a Exploring the Environmental Management Systems Practices within a Selected group of Small and Medium Enterprises in Dubai.
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Abstract
Exploring the Environmental Management Systems Practices within a Selected group of Small and Medium Enterprises in Dubai.
International Journal of Service Excellence
ISSN: 1993-8675
Vol. 1, Issue 1, 2023
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ABSTRACT
Small and Medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) are crucial to Dubai's economy and contribute to around 45% of its GDP. These enterprises account for 51% of the workforce and are classified into micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. However, SMEs may have negative environmental impacts, as they are responsible for around 60% of carbon dioxide emissions and 70% of pollution. There is limited empirical research on how SMEs use environmental management systems (EMS) and the challenges they face in different economies. There is a significant gap in research on EMS implementation in SME's in Dubai, the UAE, and the GCC region. This study aims to evaluate the contemporary EMS state of Dubai-based SME's and identify the challenges and barriers that hinder their application of integrated and effective EMS. A cross-sectional quantitative study has been conducted on a sample of SMEs in the service sector in Dubai. the survey was designed to differentiate between the first group of SMEs with an environmental management system and SMEs that have not formally implemented an environmental management system. The results of this study showed that there is a direct relationship between the age of the SMEs and the implementation of the EMS, where the SMEs that have not implemented an EMS are generally younger than those that have implemented an EMS. With respect to the type of ownership of the company, it was found that there is no significant impact of the type of ownership and the implementation of EMS. Also, it was found that the more the Size of the SMEs the more possibility to consider the implementation of the EMS. The study also showed many discrepancies among SMEs in relation to implementation of different aspects of EMS. The study suggests the development proper guidance and regulations to encourage the SMEs without overwhelming financially. This could be done through the development of a web-based knowledge database that can help SMEs to self-assess and administer basic steps and requirements of EMS which in turn can lead to improvement in the environmental performance.
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