Bob Grimshaw and George Cairns
This paper is a consolidation of the keynote address given to the BIFM Annual Conference and Research Forum held at the University of Warwick in September 1999 in which the…
Abstract
This paper is a consolidation of the keynote address given to the BIFM Annual Conference and Research Forum held at the University of Warwick in September 1999 in which the authors sought to identify the underlying forces influencing FM’s global development. They argue that radical movements in demand side organisational structures are bringing about fundamental change in the relationship between businesses and their supporting infrastructure and that, if FM is to generate an ability to enhance business performance via the effective application of infrastructure resources, then it will have to be able to respond positively to this new landscape. This will involve re‐evaluation of the structure that supports FM development, including the system for producing FM knowledge, and implies new models that integrate research and practice.
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As more facilities managers consider themselves to be “professional”, the issue of ethical awareness within the conduct of facilities management practice cannot be avoided. This…
Abstract
As more facilities managers consider themselves to be “professional”, the issue of ethical awareness within the conduct of facilities management practice cannot be avoided. This article seeks to review the issues involved in raising ethical awareness amongst facilities managers. It examines the intimate relationship between professions and ethics, and highlights the main characteristics of ethical codes in related professions. It reviews the arguments for facilities management being a profession and examines the relationship between facilities management and business ethics. It illustrates ethical dilemmas for facilities management in the stakeholder debate and maps out an agenda for raising ethical issues in the profession.
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The last 25 years have seen facilities management established as an internationally recognised and valued function. However, the organisational changes that created the original…
Abstract
Purpose
The last 25 years have seen facilities management established as an internationally recognised and valued function. However, the organisational changes that created the original demand for FM services are accelerating and will ensure that it will need to constantly adapt itself to new demands if it is to thrive. This article seeks to examine the nature of these forces and their likely impact on FM futures.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on a number of studies on flexible working carried out at UWE under the auspices of the “facilities innovation programme” with Johnson Controls.
Findings
The paper predicts a shift away from physical facilities as the focus for FM to a much more people‐centred logistics approach to supporting work across organisational networks.
Practical implications
The paper provides much food for thought for practising FMs about the shape of their future and the forces that will drive it.
Originality/value
By scanning across the whole landscape of FM the paper emphasises the complexity and fluidity of FM futures.
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This paper looks at facilities management (FM) in the wider context of the social, economic and political changes that are taking place at the end of the twentieth century. It…
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This paper looks at facilities management (FM) in the wider context of the social, economic and political changes that are taking place at the end of the twentieth century. It argues that the core of FM relates to managing the changes that are taking place in the relationship between organisations, their employees and their facilities, all of which are being fundamentally altered by external forces. It pleads for a greater understanding of the issues raised by the debate around postmodernism and the impact they have had on the development of FM to date and will have on its future.
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Introduces the special issue of Facilities, looking back at the changes in the journal over its first 20 years of publication.
Abstract
Introduces the special issue of Facilities, looking back at the changes in the journal over its first 20 years of publication.