Use of structural equation modeling for quantitative analysis of the main features of environmental training: survey from companies with ISO14001 located in Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this project is to supplement the results of a recently completed FAPESP project titled "Environmental training in Brazilian companies: case studies" (FAPESP Process 2008/50807-0), by conducting a search type survey, to analyze key characteristics of environmental training in firms with ISO14001 certification located in Brazil, complete with a statistical analysis of the qualitative evidence that the applicant has obtained through nine case studies in Brazilian companies. Thus, with the backdrop of the main concepts and theoretical arguments about environmental management and environmental training, we intend to conduct a survey-type survey with companies possessing ISO 14001 certification in Brazil located indexed based on ISO INMETRO, which has information such as company name, name of the manager of environment and your e-mail, thus enabling the realization of an e-mail survey, that is, a survey in which respondents key (if the environmental manager) are invited to participate in the search for an individual email sent to your email box, containing a link that will direct you to a site where it is published the survey questionnaire to fill online and sending information to the researcher. The questionnaire will contain variables that were relevant to the qualitative analysis of the same theme project recently completed by the researcher (FAPESP Process 2008/50807-0). Features are listed on the environmental training for the environmental manager of the firms could signal the intensity with which each variable occurs in your company based on a 5-point Likert scale. Taking advantage of the tenderer's experience in conducting survey with companies certified to ISO14001 for his doctorate, data collected will be organized and analyzed descriptively and by means of the coefficients of correlation and factor analysis in order to group characteristics of training in environmental factors. Later, it will be applied Structural Equation Modeling Software SmartPLS through in order to relate the characteristics of environmental training and stages (maturity levels) of environmental training. The results can be useful in the design of the characteristics of environmental training in the companies analyzed. It is still a relatively unexplored and has potential for generation of publications as well as being relevant to the continuing study of the subject by the researcher and his students, deepening the expertise of the research group on the theme of environmental training. The group has produced a master's thesis with qualitative study on environmental training and an undergraduate student who raised the main issues of interest to micro and small entrepreneurs in the region of Ribeirão Preto / SP for topics on environmental management and climate change. The originality of this project lies in the fact that in Brazil are still very little research devoted to the analysis of environmental training, especially from the standpoint of quantitative analysis. (AU)