scholarly journals Outcomes and Key Factors of Success for ISO 14001 Certification: Evidence from an Emerging Arab Gulf Country

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-France Waxin ◽  
Sandra L. Knuteson ◽  
Aaron Bartholomew
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Emerging Countries ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Organizational Efficiency ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Gulf Country ◽  
Arab Gulf ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification ◽  
Factors Of Success

The objectives of this research were: (1) To examine the outcomes and key factors of success (KFS) related to ISO 14001 certification, (2) to compare and contrast these in private organizations (PRIVOs) and public organizations (PUBOs), and (3) in the under-explored context of an Arab Gulf country with an emerging economy: The United Arab Emirates. We used an exploratory, qualitative research approach, based on semi-structured interviews with the environmental managers of 14 UAE organizations from the private and public sector. The five major outcomes of ISO 14001 certification were improved: (1) Environmental performance, (2) organizational reputation and relationships with stakeholders, (3) organizational efficiency, (4) environmental management (EM) practices, and (5) environmental awareness. These outcomes were shared by PRIVOs and PUBOs, although improved resource management, improved relations with stakeholders, and improved EM practices were more common in PUBOs, and improved organizational efficiency was more common in PRIVOs. The six KFS for implementation were: (1) Senior management’s support, (2) employees’ awareness, involvement and competence, (3) government initiatives and commitment, (4) sufficient organizational resources, (5) adoption of a continuous, integrative, and collaborative approach, and (6) the use of external consultants. These KFS were shared by PRIVOs and PUBOs, although government initiatives and commitment were more common in PUBOs, and sufficient resources were more common in PRIVOs. Our study contributes to a better understanding of environmental management system implementation in emerging countries in general, and in Arab Gulf countries particularly. Our study has implications for business leaders, policy makers, EMS professionals, and educators in the UAE and other emerging countries.

scholarly journals Costs, Benefits, and Motivations for ISO 14001 Adoption in China and Around

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Susan Summers Raines ◽  
Tan Rong ◽  
Xu Fei
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
National Level ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Voluntary Standards ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification

In an attempt to overcome barriers to trade posed by numerous and often contradictory national-level enveironmental requirements, the International Orgnaization for Standardization (ISO) has created a voluntry set of uniform environmental management system guidelines for firms, formally known as ISO 14001. Firms may decide to implement an ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS) and become third-party certified in order to improve their environmental management and to increase their marketability. This study examines the relative costs, benefits, and motivations for ISO 14001 certification for China compared to other economically developing and developed countries. These comparisons allow us to better understand the ways in which the unique economic and political conditions within China affect the incentives for Chinese firms to join in voluntary self-regulatory measures. Survey results indicate that ISO 14001 certified firms in China and experiencing benefits equal to or greater than their peers in other countries. Benefits to environmental management appear to be significant and they generally outweigh the costs of implementation and certification. However, as with most voluntary standards, the potential for abuse remains. Therefore regulators and policy makers are advised not to grant regulatroy relief or reduced inspections except on a case-by-case basis.

scholarly journals Valuation of Environmental Management Standard ISO 14001: Evidence from an Emerging Market

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hammad Riaz ◽  
Abubakr Saeed ◽  
Muhammad Baloch ◽  
Nasrullah ◽  
Zeeshan Khan
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Organizational Response ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
Management Standard ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification ◽  
The Impact

ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Standard) helps corporations to build legitimacy and goodwill, and can be also viewed as an organizational response to institutional pressure to act proactively towards the environment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how investors in the emerging country value voluntary environmental management standard ISO 14001 certification. The impact of voluntary environmental management standard ISO 14001 on market performance is still not clear. By using event study methodology, this study matched ISO-certified firms with non-certified ones based on three different matching principles that include return on assets, size, and industry. The findings indicated that investors negatively valued ISO 14001 in both the short and long run. The study recommended policy implications for managers, policy makers, and non-government organizations.

scholarly journals CRUCIAL FACTORS FOR IMPROVING THE ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna EJDYS ◽  
Alina MATUSZAK-FLEJSZMAN ◽  
Michał SZYMANSKI ◽  
Leonas USTINOVICHIUS ◽  
Galina SHEVCHENKO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Structural Analysis ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Environmental Management Systems ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
System Improvement

The practice of using environmental management systems (EMS) ISO 14001 at the organisational level indicates that the efficacy of such solutions depends on many factors, both endogenous and exogenous in nature. This article aims to identify the fac- tors that determine the opportunities for the improvement of EMS in organisations, the analysis of the relationship between the factors and the classification of the factors due to their role in the system improvement. The structural analysis was used to classify and identify the key factors and then to categorize these factors into five groups. Finally, the role of these key factors in improving environmental management systems was exam- ined. Based on the findings, guidelines can be offered to both scholars and practitioners regarding the factors crucial for the improvement of the EMS. Aiming to add value to the existing literature, the structural analysis was adapted to classification and identification of the key factors. From the point of view of practitioners, it seems to be very profitable to concentrate on the crucial factors during the process of EMS improvement.

AN INDIAN EXPERIENCE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

2010 ◽  
Vol 07 (04) ◽  
pp. 423-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. K. KHANNA
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Management System ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Cleaner Production ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Export Market ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification ◽  
Indian Industries

The last two decades have seen a remarkable increase in both interest and reactions to the concept of preserving the environment. This can be attributed to the increasing statutory and regulatory requirements of government and the pressure from consumers and the life-threatening of global ecosystem deterioration. Therefore, organizations are constantly under pressure to develop and implement Environmental Management System (EMS). While some sincere efforts have been made by the Indian organizations to implement EMS and their performance have been very good, still countrywide efforts are not adequate. This paper presents the adoption of EMS in Indian organizations, extent of EMS elements used and the status of implementation of cleaner production activities by the industries. This paper also presents the benefits accrued by the Indian industries based on 56 industries feedback who are either ISO 14001 certified companies or in the advance stage of ISO 14001 implementation. This has been supplemented by some case studies of the leading Indian organizations. Most of the Indian organizations feel that EMS has a positive effect in their performance. It is observed that Indian organizations are more inclined towards getting ISO 14001 certification rather than taking full advantage of EMS However, it is evident from the statistical analysis that overall adoption of cleaner production activities are at the low level. The majority of the organizations seem to be implementing EMS out of pressure from competition, customer, government, domestic and export market. The paper concludes that though environmental awareness is on the increase in India, and commitment as well as compliance levels are far higher than before, India still lags behind in the implementation and has to go a long way. The investigation and research findings are still exploratory. Future research can focus on the organizations that are at the initial stage of EMS implementation and comparison can be drawn. Future research can focus on sector wise performance. Broadly based and larger sample size would provide better picture of EMS implementation status in Indian organizations. Analysis is based on questionnaire based feedback. The study has been able to identify the extent of the usage of key EMS elements, implementation of cleaner production activities and drivers for the implementation of EMS. The findings have been supported by the select Indian case studies.

scholarly journals The Practice of Environmental Training: A case of ISO 14001 Certified Businesses in Durban, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne Sennoga ◽  
Fathima Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Environmental Attitudes ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Environmental Management Systems ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification

Environmental management has moved from a policy concept to a proactive strategy defining business responsiveness to stakeholder and market-related pressures towards improved environmentally sustainable business practices. There is increasing business responsiveness through corporate sustainability and environmental management practices. A growing number of environmental regulations make the adoption of environmental management systems such as ISO 14001 more common and this necessitates training. While environmental training is receiving international attention, it is seemingly less prominently investigated in the South African context. In this article, results from an empirical study into the environmental training practices of Durban businesses are presented. By applying the ISO 14001 certification criterion, 24 businesses were identified as research participants. The practice of environmental training was investigated considering three themes i.e. environmental attitudes and culture, training resources and commitment, and impediments to environmental training. In exploring these themes, the main questions of the extent of environmental training and its effectiveness are determined. It was found that environmental training is widely practised across all businesses sampled, with impact-focused training topics supported by positive environmental attitudes. However, other areas emerge as problematic, including limited organisational prioritisation of environmental training as well as insufficient further training topics which can limit the efficacy of training activities.Keywords: environmental training; environmental education; ISO 14001; Environmental Management Systems; corporate sustainability

scholarly journals Learning from third party certified environmental mangement systems in local authority organizations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Davis
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Third Party ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification ◽  
The City ◽  
Environmental Mangement

Cities face immense environmental challenges with limited resources to implement management solutions. Relevant trends in the private sector toward third party certification to external environmental management standards have yet to be fully embraced by governing Local Authorities (LAs). As the first city in North America to obtain ISO 14001 certification, the City of Calgary is examined as a case study of the implementation of a certified Environmental Management System (EMS) from impetus through to ongoing effects on learning. Investigation demonstrates that the unique characteristics of LA organizations are important factors in considering the strengths and challenges of using a voluntary external standard to establish environmental priorities. While LAs must avoid overemphasizing the standard itself, an informed approach increases organizational transparency and accountability, and enables collective problem solving. The certification process is a motivating surrogate force for cities which typically lack the competitive pressure found in for-profit sectors.

scholarly journals The Purpose of ISO 14001 Certification: Independent Assurance or Improved Environmental Management System?

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Janet Morrill ◽  
Sylvie Berthelot
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Environmental Management Systems ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification

This study provides evidence of the value of third party certification of environmental management systems. We examine the relative importance of improving an environmental management system as a result of certification, versus being able to communicate the quality of that system credibly to outsiders through third party certification. We use survey data where one half of the respondents had indicated that they had an environmental management (EMS) in place before seeking ISO 14001 certification, while the other half of respondents did not. Our analyses comparing the two groups find that the group already having an EMS report similar motivations for ISO 14001 certification and perceive to have received similar levels of benefits as firms having no pre-certification EMS. We conclude that even for organizations that already have an EMS, the ability to communicate credibly the quality of that system is a compelling reason to obtain ISO certification.

scholarly journals Facilitating sustainability control in SMEs through the implementation of an environmental management system

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Johnstone
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Environmental Management System ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Individual Values ◽  
Characteristic Type ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Iso 14001 Certification ◽  
Managerial Employees

AbstractThis paper explores the characteristic type and use of sustainability control in small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) through the implementation of an environmental management system, formally certified to ISO 14001. Through a qualitative study of 18 SMEs and seven auditors operating in Northern Europe, the paper draws on the theoretical framework of sustainability control as an analytical tool to explore the interplay between the formal design of control instruments and the operational use of these in practice for the studied SMEs. The study finds that both the formalised control instrument design and operational use of these controls by employees are characteristically formal and procedure based for ISO 14001 certification. Nevertheless, environmental management in daily tasks is also achieved by engaging non-managerial employees through their passionate interests and intrinsic motivations. In extension to previous sustainability control research, the findings emphasise that local level operator knowledge is not only the product of formalised control system design, and that external factors are also important for guiding employee behaviour in situ. This proposes that daily working tasks are achieved through a combination of organisational and extra-organisational individual values and beliefs about sustainability. Particularly, engaging non-managerial employees in SMEs through a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards appears valuable for sustainable futures. Therefore, in addition to compliance-driven controls, SME owner-managers should ensure supportive structures where employees are given the autonomy to be creative and innovative.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document