Editorial

Citation

Finch, E. (2010), "Editorial", Facilities, Vol. 28 No. 11/12. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2010.06928kaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Facilities, Volume 28, Issue 11/12

The issue of climate change is identified in the paper by Clive M.J. Warren as the source of much uncertainty in the facilities management profession. The paper suggests that, given the scientific evidence, “the level of both physical injury and economic loss associated with natural disasters cannot be ignored by any prudent business or facilities manager.” The research suggests that it is not enough just to consider the resilience of the building structure but also the security of energy and communications supply. In this connection, the author advocates more robust approaches to facilities management risk assessments.

In the paper by Ismail Rahmat and Azlan Shah Ali, the subject of coordination in refurbishment projects presents the focus of the discussion. The author attempts to assess how the embedded formalisation within construction firms impacts on the effectiveness of refurbishment projects. There are some rather surprising findings that emerge from the study. In particular:

In highly formalised construction firms, the participants managing refurbishment projects tend to circumvent formalisation by having more informal interactions, which contradicts the needs of the firms. The effectiveness of highly formalised construction firms is not significantly better than lowly formalised construction firms.

This finding rejuvenates the age old discussion regarding the effect of standardisation (centralisation) and the requirement for additional coordinating mechanisms. This is particularly true of larger organisations where silos of activity can emerge with little cross-fertilisation.

What does it mean to be competitive? Despite the various models of competitiveness, the problem of adapting them to suit particular markets in real estate. The paper by Xiaoling Zhang, Liyin Shen, Yuzhe Wu and Yi Peng addresses this problem forced many real estate firms, particularly those small- and medium-sized firms to exit the market. Competition requires firms to strive for survival and continually improve their competitiveness. In order to assist with this, the paper outlines competitiveness indicators for guiding real estate organizations in developing competitive strategies. The resulting competitiveness indexes suggest that, in order to be competitive, real estate firms in China must have good corporate brand awareness and sufficient resources for expansion, have access to a diverse range of capital, appropriate annual land reserve, excellent entrepreneurship, proper risk assessment and response capacity, as well as a green development strategy.

The paper by Sarel Lavy and Manish K. Dixit attempts to identify the key risks that are posed to the security of a site and building perimeters in the defence against terrorism. Based on a document analysis of existing US state and federal reports, combined with evidence from existing literature the author suggests that there are many “best practice” approaches that have yet to me used by many facilities managers. The paper provides some useful guidance providing a list of 42 recommended items, based on four key areas of a facility: vehicular and pedestrian circulation, surface parking and perimeter, utility systems, and building and envelope.

Government intervention in the promotion of energy efficiency is widely recognised as an indispensible driving force. The paper by Queena K. Qian and Edwin H.W. Chan compares the approaches to energy efficiency stimulation in four different countries: the USA, Canada, the UK and China. The paper attempts to gauge the opinion of building design professionals in order to inform the Chinese Government in terms of the most effective measures. The study identifies four categories related to government intervention: the roles of law and policymaker, economic motivator, fiscal hub, and advocator. The recommendations illustrate how, through careful consultation with industry, it is possible to leverage support for the energy efficiency agenda.

Edward Finch