Quality, safety and environment management systems (QSE): analysis of empirical studies on integrated management systems (IMS)

Abstract

Since the early 2000s, the adoption of management systems dedicated to quality, environment and safety in company, has become an important activity for many organisations. They are considered a symbol of success and a prerequisite for the survival and savings (time, cost, resources). In fact, to survive and prosper in a competitive environment, companies need to address all aspects of their processes, including the reduction of costs, the welfare of their employees and the protection of environment work. However, the reality of each type of integrated system is different from one organization to another, and numerous internal and external factors, will condition its morphology. The aims of this paper is to discuss some empirical studies that have documented the experiences of organizations in certain countries such as Spain, Italy, China, India, Australia, which conducted us to investigate the situation of Moroccan companies operating in different sectors and activities, to assess performance levels, to identify priority areas for improvement and to determine the strengths and weaknesses, the possibility of success and failure firms interrogated on quality, safety and environment management systems and also discuss the perceptions of companies about the benefits and difficulties most experienced during integration of their management systems.

Keywords:

• Integrated management system
• IMS
• QSE
• quality
• safety and environment

Acknowledgment

Thank and gratitude to the Mohamed V University for supporting the present research. We would like to thank all responsible of companies interviewed and certification bodies for their assistance and cooperation in data collection, which contributed to the success of our work.