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Submitted by Rosivalda Pereira (mrs.pereira@ufma.br) on 2017-07-21T17:49:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 BeatrizFerreira.pdf: 5455198 bytes, checksum: 5e03f99a88281d399dec6056ae4333e3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T17:49:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 BeatrizFerreira.pdf: 5455198 bytes, checksum: 5e03f99a88281d399dec6056ae4333e3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-18 / Corporate environmental issues are influenced by the rapidly changing business environment, so in that scenario, companies react to those pressures differently. Among the classification system that has been proposed by literature, a strategic environmental management system is the most advantageous for the organization considering that it assists in responding to environmental challenges and can provide sustainable strategic advantages. The Environmental Department positioning is crucial on influencing the strategic environmental management within the company. Therefore, this study sought to evaluate if Environmental Departments of companies are developing environmental management in a strategic approach. For this purpose, a data collection instrument was developed, called Environmental Radar, which seeks to analyze if the Dynamic Capabilities are being developed throughout the investigation of knowledge management practices that support this process. The model was based on existing evaluation methodologies, adapted to the environmental management reality and it is organized according to the four growth challenges: (i) Recognizing Opportunities, (ii) Capturing Opportunities, (iii) Implementing Opportunities and (iv) Managing Growth. The Environmental Radar was applied in four companies and, therefore, it was possible to identify which practices are executed systematically, which occur in an isolated way and also those that are not performed by the participants. In addition, some practices not suggested initially by the Environmental Radar, but that complemented its objectives, has been detected, “Recognizing Opportunities” has revealed to be the challenge that concentrated the most practices performed systematically by the companies studied and “Implementing Opportunities” was the one with lesser adherence. The practices chosen, that make up the Environmental Radar, also allowed to investigate the strategic environmental management approach, as a source of competitive advantage for the company, because it analyzes "what to do", being the "how to do" detailed by the organization. That is, it became possible to conduct investigations in a standardized manner, but respecting and identifying the individualities and particularities of each case. In this way, the tool has proved to be effective not only on evaluating the practices performed by the company, but also serving as a basis for its recognition of the importance of the behavior of the Environment Department that leads to strategic environmental management. / A questão ambiental nas empresas é influenciada pelo ambiente externo, dinâmico e turbulento, e as organizações, neste cenário, respondem às pressões de forma distinta. Das abordagens descritas pela literatura, a mais vantajosa para a organização é a gestão ambiental estratégica, pois auxilia na resposta aos desafios ambientais e pode proporcionar vantagens estratégicas sustentáveis. O posicionamento da Área de Meio Ambiente é determinante em influenciar a gestão ambiental sobre a orientação estratégica da empresa. Diante disso, o trabalho buscou avaliar se as Áreas de Meio Ambiente das empresas estão desenvolvendo uma gestão ambiental de forma estratégica. Para tanto, foi elaborado um instrumento de coleta de dados, denominado Radar Ambiental, que busca analisar se as Capacidades Dinâmicas estão sendo desenvolvidas por meio da investigação de práticas da gestão do conhecimento que suportam tal processo. O modelo foi embasado em metodologias de avaliação práticas existentes, adaptado à realidade da gestão ambiental e está organizado de acordo com os quatro desafios para o crescimento: (i) Reconhecer Oportunidades, (ii) Capturar Oportunidades, (iii) Implementar Oportunidades e (iv) Gerenciar o Crescimento. O Radar Ambiental foi aplicado em quatro empresas e, dessa forma, possibilitou identificar quais práticas são executadas sistematicamente, quais ocorrem de forma pontual e também aquelas que não são executadas pelas participantes. Além disso, viabilizou detectar algumas práticas não sugeridas inicialmente pelo Radar Ambiental, mas que complementam seus objetivos. O desafio que mais concentrou práticas executadas sistematicamente pelas empresas estudadas foi Reconhecer Oportunidades e o de menor aderência se revelou Implementar Oportunidades. A escolha das práticas que compõe o Radar Ambiental ainda permitiu investigar a gestão ambiental estratégica como fonte de vantagem competitiva para a empresa à medida que analisa “o que fazer”, sendo o detalhamento do “como fazer” a cargo da organização. Ou seja, tornou-se possível conduzir investigações de maneira padronizada nas unidades de análise, mas respeitando e identificando as individualidades e peculiaridades de cada caso. Dessa forma, a ferramenta se mostrou eficaz à medida que, além de avaliar as práticas executadas pela empresa, serve de base para que ela reconheça ainda mais a importância do comportamento da Área de Meio Ambiente que conduz à gestão ambiental estratégica.

The purpose of this study is to revise the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry's (DWAF's) current Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) procedure and to develop an Environmental Management Framework (EMF), so as to ensure that the environment is considered in a structured, formal manner at each decision-making stage of the projects development business process. The proposed EMF provides process diagrams that align the IBM principles, the environmental assessment and management tools, and the engineering business process with the project life cycle approach for DWAF's water sector functional areas. Key decision-making points are introduced to the business process to ensure that all the specific requirements have been met before continuing to the next engineering stage of the business life cycle. Auditing nodes were identified within the life cycle approach and complement the decision-making points and strengthen the evaluation of environmental compliance and performance. These process diagrams is designed to prompt development planners and implementers to consider the environment at all stages of the business life cycle and practice sound environmental management. The EMF is based on international best practice and follows the Deming model philosophy as well as principles and elements of an environmental management system. The EMF must be an integral part in the way the department conduct its business and not seen as an ad hoc function and the duties of the environmental officer. To conclude, the EMF is the building block and interim management plan for an appropriate environmental management system in the future and the first step towards business excellence for the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography and Environmental Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The purpose of this study is to revise the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry's (DWAF's) current Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) procedure and to develop an Environmental Management Framework (EMF), so as to ensure that the environment is considered in a structured, formal manner at each decision-making stage of the projects development business process. The proposed EMF provides process diagrams that align the IBM principles, the environmental assessment and management tools, and the engineering business process with the project life cycle approach for DWAF's water sector functional areas. Key decision-making points are introduced to the business process to ensure that all the specific requirements have been met before continuing to the next engineering stage of the business life cycle. Auditing nodes were identified within the life cycle approach and complement the decision-making points and strengthen the evaluation of environmental compliance and performance. These process diagrams is designed to prompt development planners and implementers to consider the environment at all stages of the business life cycle and practice sound environmental management. The EMF is based on international best practice and follows the Deming model philosophy as well as principles and elements of an environmental management system. The EMF must be an integral part in the way the department conduct its business and not seen as an ad hoc function and the duties of the environmental officer. To conclude, the EMF is the building block and interim management plan for an appropriate environmental management system in the future and the first step towards business excellence for the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography and Environmental Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.