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Difficulties and benefits of integrated management systems

Alexandra Simon (Departament d'Organitzacio, Gestio Empresarial i Desenvolupament del Producte, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain)
Stanislav Karapetrovic (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada)
Martí Casadesús (Departament d'Organitzacio, Gestio Empresarial i Desenvolupament del Producte, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain)

Industrial Management & Data Systems

ISSN: 0263-5577

Article publication date: 18 May 2012

4272

Abstract

Purpose

In recent years, the number of management systems (MSs) has sharply increased. These MSs can be certified with, for example, the quality standard ISO 9001 or the environmental standard ISO 14001 and they can subsequently be integrated into one single, jointly managed system. The main purpose of this research is to study the relationships between the level of system integration, on one hand, and the difficulties encountered in the integration process, as well as the related benefits, on the other.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this study derive from a survey carried out in 76 organizations registered to, at a minimum, both ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 9001:2008 standards for quality and environmental MSs. A descriptive and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) are provided. Additionally, structural equation modelling (SEM) is applied to the responses of these organizations to a mailed survey.

Findings

From the results, the paper proposes a model of the difficulties related to systems integration that have an effect on the level of integration of several specific items of the MSs involved. A model related to the effect of the integration level on the benefits is also provided.

Originality/value

The study provides an original contribution to the understanding of how difficulties and benefits of MSs integration relate to the level of integration achieved in the participating companies.

Keywords

Citation

Simon, A., Karapetrovic, S. and Casadesús, M. (2012), "Difficulties and benefits of integrated management systems", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 112 No. 5, pp. 828-846. https://doi.org/10.1108/02635571211232406

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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