Environmental Quality Management Research Papers (original) (raw)

Similar to the evolution of QM, environmental management (EM) has also developed from a “necessary evil” of doing business to a key strategic issue with the potential for a lasting impact on organizational performance and competitiveness.... more

Similar to the evolution of QM, environmental management (EM) has also developed from a “necessary evil” of doing business to a key strategic issue with the potential for a lasting impact on organizational performance and competitiveness. Arguments about the strategic importance of environmental management are not new, of course. They have been espoused by such management researchers and strategists as Michael Porter, who states that “the view of pollution as resource inefficiency evokes the quality revolution of the ...

Total Quality Management provides a powerful management foundation and framework to implement an organization's environmental vision and principles. The elements of TQM include customer/stakeholder focus, a high degree of senior... more

Total Quality Management provides a powerful management foundation and framework to implement an organization's environmental vision and principles. The elements of TQM include customer/stakeholder focus, a high degree of senior management commitment, a long-term focus, and tools such as continuous improvement, empowerment, and a prevention-based approach. This article describes a matrix developed by major U.S. and Canadian firms that serves as (1) a guide to organizations implementing TQEM from the ground floor up and (2) an assessment tool that can be used internally or externally to measure progress toward environmental management excellence and to identify opportunities for improvement. The matrix is based on categories adapted from those used in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award process. The relationship between individual matrix cell criteria and key concepts such as pollution prevention and sustainability is also described.

Industrial ecology is a systemic organizing framework for the many facets of environmental management. It views the industrial world as a natural system, embedded in local ecosystems and the global biosphere. It provides a fundamental... more

Industrial ecology is a systemic organizing framework for the many facets of environmental management. It views the industrial world as a natural system, embedded in local ecosystems and the global biosphere. It provides a fundamental understanding of the value of modeling the industrial system on ecosystems to achieve sustainable environmental performance. In this article, the author shows how it offers powerful tools of analysis that complement and enhance those offered by such approaches as Total Quality Environmental Management or pollution prevention.

Conceptually, the five key elements in ISO 14001—policy, planning, implementation and operation, checking and corrective action, and management review—were designed to be simple enough for any business owner or manager to understand.... more

Conceptually, the five key elements in ISO 14001—policy, planning, implementation and operation, checking and corrective action, and management review—were designed to be simple enough for any business owner or manager to understand. Environmental Management Systems, aligned to ISO 14000, were originally set up toprovide a harmonized approach for organizations regardless of size, sector, or geographical situation. This article details the many challenges SMEs must confront in implementing the new standards.

... Francesco Testa, Tiberio Daddi, and Fabio Iraldo ... aspects is recognized as being essential to an effective environmental management system (Darbra, Ronza, Stojanovic, Wooldridge, & Casal, 2005; Gernuks, Buchgeister, &... more

... Francesco Testa, Tiberio Daddi, and Fabio Iraldo ... aspects is recognized as being essential to an effective environmental management system (Darbra, Ronza, Stojanovic, Wooldridge, & Casal, 2005; Gernuks, Buchgeister, & Schebek, 2007; Ghisellini & Thurston, 2005; Põder ...

Less than four years after publication of ISO 14001, thousands of organizations worldwide have adopted the standard. In this article, researchers working with the National Database on Environmental Management Systems (NDEMS) review some... more

Less than four years after publication of ISO 14001, thousands of organizations worldwide have adopted the standard. In this article, researchers working with the National Database on Environmental Management Systems (NDEMS) review some preliminary data on organizations’ experiences with EMS adoption and implementation. Their findings indicate that, although organizations may face hurdles in implementing EMSs, the majority believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Practical Minimum Energy requirements comprise a management decision tool designed to assist companies in adopting strategies for more sustainable products through improved energy efficiency. This tool allows managers to gauge the... more

Practical Minimum Energy requirements comprise a management decision tool designed to assist companies in adopting strategies for more sustainable products through improved energy efficiency. This tool allows managers to gauge the potential for reducing the energy intensity of chemical processes as well as the environmental impacts associated with energy consumption, such as greenhouse gas emissions. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This article considers issues currently facing companies with respect to translating environmental policy into an effective Design for Environment (DFE) program that can help a company move closer to a sustainable development operating... more

This article considers issues currently facing companies with respect to translating environmental policy into an effective Design for Environment (DFE) program that can help a company move closer to a sustainable development operating framework. Many DFE single issues have been discussed, and conceptual frameworks have been published. This article provides an implementation framework, providing development ideas and an understanding of the sequence of events that can help in developing an effective DFE program. It is not intended to be prescriptive or absolute.An understanding of the organizational interface of a DFE program will help in transitioning from non-DFE design practices into an effective DFE framework. An understanding of the drivers for improving environmental performance and how they relate to specific changes to operations/services/products to improve competitive position is important in developing a DFE program that produces real and demonstrable environmental performance gains. Finally, an understanding of the underlying core environmental considerations that a DFE program should address along with an understanding of the environmental improvement needs of the specific product line that is targeted ensures a selection of the appropriate environmental performance metrics and a consistency and relevance of design improvements developed within the DFE program. These elements help in achieving a company's environmental performance goals on the basis of its environmental positioning.Combining the product environmental performance metrics into a meaningful evaluation system requires that they be weighted according to the improvement priorities of the organization, as there is currently no universally accepted weighting scheme. Of the many available valuation methodologies, the Analytic Hierarchy Process is offered as an example.