Albania vs Norway – FM at two university hospitals

PurposeGiven the premise of de facto universal standards for FM, this paper aims to investigate development of facilities management (FM) at an Albanian and a Norwegian university hospital through examination of two hypotheses: the university hospital has recognised FM and established a designated FM organisation (H1) and the university hospital provides adequate food and catering services at ward kitchens and buffets (H2). Design/methodology/approachThis is an exploratory and descriptive comparative case study based on a diverse cases’ designs. FindingsThere is limited and strong support for H1 at the Albanian and Norwegian university hospitals, respectively. Both the Albanian and the Norwegian university hospitals rely on in-house production of facilities services, but the Albanian university hospital has outsourced food and catering services. FM and provision of facilities services are deeply integrated within the Norwegian university hospital’s core activities. There is also limited and strong support for H2 at the Albanian and Norwegian university hospitals, respectively. Hence, the Albanian Ministry of Health and the Albanian university hospital’s top management have a comprehensive, but not impossible, task, if the aim is to catch up with the Norwegian university hospital concerning FM. Research limitations/implicationsThis is an exploratory and descriptive comparative case study. Large N studies should be carried out both in Albania and Norway and preferably also in other countries to corroborate and develop the findings. Originality/valueThis is the first comparative study of FM at an Albanian and a Norwegian university hospital.