Assessing the Corporate Impact of ISO 14000 Certification

The 1990s have indeed been a period of change. This has seen a change from a perspective that longer viewed as something that is primarily done for publicity sake or to avoid prosecution. Rather it is recent emergence of the ISO 14000 environmental standard. There are several features that make this
emphasized trade-offs (you can have only one of the following ? shorter lead times, lower costs or higher quality) to a paradigm that stresses simultaneity (you can simultaneously achieve lower costs and higher quality and shorter lead times). This has also become a period when more and more managers are expected to become increasingly environmentally conscious. Being environmentally responsible is no seen as a matter of good business. An indication of the increasing importance of the environment is the new standard noteworthy. First, it builds on the success of ISO 9000, and its variants (e.g., QS 9000). Second, ISO 14000 is an international standard. It is hoped that it will replace the numerous and often conflicting standards found in various countries. Third, ISO 14000 shifts attention from the outcome (reduced pollution) to processes. However, being a new standard, the introduction of ISO 14000 has raised a number of questions, namely: