University of the Cordilleras

College of Engineering & Architecture

Architecture Department
2nd Semester AY 2022-2023
SEAT WORK

AR-BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 2: BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND

APPLICATION FOR ARCHITECTURE 2
RSW MT 01:
TITLE: BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY
1. INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
2. CORPORATE INSURANCES

DATE GIVEN: January 19, 2023

DATE DUE: January 25, 2023
DATE SUBMITTED: January 25, 2023

REFERENCES:
 NA (2022). International certification standards. Retrieved January 23, 2022 from
https://www.bdc.ca/en/articles-tools/entrepreneur-toolkit/templates-business-
guides/glossary/international-certification-standards
 Poorna, A. (2023). Corporate Insurance. Retrieved January 23, 2022 from
https://cleartax.in/g/terms/corporate-insurance
 NA (2022). What is Corporate Insurance and its Benefits?. Retrieved January 23, 2022
from https://www.tataaia.com/blogs/life-insurance/what-is-corporate-insurance-and-
its-benefits.html
 NQA (2022). ISO 14001. Retrieved January 23, 2022 from https://www.nqa.com/en-
ph/certification/standards/iso-14001
 EPA (2023). Learn About Environmental Management Systems. Retrieved January 23,
2022 from https://www.epa.gov/ems/learn-about-environmental-management-
systems

STUDENT: Ganaden Mera D.

INSTRUCTOR: Ar. Rojayne Q. Sibayan, uap
 BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY

INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

An international certification standard outlines the requirements and

specifications a product, process or service must meet to ensure its quality is
consistent from country to country. For example, a drill bit manufactured
according to an international certification standard would be the same size
and quality, whether it was made in Canada or any other country in the world.

Some of the world’s best-known standards are set by the International

Organization for Standardization (ISO). It has issued thousands of standards,
establishing internationally recognized guidelines for everything from the way
movie camera film is handled to how languages are translated.

Among the most popular ISO standards are the following:

 ISO 9001 for quality management

 ISO 14001 for environmental management
 ISO 22000 for food processing safety

1. EMS

ISO 14001: Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a set of processes and
practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts
and increase its operating efficiency. This site provides information and
resources related to an EMS for small businesses and private industry, as well as
local, state and federal agencies.

Basic EMS

An EMS helps an organization address its regulatory requirements in a

systematic and cost-effective manner. This proactive approach can help
reduce the risk of non-compliance and improve health and safety practices
for employees and the public. An EMS can also help address non-regulated
issues, such as energy conservation, and can promote stronger operational
control and employee stewardship. Basic Elements of an EMS include the
following:

 Reviewing the organization's environmental goals;

 Analyzing its environmental impacts and compliance obligations (or
legal and other requirements);
 Setting environmental objectives and targets to reduce environmental
impacts and conform with compliance obligations;
 Establishing programs to meet these objectives and targets;
 Monitoring and measuring progress in achieving the objectives;
 Ensuring employees' environmental awareness and competence; and,
 Reviewing progress of the EMS and achieving improvements.

Costs and Benefits of an EMS

Internal
 Staff/manager time (represents the bulk of EMS resources expended by
most organizations)
 Other employee time
External

 Potential consulting assistance

 Outside training of personnel
Potential Benefits

 Improved environmental performance

 Enhanced compliance
 Pollution prevention
  Resource conservation
 New customers/markets
 Increased efficiency/reduced costs
 Enhanced employee morale
 Enhanced image with public, regulators, lenders, investors
 Employee awareness of environmental issues and responsibilities

An EMS encourages an organization to continuously improve its environmental

performance. The system follows a repeating cycle (see figure 1). The
organization first commits to an environmental policy, then uses its policy as a
basis for establishing a plan, which sets objectives and targets for improving
environmental performance. The next step is implementation. After that, the
organization evaluates its environmental performance to see whether the
objectives and targets are being met. If targets are not being met, corrective
action is taken. The results of this evaluation are then reviewed by top
management to see if the EMS is working. Management revisits the
environmental policy and sets new targets in a revised plan. The company
then implements the revised plan. The cycle repeats, and continuous
improvement occurs.

The most commonly used framework for an EMS is the one developed by the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for the ISO 14001 standard.
Established in 1996, this framework is the official international standard for an
EMS which is based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology. The five main
stages of an EMS, as defined by the ISO 14001 standard, are described below:

1. Commitment and Policy - Top management commits to environmental

improvement and establishes the organization's environmental policy. The
policy is the foundation of the EMS.

2. Planning - An organization first identifies environmental aspects of its

operations. Environmental aspects are those items, such as air pollutants or
hazardous waste, that can have negative impacts on people and/or the
environment. An organization then determines which aspects are significant
by choosing criteria considered most important by the organization. For
example, an organization may choose worker health and safety,
environmental compliance, and cost as its criteria. Once significant
environmental aspects are determined, an organization sets objectives and
targets.
3. Implementation - A organization follows through with the action plan using
the necessary resources (human, financial, etc.). An important component is
employee training and awareness for all employees (including interns,
contractors, etc.). Other steps in the implementation stage include
documentation, following operating procedures, and setting up internal and
external communication lines.

4. Evaluation - A company monitors its operations to evaluate whether

objectives and targets are being met. If not, the company takes corrective
action.

5. Review - Top management reviews the results of the evaluation to see if the
EMS is working. Management determines whether the original environmental
policy is consistent with the organization's values. The plan is then revised to
optimize the effectiveness of the EMS. The review stage creates a loop of
continuous improvement for a company.

ISO 14001 is the international standard for environmental management systems

(EMS) and the most widely used EMS in the world, with over 360,000 ISO 14001
certificates issued globally.

ISO 14001 is the principal management system standard that specifies the
requirements for the formulation and maintenance of an EMS. This helps to
control your environmental aspects, reduce impacts and ensure legal
compliance. Studies show that as much as 70% of total office waste is
recyclable; however, only 7.5% reaches the recycling facility.

ISO 14001 is accompanied by ISO 14004 Environmental Management Systems

– General Guidelines on principles, systems, and support techniques. The
standard covers issues such as the establishment, implementation,
maintenance, and improvement of an EMS.

Nearly any business can benefit from achieving certification to ISO 14001
standards. The certification is broad enough to offer significant benefits to
organizations in any industry or sector, while still providing a specific framework
for implementing relevant sustainable practices.
 2. QEMS

ISO 9001: 2015 & ISO 14001: 2015: Quality and Environmental Management
System (QEMS)

The benefits associated with the QEMS approach are numerous, such as lower
management costs, which are also smoother over time, and procedures that
are more streamlined and under better control. From an environmental
standpoint, we also note a decrease in the consumption of energy and raw
materials.

In terms of quality, we also note an improvement in products or services, an

increase in the overall performance of the company, and satisfaction from
various stakeholders (clients, employees, partners, etc.).
Within the QEMS, the Academic Quality Management System (AQMS)
provides the governing framework that describes key academic systems of
operations. These key academic systems are:
(a) Curriculum Development System

(b) Curriculum Delivery System

(c) Student Assessment System

(d) Curriculum Evaluation System

These systems in turn are governed by four key academic processes that
realize the institution’s product which is defined as the full-time diploma course
in the SP QEMS. These four key academic processes are:
(a) Course Identification, Design & Development,
(b) Course Delivery,

(c) Student Assessment

(d) Course Evaluation

CORPORATE INSURANCE

Corporate insurance is a type of insurance cover usually used by large

organizations to protect their business against operational risks such as theft,
financial losses, employees’ health, and accidents. It is comprehensive
business insurance that benefits past or present employees as well as the
company itself.

Business fully insured is still considered insufficient to grow business, unless it is

combined with smart decisions by management or those charged with power.
Further, it fails to protect the company against any losses due to fraud
committed by the employees. Hence, every corporate insurance cover has
limitations. Corporate insurance provides you with absolute lawsuit protection
due to incorrect decisions proved unintentional or negligent on the part of the
management or employees.

Insurance companies can even seek legal help when it must disburse a claim
under corporate insurance. Some of the popular insurance types under
corporate insurance -Property Insurance, Professional Liability Insurance,
Worker’s Compensation Insurance, Group Health Insurance, Product Liability
Insurance, and Business interruption Insurance.
Benefits of Corporate Insurance

Here are the benefits of corporate insurance:

 Added health cover: Your employees are the building blocks for your
business. They are the assets for any successful running business.
Corporate health insurance plans offer health insurance for your
employees and their families.

Regular fitness check-ups, healthcare camps, and compensation in

case of disability or death make employees rely on their employers.
Health coverage also helps to retain your best employees.

 Credibility: A corporate insurance plan increases the credibility of your

business. Your clients and employees feel secure when they know that a
corporate policy secures the venture they are associated with. In
addition, good corporate insurance helps you sign and retain good
talents and excellent clients.
Moreover, for certain business industries, it is required to show proof of
insurance before signing a contract. Also, having your business secured
by corporate insurance allows you an upper hand in negotiating.

 Safeguarding physical assets: One can never predict physical damage

to property or mishappenings like theft. Several corporate insurance
policies protect a company's physical assets like furniture, stock,
computers, etc.

 Protect your business from the 'Act of God': Natural disasters are
unpredictable and can cause a lot of damage to property. If the case
is so, you would need to repair the property to normal to conduct regular
business.

While the repairs are ongoing, you might need to have your business at
a standstill. Corporate insurance helps to replace lost income during
such times of repairs when your business is shut. It helps to clear rent, loan
payments, ongoing bills, payroll, etc.
  Minimise your financial losses: Any business can fall into situations that
shatter what it has built for years. Corporate insurance can help
safeguard your business in many ways. All corporate insurance cover
policies help your business sail through the unexpected.

Corporate insurance keeps you covered in a lawsuit, physical damage

to property, or a health crisis for an employee. By not investing in
corporate health insurance plans, you can be on the hook to pay legal
fees, medical bills, repair costs, etc. A financial burden such as these can
leave your business in jeopardy.

Types of Corporate Insurance

Businesses have access to various types of corporate insurance that safeguard

them from potential dangers and risks. Listed below are the types of corporate
insurance that one can avail of.

 Property Insurance - Property insurance provides coverage for the

company's physical assets in case of any natural disaster, vandalism,
etc. Some corporate insurances cover most of the incidents except for
a few.

 Professional Liability Insurance (Errors and omissions (E&O) insurance) -

Professional liability insurance protects your business from negligence
mistakes and claims. It is an industry-specific policy and requires
customisation from business to business. Corporate insurance is
mandatory for industries including finance, law, healthcare, accounting,
etc.

 Workers' Compensation Insurance - Workers' compensation insurance

covers your employees' medical expenses. It also compensates them in
case of disability or death.

 Group Health Insurance - Group health insurance offers healthcare and

fitness benefits to a group of people in a company. This corporate
insurance is uniform for all the company employees and provides similar
 benefits to all. Furthermore, health insurance helps you avail yourself of
tax* benefits.

 Product Liability Insurance - If you own a manufacturing business that

produces products for consumption, you must invest in product liability
insurance. Even if your production is perfect, it might cause damage to
a consumer. In such a scenario, product liability insurance would come
to your aid.

 Business Interruption Insurance - Businesses run on risks and uncertainties.

There can be instances and events where your business might fall off the
course of its normal business conduct. As a result, you might face loss.
Business interruption insurance would help cover business losses during
the interruption period.

Features of Corporate Insurance

 For some situations, the insurance company can appoint a lawyer to

defend your business against the claims. As a result, you can be free
from the charges of a legal professional, which could otherwise cost you
hugely.

 Corporate insurance offers you a complete lawsuit protection cover,

even if there are misdoings on the company's behalf. A corporate
insurance policy would well defend your business, and you would face
minimal losses.

 The group health insurance works as a financial relief to the employees

and workers of the company. This insurance offers coverage if the
employees face health issues, disabilities, or even death.

 Corporate insurance is both a wise and necessary option. Every small or

large business must invest in a corporate insurance policy to run its
business and avoid legal repercussions