Integration of Environmental Management in Manufacturing Planning

This paper examines the role played by environmental issues in manufacturing planning. Using exploratory field research, this study highlights case studies of eight manufacturing companies. Initial findings suggest that environmental issues should be addressed at strategic and tactical levels of the firm such as aggregate planning and master production scheduling

A Model of the Decision to Achieve ISO 14000 Certification

The ISO 14000 certification standard is a relatively new development. Based on the highly successful ISO 9000 certification standard in quality, ISO 14000 is oriented towards environmental performance. Its major focus is on the structure, implementation and maintenance of the formal corporate environmental management information system. However, since its release, the ISO 14000 standard has generated a great deal of discussion. Its level and rate of acceptance has not mirrored the rate previously observed for the ISO 9000 standards. In the United States, some firms have announced that they have no interest in being ISO 14000 certified, while others have committed themselves to this standard. To resolve the apparent paradox, this paper attempts to identify the determinants of ISO 14000 adoption, and why those determinants are important. Based on a survey sample consisting of some 1500 respondents, the paper also presents some initial findings

A Framework for Corporate Environmental Practices and Its Applications for Enhancing Environmental Mangaement

The research reported in this paper explicates environmental management practices more comprehensively than has been attempted previously. Environmental management practices are grouped into those that relate to operational, tactical and strategic levels of a firm. While these firms engage in many environmental practices to varying degrees, the results of this study suggest many firms are emphasizing a subset of practices at the operational and strategic levels. The conceptual framework and results of this study can be used to develop measurement scales to guide additional research in this area

An Examination of the Relationship Between Environmental Practices and Firm Performance

Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in the research literature regarding how environmental practices (EPs) can improve firm performance. According to Rondinelli and Vastag (1995), firms may have been reacting to an increasingly difficult regulatory environment or responding to market pressure. Either way, the responses of firms to environmental pressures has led to practices that impact profitability. Currently, more firms are trying to understand the benefits of a proactive approach to environmental policies. Some firms may be motivated to become environmentally proactive since it could lead to more efficient use of resources and improve corporate image. Despite this intuitive argument, many firms are reluctant to take a more aggressive and proactive approach to EPs, due to a dearth of evidence that benefits exceed the costs of pursuing these initiatives. This attitude is attested to by the relatively low number of ISO 14000 certifications that have been issued to U.S. firms (NIST 1998, ISO 2001)

How Does Management View Environmentally Responsible Manufacturing? An Empirical Study

This study focuses on assessing management\u27s perceptions of Environmentally Responsible Manufacturing and the Environmental Management System (EMS) - the formal corporate system often held responsible for implementing ERM. This focus on management is needed given the importance of management support to any corporate-wide undertaking. The findings show that under certain conditions, which are widely applicable, there is a general lack of agreement between the various managerial levels about the EMS and its effects. Furthermore, top management, in several cases, does not have a very positive view of EMS and ERM. The result is the emergence of a potential obstacle to the widespread acceptance of ERM and EMS

Identifying the Factors which Affect the Decision to Attain ISO 14000

Formally adopted in 1996 by the International Organization of Standardization, ISO 14000 represents a new voluntary international environmental standard which will likely be adopted by the vast majority of corporations. While the literature is clearly divided in its assessment of ISO 14000, an underlying common theme is that the decision to achieve ISO 14000 certification constitutes a major undertaking for most firms. Such an undertaking, it is argued, does not take place in a vacuum. Rather, it is a response to a number of factors or influences. However, no research to date has empirically identified these factors and explained how they can be leveraged into a competitive advantage. In this article, we use qualitative case studies to identify which factors affect the decision to attain ISO 14000 certification and we also explain how these factors can influence the level of success achieved during the certification process

Operationalizing Sustainability

Within this “how to” practices-based study is a generalizable framework of engagement and collaborative learning to operationalize sustainability for any organization. Purposefully cultivating the application of cross-disciplinary engagement, a phased approach is proposed to understanding complex, real-world sustainability challenges while making them material to an organization. Practical value for managers and future change agents includes a systematic approach, creative solutions, and feasible recommendations for new value propositions. Contributions of operationalizing sustainability include, but are not limited to: a structured approach to building a shared understanding of the sustainability paradigm; benchmarking; brainstorming; and prioritizing best-practice options. Pedagogical value for business students (and faculty) includes improved skills for framing complex problems, first-hand insight, research to emerging business challenges, and increased cross-discipline integration. Based on several years of applied insight with practitioners and graduate business students, operationalizing sustainability provides new integration opportunities for strategic planning and day-to-day activities. Information within this study will help readers understand the why, what, and how of operationalizing organizational practices aligned with strategy and a shared vision of a sustainable future

Quantifying the Order of Priorities in Student Choice of Graduate Business Schools: Does Sustainability Matter?

Business schools expend resources to attract more and higher-quality applicants to their institutions, yet our understanding of what criteria resonate with those who want to find the right fit with a business school and its programs is, paradoxically enough, either not clear or dated. There is a dearth of research on what business students value, resulting in missed opportunities to engage existing students so as to translate their interests and aspirations into prospects for program design, delivery, and enrollment. One important and often overlooked criterion, for example, is the desire of business students to learn about sustainability. Thus, while most studies aim to discover and quantify the selection criteria in students’ choice of business schools, this paper builds on the aspect of sustainability. We propose a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology that uncovers an array of essential criteria, including sustainability, for schools to consider in future program revision and development efforts. The proposed approach allows schools to be exact with their resource expenditures in areas that are critical to applicants, including those aligned with sustainability, as well as attract larger numbers of more qualified students. Insights from this study show that with the proper approach to understanding business school candidates, it is possible to quantify the order of priorities that students consider when choosing a business school

What’s on the Business Horizon for Environmental Performance?

Global environmental regulations specific to the production and disposal of electronics present a host of information challenges to manufacturers, distributors, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and more specifically to management systems. Within the last year, companies such as Intel have developed country specific recycling and producer responsibility information systems for Germany, Austria, Norway, and Switzerland

The Management for Global Sustainability Opportunity: Integrating Responsibility, Sustainability, and Spirituality

This study reflects the necessity to incorporate spirituality into business practices while building on a foundation of responsibility and sustainability. The articulation between these three practices is necessary to respond to the three fundamental divides or wounds that our present world lives on: the wounds between the person and society; between the person and nature; and between the person and the best version of themselves. The Research Question guiding this paper is: How can responsibility sustainability and spirituality be understood and interconnected to address, from a Management perspective, the three fundamental wounds of our world? We answer it by comparing two conceptual worlds: Theory U, and the Jesuit Tradition. After presenting both conceptual worlds and comparing them, we discuss how they contribute to a better understanding of the relationships between responsibility, sustainability, and spirituality. We then propose practical implications for Management Education