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This paper aims to evaluate current environmental management systems as indicators of the environmental performance of an organisation.

It considers, in particular, the development of current environmental management systems BS EN ISO 14001:1996 and the eco‐management and audit scheme (EMAS) 761/2001 EEC.

Currently, organisations implementing either BS EN ISO 14000:1996 or EMAS do not need to comment on overall environmental performance. Environmental management is viewed as the control of all human activities that have significant impact on the environment. Neither standard comments on the degree of control exercised, the approach taken, or the effectiveness of that control.

Environmental performance evaluation guidelines are appraised, and quality awards as a conceptual framework for classification of environmental performance are introduced.

The purpose of this paper is to offer a rationale for the epistemological and ontological development of total quality management (TQM) utilising action modalities. The ability to harness and transfer knowledge is a key attribute of research‐led universities, and a factor which is able to bring education and industry into cooperative relationships. However, Imai views that there is a tendency to place too much emphasis on teaching knowledge, whilst disregarding group learning of fundamental values, established through gemba kaizen and through the learning organisation.

Established through the results of a survey of 50 manufacturing companies in the UAE, and based on the andragogical learning concept in both solving a problem and generating new knowledge, this paper investigates a conceptual basis for action learning. The paper offers a rationale for the epistemological and ontological development of total quality management (TQM) utilising action modalities. This reflects the underpinning philosophy of TQM toward the continuous improvement in quality of the organisations' processes, people, products, and services.

The findings of the construct of andragogical gemba establish the robustness of the methodological move from pedagogy to andragogy. The applicability of andragogical gemba being underpinned by the required interaction of democracy and collaboration. The survey of UAE SMEs confirms a lack of engagement within this concept, and recommendations are given to support development.

The paper has been developed within Dubai's socio economic mix, Dubai being a constituent Emirate within a Country where expatriates form approximately 93 per cent of the total workforce population. The transient nature of the workforce produces pressures on the learning organisation, and the context of knowledge transfer and creation.

The aim of this research is to develop a model for environmental management from which quantifiable indication of overall environmental performance for an organisation may be derived.

The links between environmental performance and financial performance are considered. Several research methods are described which consider pollution performance. However, it is clear that no single method wholly reflects quantitative pollution management (QPM). The initial model for QPM is derived, and the weightings that should be allocated for the individual and combined categories in achieving the indicator of pollution performance are established.

The paper establishes a methodology for the derivation of a QPM indicator that provides a numeric variable, by using numerical values that have been obtained from a set of linguistic values evaluated against determinations of prescribed events. The robust nature of the developed QPM indicator is provided by means of a prescribed methodology where the outcome indicator is constructed from the results of the audit and the inter‐relationship of the individual components. This inter‐relationship of numeric and linguistic variables encourages the use of modified set theory in which an individual could have a degree of membership ranged over a continuum of values.

The development of a quantifiable pollution indicator enables customers/consumers to make a purchase decision that takes into account environmental concerns. These unique QPM indicators will assist in promoting a sustainable management strategy with preventative approaches to pollution. Under these circumstances, a QPM indicator would allow industrial and regulatory strategies to be implemented beyond the traditional boundaries of pollution control and waste management. It would give a broader perspective on performance, and encourage application of preventive technologies to reduce pollutant and waste loads, while also promoting environment‐friendly products and services through openly available quantitative indicators. The derived indicator will be limited to the state of a particular process at a given point in time, and as such will need recalculation over given time intervals. This methodology enables the organisation to demonstrate improvement, if applicable. Monitoring tools should in any case be an aid to strategy formulation, not a determinant of it.

This study will assist in allowing environmental performance to become a strategic factor in business planning. Direct comparisons may be made between the operational characteristics of organisations, and how those organisations impact on the environment via pollution, providing direct business benefits to organisations that manage their business and protect the environment.

This study aims to help nonprofit organizations (NPOs) implement business excellence models (BEMs). The authors identify and rank critical success factors and barriers to implementing BEMs among NPOs in Saudi Arabia and investigate the impact of human resources availability on BEM implementation in these organizations.

Based on the review of relevant literature, the authors designed a questionnaire completed by 138 NPOs. Factor analysis was used to measure and rank the criticality of success factors and barriers to BEM implementation. A Kruskal–Wallis nonparametric test was conducted to compare answers across groups classified by the number of full-time employees in the organization.

The study identifies the five most critical success factors for implementing BEMs in Saudi NPOs: data analysis and reporting capabilities, effective organizational communication, implementation strategy and approach, use of benchmarking and adoption of a clear governance framework. The five most critical barriers to implementing BEMs are the lack of a culture of continuous improvement, organizational strategy, qualified employees, customer orientation and clear organizational roles and responsibilities. The number of full-time employees in Saudi NPOs does not significantly impact the success or failure of implementing BEMs.

This paper is a continuation of research that aims to increase BEM adoption among NPOs, including micro-NPOs, in Saudi Arabia and, by extension, other countries.