BUSINESS STANDARDS
is the quarterly magazine of BSI Group, highlighting the vital role that standards play in today's business environment. Regular features include interviews with leading business figures, as well as news on the latest developments in management systems and standards.
Question: Can standards really help minimize the need for regulation?
Regulation and legislation keep business on a level playing field and help mitigate against risk, as was acknowledged by The Hampton Review in 2005.
Question: Does business really need an integrated management systems standard?
Integrate or disintegrate - which would you choose? Some ten years ago the environmental standard, ISO 14001, was born and there are now over 100,000 organizations registered to it worldwide.
Question: Can you really measure customer satisfaction?
The simple answer is yes. Two years ago, BSI Management Systems took our customer- focused strategy to the next level by introducing a satisfaction survey for our clients.
Question: what is the value of a "non-
standard" standard, such as a PAS?
The PAS, or Publicly Available Specification, forms part of our spectrum of standards information ranging from full international consensus to bespoke individual company advice.
Question: What impact do you think BCM could have on business insurance in the future?
It is essential that any business suffering a disaster is able to continue as near normal trading in the shortest possible time period to survive. To achieve this, an organization should implement a comprehensive well-tested business continuity plan (BCP) as a first step. Insurance should be viewed as an extension to the BCP process, not an alternative.
Question: Do companies need to verify their carbon footprint?
Unless a business is regulated by some form of greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting and/or cap-and-trade regulation (as is the case for some 12,000 installations in Europe), rarely is there the need to either calculate or verify the accuracy of a carbon footprint.
Question: Why is risk management important to business?
First, there's more to risk management than just managing risk. Most organizations will talk about risk assessments, but the question is: what are they assessing? If you don't know what the threats are, then how can you conduct an effective risk assessment?
Question: We are under increasing pressure to comply with a growing number of regulations and to maintain growth - while under greater scrutiny than ever before. How can this be good for business?
We are all in the risk management business. In the current climate, as consumers we are encouraged to claim compensation or sue for damages for almost any negative incident we encounter.
We are under increasing pressure to comply with a growing number of regulations and to maintain growth - while under greater scrutiny than ever before. How can this be good for business?
We are all in the risk management business. In the current climate, as consumers we are encouraged to claim compensation or sue for damages for almost any negative incident we encounter.
Question: Why is ISO 9001 still relevant?
This question has been raised before and at BSI, we make certain to ask the question as a matter of course. The forthcoming update to the standard - ISO 9001:2008 Quality management systems. Requirements - is the result of just such questioning.
With over 30,000 commercial fires handled by the fire service in the UK every year, the demand for a more fire-safety conscious approach to commercial buildings has been high for years.
Business continuity comes to ICT
When BSI published PAS 77IT Service continuity management. Code of practice in 2006, it sparked such interest that it set the stage for a new British Standard. The result is BS 25777 Code of practice for information and communications technology continuity, which has been published as a draft for public comment and is targeted for publication before the end of the year.
World Standards Day 2008 was on 14 October and this year, the theme was "Intelligent and Sustainable Buildings". The day highlighted the role of standards in everything from safety requirements to new technologies in the design and construction of such buildings.
It's a familiar scenario in the news: a piece of evidence is introduced to prosecute a defendant in a courtroom and if any doubt is introduced about the integrity of that evidence, the strength of that evidence can be limited if not eliminated, potentially harming a legal case.
Fast glass: Kitemark® for Norvik
Barnsley based Norvik PVCu Window Systems Ltd has achieved Kitemark certification to BS EN 1279 for its new range of double-glazed sealed units in record time, following assessment from BSI Product Services.
Question: Can you really measure customer satisfaction?
The simple answer is yes. Two years ago, BSI Management Systems took our customer- focused strategy to the next level by introducing a satisfaction survey for our clients.
Have a standards-related question for BSI or a comment on the website? We'll find the right person to answer.
