Open access

Citation

Warren, C. (2013), "Open access", Property Management, Vol. 31 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/pm.2013.11331daa.001

Open access

Article Type: Editorial From: Property Management, Volume 31, Issue 4.

It is precisely 12 months since my editorial discussing the pros and cons of the growing trend towards open access publishing of journals. In that editorial I was somewhat critical of many of the less widely known journals springing up to publish on a fee for publication basis. In just a year the market has moved on considerably. Both the USA and UK Governments are enacting legislation to accelerate the implementation of open access to government-funded research and many high-quality publishers have now recognised the need to address this growing trend and offer an open access alternative. This change has been brought about primarily by the recognition that some research is publicly funded or supported by grants from research institutes that have a requirement that the findings of such research is made freely publicly available.

Obviously the traditional model of journal publication, that which is supported by reader subscriptions, will not readily fit with the grant-funded research model as access to research findings are restricted to subscribers. In its Built Environment journal series Emerald has sought to address this issue by introducing a scheme whereby authors can opt for the open access model. All papers will continue to be subject to the same rigorous peer review process, however, at the time that papers are accepted for publication, authors will be given the option to pursue the open access route to publication which will result in the paper being openly available, in full, to anyone visiting the journal online. This will address the public availability issue and costs involved can be drawn from the research funding.

While, in my opinion, at this stage there will not be many authors that will opt for this publication route, it does ensure that quality grant funded research will now be able to be published in Property Management no longer will these research papers be restricted to publication on university or granting bodies own websites resulting in them being exposed to a much wider readership.

The papers for this issue

Five research papers contribute to this fourth issue of Property Management for 2013. The first paper comes from a team at the Griffith University in Australia, the leading author being Prof Chris Guilding. This paper, “Funding common property expenditure in multi-owned housing schemes”, provides an analysis of three options available for the funding of major capital expenditure in multi-owned housing in Australia. It is a very timely paper given the rapid growth of high-density residential development and the issues that owners of multi-ownership apartments face in providing for maintenance of the common parts of these buildings.

Paper Two comes from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia where Mohammad A. Hassanain and colleagues present a paper, “Factors affecting maintenance cost of hospital facilities”. The research reports on a detailed survey of both private and public sector hospital facility managers in Saudi Arabia in order to identify the major maintenance costs faced. The paper offers a valuable insight into the operation of these facilities in the Middle East but also provides useful analysis which has a much wider application in other world regions.

Paper Three is a paper from Malmö University, Sweden, and is written by Dr Peter Palm. The paper, entitled “Strategies in real estate management: two strategic pathways”, presents a fascinating analysis of how real estate management organisations are structured in Sweden. It reports on a structured interview approach with senior managers in which the issue of whether in-house or outsourced frontline staffing should be adopted, together with a discussion on the leasing function and if this should be a standalone entity within the organisation. The paper provides an insight into the real estate industry in Sweden and gives readers the opportunity to compare the profession in Sweden with practices in other regions.

Paper Four is a second paper originating from Australia. It comes from the Queensland University of Technology and is written by Dr Lucy Cradduck. The paper, “Living a managed community lifestyle: lessons from Queensland”, is also the second paper in this issue addressing the issues faced in multi-owner residential property. The paper's aim is to improve consumer awareness of the complexities of community living and to clarify how living in a managed community is different from a “traditional” residential neighbourhood. Similar to the first paper in this area of research it seeks to highlight the difficulties emerging in regions where higher density living is rapidly growing and replacing the more traditional housing styles that have been the norm in Australia and many other parts of the world.

The final paper is by Esther Yung, Philip Yu, and Edwin Chan from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Their paper explores historic buildings in Hong Kong and is entitled “Economic valuation of historic properties: review and recent developments”. The paper aims to examine and compare the major economic valuation methods which have been used for historic building conservation in Hong Kong. It reports on recent developments in the methodology used for evaluation with a view to establishing a more holistic and quantitative approach, particularly in relation to the non-use value of these buildings.

Once again the range of papers presented in this issue shows the diversity of research being undertaken in the management of property around the world and the issues that present themselves in different countries. I hope that you enjoy this issue of Property Management and find the research presentations stimulating. I would welcome any comments on this editorial, or any of the papers presented.

Clive WarrenEditor in chief