Evaluating the effect of new working practices on office space usage in Hong Kong

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Emerald in Journal of Corporate Real Estate on 11/11/2019, available online: https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRE-06-2019-0030 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.© 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: Many organizations in Hong Kong have witnessed a reduction in average space usage due to high occupancy costs. New working practices (NWPs) are viewed as a reform tool to manage expensive real estate around the world. However, it is unclear whether NWPs influence office space usage in business organizations in Hong Kong. This study, therefore, aims to evaluate if the average space reduction in office firms is caused by the NWPs in the finance, insurance, real estate and business (FIREB) firms. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 20 NWPs were initially derived from the extant literature. A questionnaire survey was conducted with listed FIREB firms in Hong Kong to assess the impact of the identified NWPs on space usage. The data collected from the questionnaire survey were analysed using descriptive, explorative factor analysis (EFA) and partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate the effects of NWPs on average space usage. Findings: Results revealed that four major NWP factors influence average space usage. Three of these factors, namely, “flexible arrangement”, “multitasking knowledge workers” and “teamwork and communication”, influence space usage positively. Even though the effect of the fourth factor “training and networking” was significant, it does not reflect a positive influence on space usage. Business organizations can focus more on the implementation of NWPs to cushion the effects of the high cost of occupancy. Originality/value: The research provides new knowledge to the limited literature on the effect of NWPs in FIREB firms and enriches the growing body of international literature on how today’s competitive global business organizations should revisit their workplace strategies to accommodate the rising agile workforce and NWPs. The findings offer new insights into the ongoing debate on the impact of information and communication technology-enabled NWPs on space usage. From the real estate perspective, the findings should inform policymaking towards the better planning ahead of office properties to accommodate NWPs, helping Hong Kong to remain competitive as a key financial centre.Published versio

Knowledge mapping of office workspace: a scientometric review of studies

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Emerald in Facilities on 29/10/2019, available online: https://doi.org/10.1108/F-07-2018-0086 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.© 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: Office workspace is more than a place but one of the essential resources in business organizations. In recent years, research in office workspace management has become an increasingly important scholarly focus. However, there is a dearth of bibliometric studies to date on the subject. This study aims to explore a scientometric analysis of office workspace field. Design/methodology/approach: The title/abstract/keyword search method was used to extract related papers from 1990 to 2018. A total of 1,670 papers published in Scopus were obtained and subjected to scientometric data analysis techniques via CiteSpace software. Findings: The results revealed the active research institutions and countries, influential authors, important journals, representative references and research hotspots in this field. Practical implications: While this study focused on office workspace management, the findings hold useful implications for the built environment in general and facility management in particular, being a sector that encompasses multiple disciplines involving building, office assets, people, processes and technology, which enable effective functioning of the built facilities. Originality/value: This is probably the most comprehensive scientometric analysis of the office workspace field ever conducted. This study adds to the so far limited knowledge in the field and provides insights for future research.Published versio

Scientometric Analysis of Global Scientific Literature on Aging in Place.

The amount of literature reporting "aging-in-place" studies has increased sharply in recent decades. However, the studies have taken a global view of the range and scope of the research that has taken place. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of the current status of the aging in place research themes published as scientific articles between 1970 and 2021, using the Web of Science database. VOSviewer software was employed to map and visualize the 1331 items of bibliographic data retrieved. The findings reveal a continuous growing trend in the publication of aging in place research. Most productive institutions derive from the USA. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is the most preferred Journal. The most popular research hotspots or areas include; older adults, aging, housing, dementia, long-term care, and technology, and their associations with the field of "aging in place" field were elucidated. This study offers several valuable insights to scholars, research institutions, and policymakers, enabling a better understanding of the developments in the aging in place research domain

Effect of revitalisation of historic buildings on retail shop values in urban renewal : an empirical analysis

2017-2018 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journal201810 bcrcVersion of RecordPublishe

The impact of a rapidly expanding service sector on private office property: the case of Hong Kong

Hong Kong's economy has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past two decades. The rapid expansion of the service sector is a major outcome. Within the services sector, the finance, insurance, real estate (FIRE) and business services sub-sector is the most influential and also the major source of generating demand for office space in the economy. This paper examines how the rapid expansion of the FIRE and business service sub-sector influences new office construction. Using the Engle-Granger (1987) methodology for cointegration and error correction mechanism (ECM), the causal relationships between growth of sub-sectors of the services sector and the new office space construction were explored. The FIRE and business services sub-sector growth is shown to be cointegrated with new office space construction. The paper reports empirical findings based on a sample survey on location and quality of space. The study reveals that the growth of the FIRE and business service sector has influenced office space development in terms of location of space, per capita space and the type and quality space during 1981-2000.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Usage of Technological Facilities in Service Sector Firms and Floor Space per Employee: Evidence from Hong Kong

This paper presents new empirical evidence about the determinants of space per employee in office sector firms in Hong Kong. The paper hypothesises that usage of technological equipment and facilities lead to increase the space per employee ratio, apart from other factors identified in literature. The above hypothesis was tested through a regression model and an ANOVA analysis based on a sample survey of FIRE and business service sector firms in Hong Kong. The growth in the use of technological equipment and facilities exert a strong positive influence on space usage per employee. In Hong Kong, significant differences in the floor space per employee ratio are seen across different firms: financial and business service sector firms use relatively larger amounts of floor-space per employee compared to all other sub sectors. The overall explanatory power of the regression model was somewhat limited; this indicates that factors related to business organisation and work patterns, land supply and building densities, construction productivity and cost, and other location related factors, should also be studied in order to understand overall trends in space usage per employee.link_to_subscribed_fulltex