Quality Management and Frameworks - Essay Example

? Quality management and frameworks- ADFCA Company in UAE Quality management and frameworks One of the most important legacies of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the preservation of the land and marine environment for future generations of the Emirates. In a relatively small area, Abu Dhabi boasts a diverse environment, and the Environment Agency will achieve excellence in the protection of environment, health and safety through partnerships between Government entities and the private sector, so that activities within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi are undertaken in a responsible, safe and sustainable manner. Ensuring a clean environment is critical to sustainable economic growth in Abu Dhabi. The Environment Agency has historically worked with a range of government agencies to define and develop regulation and standards, as well as to enforce them. Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) is on of the key Abu Dhabi and federal entities concerned with health and safety (Umashev & Willett 2008). Introduction Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) was established in year 2005, as an independent food regulatory agency for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, with full financial and administrative capacity, administered by an independent Board of Directors. The establishment of the Food Control Authority reflects the Abu Dhabi Government's commitment to protecting the consumer by ensuring the safety and wholesomeness of food served to the public throughout the food chain. The Authority embodies the Abu Dhabi Government's commitment to protecting its consumers, particularly by ensuring the safety and quality of food served throughout the public. It enforces policies and standards and conducts research and awareness campaigns to maintain a sustainable agriculture and food sector that delivers safe food to the public, protects the health of animals and plants, and adheres to sound environmental practices. The vision of the ADFCA is “An internationally recognized food and agriculture organization that contributes to the well-being of the community” (ADFCA). Its mission is “to develop a sustainable agriculture and food sector that ensures the delivery of safe food to the public and protects the health of animals and plants while promoting sound environmental practices through cohesive and effective policies and regulations, quality standards, research and education” (ADFCA). GIS profile GIS and mapping capacities at ADFCA are currently in the exploratory and planning stage phase, and there is interest in utilizing mapping applications to augment their current business processes. Once fully developed, GIS would enable ADFCA to map and understand the location and spatial distribution of food facilities, plan and conduct inspection operations (aided by PDAs and hand-held computers), respond to health alerts, identify suitable locations for new food facilities, and monitor food transport vehicle movements (Geuser, Mooraj, & Oyon, 2009). ASDI involvement ADFCA became a member entity in the SDI community in September 2009. IT & Field Operations is cooperating closely with the ADSIC team in accessing and using ADFCA’s database to map the food establishments with building Geocode and creating a linkage to the Abu Dhabi Spatial Data Infrastructure (AD-SDI) initiative. Some of the activities that ADFCA has participated in include: Pilot Project, With the help of ADSIC team, a pilot area and a food inspector was identified, with a view to mapping the food establishment (Groceries & Supermarkets) of that area with the building Geocodes (made available by ADSIC); and Food Establishment Data, which were mapped with result of pilot project, with their respective information viz. Trade License Details, Activities, Risk Level, Contact Information, Owner Information, ADFCA Inspection Actions (Warnings & Violations) issued in the last one year (Geuser, Mooraj, & Oyon 2009). Participation of ADFCA in SIAL China The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority announced its participation in SIAL China 2012, which will be held in Shanghai during the period from May 9 to 11, 2012. In its 13th edition, ADFCA will be represented by a delegation headed by the Director General. ADFCA's platform at the exhibition will host a wide range of the UAE's largest dates expertise companies, including Al Foah, Liwa Dates, Emirates Dates, along with a large number of publications on dates, which will be available in Arabic, English and Chinese, in order to facilitate the transfer of information on this fruit and its endless benefits to the largest amount of participants and audience. SIAL Food Exhibition is the largest of its kind in China, where its activities are run through six different halls spreading over an area that exceeds 70,000 square meters. SIAL China will host 1,800 exhibitors and a total of 40,000 visitors are expected to visit it year (Umashev & Willett 2008). ADFCA's participation in China aims to enhance its global presence. It plays a role in educating other countries on the value of agricultural production in Abu Dhabi in particular and the UAE in general especially dates; which occupies the majority of productivity in the Emirates on the world scale. The participation of ADFCA is aimed at promoting and highlighting the many benefits of dates, the permanent availability of in the UAE, and the distinctive brands derived from locally grown palm trees. This is because SIAL China is the world's leading food sector exhibition, where the UAE has embraced its Middle East edition. ADFCA's participation will create new markets for their locally grown dates, opening doors to meet international buyers working in the field of food, and introducing them to their distinctive date products and their multiple benefits, which will create for marketing this food product that is considered to be on the main agricultural products in the emirate (Umashev & Willett 2008). Launch of E-services by Abu Dhabi Government Agency In 2008, within three years of its establishment, ADFCA aligned itself to e-government objectives by implementing an advanced collaboration infrastructure. It considered several technologies but chose Microsoft products due to their performance and widely available technical support resources. The solution achieved 100 per cent user acceptance and ADFCA employees increased their productivity by 80 per cent (Sharma 2009). Business Needs The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) monitors safety and quality of all raw and processed food that is imported, displayed for sale, and served for human consumption within Abu Dhabi. The Authority conducts inspections of food outlets such as hotels, restaurants, and shops, and provides consultancy services for food outlet staff and citizens to raise awareness about food safety. To fulfil these critical public safety responsibilities, it is essential for ADFCA to communicate and collaborate with stakeholders efficiently. Managing such widespread operations is only possible if ADFCA helps businesses understand food quality regulations in the first place. Contributions from the public, for example, reporting food poisoning incidents, are also important, so that timely action can be taken (Sharma 2009). In 2007, ADFCA identified several key issues that prevented it from achieving the required standards of collaboration with customers and citizens namely: manual processes, since food outlet representatives requesting ADFCA certification had to visit the authority’s office in person to apply; an ineffective Web site, since the HTML-based Web site only supported static Web pages and it was difficult to publish new information because publishers required technical skills; and slow complaint resolution process, except for food poisoning issues, since citizens had to submit complaints against food outlets by e-mail or telephone, but it took up to 24 hours to appoint appropriate staff to respond because e-mail messages were sorted manually. There was also no system to track the progress of the inspection schedule required for complaint resolution. In 2008, ADFCA undertook a major IT restructuring project to address these three areas, particularly by developing a reliable two-way communication channel between the organisation and businesses and citizens and eliminating manual processes so that employees could improve productivity (Sharma 2009). The solution ADFCA finally chose to employ a communication and collaboration infrastructure based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. The Authority used the existing Enterprise Agreement for low-cost volume software licensing between Abu-Dhabi Systems and Information Committee and Microsoft, and started developing the solution in January 2008. A key role was played by Injazat Data Systems, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner that has provided IT support to ADFCA since 2005. Main components of the system are: an Internet Web site, Based on Office SharePoint Server 2007 that supports both Arabic and English channels; E-services, whereby customers who register on the Web site receive a username and password to access e-services and apply for certifications such as for food export fitness and food quality and safety testing; and Intranet, which is also based on Office SharePoint Server 2007 and is specially designed for the ADFCA staff to provide a common repository to store documents. They only have to visit the ADFCA office in person to collect the final certificate (Sharma 2009). The ADFCA Communication and Information department uses a document workflow to publish corporate information and food safety advice for the public, through the internet website. The E-services are also used to provide electronic forms for citizens to log complaints. They can pay and track the status of the request online. They also receive text messages on their mobile phones each time the service status changes. The intranet is based on workflows that automatically escalate the certification requests and log complaints to appropriate staff. Employees can access the portal remotely and start working as soon as they receive the job request. The Active Directory service provides users with a single sign-on authentication to also access business applications used by the human resources and finance departments (Sharma 2009). Benefits The system was implemented in August 2008, making ADFCA the first Abu Dhabi government agency to implement a comprehensive intranet and Internet solution with e-services based on the latest version of Office SharePoint Server. This solution introduced a completely new work culture at ADFCA that helped to improve productivity by 80 per cent. The achievements for ADFCA after implementation of the program are indicated below: 100 per cent user acceptance in the testing phase involving more than 50 employees; increased staff productivity by 80 per cent due to automated workflows and remote access to applications; instant commencement of the complaints resolution process compared to 24 hours before; ability to serve a greater number of customers than it could previously, because online service delivery has eliminated most manual processes; ability of the authority to collaborate not only with Abu Dhabi citizens, but also with the international scientific community via the new Internet site; enhanced organisational image due to the website, which allows tracking of complaints, assuring citizens that issues are being resolved and businesses can apply for certification online; Internal management has improved due to complaints workflow and other automated processes; document-publishing processes are now faster and editors do not require technical skills to post articles; and Intranet features such as My Site-customised Web Pages for individuals help employees quickly and easily access job-role related information such as salary, holidays, and hours worked (Sharma 2009). Due to the high scalability of the solution, ADFCA plans to start the next phase of the project to add more e-services, integrate it with systems used by other government agencies, and introduce business intelligence tools for senior managers to generate corporate reports. ADFCA Crisis Management Plan Official entities make arrangements or put the necessary procedures in place to deal with the receipt of incident notifications and then investigate and communicate with ADFCA accordingly. The ADFCA in turn has procedures in place to deal with the receipt of food incident notifications and will investigate accordingly by identifying the hazard, assessing the risk and deciding upon and initiating the appropriate course of action. In order to categorise food incidents for management purposes, consideration is given to the, hazard characterisation and the distribution of food associated with the incident. ADFCA takes into account the results of a risk assessment when deciding on appropriate action. Some of the crisis that require the involvement of the ADFCA include: large scale chemical contamination of food; serious microbiological contamination of food; intentional/malicious contamination of foods on a large scale; activation of another Government Agency emergency or contingency plan; notifications from World Health Organisation’s INFOSAN (International Food Safety Authorities Network) or other international food alerts; and basically other similar circumstances (Umashev & Willett 2008). Key Elements in the crisis management Plan There are four key elements in the implementation of a crisis management plan. The first is activation of the plan, followed by establishing of a crisis team. The third element is communications and the final step is closure and reporting. Activation of the Plan It is the role of the Crisis Team Coordinator (DG or ADG) to: initiate / activate the plan, contact all Crisis Team members, arrange the first meeting of the crisis team; and brief the crisis team on the circumstances of the crisis. Establishing Crisis Team Members of the team include the DG, ADG’s, communication and information manager, Field Operation Manager, Food Safety Manager, Senior Veterinarian, Laboratory Manager, Food Scientist, Food Microbiologist, Al Ain Branch Manager, and representatives from other Government Departments. The functions of the crisis team include: appointing a leader for the crisis team based on hazard; gathering and evaluating the information available; identifying options available for managing the crisis; initiating a risk assessment; agreeing on strategies for dealing with the crisis; identifying stakeholder groups to be involved; requesting further information as necessary; providing direction for action; preparing briefing on the crisis; and advise on communication. Risk Assessment requires the leader of the crisis team to: conduct assessment in a logical manner; structure the assessment based on Codex principles; consult with internal experts; document the assessment and expert opinions and assumption; ensure clear risk management roadmap; and communicate with all Divisions. An area will be designated as Crisis Control Centre containing: a discussion table with seating for at least 14 persons; AV equipment; IT equipment, preferable with server/internet access; Telephone; Fax; Whiteboard/Flip Charts; Markers, pens; Maps (UAE, Gulf Region and World) and Video conference facility. Communications The ADFCA Communication and Information Manager acts as a spokesperson for ADFCA, prepares statements for the crisis team, briefs the crisis team on information requests and coverage, reports to the crisis team on communication needs and strategy, liaises with the press and media on the crisis, and coordinates the preparation of information for dissemination. The ADFCA CID Manager conveys information on the crisis to stakeholders by: establishing dedicated advice or Helpline (phones are looped, manned, Voice-message is updated, CID email is monitored continuously); and preparing Information for dissemination via website and helpline. The ADFCA also has external partners who are informed in the event of a crisis. These stakeholders include: Ministry of Health; General Authority for Health Services of Abu Dhabi; General Secretariat of Municipalities; Abu Dhabi/Al Ain Municipalities; Ministry of Environment and Water; Federal Environment Agency; Abu Dhabi Environment Agency; Abu Dhabi Electricity and Water Authority; Abu Dhabi Customs Authority; and Ministry of Interior. Closure and Reporting The Crisis Team decides when the crisis is over and deactivates the plan. It then goes on to report the outcome of the team activities to all dealing with the crisis. Conclusion All food businesses in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi are obliged to ensure that the food they produce is safe and that their food operations are in compliance with the Food Law and its regulations. This Code of practice, produced by Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), specifies guidance to compliance with Abu-Dhabi food regulations, and ensures high degree of consistency with UAE regulations and Gulf Standards. Abu Dhabi Food Law No. (02) of the year 2008 requires all food business operators to have a traceability system in place that will enable them to withdraw and, where necessary, recall food products from the market, identified as posing a risk to consumers. In most circumstances, food incidents will be identified by food businesses themselves, who will normally initiate a product withdrawal/recall. There will in other instances, for example, through ongoing food inspection by ADFCA’s officers in charge, consumer complaints, as a result of investigation of illnesses, outbreaks of infectious disease, or through the testing of foods that incident(s) can be identified (Geuser, Mooraj, & Oyon 2009). Reference List ADFCA. (n.d.). Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority. Retrieved April 24, 2012, from http://www.adfca.ae/english/aboutADFCA/Pages/default.aspx Geuser, F. D., Mooraj, S., & Oyon, D. (2009). Does the Balanced Scorecard Add Value? Empirical Evidence on its Effect on Performance. European Accounting Review , Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 93–122,. Sharma, A. (2009). Implementing Balance Scorecard for Performance Measurement. Hyderabad : The Icfai University Press. Umashev, C., & Willett, R. (2008). Challenges to Implementing Strategic Performance Measurement Systems in Multi-Objective Organizations: The Case of a Large Local Government Authority. ABACUS , Vol. 44, No. 4. Read More