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The purpose of this paper is to investigate how organisations use a corporate real estate strategy to support their competitive strategy. It provides a theoretical and empirical overview and analysis of effective combinations of firms' real estate and competitive strategies.

The paper constructs a model that integrates three real estate strategies and three types of competitive strategies. Case studies in ten multinational firms in The Netherlands apply the model, and describe and analyse the combinations of the firms' real estate – and competitive strategies.

A standardisation real estate strategy supports all three competitive strategies: lowest costs, differentiation, and focus. A value‐based real estate strategy supports a competitive strategy of differentiation and differentiation‐focus, and does not contribute to a competitive strategy of lowest costs, or lowest costs‐focus. Finally, an incremental real estate strategy is ambiguous, and does not support any of the three competitive strategies.

The paper constructs a literature‐based model that combines real estate strategy and competitive strategy. It applies the model in a study of ten cases. Practitioners can use the model to analyse and reconsider the combination of their organisation's real estate strategy and competitive strategy. Academics can use the qualitative research results to design further research that qualifies and quantifies the relationship between various elements of real estate – and competitive strategy.

The purpose of this research paper is to provide corporate real estate executives with a measurement tool for pinpointing and enhancing the contribution of corporate real estate to corporate strategy.

A measurement tool is designed by adopting a theoretical framework in which seven added values of real estate are aligned with nine corporate strategic driving forces. The practical applicability of this tool is validated by assessing the contribution of corporate real estate to corporate strategy at 14 Dutch‐based global corporations.

Many corporations still lack sufficient insight into the impact of corporate real estate decisions on corporate performance. Therefore, it is difficult for senior management and other stakeholders to grasp the actual contribution of corporate real estate.

Future research may be conducted to investigate the exhaustiveness of the listed real estate issues. Moreover, the linkage between the added values and the strategic driving forces could be validated further in practice.

The measurement tool supports corporate real estate executives in aligning corporate real estate with corporate strategy. Thereby it contributes to the further recognition of the importance of real estate in a corporate setting.

Prior papers on the contribution of corporate real estate to corporate strategy have primarily been focused on either pinpointing various driving forces or linking specific property decisions to corporate strategy. This paper, however, unveils the linkage between fundamental drivers of corporate real estate and corporate strategy in a comprehensive management tool for portfolio analysis and strategy formulation.

The purpose of this paper is to model how real estate strategies can add value to the core business, providing corporate real estate mangers with a tool to illustrate to corporate officers how real estate adds value to the firms.

The authors review previous research and interview 26 corporate real estate executives to examine what are common approaches to developing real estate strategies and measuring performance. They then model how real estate adds value to the firm and how that value can be measured.

Many firms do not recognize how real estate adds value to the business. While they may have a corporate real estate strategy, that strategy is often not developed in coordination with the overall business strategy. In addition, the performance measures being used by many companies focus solely on cost, not value added.

Corporate real estate's contribution to the core goal of wealth maximization can be modeled to illustrate the tangible and intangible effects real estate has financial performance. A structured approach to developing a real estate strategy in conjunction with the core business strategy, supported by a performance measurement system will allow corporate real estate executives to better communicate how corporate real estate is adding value to the firm.

Corporate real estate managers need better ways to illustrate, to corporate leaders, how they add value. This paper illustrates such a model with supporting operating decisions and performance measures.

Nowadays, the so‐called management by objectives (MBO) is used as a management instrument of corporate real estate management (CREM), using cost targets as the yardstick of CREM success. In Switzerland, CREM success is increasingly linked to cost reductions, with the cross‐company corporate strategy often requiring CREM to deliver a significant reduction in the level of cost. The cost concept used is material for the agreement or stipulation of cost targets. As the presented analysis shows, CREM has, for the most part, only very limited potential impact on costs. In particular, the use of the occupancy cost concept (sum of all imputed costs as well as costs recognised in the profit and loss account) poses a problem. This comprehensive cost type is determined by the following factors, which are in many cases outside the control of CREM: Book value as per balance sheet; Depreciation period of the basic shell structure; Main objective of the owner; Maintenance strategies; Degree of outsourcing of infrastructure management. Therefore, where the corporate strategy centres around cost reduction, CREM must be given the opportunity to control these drivers. This would require the inclusion of CREM in the development of the cross‐company corporate strategy, as otherwise the cost targets would have to be restricted to individual cost types (costs recognised in the profit and loss account). This is the only way to utilise a management instrument, such as MBO, within CREM.

The purpose of this paper is to show how international companies (can) use real estate as a means to reinforce corporate identity and to express brand values in order to evoke a positive image in today's competitive world.

A review of literature, seven case studies including analysis of company documents and in-depth interviews with marketing experts and real estate advisors, and a cross-case analysis showing the translation of brand core values in real estate strategies of these multinationals.

The findings show that brand values are incorporated in the location strategy, building strategy, workplace strategy and at portfolio management level by all companies, but in different ways and with different focus points. Most commonly used brand values are “Green” values, i.e. sustainability, reliability, transparency, innovation and people oriented. Branding policies take into account both internal stakeholders such as the employees and external stakeholders such as customers and investors.

The number of interviews is rather small and limited to Dutch staff members of multinationals. Reliability of the findings was enforced by triangulation through connecting the interview findings to literature and strategic documents. Additional empirical research is needed to further explore which strategic choices can be made and in particular what are the actual costs and benefits of “branding by real estate”.

The different ways to translate corporate brand values in real estate and the conceptual framework that has been developed to describe the step-by-step approach – from defining a vision to translating corporate culture and corporate identity into a well-considered real estate strategy – can be used by policy makers and real estate managers in real estate decision-making on strategic, tactical and operational level.

The paper links findings from corporate real estate management with insights from marketing theory and adding value by real estate.

This paper aims to describe the development and test of such a design method to achieve alignment, which utilises the preference-based accommodation strategy (PAS) design procedure. One of the long-standing issues in the field of corporate real estate management is the alignment of an organisation’s real estate to its corporate strategy. A classification of alignment models shows that no model yet exists that is able to design a real estate portfolio and makes use of scales for direct measurement of added value/preference, and allows the aggregation of individual ratings into an overall performance rating.

To perform the steps in the PAS design procedure, a mathematical model is designed and tested according to formal design principles. The PAS design procedure is iteratively repeated with the participants in a series of interviews and workshops. In the interviews, the participants determine their preferences and constraints as prescribed in the procedure; in the workshops, they design alternative portfolios using the mathematical model. The objective of the research is to formulate, test and evaluate if participants are able to perform the PAS design procedure.

A methodology is developed for designing a real estate strategy that uses explicit scales for measuring value/preference and enables aggregating individual preference ratings into an overall rating taking into account both quantitative and qualitative portfolio properties. The tests of this design method with the participants reveal that by completing the steps in the PAS design procedure, users are able to determine their preferences accordingly. They were also able to design an alternative portfolio with a higher overall preference score than the current real estate portfolio. In addition, the design method is evaluated positively by the participants based on their experiences, the attractiveness of the method and perception of effectiveness of the method.

The positive results suggest that designing a strategy by using the PAS design procedure is a suitable approach to alignment.

The PAS design procedure enables corporate real estate (CRE) managers to determine the added value of a real estate strategy. Because the PAS design method is generic, it can be used for a wide range of real estate portfolios.

The first CRE alignment model uses stakeholders preferences to design a more optimal real estate strategy.

This paper aims to discuss whether alignment between corporate real estate strategy and corporate strategy exists for non-property companies listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange and what effects alignment has on the firms’ financial performance.

The study was both qualitative and quantitative in nature, with a specific focus on non-property firms listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange. The qualitative part of the study involved the analysis of the firms’ annual reports to determine the presence and use of corporate real estate strategies and their alignment to corporate strategy and the extraction of financial indicator data. The quantitative portion of the study involved the use of multivariate analysis, to distinguish and quantify the relationship, if any, between corporate real estate strategy and the identified financial performance indicators. The independent variables were the CRE strategies employed and the dependent variable was the share price. The methods used in this study have been applied before in European and Asian studies; this assisted in ensuring that validity and reliability was achieved.

The study finds that the most used strategy by firms (47%) is that which facilitates production, operation and service delivery. The Consumer Goods, Healthcare and Telecommunications sectors appear to demonstrate the highest level of alignment. Return on Shareholder Funds has a strong significant positive correlation with share price. Flexibility as a corporate real estate strategy also has a significant positive coefficient, which indicates a positive relationship with share price.

Although consistent with results of studies conducted in Europe and Asia, the results of this research may not be applicable to privately held non-listed firms, state-owned enterprises, non-profits and educational institutions. This study also ignores the dynamic external environment in which firms operate and the necessity of firms adjusting their corporate real estate strategy to their changing business strategy.

These results suggest that the incorporation of corporate real estate strategy in the firms’ corporate strategy formulation has the potential to enhance shareholder value for South African firms. Real estate developers, landlords and owner occupiers would benefit from better understanding the strategic requirements of corporations to ensure that the solutions they provide increase the likelihood of maximizing shareholder return.

The role of corporate real estate strategy in the firms’ corporate strategy formulation has the ability to enhance shareholder value. This research adds to the scant literature on corporate real estate management in South Africa.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an operational framework with guidelines and lessons to improve the current real estate portfolio disposal procedures of freeholds, based on empirical evidence from the banking sector.

The empirical research is based on a comparative analysis of four case studies, representing approximately 80 per cent of the Dutch banking sector. The case studies comprise a systematic document review of corporate business and real estate strategies and semi-structured interviews with decision makers who steer the organisation’s corporate real estate (CRE) portfolio composition.

This research shows a strong relationship between organisation characteristics, legacy and strategy, disposal drivers and CRE disposal strategies. The weighing of drivers and order of steps in strategy execution strategies largely depend on organisational objectives.

This paper reports empirical findings from Dutch case studies. To generalise, further research is needed in different legal, financial and economic contexts and in other sectors. This paper suggests a more thorough study of the relationship between space-use efficiency and technological innovation implementation..

The framework proposes strategy improvements and a proactive approach to corporate real estate management (CREM) to create value through real estate portfolios.

This paper provides a thorough analysis of the CREM of the Dutch banking sector and is applicable to CREM in this and other sectors.

The aim of this paper is to introduce a framework that helps to identify strategic themes on which real estate investors form their strategies. A holistic approach to strategic management in real estate management has enjoyed popularity in corporate real estate research, while similar research has been lacking from the investor-based real estate management.

The research design consists of two main parts: 1) formulating propositions based on existing literature and 2) attempting to validate the propositions through a qualitative interview study with major real estate owners in Finland.

The main finding is that the current real estate investors reflect the transient nature of competitive advantages and assess their strategies accordingly. The companies consider the traditional profitability and revenue growth aspects of their business but also a more long-term future growth dimension. As an outcome, the investors base their strategies on eight strategic themes which are “Innovation”, “ESG”, “Marketing and sales”, “Financial management”, “Leasing management and tenant satisfaction”, “Competitive environment and portfolio management”, “Outsourcing and strategic partnerships” and “Cost and operation optimization”.

This paper opens opportunities for future research concerning different strategies in real estate investment business and their impacts.

The presented framework provides support for real estate investors to create real estate management strategy or to evaluate their current strategy and to recognize operational actions and decisions that are relevant for their strategy.

This paper provides an extension to corporate real estate (CRE) literature by showing that the CRE theories are adaptable to real estate investment and provide value for their strategic management. This paper also contributes to real estate investment literature by providing a well-founded and empirically contested strategic management framework, the IREM framework, for identifying strategic themes on which real estate investors form their strategies.

An increasingly sophisticated body of theory and practice has emerged over the past 20 years about the impact that strategy plays in driving corporate business success, as well as the role that real estate plays in that strategy. In the context of three case studies, this paper will discuss the theory and application of the Strategy Alignment Model, which is a framework for directly linking real estate initiatives with core business strategy and for measuring results as organisational outcomes. Among a number of topics will be discussed the theoretical underpinnings of the model, as well as its application to such diverse yet interrelated issues as placing companies in locations that enhance recruitment and retention of the best people; building layouts that promote communication; communication; and workplace concepts, on and off site, that support new ways of working