Development of an Environmental Management System Framework for Hong Kong Higher Education Institution

This thesis presents research that aims to develop an Environmental Management System (EMS) framework suitable for adoption or adaption by the eight publicly funded higher education institutions (HEIs) in Hong Kong. These HEIs have spent considerable efforts in ensuring environmental sustainability but none of them, except two units of one HEI, has implemented an EMS. It is both academically and practically desirable to investigate and formulate a suitable EMS framework. The design of this research has adopted a qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews for data collection and fact finding in two stages. The research in the first stage examined the practices of the eight HEIs based on the published information and used semi-structured interviews with the officers responsible for environmental sustainability (altogether nine from eight HEIs) to verify and confirm the practices of the HEIs that were matched with the common sustainable practices under Dynamic Capabilities and the required elements of ISO14001-2015 (hereinafter ISO 14001). The interviewees were also asked to provide their views on stakeholders' engagement and third-party certification for EMS. In the second stage, 17 staff and 16 students of one HEI were invited to an interview to gauge their expectation for the practices under Dynamic Capabilities and ISO14001; stakeholders' engagement and third-party certification for an EMS, and the proposed EMS framework developed after the first stage of research, which underpins Dynamic Capabilities and ISO 14001 for addressing the key success factors.;The features of the common sustainable practices under Dynamic Capabilities are under those in three capabilities: scanning/monitoring capability; sensing/seizing capability and reconfiguration capability. The required elements of ISO14001 are leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, and improvement process.;The findings are that the eight HEIs have been implementing various practices under Dynamic Capabilities and ISO 14001, and there is no practice under Dynamic Capabilities and ISO 14001, which is considered highly important by staff and students but is not currently undertaken by the majority of the HEIs. The nine officers during the first stage of the research, and the vast majority of the staff and students during the second stage consider that an EMS without third-party certification and with the involvement staff and students appropriate. The vast majority of staff and students consider the proposed EMS framework presented to them during the interview appropriate. In conclusion, it is considered that the implementation of an EMS based on the framework proposed is feasible and appropriate.