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

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)

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

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

Environmental Management Practices: A Framework

The research reported in this paper develops a framework for environmental management practices (EMPs). Specifically, EMPs are grouped into the formal systems that integrate environmental procedures and processes that relate to the operational, tactical and strategic levels of a firm. Content analysis of the environmental reports of 45 multinational firms reveals the validity of the proposed EMP framework. The results of this qualitative study suggest many firms are emphasising a subset of practices at strategic and operational levels but tactical practices remain underutilised. The conceptual framework and results of this study can be used to develop measurement scales to guide additional research and to develop theory in the area of environmental management