Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to review, evaluate and classify the academic research that has been published in facilities management (FM) and to analyse how FM research and practice are linked. Design/methodology/approach -This paper is based on literature review and qualitative research. Qualitative data have been gathered from academic papers published in FM-related journals (i.e. Facilities, Journal of Facilities Management, and the Nordic Journal of Surveying and Real Estate Research -Special Series) and in conjunction with academic conferences (i.e. European Research Symposium in Facilities Management and the CIB W70 Symposium) between 1996 -2005. Findings -When analysing empirical research in FM, research papers can be classified according to the FM topics examined in them, the type of research performed and data-gathering methods used in the study reported, the background of the authors, research field, and research sector. Evaluation of academic papers indicates that the reporting of the methods used, data collection and limitations is inadequate in many academic papers. However, to draw valid conclusions and align FM research, methodical issues should be clearly delineated in research papers. In order to progress, the FM discipline must increasingly employ hypothesis testing and more robust data analysis techniques.Research limitations/implications -This research offers new insights into the current state of FM research and sheds light on the development steps needed in future. One limitation of this paper is that it does not include all the empirical research that has been done in FM. Originality/value -This paper helps article writers to take into account the important issues brought up in literature when reporting the results of their research in order to improve validity and reliability of their studies.

The aim of this study was to investigate how career-related instruction implemented in secondary school chemistry education concerning water issues influences students’ career awareness and their interest towards science learning. This case study is part of a larger design-based research study for the EU-MultiCO project, which focuses on promoting students’ scientific career awareness and attractiveness by introducing them to career-based scenarios at the beginning of the instruction unit. The participants in this study were three eighth-grade classes with 46 students in total, and 2 science teachers. Data consisted of observations throughout the intervention and a questionnaire which the students took afterwards. Descriptive statistics taken from the questionnaire were used together with the content analysis of open questions and observation notes. The results reveal that the students acquired knowledge about science, science-related careers and working life skills and that they enjoyed studying chemistry and engaged in learning during the intervention. The students recognized the need for professionals and their responsibilities as well as the importance of water-related issues as global and local problems, but these issues were not personally important or valuable to students. The type of career-related instruction discussed in this paper can give guidelines for how to develop teaching to promote students’ science career awareness, trigger students’ interest and engage them in science learning.

The aim of this paper is to review procurement trends of facilities management (FM) services and to describe the partnership control mechanisms that contribute to the success of FM partnerships. The investigation is based on a questionnaire survey, which was carried out in Finland. It was found that a transition ‐ similar to those in other industries ‐ towards closer relationships and bigger purchase entities is taking place also in the FM context. In most cases, the choice of the partnering approach is related to developing wider service packages. When implementing partnering relationships, the task of top management is to provide the shared values and visions. Having established these in the organisation, top management does not seem to have any significant role in relationship management. During the ongoing partnership, the operational level runs the daily initiative, development and problem solving based on ad hoc procedures.

According to previous theories and studies, interest and self-concept at an early age have played a pivotal role in occupational choices, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. However, a causal relationship between interest, self-concept, and aspirations in science is still under debate. In addition, few studies have focused on gender differences in these relationships. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationships between interest and selfconcept in predicting science aspirations between ages 13 and 16 at lower-secondary school, considering gender differences. For the analyses, we conducted cross-lagged modeling and multigroup structural equation modeling in order to examine interrelationships between interest, selfconcept, and science aspirations. According to the results, students' self-concept was high and stable, while interest was low but increased significantly during the lower-secondary school phases. However, there were no reciprocal relationships between interest and self-concept in predicting students' science aspirations. Interestingly, while girls' interest was indicated as a sound predictor of aspirations in science, girls' self-concept had no predictive influence on aspirations. Possible interpretations and implications of the study for lower-secondary science education are discussed.