Environmental Management in Organizations: Is ISO 14001 Implementation Growing Fast Enough to Improve Environmental Conditions in the Metropolitan Areas of Developing Countries?

Abstract

An analysis of progress in Brazil, Sao Paulo, and elsewhere

Guidelines to design energy dissipation structures: contribution to mitigate damages and losses in complex geomorphology regions subjected to hydrological disaster

“…Fonte: Mata-Lima, H. et al (2014). Nota: os métodos racional e do Soil Conservation Service (SCS) já estão amplamente descritos em trabalhos anteriores (e.g.…”

“…O crescimento demofórico tem sido particularmente expressivo em áreas urbanas, desencadeando o aumento da magnitude do escoamento superficialcomo consequência da excessiva remoção da vegetação e impermeabilização (KUMAR et al, 2013;MATA-LIMA et al, 2007;YIN;LI, 2001) -e suscitando muitos outros aspectos ambientais e socioeconômicos adversos (YNOUYE et al, 2015;HAAS;BAN, 2014;MATA-LIMA et al, 2014;PATHIRANA et al, 2014). Essa situação, agravada pelo aumento progressivo da frequência e intensidade dos fenômenos hidrometeorológicos extremos em certas regiões como, por exemplo, Small Islands (do atlântico, pacífico e Caribe) e América Latina -onde se observa aumento da precipitação no sudeste da América do Sul, noroeste de Peru e Equador (IPCC, 2012(IPCC, , 2014, requer cada vez mais sistemas avançados de infraestruturas (incluindo novos códigos de construção específicos para regiões vulneráveis) o que impõe desafios ao Ambiente Construído, designadamente no que concerne à eficiência, segurança e vida útil das infraestruturas.…”

A Systematic Framework for the Design and Implementation of a Quality Management Practice: The Case of a Consulting Engineering Company

“…Unfortunately, there are companies that do not yet perceive the relevance of implementing QM practices to boost their own process efficiency (Mata‐Lima, Silva, Alvino‐Borba, & Almeida, ) or to improve their own profitability by reducing nonquality costs (Yamada et al, ). Companies lacking this perception—even when they have received QM certifications—are not committed to continuous improvement, as they use their certification status primarily for marketing purposes.…”

Measuring an Organization's Performance: The Road to Defining Sustainability Indicators

“…An organization's contribution is fundamental to reach regional objectives of territorial development with respect to land use planning and socioenvironmental policies toward sustainability (Mata‐Lima, Silva, Alvino‐Borba, & Almeida, ). Mumtas and Wichien () compiled an extended list of indicators for assessing and monitoring the sustainability of land use management at the basin scale that is not within the scope of this work, but that organizations should be aware of when they are defining a strategic road to sustainability.…”

“…The development of sustainability indicators is in accordance with the relevance that organizational sustainability has gained in recent years through the growing number of studies in this area (Orsato & Wells, ). The increasing penetration of ISO 9001, 14001, and ISO 14031, OHSAS 18001, and more recently, ISO 26000 (Ávila et al., ; Mata‐Lima et al., ), has played a leading role in fostering the efficiency of organizations regarding the mitigation of significant environmental and socioeconomic aspects and impacts. This has been done by reducing water and energy consumption, increasing the use of renewable sources, reducing waste generation (to which is added practices to increase the life cycles of products through reuse and recycling), and raising awareness of the health and well‐being of employees to reduce occupational diseases and accidents (see Exhibit ).…”