Tuesday, 18 September 2018

How ISO Certification Improves Consumer Confidence

The global economy is an umbrella term that encompasses the world's national economies. In recent decades, the economic boom in developing nations like China and India have opened up hitherto unexplored economic sectors. However, with increasing competitiveness in the global economy, international quality standards need to be promulgated to ensure a consistent degree of excellence across various industries. How can industries maintain a high level of excellence and receive the accreditation that will give them an edge in the global economy?

Business enterprises can gain widespread consumer acceptance if they follow the technical standards devised by internationally recognized standard-developing organizations. A standard-developing organization is an organization which primary activities involve developing, promulgating, revising, and implementing technical standards. Most standards disseminated by standard-developing organizations such as the ISO 9001 registration are considered voluntary because entire industries adopt them without being mandated by law.

The term "formal standard" refers to technical specifications that have been approved and promulgated by standard-developing organizations. The term "de jure" refers to standards that have been mandated by various governments as mandatory protocol. Furthermore, the term "de facto standard" refers to specifications or protocols that have achieved widespread acceptance without being promulgated by any standard-developing organization.

The three most well-established international bodies are the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). All three international bodies have existed for more than 50 years and are based in Geneva, Switzerland. Moreover, these international bodies have established tens and thousands of standards that have supplanted various domestic standards.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) publishes technical reports, technical specifications, and comprehensive technical guidelines that streamline processes across a variety of industries. Technical standards are mainly concerned with developing interface standards, which detail how technical products interconnect with other components, as well as the safety standards that ensure that products remain safe for humans, animals, and the environment.

The ISO 9000 group of standards are concerned with streamlining quality management systems, ensuring that organizations meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders. The ISO 9000 deals with the eight management principles that facilitate excellence. The eight principles are customer-focused organization, effective leadership, the active involvement of people, a coherent process approach, a coherent system approach to management, a desire for continual improvement, an objective approach to decision making, and mutually beneficial supplier relationships.

Commercial enterprises that have undergone ISO certification enjoy greater consumer confidence and international prestige. A 2011 survey conducted by the British Assessment Bureau has revealed that 44% of their certified clients have won new business. Moreover, research has proven that ISO-certified organizations achieve superior returns on their assets and superior operational performance.

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