Christian Coenen, Daniel von Felten and Mirjam Schmid
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the specifics of facilities management (FM) process modelling and the application of the service blueprinting technique within the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the specifics of facilities management (FM) process modelling and the application of the service blueprinting technique within the field of FM. The paper aims to develop a visualisation method for optimised management of process interfaces to better integrate core and support processes and increase effectiveness and efficiency.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on an extensive overview of general management literature about process management issues in FM, certain challenges and requirements of FM process modelling are presented and discussed. Service blueprinting, a technique known from services marketing, is introduced and characterised in detail. Subsequently, the application of blueprinting within the FM sector is discussed and the specifics of FM blueprinting are presented. A qualitative case‐based research in the health‐care sector was conducted to provide a practical insight into this technique.
Findings
The paper argues that the implementation of FM blueprinting gives management the opportunity of improving process steps and dependent interrelationships between core and support processes. The insights not only apply to the field of management, but can also readily be used for operations.
Originality/value
The paper presents a new process modelling method that supports the customer‐oriented perspective within FM and facilitates the visualisation of simultaneous complex process networks within core and support businesses. The paper introduces the possibility of including measures to achieve effectiveness and efficiency within one single process visualisation.
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Keywords
Christian Coenen, Daniel von Felten and Mirjam Schmid
The purpose of this paper is to develop an empirically tested framework for public awareness and reputation of facilities management (FM) as a business sector.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an empirically tested framework for public awareness and reputation of facilities management (FM) as a business sector.
Design/methodology/approach
A national survey of representative sections of the population was designed and carried out to determine the level of public awareness and the reputation of FM. This survey was based on image/reputation categories from the international European Performance Satisfaction Index studies.
Findings
The findings provide a highly differentiated picture and give an interesting insight into the varied understanding of FM. Only a small fraction of the population has a realistic understanding of what the term FM means. The additional information collected about selected features of the respondents (age, gender, occupation, education, household income, etc.) facilitates interesting cross‐references to the level of public awareness and reputation of FM thus allowing an illuminating analysis of the findings.
Practical implications
A framework for measuring public awareness and reputation of FM is presented and tested. It can be used in the development of a cross‐national survey. In this study, the measurement of public FM awareness and reputation is applied only to one pilot country and further international research is needed to validate this tool within other geographical settings.
Originality/value
This survey represents the first quantification of public awareness and reputation of FM and is planned to be repeated on an international level at a two‐year interval, thus enabling comparisons between countries and corporations.
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Keywords
This chapter embraces a rhythmanalytic approach to address the complexities of a city recovering from a disaster. Bridging Henri Lefebvre's work on everyday life with his later…
Abstract
This chapter embraces a rhythmanalytic approach to address the complexities of a city recovering from a disaster. Bridging Henri Lefebvre's work on everyday life with his later work on rhythms this chapter engages his theory to analyse the case of L'Aquila, a city in central Italy that was destroyed by an earthquake in 2009. To this day, the city's skyline is dominated by cranes, while life unfolds along with sounds of the ongoing reconstruction. While the city is still recovering from the earthquake, the landscape of ruins co-exists with a landscape of construction. More than 10 years after the earthquake stripped away life from its historical centre, the city continues to live in a temporal in-between the disaster and its future ‘rebirth’. While most of the current research on the city neglects the city's everyday experience, my research decentres the debate by analysing the everyday rhythms of L'Aquila's historical centre. Additionally, drawing from walking interviews this chapter highlights the perplexing aspects of everyday life in the city emphasising how the city is negotiated and learned from the locals. This chapter highlights the way different temporalities blur in the everyday practices of reconstruction, emphasising how the city is lived and created in the here-and-now.