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Discusses quality and environmental management systems integration. Concepts of a system and a “system of systems” are addressed, followed by a description of different management systems, and their interrelations and integration. Subsequently, strategies for integration of the quality system based on the ISO 9001 standard and the ISO 14001 environmental management system are presented. The harmonization of related audit sub‐systems, namely ISO 10011 and ISO 14010/11/12 is also addressed. Finally, a discussion on the development of a generic performance management system is provided.

The purpose of this article is to present a subsection circulatory management (SCM) model of Library 2.0. The design idea of Library 2.0 system architecture is to be illustrated and a five‐tier model of service‐oriented architecture (SOA) is to be put forward and analyzed.

The SOA model conforms to the desires of Library 2.0. Libraries require integration of literature resources, knowledge services and operations management and together all these integrations must be based on the user service. The realization of the concept and technology of Library 2.0 is similar with the SOA model.

Current library management systems (LMS) remain at the era of Library 1.0, which focused on literature management. The new design principles are aiming to manage library resources much better. Library 2.0 must break through the current framework, and adopt a multilayer structure, user‐centered and service‐oriented system architecture to integrate the resources, the services and managements. Amongst other things, Library 2.0 should utilize the multilayer architecture based on the module mode, improve the flexibility and adaptability of modern management systems, both in system configuration and operational management.

The SOA model is applied in Library 2.0 for the first time and is divided into five tiers – hardware tier, system tier, data tier, operation management tier and knowledge service tier. According to the architecture, three application systems – LMS based on librarians, knowledge service system based on patrons, and knowledge search engine, are designed.

A performance management system has been implemented by Cancer Care Ontario (CCO). This system allows for the monitoring and management of 11 integrated cancer programs (ICPs) across the Province of Ontario. The system comprises of four elements: reporting frequency, reporting requirements, review meetings and accountability and continuous improvement activities. CCO and the ICPs have recently completed quarterly performance review exercises for the last two quarters of the fiscal year 2004‐2005. The purpose of this paper is to address some of the key lessons learned.

The paper provides an outline of the CCO performance management system.

These lessons included: data must be valid and reliable; performance management requires commitments from both parties in the performance review exercises; streamlining performance reporting is beneficial; technology infrastructure which allows for cohesive management of data is vital for a sustainable performance management system; performance indicators need to stand up to scrutiny by both parties; and providing comparative data across the province is valuable. Critical success factors which would help to ensure a successful performance management system include: corporate engagement from various parts of an organization in the review exercises; desire to focus on performance improvement and avoidance of blaming; and strong data management systems.

The performance management system is a practical and sustainable system that allows for performance improvement of cancer care services. It can be a vital tool to enhance accountability within the health care system.

The paper demonstrates that the performance management system supports accountability in the cancer care system for Ontario, and reflects the principles of the provincial governments commitment to continuous improvement of healthcare.

The purpose of this paper is to find answers to the current issue of the audit. What has to offer classical approach of audit practice to help organizations improve their performance? What should be done for the results of an audit of the audited organization to be useful in terms of its managers more interested in improving organizational performance, effective leadership, risk management and assessing the maturity of the organization in order to take decisions and improve business than the information to confirm compliance?

Analysis and evaluation of the management systems’ audits findings, conducted in the last ten years by two major Romanian accredited certification bodies.

A complete rethinking of audits is required. The audit methods will increase, allowing auditors to use various combined methods, based on audit purposes and on the needs of the audited organization.

The present paper is describing the current situation, found in management systems auditing and also trying to assess and predict future development possibilities.

It is proposed that future work should move on from existing network and system management methodologies to consider enhancing the management methodology for ATM and other networking technologies to meet existing and future requirements. This paper outlines an area where significant potential for further research exists and proposes a component‐based management architecture. The discussion indentifies the technological limitations and architectural drawbacks of current solutions and proposes the extension of existing services and an enhanced management framework to overcome the current restrictions.

This paper discusses how a systems approach to management can be used to facilitate the development and implementation of an integrated management system (IMS) in an organization. It is argued that any solution to address the rapidly growing need for the integration of function‐specific management systems requires two elements: a conceptual model and a supporting methodology. While the research on IMS modelling is fairly advanced, evidenced by a number of existing models that would probably qualify to provide the basis for integration, development of methodologies to achieve fully‐integrated systems is still lacking. This paper therefore provides a set of criteria for selection of the most appropriate IMS model, followed by a discussion of one such model based on the systems approach. The presented model can be used to integrate the requirements of existing and upcoming function‐specific management system standards, and provide a foundation for the top‐down integration of internal systems that these standards describe. Subsequently, a short discussion on the issue of the IMS methodology is given, and the paper concludes with a list of questions that will help researchers design a comprehensive IMS methodology.

The purpose of this paper is the further development of an Excel-based integrated management system for the tool and cutlery industry regarding sustainability. The tool’s actual status allows integrating and implementing requirements considering work safety, environmental and quality management and a self-assessment for checking the level of requirements’ fulfilment. However, the topic of sustainability and requirements and risks going along with it are of great importance for the mostly small and medium companies of this industry. Therefore, the Excel-tool is being enhanced by integrating the requirements of risk, energy and sustainability management. The paper presents the advanced Excel-tool.

The base for advancing the Excel-tool has been analysing the status quo of sustainability management in the companies. Moreover, a matrix for comparing the requirements has been enlarged regarding the standards for sustainability, risk and energy management and builds the base for further developing of the Excel-tool.

This analysis has shown the need for action, regarding the topic of sustainability. Hence, the Excel-tool has been enlarged regarding the assessment of fulfilling the requirements of different management systems. It allows small- and medium-sized enterprises a detection of need for action to comply with the requirements of different management systems with minimal afford. By this, an easily evaluation and improvement of the companies’ management systems is enabled.

The tool enables companies to easily evaluate the state of their integrated management system by themselves and assists when implementing additional management systems.

Plant configuration management systems address all phases of the plant’s life cycle, from engineering design, re‐design, maintenance, to operations. However, as yet little research has been reported on plant configuration management information systems analysis. During the past decade, the object‐oriented approach has received much attention in information systems development. This paper describes an object structure for plant configuration management systems analysis. Three major aspects of configuration management (maintenance, re‐design change, and business process) and fundamental types of objects engaged in configuration management are described. The association between these objects is then built through identifying the messages between the objects. Practical application of this framework shows that it is useful for the analysis and design of a plant configuration management information system.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the implementation activities involved in certifying a quality management system to the ISO 9000 quality management system standard. This includes developing the best business performance measures that will serve as indicators of an effective quality management system. This paper aims to establish a relationship between implementation activities involved in the quality system and specific business performance measures that can be used to assess the system's effectiveness.

Data were collected using an online survey combined with publicly available financial reporting information. Regression and other statistical techniques along with text clustering and association of the survey comments were used to analyze the data.

Emphasis on implementing a documentation system were found to be linked to business performance as measured by the return on assets financial measure.

Future research should explore various documentation system aspects such as knowledge management and information sharing in greater detail. A larger sample focused on a specific industry might provide useful information for industry appropriate performance indicators.

The practical implications of this research focus on the design and implementation of an organization's quality management system in areas that will provide the most benefit to organizations seeking ISO 9000 certification. A baseline measurement can be used prior to implementing the system to strategically manage the implementation process. By understanding how best to implement the quality management system, fewer resources are wasted on ineffective quality management system certification projects and some of the skepticism around the implemention of an ISO 9000 certified quality management system is eliminated.

Few quality system researchers target the implementation process for analysis. Combining survey data and publicly held financial represents is a new method for studying ISO 9000 implementation.

Much of the discussion, both written and verbal, of management information systems tends to be dominated by accountants and computer people; management scientists and behavioural scientists have not yet made anything like the impact their skills should warrant. My purpose in this paper is to examine a number of important aspects of management information systems from the standpoint of the management scientist. I have deliberately attempted to explain concepts in a non‐mathematical fashion in the hope that the general, non‐technical reader will gain some understanding of their nature and relevance to practical information systems; to this end, no mathematical formulae have been introduced.