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Article
Publication date: 23 September 2020

Lucy Zarina Campbell, Michael Pitt and Peter Mclennan

The experiment introduces nutritional labelling, healthier products and product placement designs to the hospital vending machines, to promote healthy lifestyles.

Abstract

Purpose

The experiment introduces nutritional labelling, healthier products and product placement designs to the hospital vending machines, to promote healthy lifestyles.

Design/methodology/approach

The site where this experiment happens is a major London hospital, serving over a million patients every year. In the experiment, the hospital’s snack and drink vending machines are redesigned. The impact on product sales are then analysed using robust statistical methods.

Findings

Nutritional labelling has a statistically significant impact on product sales. Less of the unhealthiest products are sold. Healthier products and product placement designs have a larger impact but with less statistical significance. They require further testing.

Research limitations/implications

Experts in service operations can use this experiment’s regression modelling methods. The methods are ideal for measuring change over time in counting data sets in complex real world environments.

Practical implications

There are suggestions for practical vending service change in this research. They are in line and add a practical example to Government policy guidance.

Social implications

People using the redesigned vending machines have more opportunity for healthy lifestyle choices.

Originality/value

The experiment provides statistical evidence in support of catering for healthier lifestyles.

Details

Facilities , vol. 39 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2019

Ahmed Alnaggar and Michael Pitt

The purpose of this study is to outline the problems associated with asset information management using the Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) standard…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to outline the problems associated with asset information management using the Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie) standard and to analyse the causes of industry failure to successfully adopt the standard. Based on this analysis, the paper will propose a process model, namely, Lifecycle Exchange of Asset Data (LEAD) to manage asset dataflow between all building stakeholders from design to construction and ultimately to the facility management team. This model aims to help the construction supply chain to produce complete and high-quality asset data that supports the operation phase of the built environment.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of relevant studies provided a theoretical background for this study. The authors then collected and analysed COBie data from five live construction projects using building information modelling (BIM) projects from different design and construction companies. The process model is based on an industry placement within Bouygues UK construction company, which was a Tier 1 building contractor in London in the period from December 2016 to December 2018. The researcher used an inductive approach observing current practises in two construction projects to produce “LEAD” model. Then a focus group was conducted with industry experts to discuss and refine the process model.

Findings

Analysis of literature and data collected in the course of this study revealed that although COBie is a BIM Level 2 standard in the UK, there is currently a low success rate in producing complete and accurate COBie data in the UK construction industry. This low rate is because of COBie’s rigid data syntax/structure, complexity and ambiguity of its data exchange process, which suggests that COBie may not be the future of the industry. Based on these findings, the study proposed a process model, namely, “LEAD,” to improve COBie output and also to be used with project-specific information requirements.

Practical implications

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first to focus solely on asset data exchange process using COBie standard and highlights the problems the industry faces in this remit. The study is based on industry placement for two years, so the analysis is based on actual and current industry problems. Current industry practices also informed the “LEAD” model, and the model provides a step-by-step guidance in producing and exchanging BIM asset data in all stages of the building lifecycle.

Originality/value

This paper provides a detailed analysis of the most common problems associated with COBie as an asset data exchange standard. Understanding these problems is of high value for industry practitioners to avoid them in projects. The paper also proposed a novel process model that can be used either to improve COBie quality or can be used with any project-specific data requirements.

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2001

Michael Pitt

Airport strategic direction is usually linked to the changing nature of airlines and their evolving facilities requirements. In the US airports are predominantly publicly owned…

4336

Abstract

Airport strategic direction is usually linked to the changing nature of airlines and their evolving facilities requirements. In the US airports are predominantly publicly owned giving rise to different organizational structures to those associated with many of the other countries, such as the UK, which are currently experiencing a change in the nature of airline products. This paper examines the different responses that are possible and not possible within the organisational structures of airports, focusing on some of the limitations of the current US and UK models of ownership and how these may impede economic growth. The paper ends with a look at the structural problems that arise in the management of air travel in the best interests of the traveller in the UK and how these problems might be resolved through alliances between the airlines and the airports.

Details

Facilities, vol. 19 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 27 April 2012

Rebecca Pitt and Michael Pitt

1814

Abstract

Details

Journal of Facilities Management, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Article
Publication date: 15 November 2018

Ahmed Alnaggar and Michael Pitt

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a systematic methodology to manage asset data flow between building stakeholders throughout building life cycle using the Construction…

1756

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a systematic methodology to manage asset data flow between building stakeholders throughout building life cycle using the Construction Operation Building Information Exchange (COBie) standard.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review of the relevant building information modelling (BIM) for facilities management (FM) studies including the gaps and challenges of producing COBie data is analysed. Then a standard project management methodology by Project Management Institute (PMI) is introduced as a theoretical framework to map the different areas of managing COBie data as a project in coordination with Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Plan of work. This theoretical background is coupled with an inductive approach through the placement within a construction company (Bouygues, UK) in the UCLH construction project to produce the conceptual framework that is aligned with industry needs.

Findings

The lack of well-structured approach to manage COBie data throughout building life cycle causes many problems and confusions about the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders in creating and managing asset data. This confusion in turn results in incomplete and low-quality COBie data at the handover phase which hinders the ability of facility managers to use these data effectively in the operations phase. The proposed conceptual framework provides a standard project management process to systemise the data flow among all stakeholders.

Practical implications

The proposed framework is developed in liaison with a large construction company, so it is well aligned with an actual industry approach to managing COBie data. Furthermore, it provides a systematic step-by-step approach to managing COBie as a project that could be easily implemented in actual construction projects.

Originality/value

The paper introduced a novel approach to manage COBie data using a standard project management methodology based on an actual live construction project perspective coupled with project management theory.

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2017

Marichela Sepe and Michael Pitt

Starting from these premises, the aim of the paper is illustrating the role of experience in urban regeneration projects and to explore how the experience of high quality product…

Abstract

Purpose

Starting from these premises, the aim of the paper is illustrating the role of experience in urban regeneration projects and to explore how the experience of high quality product luxury places can be sustainable with existent place identity or new place identity to be suitably created.

Design/methodology/approach

The experience of a place may become an integral part of a product experience. The enhancement of products (Splendiani, 2013): assumes a meaning which goes beyond the simple sale of material goods. It covers the supply of complex experiences … enriched by intangible elements capable to stimulate and involve the sensory and experiential component of consumption. It deals with attracting people to the places where local products are made by inserting the products in the most extensive offers covering the entire territorial system of reference The experience may also be used for the spectacolarisation of a place and its commercialisation, as in the case of “brandscapes” (Klingman, 2007). In this case, it is important not to clone every place everywhere because they could inevitably resemble each other without be able to really engage the people who move into them (Lehtovuori, 2010). The methodology approach is based on a wide bibliography and internet research based on the main terms connected to the topics of the paper, including experience, place identity, quality product, regeneration; on case studies – even though not illustrated – concerning places of interest for the research topics, such as: Hafencity in Hamburg, the Albert Dock in Liverpool, Abondaibarra area in Bilbao.

Findings

The planning of places of quality product cannot be separated from interpretation of the territory as a cultural system resulting from an ensemble of historical, economic and social processes. In such a system, the contribution of the cultural factor must be considered propulsive, not only for its qualitative meaning but also, and especially, for the role of “trait d’union” of a number of actions taken to protect and enhance places.

Originality/value

The increasing importance of the use of experience in the urban regeneration process is leading cities to be involved in constructing suitable images and symbols of their transformed areas to meet the new trends, also according with luxurious ones. Even though globalisation is one of the main dangers in innovative itineraries, the proper planning of quality architecture and public spaces could prevent it by creating a suitable mix between innovation and culture.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2002

Michael Pitt, Andrew Brown and Andrew Smith

The aviation industry worldwide has a reputation for being a major polluter. This paper examines the ways in which airports address the issue of the environment through examining…

4214

Abstract

The aviation industry worldwide has a reputation for being a major polluter. This paper examines the ways in which airports address the issue of the environment through examining both the problems and the strategies adopted in disposal. The paper concludes that a more co‐ordinated approach to environmental strategy is needed across the industry and that this is best produced at government level.

Details

Facilities, vol. 20 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 May 2024

Junpeng Lyu, Michael Pitt and Tim Broyd

University students’ lecture theatre concentration levels are significantly related to indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The purpose of this study is to investigate the…

Abstract

Purpose

University students’ lecture theatre concentration levels are significantly related to indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and the self-reported concentration levels of university students during the winter at University College London (UCL), UK.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey and physical measurements were used to assess the IEQ factors affecting students’ concentration levels.

Findings

The lecture theatre design factor was the most significant factor influencing students’ concentration levels, and the facility environment was more important than the thermal environment, indoor air quality, and acoustic environment in influencing students’ concentration levels in this winter investigation at UCL, UK. Additionally, students prefer a colder thermal environment. The concentration level of students was positively correlated with the indoor air quality and negatively correlated with the acoustic environment.

Practical implications

Based on model application, this research could provide lecture theatre IEQ design. This research additionally provides an acceptable indoor thermal environment temperature range based on a large sample, which can be used to calibrate a student performance benchmark.

Originality/value

As this study evaluates the IEQ factors that influence the concentration levels of university students, interior designers and engineers should consider the rational layout of these factors. Therefore, this study may provide a reference for the interior environmental design of lecture theatres in educational buildings.

Details

Facilities , vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 May 2016

Anthony Andrew and Michael Pitt

The paper aims to examine how Scottish facility and estate managers have developed estates and facilities management strategies to ensure that the Scottish government civil estate…

438

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to examine how Scottish facility and estate managers have developed estates and facilities management strategies to ensure that the Scottish government civil estate has remained fit for purpose in a period of rapid social, economic and technological change, and political development covering the devolution period.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines the development of the policy frameworks within which facility mangers have worked and how they have adapted the asset portfolio to meet the demands of modern working practices and the budgetary disciplines resulting from economic change.

Findings

The period 1989-2015 has shown major changes. It commenced with a highly centralised model driven by the Whitehall Department of the Treasury and run by the Property Services Agency. Just before and during devolution, there was administrative decentralisation of activity to agencies and non-departmental public bodies, and this was reflected in decentralised property management first to departments and then to the agencies and non-departmental public bodies. During this time, profound changes occurred in working practices, e-mail, e-records, mobile telephones and open-plan layouts; remote working changed the ways buildings were used. Public sector property was used to promote distribution of jobs to outer areas. Towards the latter end of the period from 2008 onwards, the economic difficulties have led to acute budget pressures, and from 2011 onwards, there has been a trend both in Whitehall, and the Scottish devolved administration towards greater corporate management of the estate to drive down costs and promote more modern ways of working which may lead to a model similar to the one which prevailed at the start of the period.

Research limitations/implications

The paper explains the development of the management framework and changes on the estate itself to inform the debate between policymakers, academic researchers and FM practitioners interested in the efficient use of central government assets.

Practical implications

The paper will help academics and practitioners understand the historic context within which they are working.

Social implications

The paper indicates how the Scottish Government has adapted its property assets to meet the needs of users.

Originality/value

The paper is an historic exposition of how public sector facility managers have adapted the management of the Scottish Government estate in Scotland to meet the needs of central government staff and the public to whom it provides wider services and considers how this illuminates wider FM issues.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2000

Michael Pitt and Mark Jones

The management of large‐scale facilities such as airports requires a wide knowledge of potential problems that can arise as a result of strategic decisions. These decisions are…

1553

Abstract

The management of large‐scale facilities such as airports requires a wide knowledge of potential problems that can arise as a result of strategic decisions. These decisions are often made many years before they come to fruition. The paper focuses on the potential compensation problems surrounding the construction of a new runway with particular reference to Manchester Airport; and examines the methods of practice and theory which may be adopted in the valuation of residential property affected by physical factors arising from the construction of a new installation.

Details

Facilities, vol. 18 no. 13/14
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

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