ISO Management Systems
September - October 2005

Influencing purchasers

Special Report

Influencing purchasers

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Influencing purchasers

Import purchasers favour ISO 14001-certified suppliers

A survey of American, British, Dutch, German, Japanese and Spanish importers of Israeli products indicates that the decision to purchase can be positively influenced by the existence of a supplier’s ISO 14001-certified environmental management system.

ISO 9000 survey shows value of customer focus – and gives purchaser’s viewpoint

As India climbs the world economic table, the experience and views of ISO 9000-companies are increasingly influential. This study of long-certified companies in southern India ranks their reported benefits. It also asked industrial customers about the benefits of purchasing from the certified companies

Viewpoint

Achieving business value through accountability and transparency

Margaret Flaherty, Director of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, shares the essentials of a new report, developed by a team led by Travis Engen, President and CEO of Alcan, and Samuel Dipiazza, CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers, that sheds strategic light on the hot business topics of accountability and transparency.

ISO Insider

• Latest ISO Survey confirms integration of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 with world economy
• Lessons of the ISO 14001 SME survey and the path forward
• Improved ISO/IEC 17799 heralds new series on information security management systems
• Workshop advances ISO 9001:2000 guidelines for local government
• Progress on handbook to help managers integrate management systems

International

• World Trade Report 2005 highlights ISO’s key role

The “growing importance of international standards” and ISO’s contribution are analysed at length in the WTO’s World Trade Report 200

• Tyrolean farmers offer ISO 14001-certified farm holidays

Thirteen upland farms in South Tyrol’s beautiful Gsieser Valley now offer ISO 14001:1996-certified “holidays on the farm”. While competing in dairy farming, they worked together on EMS implementation to protect the mountain environment, and encourage an increasing number of visitors to do the same.

• Government research highlights business benefits of standards

Newly published research confirms the contribution of standards to productivity, growth, innovation and international trade

• First Latin American agro-food research seminar proposes QMS network

The first International Quality Management Seminar for Latin American Agro-food Research Organizations achieved virtually unanimous approval to adopt ISO 9001:2000 and ISO/IEC 17025:200, and to set up a quality management network linking the national agricultural research institutes of the region

Standards for services

‘Can I help you?’ – examining the need for standards for services

This article presents the perspective of the United Kingdom where BSI British Standards has gained experience working on standards for services as varied as customer complaints handling, dispute resolution, customer billing, relationship management, estate agents, customer service, personal financial planners and whistle blowing