published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

The re-emergence of South Africa into the global automotive market has had a significant impact on domestically based Original Equipment Manufactures (OEMs) and their component suppliers. While South Africa's exposure to the global market has brought about opportunities for firms to gain access to global markets, it has brought with it a vast number of pressures, including the pressure to comply with local and international environmental standards. Many of the OEM's have been set a deadline of January 2005 for ISO 14001 certification. The aim of the research was to explore and understand the complexities of the ISO 14001 implementation process with the objective of establishing the barriers that hamper its implementation, the determination of what factors influence these barriers and the investigation of possible recommendations on how organisations could overcome, or minimize, these barriers. To achieve this, a study was conducted on the Durban Automotive Cluster (DAC) investigating the following areas: 1. Determine the reasons for seeking ISO 14001 certification. 2. Determine what the organisations perceived and experienced as the barriers to implementation. 3. Determine the strategic implications of an Environmental Management System (EMS). A theoretical basis of ISO 14001, the implementation process and its strategic implications were established by reviewing previous research. A survey was conducted on the DAC's members through the use of a self-administrated questionnaire. The research showed that organisations chose to seek ISO 14001 certification in order to satisfy customer requirements and subsequently the strategic implications of ISO 14001 certification are very high. In terms of barriers to implementation, finance, resources allocation, expertise and implementation time proved to be the most problematic areas. In order for organisations to implement ISO 14001, they need to give due recognition to its strategic implications and use these implications as the basis for its justification. In order for organisations to be able to capitalize on the benefits of the system and use it to build a competitive advantage, they should attempt to integrate the environmental management system with their other management systems. / Thesis (M.B.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 61-62) Also available in print.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

Companies in South Africa who have implemented the ISO 14001 environmental management system have claimed that it offered benefits such as an improved environmental performance and a business advantage. However, to date the commercial benefits associated with ISO 14001 in South Africa have not been quantified so the claims of a financial advantage cannot be verified. This study therefore sought to assess the financial benefits accruing to various manufacturing enterprises in Kwa-Zulu Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape provinces of South Africa who have implemented ISO 14001. There was a particular focus on determining the cost savings and return on investment which resulted from the purchase of „environmentally friendlier‟ raw materials; the reduction of process waste (by the reuse, reduction and recycling of waste) as well as the more efficient use of resources such as electricity, water and fuel. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire survey sent to key decision makers in the selected organisations, as well as follow-up in-depth interviews with selected individuals within each organisation. The results of the study showed that the benefits of ISO 14001 certification included improved environmental awareness among employees; enhanced responsibility for environmental concerns by employees; better data management; reduced operational and production costs; and new income streams linked to re-use and recycling initiatives. Consequently it can be said that the long-term financial benefits justify the relatively high cost; the time intensive obligations and the human resource requirements of ISO 14001 certification. That said, it was also found that smaller companies face relatively more financial hurdles in implementing an EMS, and thus, it is recommended that tax incentives for such firms to implement and EMS be considered. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

Nas últimas décadas, inúmeras organizações do setor da construção civil têm buscado a implantação e certificação de sistemas de gestão da qualidade. Uma certificação de qualidade, quando bem conduzida, pode ser uma importante ferramenta para garantir a eficácia e a melhoria do SGQ, trazendo vantagens para a organização. Entretanto, muitas organizações ainda não reconhecem as oportunidades de melhorias que as auditorias externas podem fornecer. O principal objetivo deste estudo consiste em analisar e comparar as variações das características organizacionais das empresas de construção civil atuantes em Curitiba e Região Metropolitana que possuem certificações de qualidade e as que não possuem. Este objetivo exige uma pesquisa para fornecer base teórica acerca da qualidade na construção, então realizou-se uma revisão da literatura sobre o tema para fundamentar a pesquisa. Outra parte da pesquisa realizada foi a coleta de informações de uma amostra representativa da população por meio do Método “Survey”. O instrumento adotado para a coleta de dados foi um questionário quantitativo, aplicado em empresas do setor da construção civil em Curitiba-PR e Região Metropolitana, para mensuração e identificação de correlação entre certificação de qualidade e características organizacionais. Os dados foram tratados e organizados com base em uma análise descritiva e multivariada. Fundamentandose na revisão bibliográfica e na interpretação dos dados obtidos na pesquisa quantitativa foi possível reconhecer que as características organizacionais que mais sofrem influência das certificações de qualidade são quantidade de horas de treinamento, formalização de cargos e funções e formalização de atividades e processos. / In the last decades, several organizations in the civil construction segment have been searching for the implementation and certification of quality management systems. A quality certification, when well conducted, can be an important tool to ensure QMS efficiency and continuous improvement, thus bringing advantages for the organization. However, many organizations have not yet recognized the opportunities for improvement that external audits may provide. The main objective of this study is to analyze and compare the variations of the organizational characteristics of the civil construction operating in Curitiba and Metropolitan Region that have quality certifications and those that do not. This objective requires a research to provide theoretical basis on the quality in the construction, then a review of the literature on the subject was made to base the research. Another part of the research was the collection of information from a representative sample of the population through the Survey Method. The instrument adopted for data collection was a quantitative questionnaire, applied to companies in the civil construction sector in Curitiba-PR and Metropolitan Region, to measure and identify the correlation between quality certification and organizational characteristics. The data were treated and organized based on a descriptive and multivariate analysis. Based on the bibliographic review and the interpretation of the data obtained in the quantitative research, it was possible to recognize that the organizational characteristics that are most influenced by the quality certifications are the number of hours of training, the formalization of positions and functions, and the formalization of activities and processes.