Articles
The Role of Social Media in Property - RICS Paper
Although Social Media's best known applications might be Twitter and Facebook, this new wave of applications is much more than just Social. Hammerson and Grosvenor are using Twitter in their shopping centres and Aviva is using Facebook to manage a property portfolio. Business networks are being built on industry platforms such as CREOpoint and companies are using Crowdsourcing to reduce the cost and time taken to resource projects.
This RICS Information Paper will help you prepare for the opportunities, and often risky consequences, of Social Media - it is here to stay: use it wisely. Read the paper (PDF)...
Also see our Social Media page for more details
Facilities Management - Health & Safety risk in contracts
Clients cannot pass on the responsibility for poor health and safety to their contractors, warns Melita Thomas in her latest article for the LexisNexis publication, Facilities Management.
Social media - RICS Commercial Property Journal
What is the relevance of Twitter or Facebook to Commercial Property?
To mark the launch of the RICS Information Paper on Social Media in Commercial Property, The RICS Commercial Property Journal are running articles on how Social Media will affect your business in the September/October and November/December issues.
Read the first here...
Facilities Management - Melita's regular column for this publication looked at why, despite huge effort expended to get the contract right, so many outsourcing projects are at best lack-lustre, and at worst, downright failures.
Huge savings with IT Efficiency
David Lawson was kind enough to base his recent article on our 2008 IT Benchmarking survey. Read his article here and if you would like to be a part of the 2009 survey, please contact us.
What does a Management Consultant do?
We made the front page of the RICS Commercial Property Journal - Andrew wrote an article with Russell Poynter-Brown of Davis Langdon about the Management Consultancy Professional Service Group in the RICS. If you ever need to explain what a consultant does, start here.
RICS paper - ICT and the workplace. Bob and Andrew contributed a paper to the RICS' Workplace series of papers about how CRE teams can make the best of their ICT (Information Communications and Technology). The paper is available on the RICS website. Read...
The paper was also featured in RICS Commercial Property Journal and the article is here.
Prevention is better than cure...
In these troubled times, Melita looks at how you can minimise the fall out if your outsource provider gets into difficulties. It may be the last thing on your mind when you set the contract up, but planning for problems early and having a disaster recovery plan in place before problems arise can save time, money and stress.
This article was first published in Facilities Management in February 2009.
Read more
Staying on top of the web - RSS feeds
Have you ever wondered how to make sense of the huge amount of information pushed at us daily by websites, blogs and emails?
RSS feeds might be the answer.
Andrew Waller offers some ideas on how to get started to stay on top of the web.
Read more...
Third Sector in the Public Sector
Using charities and other non profit organizations to deliver public services efficiently is becoming ever more attractive as constraints on public spending bite and the pressure to produce efficiency savings increases. We identify the variants and pitfalls in his article Third Sector in the Public Sector.
Nick's article on this topic was published in the RICS Commercial Property Journal April/May 09:
Read about the Third Sector in the Public Sector - A charitable cause
We are lucky enough to have a number of people in our team who enjoy the challenge of writing to deadlines about topical issues. We admit that we also enjoy seeing our work in print.
We try to pick subjects which are relevant and on which our opinions can make a difference to our work; and, whether you agree with us or not, we really appreciate it when people get in touch to discuss the topic.
Additionally, two of our team have written books on technology and property.
Andrew Waller's book, IT for Property People, sets out the premise that successful using IT has little to do with technology itself - it is about understanding how your business works. It is an essential starter for property professionals who want to use technology more effectively. More info...
Bob Thompson co-wrote Real Estate and the New Economy with Tim Dixon. This book discusses how IT is impacting the shape and form of real estate in our towns and cities. More info...
Please do contact us to discuss any of the topics in our articles or books.
