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Purpose -What effect do different business environments, caused primarily by changes in GDP, have on property management of growth firms? Design/methodology/approach -This paper investigates the dynamic effects of two successive periods on property management variables with data from 387 Swedish growth firms during the six year period of 1998-2003. The variables cover two three-year time periods: 1998-2000 (high growth of GDP) and 2001 -2003. The empery originates from a quantitative survey with variables related to: office areas; affiliation changes (events of M&A, outsourcing of core business has occurred) and if those events have changed the total use of office space; use of temporary staff and staff that works in office area; flexibility of contracts; propensity to rent office space and location events. Dramatic changes of GDP are here associated to the dynamic effects of the business environment that have implications on property management variables of the two periods. Findings -The two periods themselves correlate strongly to each other. The results reveal correlations between down turn-business period and variables that describe the hiring temporary staff; propensity to rent office spaces; significance of flexible contracts; office location in rural area and relocation frequency.Research limitations/implications -The survey is limited geographically to Sweden with strict growth criteria. The findings argue for a behaviour among growth firms that responds to changes in business environment into property management decisions. Practical implications -Dramatic changes in GDP influence growth firms behaviour of renting office spaces; down turn of GDP is likely related in particular to increase of rented offices space. Originality/value -Empery from an extensive survey of growth firms of an entire country with focus on property management variables during two distinct periods regarding GDP.

Abstract. In the post-industrial, free-market economy, the ability of spatial planning to truly influence the location choices of business owners is limited, while the vast majority of means of production are in non-public hands. On top of that, coordinating spatial policies and decisions between administrative entities is a major challenge in numerous places in Europe. The aim of the paper is to assess the case of a medium-sized European city (Wroclaw, Poland) and its spatial management complication which has observable consequences for the spatial structure and economic functioning of the city. The paper examines the situation through the lens of production and manufacturing activities (with a cautious approach to the term 'industry'). The case is analysed in two inseparable ways: spatial and economic; in parallel, the discussion is developed on the issue of the interconnection of policy-making in the metropolitan area (the city "vs." its surrounding rural communes). The paper reviews the changes in employment in the subsequent sectors of the metropolitan area in within 25 years since the political transformation of Poland while keeping an eye on the physical and spatial changes of the aforementioned metropolitan area. The secondary output of the paper is outlining the suburbanisation processes of large Polish cities, however as seen not from the most frequently presented perspectives (such as housing or transportation) but from a more economy-and spatial responsibility-focused one.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to create a model of FM and location variables in the dimensions of location and recessions.Design/methodology/approachThe approach is based on statistical analysis and quantitative methodology.FindingsSignificant differences and correlations argue for four settings with different features, first, in the dimension of single or multiple site locations, and second, the dimension in low and high growth of GDP, here termed “recession” and “boom”, respectively.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is a relevant study for growth firms in multiple facilities management perspectives.Practical implicationsA better knowledge and decision basis related to relocation and behaviour of FM during fluctuations of GDP is expected.Originality/valueThe paper presents a survey of FM‐related data that covers an entire nation and all major business sectors, collected concerning two successive periods, and analysed.

Facility resources of growth firms have seldom been studied. The purpose here is to analyse how firms that increased their number of employees changed their office space use between 1995 and 2000 in the Gothenburg region. Six firms have been selected among those who had 1-25 employees in 1995 and 50-500 employees in 2000. Site visits with retrospective interviews have been used. Results indicate that growth firms tend to relocate when passing from an entrepreneurial to a managerial phase. Once having relocated within the region, these firms tend to plan for multisite operations with new small offices. Spatial expansion seems to be triggered when no more than 20sq.m are left per full-time employee. When density rises, these firms avoid raising the proportion of remote work. This may reflect that security is a crucial issue, and a concern with protection would also explain an emphasis on creating office boundaries for visitors.