Infrastructure versus infostructure : an examination of the casual factors, the methods, and the technology of alternative office use

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the causal factors and describe the strategies and technological advances that have prompted and allowed commercial office space users to explore alternative methods of housing employees.The research for this document was completed using interviews with companies which have benefited from employing alternative office strategies, Internet based research, and the authors real life experience in the commercial real estate and development field.The three causal factors, the downturn of the economy in 1987, the commercial real estate crash in 1989, and the Introduction of high technology as a legitimate tool for office workers, combined to force many companies to reexamine their real estate practices. These companies, as described in the enclosed case studies, have employed technology to realize concrete economic benefits from the use of alternative office practices such as telecommuting, hoteling, and virtual offices.Through the research, it was found that although many companies employ alternative officing methods, these companies tend to be large corporations that focus these methods on specific practices within their organization. Frequently, these practices are related to sales and marketing staff who typically spend portions of their day outside of the office which facilitates the use of many alternative office techniques.Small and mid-sized companies were not found to subscribe to alternative office techniques as readily as larger companies, primarily due to their lack of large sales and marketing staffs.IllThis assists in explaining why, despite the reduction in the use of traditional office space by many organizations, commercial real estate demand is currently robust in the majority of the country's major markets.