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The aim of the discipline of Operations Management is to gain competitive advantage. One more recent and lesser‐known Operations Management technique that is finding greater acceptance is the Theory of Constraints (TOC). This paper illustrates the use of a specific TOC technique termed “The Thinking Processes” to solve an airline industry case toward improved competitive outcomes.

Environmental management systems (EMS) seek to make companies simultaneously more competitive and environmentally responsible. Improved environmental performance can be sought from the adaptation of techniques that emphasize reduction of waste and process/product redesign in the quest of reducing environmental impact. However, EMS lacks a framework to quantify improvements and much of the evidence of EMS's impact on financial performance is anecdotal. This lack of theoretical development has served to diminish corporate support, thus reducing the likelihood of EMS implementation due to a perceived cost disadvantage. This paper proposes, and tests, a framework to quantify EMS improvements to determine the impact of EMS strategies on financial performance. Our findings suggest that implementation of an EMS strategy does not negatively impact a firm's financial performance.