Matthew Tucker

Towards sustainable construction: promotion and best practices

– The purpose of this paper is to understand what factors best promote or prevent sustainable construction practices and establish the consistency of how sustainability is measured., – A literature review considered the impact of the industry to sustainability and identified what action and initiatives are already in place. Through this, the main drivers, barriers, measures and benchmarks were identified. The opinions of building surveying professionals were sought and analysed., – The paper suggested that fiscal incentives/penalties and regulations help to drive sustainable construction. Such financial implications are consistent with “affordability” being the biggest barrier highlighted. The majority of respondents believed the industry is taking some account of sustainability issues, but identified that more needs to be done., – Sustainable development is an integral part of the lives and affects all aspects of business operations. This paper provides an in‐depth insight into the level of sustainable development within the construction industry, identifying implications for both the demand and supply side.

Performance measurement in facilities management: driving innovation?

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the state of knowledge of performance measurement in facilities management, in particular regarding the concepts underlying benchmarking in relation to its ability to drive innovation in the industry.Design/methodology/approach – An evaluation of the key issues surrounding performance measurement and the effective application of benchmarking systems are examined, exploring the possibility of applying a benchmarking technique to measure facilities performance.Findings – The paper suggests that a fully developed performance measurement solution via effective benchmarking can deliver as a business tool in facilities management (FM), whilst acting as a driver in the innovation process.Practical implications – With the nature of performance measurement having changed over the past few decades, the paper acts as a catalyst to how performance measurement systems and techniques operate within FM and stimulate innovation.Originality/value – By adopting the notion of innovation ...

Workplace impact of social networking

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the impact of social networking in the workplace and to assess its use as an effective business tool.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines positive and negative perceptions of social networking in the workplace and provides a critical review of literature in the area. The drivers of, and barriers to, change are explored, and whether the reasons for some organisations prohibiting or restricting social networking in the workplace are well‐founded or corporate suicide. The link between social networking and organisational culture is examined, looking at whether social networking tools are capable of revitalising and reshaping the culture and brand of an organisation, which in turn can lead to better ways of working and increased levels of employee productivity and satisfaction.Findings – The findings indicate that the business advantages and benefits of social networking in the workplace are still very much underappreciated and undervalued. Although some organi...

Customer performance measurement in facilities management

Purpose - A lack of effective and accessible customer performance measurement research is evident within the facilities management (FM) industry. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the level of performance measurement sophistication by developing the strategic application to measure customer satisfaction in FM. Design/methodology/approach - Through an extensive literature review, this paper researches the application of customer performance measurement in FM through a strategic management context. Findings - The development of a customer performance measurement system (CPMS) for FM is introduced. The CPMS consists of four stages, combining quantitative benchmarking techniques with qualitative analysis in order to produce strategic objectives for business process improvement. Research limitations/implications - The CPMS framework is currently being tested. This paper should firstly be interpreted as an introduction to the theory and process behind the CPMS, whilst secondly in providing an update on the preliminary research findings from stage 1. Originality/value - The level of sophistication of customer performance research within FM is limited. This paper aims to increase the accessibility and applicability of strategic customer performance measurement in FM to both FM customers and providers.

National standards of customer satisfaction in facilities management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the first stage of primary research undertaken to establish generic customer satisfaction benchmarks for the facilities management (FM) industry, and test whether the benchmarks can be strategically implemented into individual FM provider organisations to further enhance their existing performance measurement processes and subsequent service provision.Design/methodology/approach – The study proposes the development of a conceptual framework, the Customer Performance Measurement System (CPMS). The CPMS consists of four stages, and uses a mixed methodological strategy. This paper provides the findings from the first stage of the CPMS, to establish generic customer satisfaction benchmarks for the FM industry. This is undertaken through two annual customer satisfaction surveys in 2007 and 2008 across the UK and Ireland.Findings – The paper establishes customer satisfaction benchmarks for individual FM services. The benchmarks identify trends bet...

User perceptions in workplace productivity and strategic FM delivery

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of user perceptions within an organisational context, and more specifically, how user perceptions are evidenced and positively applied within facilities management (FM).Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual approach is adopted suggesting that user perceptions should be viewed as a holistic process within FM. Via comprehensive literature reviews the paper determines the importance of user perceptions, first, in the context of the user achieving productivity in the workplace as their input and functionalities within the physical environment can inevitably enhance their later experience, and second, in the context of the user later achieving customer satisfaction via strategic FM delivery.Findings – Argues that user perceptions in FM can be analysed through a two‐fold approach: user perception through their input and functionalities in the workplace, and their consequent application of workplace productivity; and user perception through st...

Improving service provision through better management and measurement of customer satisfaction in facilities management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of a customer performance measurement system (CPMS) to demonstrate how facilities management (FM) organisations can enhance their existing processes for measuring the customer satisfaction of their service provision.Design/methodology/approach – Customer performance measurement in FM is the process of capturing, measuring, and improving the satisfaction of FM customers. A generic CPMS was developed that FM organisations can adopt to improve their existing service provision. The CPMS was developed using a mixed methods approach was adopted. An instrumental case study was used to test the CPMS. The case study represented what was deemed as a typical FM organisation in the UK. The effectiveness of the CPMS application was first validated internally by the instrumental case study. A series of collective case studies were then used to validate the CPMS externally, by testing a series of other FM companies in the UK to provide further underst...

Feedback on feedback practice: perceptions of students and academics

While feedback is widely considered central to student learning, students across the higher education sector commonly report dissatisfaction with the feedback they receive. In contrast, academics often feel they provide quality and informative feedback. This article explores and compares the perceptions of students and academics with regard to feedback practice. The paper presents the results of questionnaire surveys conducted with academics and students at the School of the Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University. It highlights the perceptions of academics and students with regard to preferences for different types of feedback, timeliness of feedback, students’ engagement and interest in feedback, quality feedback and satisfaction with current practice. The findings indicate a significant discord between staff and students in relation to certain aspects of feedback practice, namely opinions on students’ engagement and interest in feedback, satisfaction with current practice and feedback preference. Similarities in viewpoints were also found in relation to quality feedback.

The rationale to integrate facilities management into the development process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to justify the need to integrate Facilities Management (FM) into the development process (DP) and establish a framework that potentially serves as a guide to optimise the value of Facilities Management (FM) in the property development industry. Design/methodology/approach – This study looks at the relevant literature to identify the factors that are hindering FM to effectively integrate in the development process. Subsequently, the authors intend to carry out interviews with various professionals in the property development industry in the UK to identify the best practices. This research uses qualitative and quantitative methods in order to establish an FM-DP integration framework. Findings – The literature suggested that contribution of FM towards the property development industry is unquestionable. Surprisingly, in a real world FM has been given a low priority in the property development industry, resulting in Facilities Managers being inadequately integrated into the development process. There is currently no suitable generic mechanism that is practical in all stages of the development process to guide Facilities Managers and/or other professionals to integrate FM into the development process. Originality/value – This study is to provide evidence that the property development industry needs a framework that potentially serves as a guide to optimise the value of Facilities Management (FM) in the development process.

Compliance of RICS code of practice for commercial service charges

RICS code of practice eService Charges in Commercial Propertyi was introduced in 2007 with intention to promote best practice guidelines in the provision and management of commercial service charges. The paper seeks to view the compliance of the code after two years from its inception. Documental analysis through various reports, journals and other relevant secondary information are gathered and analyse in completing this paper. Critical review on the materials gathered is carried out in understanding the key recommendations as set within the RICS code against the current practice. Huge gaps were identified between the RICS as against existing practice involving several key headings such as transparency, value for money, communication and responsiveness. Recommendations are made to minimise the gap by harnessing concerted efforts among the stakeholders in commercial property industry.