Representations of gender in annual reports in the real estate industry in Sweden

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Maria Staffansson Pauli

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify how annual reports of public housing and commercial real estate companies contribute in “doing gender” of the real estate industry in Sweden. How the issue of gender is dealt with in photographs, in two different types of organizations, with different corporate and business strategies, is important as they play a significant role in constructing the industry itself. Are there any differences in how they perceive gender, and what constitutes gender of the industry? Design/methodology/approach – Analysis of photographs in annual reports, 14 public housing companies and eight commercial real estate companies, in the year of 2011. Findings – The paper provides empirical insights about how “gender is done” in annual reports, men alone are shown more often as employees and both women and men are portrayed in stereotypical positions. Women are depicted more often as young and also presented in “token positions”. Research limitations/implications – Because of the chosen research approach, in studying only one year, a longitudinal study would be recommended for future studies. Practical implications – The paper includes implications for the development of gender symbols and images representing the industry, in how gender is done in public situations as in annual reports. This is not only important for the industry itself but also to stakeholders involved with the industry. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need to study how photographs shown in annual reports reveal gender structure.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-122
Author(s):  
Juha Mäki

Purpose This paper aims to examine the connection between appraisals of investment properties and earnings properties in companies from two perspectives: what kinds of companies employ the most reputable appraisers and how appraisers produce estimations. Design/methodology/approach The research uses annual reports of European Union (EU) publicly traded real estate companies and examines the period 2007-2016. Findings The contribution of this study lies in establishing that some indicators and features of real estate companies affect the choice of appraiser and also in illustrating differences in the results of property valuations. In short, smaller companies with weaker performance are less willing to use external valuation, and external appraisers produce more conservative estimations for investment properties. Practical implications The research produces beneficial information for investors and other stakeholders interested in the real estate industry. Originality/value This is the first novel study to examine the link between appraisals of investment properties and earnings properties in companies in detail.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Cajias

PurposeDigitalisation and AI are the most intensively discussed topics in the real estate industry. The subject aims at increasing the efficiency of existing processes and the institutional side of the industry is really interested. And in some ways, this is a breakthrough. This article elaborates on the current status quo and future path of the industry.Design/methodology/approachThe real estate industry is evolving, and parts of the business are increasingly being conquered by “proptechs” and “fintechs”. They have come into real estate to stay not because they discovered inefficiencies in the way one manages and does business with real estate, but because they come with an arsenal of new technologies that can change the whole game. The article discusses a path for changing the game in real estate.Findings“location, location, location” has now evolved to “data, data, data”. However, there is one essential aspect that must be considered before the latter can become the real value creator: the ability of market players to analyse data. And this does not mean being an excellent Excel user. The near future sees a solution called Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) meaning that the econometric world constructed decades ago has an expiry date.Originality/valueOne needs to delete two myths from their mind: data quantity is proportional to accurate insights and that bringing your data to a cloud will deliver you with all the insights your business needs almost immediately.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Piazolo ◽  
Utku Cem Dogan

PurposePrevious research on automation and job disruption is only marginally related to the real estate industry and its characteristics. This study investigates the effects of digitization on jobs in German real estate sector, in order to assess the proportion of jobs threatened to be replaced by automation. Since Germany is the largest EU economy insights for the German real estate market allow a first approximation for Europe.Design/methodology/approachAn extensive database of the German Federal Employment Agency containing job definitions and occupation titles is matched with real estate criteria to create a subset with the relevant real estate occupations. This data is combined with a database of the German Institute of Employment Research reflecting to what extent tasks within jobs can be automated by current technical capabilities.FindingsFor the 286 identified occupations within the real estate sector a weighted average of 47 percent substitution probability through current technological capabilities is derived for tasks within the examined occupations.Practical implicationsThis contribution indicates the extent of the structural change the real estate sector has to face due to digitization: One out of two real estate jobs will have to be re-created.Originality/valueThis research quantifies the magnitude of the job killer aspect of digitization in the real estate sector.


Facilities ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (13/14) ◽  
pp. 891-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Palm

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how the real estate owner (decision maker) insures being able to make informed decisions and how they differ according to organisational form. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on an interview study of nineteen firm representatives, six decision makers and thirteen management representatives, all from Swedish commercial real estate sector. Findings The study concludes that, regardless of organisational setting, the industry has a plan regarding handling information. The decision makers have all secured themselves access to the required/desired information. How this is done and what kind of information it is however differ, if the real estate management is in-house or outsourced. Furthermore, a clear focus on financial and contractual information is evident in both organisational settings. Research limitations/implications The research in this paper is limited to Swedish commercial real estate sector. Practical implications The insight the paper provides regarding required information can shed light on how information systems are built and how to improve your information sharing. Originality/value It provides an insight regarding how the industry, depending on organisation setting, prioritises different information and how the decision maker secures access to it.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Cameron Saenz

This comment explores the evolution of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and argues for a new and more effective implementation of this important anti-discrimination law through the real estate industry. First, this comment discusses the intricacies of the ADA, including its revisions over time and impactful legislation it has spawned. Second, this comment addresses current practical and legal challenges to enforcement of Title III of the ADA, including commercial property owners’ lack of understanding ADA responsibilities, serial litigation, and standing in courts. Finally, this comment proposes a new emphasis on ADA enforcement within the real estate industry. Such focus would obviate the need for many private lawsuits, place responsibility for ADA enforcement on parties involved in commercial real estate transactions and result in more effective implementation of both the spirit and letter of the ADA.


Author(s):  
Gianluca Mattarocci ◽  
Simone Roberti

The real estate industry was severely affected by the COVID-19 in both the residential and the commercial sectors due to travel and site-visit limitations, rent sustainability issues and a decrease or higher uncertainty about disposable income. During the lockdown, houses became more important and were analysed in depth. It can be assumed that a new demand could emerge after this crisis making households looking for more comfortable houses since this asset will increase its importance for living and working. Similarly, the commercial real estate sector will change due to lower rent sustainability. However, the main expected change is related to the building type and the standards requested by tenants in the new economic environment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-51
Author(s):  
Daniel Piazolo ◽  
Gerhard Förster

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how the strengthening of integrity within the real estate industry can lead to higher performance. Sticking to restricting ethical standards might be seen as reducing the range of options and consequently performance. However, in a dynamic setting of interactions there is a different outcome due to the performance effect of integrity. This is due to new opportunities that would not exist without integrity. Design/methodology/approach A literature review of ethics and the economics of trust is presented along with an analysis why real estate is an industry linked with corruption scandals. Findings Fostering integrity has an embedded challenge: integrity is invisible. Most capabilities and skills can be learnt through observation and imitation. However, what you cannot see, you cannot imitate. Consequently, education is central to address this issue and to increase awareness and understanding. Professional bodies have to support life-long education to ensure its members’ integrity. Practical implications This paper emphasizes the importance of fostering integrity through higher education and professional bodies within the real estate industry. Social implications Integrity is a performance-increasing factor—also in the real estate industry. Thus, the stakeholders forming the real estate industry, including educational institutions and professional bodies, are called upon to examine how they can address this issue. Originality/value This contribution is the first paper to link the performance effect of integrity with the real estate industry.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-222
Author(s):  
Pilar Mosquera ◽  
Maria Eduarda Soares ◽  
Daniela Oliveira

Purpose Rewards’ management has long been used as a panacea to promote job satisfaction and labour retention. However, the relationship between these variables is not clearly defined in the real estate industry, due to the scarcity of empirical studies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of both satisfaction with intrinsic rewards (SIR) and satisfaction with extrinsic rewards (SER) on job satisfaction and turnover intention in the real estate industry. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 220 employees from the three largest real estate agencies in Portugal, the study analyses a conceptual framework and tests hypotheses by using partial least squares (PLS), along with importance-performance map analysis (IPMA). Findings Results indicate that both SIR and SER have a positive impact on job satisfaction. However, SER has a stronger impact on job satisfaction. Satisfaction with rewards and job satisfaction are negatively related to turnover intention. Job satisfaction mediates the relationship between satisfaction with rewards and turnover intention. Results also show gender and age differences. SIR is more important for women and younger agents. SER has similar importance for men and women, but higher importance for older agents. Research limitations/implications Findings of this study extend the existing literature on rewards satisfaction and turnover intention to the context of the real estate industry. They present a contribution to the current debate on extrinsic vs intrinsic rewards for this particular industry. Practical implications Following the results of this research, real estate managers should consider intrinsic rewards because they also play a role for job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Human resource managers should consider identifying employees’ needs and motivations and then implement adequate strategies to promote their job satisfaction because it plays a mediating role between satisfaction with rewards and turnover intention. Reward strategies should also consider gender and age differences by giving women and younger agents more recognition, responsibilities and other intrinsic rewards because they are important for their job satisfaction. Originality/value Previous studies on real estate agents rewards appear to have only focussed on extrinsic rewards. To the best of the knowledge, this is the first study to analyse the effects of SIR on job satisfaction and turnover intention in the real estate industry. Also, to the best of the knowledge, this study is original in the use of IPMA to detect gender and age differences.


Facilities ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 573-587
Author(s):  
Peter Palm

Purpose The aim of this paper is to examine how the real estate owner (decision maker) can ensure that the preferred tasks are prioritised. In particular, the incentives to ensure motivation to perform to accomplish the strategic goals of the decision maker are investigated. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on an interview study of 19 firm representatives, 6 decision makers and 13 management representatives, all from the Swedish commercial real estate sector. Findings The study concludes that the real estate management organisation in the outsourced management setting is governed by the contract, in detail constituting work tasks, and in the in-house management setting, there is freedom with responsibilities instead of regulations. Research limitations/implications The research in this paper is limited to Swedish commercial real estate sector. Practical implications The insight in the paper regarding how decision makers create incentives for the real estate management organisation in the different organisational settings can provide inspiration to design incentives for effort. Originality/value It provides an insight regarding how the industry, depending on organisation setting, prioritise different work tasks and how incentives are created to enable effort.


2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Visar Hoxha ◽  
Emblema Zeqiraj

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact that Generation Z has on the real estate industry of Kosovo. By studying the behaviors and characteristics of Gen Z the stakeholders in the real estate industry can gain advantages and opportunities in getting to comprehend their preferences, their perspective and their decision to buy real estate in Kosovo. Design/methodology/approach The present study used a quantitative research method. For the purpose of this study a questionnaire with close-ended questions is used. The questionnaire used for this study is a self-evaluation and self-administrated questionnaire. The study included 200 people, mainly Albanian speakers who participated in the questionnaire. All participants of the questionnaire were strictly members of Generation Z that were born in the time period of 1995–2012. In this questionnaire the participants were provided with full anonymity, since none of their identity data were requested during this process. Findings The findings of this study indicate that Gen Z and their different characteristics will have an impact on the real estate industry. Research limitations/implications This study can be utilized as a landmark for agents of real estate on understanding how they can use the characteristics and behaviors of Gen Z in their favor, by pointing out the prominence of those characteristics and behaviors in realizing the needs and desires of the potential buyers and the influence they have on the decision to buy property. Furthermore, through this study, the real estate agencies will be provided with multiple reasons that substantiate the necessity to perform the proper research about differences between generations. Originality/value The study is the first quantitative study that studies the linkage between behaviors and characteristics of Generation Z and their intention to purchase real estate.


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