategies for the determination of fees for their services.

The paper adopts the quantitative approach by administering 150 survey questionnaires QS professionals out of which 79 questionnaires were retrieved for analysis using the mean, standard deviation, standard error and the Chi-Square test.

The study identified the challenges that continue to hamper the successful pricing of QS services as the inability to respond to changing contractual arrangements; lack of appropriate response to emerging services; slow response to changes in information and communication technology.

This paper focused on QS professionals. Hence, a future study to encompass other professionals in the built environment will be novel.

The findings of this paper have the potential to motivate QS firms to develop solutions that address the challenges identified to improve the efficiency of their service delivery to clients. The paper also has the practical importance of opening up new frontiers of research that focus on pricing of professional services in the built environment in general.

The paper contributes to the awareness and understanding of QS professionals about the challenges that continue to hamper effective pricing of their services.

With the increased demand for the application of technology in property activities, there is a growing need for property professionals adept in using digital technology. Hence, it is important to assess the competence of academia in equipping property professionals with digital technology skills. This study, therefore, assesses property academics in Australian universities to identify their level of knowledge and use of digital technology applicable to the property industry.

Online questionnaire surveys were administered to 22 out of 110 property academics contacted through the Australia Property Institute (API) database to achieve this aim. The collected data were analysed using mean score ranking and ANOVA.

The study found that apart from databases and analytics platforms such as Corelogic RP data, price finder and industry-based software such as the Microsoft Office suite and ARGUS software, the academics were not knowledgeable in most identified and sampled proptech tools. Similarly, most proptech tools were not used or taught to the students. It was also found that early career academics (below five years in academia) were the most knowledgeable group about the proptech tools.

Relying on the API database to contact property academics potentially excludes the position of property academics who may not be affiliated or have contacts with API, hence, the findings of this study should be generalised with caution.

The study bears huge implications for the property education sector and industry in Australia; a low knowledge and use of nascent tools such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, drones, fintech, which have received intense interest, reveals some level of skill gap of students who pass through that system and may need to be upskilled by employers to meet the current day demand.

In response to the clamour for technology-inclined property professionals, this paper presents itself as the first to assess the knowledge levels and application of digital technology by property academics.

The construction industry is an enabler of economic growth in developing countries, but its performance is governed by the professional behaviour of construction professionals. Unethical behaviour (UB) breaches codes of practice and undermines economic performance hence, ubiquitous academic attention has been given to understanding this phenomenon. This paper aims to contribute to the ensuing discourse by reporting upon the most critical ethical behaviours (EBs and UBs) of professionals in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI).

The study compounded identified factors into a closed-ended questionnaire in a quantitative research strategy. Data analysis was conducted using the relative importance index and one sample t-test. To measure the reliability of the scale, Cronbach’s alpha was used, which indicated that all measured items were reliable for further analysis.

The study confirmed that professionals within the GCI are aware of the existence of UBs and revealed that the most prevalent ethical conducts exhibited, namely, level of accuracy, accountability, honesty, reliability, fairness and respect for colleagues. Common unethical conducts exhibited included: favouritism, bribery and corruption, professional negligence, falsification, fraud and overbilling.

The study reported on the dominant ethical conduct among built environment professionals. The claims put forward in the analysis are, thus, affected by Ghana’s social, economic and political environments, which could restrict the generalization of the findings.

Incipient findings presented from this research will guide stakeholders to develop and device strategies that will aid alleviate persistent ethical issues within the built environment.

The study highlights individuals’ perspectives on ethical issues persistent in the built environment. The findings suggest individuals adhere to ethical practices in a project environment by the evidence presented.

This pioneering study is a novel assessment on EBs and UBs of built environment professionals in the GCI. The study supplementary adds value to the literature on ethical and unethical practices. By identifying these practices, construction firms have a competitive edge in combating UB and promoting EB among built environment professionals in the GCI.

The purpose of this paper is to review how real estate students perceive and define commercial awareness, which is one of the most important employability skills. This paper also examines students’ perceptions about how their courses support and develop their commercial awareness. In addition, it compares students’ and academics’ views on commercial awareness and identifies whether there are any gaps.

This paper presents the research findings of a questionnaire survey and e-mail discussions with students who are currently studying Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)-accredited real estate courses in the UK. The questionnaire aimed to gather students’ views on the definitions and components of commercial awareness and identify what skills and attributes are required for its development. It also evaluates how commercial awareness has been embedded in the real estate courses. The aim of each discussion was to gain deeper insight on how components of commercial awareness are embedded in real estate courses, and 17 discussions were conducted. The contents of the e-mail discussions were analysed and similar themes were identified and coded. The frequency of the answer in the questionnaire and comments from interviewees is presented. The findings from students’ views have been compared to published research reporting UK RICS-accredited real estate course providers’ views on commercial awareness. In addition to descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact test was used to identify the statistical significance between the academics’ and students’ views on commercial awareness.

The UK real estate students agreed that the most important definition of commercial awareness is a “person's ability to understand the economics of business”. They agreed that “financial” component is the most important component of commercial awareness and it is the largest portion of their courses. The most important skill and attribute for commercial awareness development are “critical thinking” and “ability and willingness to update professional knowledge”, respectively. Although the descriptive analysis shows students and academics have different views on the definition and components of commercial awareness and its incorporation within real estate courses, the Fisher exact test shows that only a few elements are different enough to be statistically significant. This analysis shows that while students and academics have slightly different views on commercial awareness they are not very different. Commercial awareness is an important employability skill, thus, it is still necessary for real estate academics to re-visit the curriculum and to ensure learning outcomes related to commercial awareness have been clearly explained and communicated to students. Furthermore, it is vital for students to obtain practical experience in order to fully develop their commercial awareness.

This paper is a pioneer study focused on reviewing real estate students’ views on commercial awareness, including identifying its definition, components and evaluating the extent to which commercial awareness has been embedded in their courses. It also identifies the skills and attributes that students thought were required for the development of commercial awareness. Furthermore, it discusses students’ preferred ways of enhancing their commercial awareness as part of the course they are studying. It is the first study identifying the statistical difference between students’ and academics’ views on commercial awareness. The understanding of students’ views on commercial awareness, their preferred delivery method and the divergence between students’ and academics’ views on commercial awareness can provide useful insights for course directors on the development and renewal of real estate course curriculum.

The purpose of this study was to determine the transaction cost (TC) contractors incur when tendering for a project as well as establish a correlation between the TC of tender and tender amount of projects procured through the national competitive bidding procurement method.

The research draws extensively documentary analysis, observation and interviews to collect cost data on 14 different tenders submitted by a D1/K1 contractor. Using TC theory, the data are analyzed and the actual cost is determined. Further, Spearman rank correlation is employed to establish a relationship between tender price (TP) and the cost of tender by the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences.

The research developed a tender preparation conceptual framework highlighting the components of TC in competitive tendering in Ghana and also revealed that, apart from the emotional and psychological costs, contractors in Ghana incur approximately Gh₵ 4,625 (US$ 925)–Gh₵ 2,520 (US$ 504) to prepare and submit a competitive tender. In relation to the tender figure, the TC of tender in Ghana ranges from 0.05% to 0.65% and an average of 0.33%. Also, there is an inverse correlation between TP and the percentage cost of tender.

The research relied on 14 competitive tenders and also limited to public sector works. Findings from the study should therefore be applied with caution.

This study is the only known research that has focused on assessing the TC of public sector competitive tendering from a contractor's perspective and within a developing sub-Saharan African context.