Integrated management systems (IMSs) have been discussed and written about by both quality professionals and academic researchers for a number of years now. Such literature has discussed pathways to integration, bene® ts of integration as well as obstacles to integration. Much of what has been written has been based on individual case studies. This paper reports on an empirical study of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) that have implemented ISO 9000 quality management systems (QMSs) and ISO 14001 environmental management systems (EMSs). The millions of SMEs in the UK are extremely important to the economic development of the country because of their contribution to outputs and employment (Husband & Mandal, 1999). Systems integration may be particularly appealing to SMEs because of the potential for reducing paperwork, audit time and costs. The main aims of this study were to determine:
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