Editorial

Citation

Finch, E. (1999), "Editorial", Facilities, Vol. 17 No. 5/6. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.1999.06917eaa.001

Editorial

This double issue covers a diversity of topics, ranging from organisational theory, an international survey on corporate real estate, and landlord-tenant relationships in the downtown business district of Melbourne, Australia. The provocative paper by Price and Akhlaghi argues that the "still widespread mechanistic or control conceptualisation of facilities management is unlikely to meet the challenges facing industry and profession in the future". It goes on to describe the alternative human relations management model that appears better suited to the demands of modern day facilities management. It describes an interesting three-stage evolution process evident in the profession. "If buildings management represents first generation FM, and the integration of people, processes and places second generation, then third generation FM might be seen as more concerned with the creation of spaces which enable different levels and forms of performance."

The paper by Bon and Luck describes the results of the annual CREMRU-JCI survey of corporate real-estate practices in Europe and North America, which has been covered in previous years in Facilities. The study identifies trends such as the reemergence of performance measurement and total quality management (TQM) in the area. As always, it reveals a continuing flux in interpretation of the property and facilities management profession.

In Robinson's case study on property in the Melbourne business district, the author shows that the profitability of business units can be severely affected if the details of the lease, particularly the rent review mechanism, are misunderstood. The financial impact of a poor lease decision is dramatically shown in his comparison of the fate of two companies taking distinct paths.

Moving across to the other side of the globe, the paper by Buda looks at the role of the property professional in Scotland. Many smaller organisations do not use property professionals at the point of assessing their property needs. Buda goes on to argue that fuller consideration of property may be the single most important factor in achieving success in the marketplace and finding an adequate solution to businesses requirements.

Wood, in his paper, takes a look at intelligent buildings and examines the intelligence of those that run them! The principles of "call-centred maintenance" are espoused, with the focus on delivery times, quality, price certainty and continuity. He examines how an organisation, with a dominant position in the UK car breakdown service, moved into home repairs using the "call-centre" approach.

Finally, this issue includes two papers in the area of Internet-based distance learning. The papers by Walker and by Finch describe some of the opportunities that arise from this novel learning environment. Walker considers the opportunities for collaborative learning for project managers, while Finch points to the importance of a sound learning strategy.

All in all, the issue provides something for everyone, and hopefully some cause for debate that is so important to the betterment of the facilities management discipline.

Edward FinchDepartment of Construction Management and Engineering,The University of Reading, UK