Thesis (M. En.)--Miami University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 35 [1st set of paginations]).

Thesis (M. En.)--Miami University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 32-34).

Until recently, the concept of green logistics has been disregarded by various logistics and transport companies in South Africa. The study on which this dissertation is based explored the green logistics practices that these companies are currently implementing in terms of the key drivers, benefits and barriers. A quantitative research approach was followed, were a survey (Lime) served as the primary research instrument. A census was conducted among 160 companies in Gauteng. The results of the study revealed a significant difference between SMEs (<200) and large (200 and above) companies with regard to their importance rating on green logistics practices. To achieve the primary objective of the study, a framework in green logistics was drafted for SMEs and large companies in South Africa, which outlined practices and opportunities companies can implement in their own businesses to benefit from ‘going green’. The usefulness of the latter mentioned guidelines needs to be tested in future research. / Public Administration and Management / M.. Com. (Logistics Management)

Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais / This research has as objective understand the process of management and argument for the water between farmers of the Riachão Valley. In this sense, the research was realized in communities of Lagoa do Barro, Lagoa da Tiririca and Pau D´Oleo, located in the high course of the sub-basin of Riachão in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. The study it looked to analyse how the geraizeiros residents of these communities they had several of their strategies of survival compromised in virtue of the process of modernization agricultural Brazilian and principally proper to the peculiaritie of North os Minas Gerais. We can see, from a side, that the farmers keep on managing the water while a commom good according to their traditions and customs from another side, the businessmen farmer supported by the legislation define and defend the water as a good economical one, revealing divergences between local cultures and public politics. Conclude that in the rural space the priorization of the use of the water as a good economical one it limited it multiple use done by the local rural populations and it caused social exclusion and quarrel for the resource. It s necessary to know cultures and local logical to plan public politics or projects being developed, finding forms of the general one to meet the individual. / Essa pesquisa tem como objetivo compreender o processo de gestão e disputa pela água entre os agricultores no Vale do Riachão. Nesse sentido, a pesquisa foi realizada nas Comunidades de Lagoa do Barro, Lagoa da Tiririca e Pau D Óleo, localizadas no alto curso da sub-bacia do Riachão em Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. O estudo buscou analisar como os geraizeiros moradores dessas comunidades tiveram muitas de suas estratégias de sobrevivência comprometidas em virtude do processo de modernização agrícola brasileira e principalmente devido às particularidades da região norte-mineira. Verifica-se, de um lado que, os agricultores (geraizeiros) continuam a gerir a água enquanto um bem comum, de acordo com suas tradições e costumes. De outro lado, os agricultores empresários apoiados na legislação definem e defendem a água como um bem econômico, revelando divergências entre culturas locais e políticas públicas. Conclui que, no espaço rural, a priorização do uso da água como um bem econômico limitou o seu uso múltiplo feito pelas populações rurais locais e causou a exclusão social e disputas pelo recurso. É preciso conhecer culturas e lógicas locais para se planejar políticas públicas ou projetos a serem desenvolvidos, encontrando formas do geral se encontrar com o particular. / Mestre em Geografia

The Thesis provides an overview of environmental management issue and its practical application. The aim of this work is to find out the readiness of a particular company to establish Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and to review, whether the company is prepared for such a change, able to keep and improve the systems. The Thesis contains theoretical background of environmental management including all demands necessary for a company to introduce environmental management into a practice. Acquired information is applied to a selected company, which is a transport company VK-SPED spol. s. r. o. Practical part comprises a study of ecological status of the company via defined analyses and exploration of the environmental profile of the company. This process discovers the potential and ability of the company to implement EMS. Furthermore, the instruction for implementing EMS into a particular company follows. Finally, the results of the work are summarized and a recommendation for a proper environmental management is offered.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Accounting degree, Faculty of Accounting and Informatics, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa. Durban. South Africa, 2016. / A large number of manufacturing companies adopt the use of the traditional accounting method in their operations. This technique fails to reflect a detailed report of all material losses incurred in their production processes. Worthy of note, is that losses/waste are considered as inefficiencies in manufacturing operations and viewed as a costly venture to the sustainability of the company. This research, therefore, through a case study analysis, examined the efficient/inefficient flow of resources in the production process of an alcoholic beverage company in the Durban metropolis. The study was carried out in order to determine the impact of packaging waste cost in an alcoholic beverage company using the material flow cost accounting technique. Measurements included the input of packaging materials against its output, while giving consideration to waste incurred as losses. The Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) technique, an environmental management accounting tool developed for measuring the flows and stocks of materials of a company and production process in both physical and monetary units, was used to measure the costs of waste on two production lines. MFCA was used to trace all material inputs and categorize them as product or non-product output. MFCA is used to classify the relevant material flows as cost collectors, thereby allocating the costs of the company’s production operations and flows. Different packaging materials that constitute waste on the lines were analyzed using the mixed method approach, which includes observation, questionnaire administration, and analysis of six months production report. Two production lines were considered for sampling, and recommendations were given based on the data analyzed using the SPSS package. The MFCA technique revealed that losses on both production lines were understated, and that, the bottling plant was losing a sizeable amount of monetary value of packaging materials to waste. The MFCA technique also revealed that the traditional costing technique is unable to provide adequate information managers require for strategic cost decision making. MFCA is therefore recommended to assist managers improve production line efficiency and cost savings via accurate waste costing and reduction for corporate sustainability. / M

The construction industry is generally characterised by limited implementation of green logistics. With that in mind, this study aimed to examine the nature and extent of green logistics practices in large construction companies in Botswana. Although empirical studies have analysed green supply chain in the construction industry, most of them have not addressed the challenges and prospects of adopting green logistics by construction companies in a developing country like Botswana. Project Managers were interviewed after which a thematic analysis was used to interpret the qualitative results. Thereafter, a comparative analysis was done between the results obtained from the interviews and from extant literature. The findings showed that the adoption of the green logistics strategies was aligned more to economic reasons than environmental ones. The findings further showed that until and unless the construction, technical and administration issues are addressed, the adoption of green logistics will continue to be a challenge for the construction industry in Botswana / Centre for Transport Economics, Logistics and Tourism / M. Com. (Logistics)

No description available.

Ph. D. (Department of Logistics Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The effective practice of green supply chain has been a focus of both practitioners and researchers for almost a decade, mostly focusing on greenhouse effects and implementing full green supply chain control systems. However, not much attention has been given to empirical relationships between internal environmental management systems, green packaging management, green information systems adoption and organisational performance. The chief objective of this study was to assess the internal environmental management factors of the plastic packaging manufacturing organisations in Gauteng province in South Africa, mainly focusing on the three major internal environmental factors, namely pollution prevention plans, total quality management and environmental audits. Secondly, the study aimed to determine the relationship between green packaging management, green information systems and organisational performance. A positivist approach was used as this study is quantitative. A total number of 250 questionnaires were distributed to managers and employees of the chosen plastic packaging organisations. Although 250 questionnaires were distributed to the chosen organisations, only 230 were deemed to be fit for capturing due to some errors on the other 20 questionnaires. For data analysis the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 24) was used to generate frequency tables and graphs. Furthermore, structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to generate regression weights and standard regression weights. The factor loading was also generated using SEM as well as model fitness and path co-efficiency values. A detailed research approach was followed using a sample size of 230; the results of this study show that there is a positive significant relationship between internal environmental management systems, green packaging management and green information systems. Further, it was found that most organisations that adopt green management systems are more likely to perform better than those that do not. The study also discovered that the government policies that place emphasis on green practices, not only pressurise organisations, but also help them to be strategic. Most plastic packaging manufacturing organisations usually find it difficult to operate without polluting the environment, but this study discovered that if they control their internal environmental systems, it will be easy for these organisations to adopt environmental management systems and produce green products. Also, given the changing market environments, currently most consumers prefer green products and if organisations go green this might open up new markets for their new products and enhance performance. This study examined the importance of green packaging management from the perspective of both government policies and organisational policies. The results showed that some organisations are still struggling to align their internal environmental management process with the external environment; however, the market changes are enforcing that most plastic packaging organisations start aligning their internal management systems with external systems, as it gives them opportunities towards new products and new competitive strategies that will lead to better performance. An environmental management framework was developed in this study. The framework aims to help guide plastic manufacturers with their long- and short-term strategies. In line with non-linear relationships between variables, the study recommends the following to the plastic packaging organisations: to create pollution prevention policies and strategies to improve organisational performance by eliminating pollution and avoiding penalties from the government. Pollution prevention plans, total quality management and environmental audits were used as independent variables to measure organisational performance. In line with the linear relationship between the adoption of green packaging management and organisational performance, it is recommended to the plastic packaging organisations that enterprises facing slow-moving sales growth, profitability and general performance challenges, should use green technologies as a remedy for their problems.

Modern cities are often perceived as the antithesis of nature; the built environment is understood as the transformation of raw and untamed nature into a rationalized human landscape. However, a variety of scholars since the nineteenth century have noted the persistence of nature in cities, not only in providing essential services but also resisting human control. Most recently, urban geographers and environmental historians have argued that processes of urbanization do not entail the replacement of natural with artificial environments, but are more accurately understood as a reconfiguration of human/nature relations. In this dissertation, I employ this relational perspective to study a specific form of urban nature: stormwater flows. Urban drainage or stormwater management activities in US cities are a vivid example of the tensions between nature, society, and technology. In this study, I present a comparative case study of two US cities--Austin, Texas and Seattle, Washington--where stormwater issues have been a central focus of public debate over the last four decades. Using textual analysis, in-depth interviews, and experiential research methods, I argue that stormwater management practices involve not only the rational management of technological networks but also implicate a wide range of seemingly unrelated issues, such as local governance, environmental protection, land use decisionmaking, community development, aesthetics, and social equity. To describe the relational implications of urban nature, I present a framework of ecological politics to characterize drainage activities as rational, populist, or civic. I argue that the latter form of politics has the greatest potential to relieve the tensions between urban residents and their material surroundings by embracing a systems perspective of human/nonhuman relations and engaging local residents in the hands-on management of environmental flows. It is through the development of deliberative and grounded forms of civic politics that urban residents can forge new relationships between technology and nature, and in the process, understand their place in the world. / text