Technology Standards - Research Paper Example

Technology Standards Task Technology Standards Introduction The modern day is an informed consumer. As such, manufacturers and producers of goods and services need to meet the tastes and preferences of the consumer in order to remain relevant in the current global market. It is no longer a question of how cheap or affordable a given product or service procured in the market is, but the question of what quality the product possesses. This means that the customers are going after quality in products and services rather than looking out for affordability and lower prices. In this wake, manufacturers have to attain high standards of quality in both their products and services in order to meet the specifications of their clientele. Furthermore, industry players and state actors came up with a number of standardized principles against which they apply the measure of quality standards and practices. As such, an organization has to strive to achieve the necessary standard proposed by these principles in order to get a certification from them, showing to its clients as well as other stakeholders that it complies with the highest standards of quality. A company that deals with the best standards always secures more customers, despite their pricing strategy or product offering because a high quality product usually promotes the brand image of the company, its products or its services. Some of the globally acclaimed certification standards include the ISO certification, the Biometric Standards Certification, as well as the ANSI Standard certification. These three are the common and most accepted quality standards across different industries and markets, an aspect that gives every company an edge over other industry players, especially in the light of heightened competition owing to changes in consumer behavior and purchasing patterns directed by information and quality standards ISO Standard Development Process Definition A standard refers to a document providing characteristics, specifications, requirements, or guidelines that an organization can use or put into practice within the operations of the company in order to maintain consistency and high quality of its products and services, as well as maintain a reputable brand image. As such, the ISO (International Standard Organization) refers to an independent body tasked with the duty of examining and outlining the criteria of quality standards and specifications that accompany must meet in order to receive due certification of quality compliance. The ISO is a global body that provides various certifications across numerous fields across industries and markets, which concerned stakeholders, have to meet in order to comply with globally accepted quality standards. As such, the ISO ensures an organization maintains consistency in quality standards by ensuring that the materials used in the production process, the products and services, the process of production, as well as the services following production, such as the sales and after sales services are fit for the set purpose developed for them to serve. In this regard, ISO published more than 19,500 International Standards, which companies from all over the globe that need certification can apply, and purchase, only after meeting the set standards and regulations, from the ISO store or from its member partners. Achieving these ISO International Standards is very beneficial for any given company because it ensures that the services or products offered to the market by the company are reliable, safe, as well as of good high quality. Furthermore, they are very beneficial for businesses as they enable companies to apply them as strategic tools in the reduction of operational costs through the minimization of errors and wastes in the production process, as well as lead to a significant improvement in the productivity and efficiency of the company. Companies that implement these ISO standards diligently get access to new market spheres, which initially they were locked out of. Generally, the standard offers all industry players and stakeholders across the world an avid opportunity to take onto the global scale with confidence as it levels the playing field, especially for the case of developing countries through facilitation of free and fair global trade. The ISO International Standards Certification is very instrumental in boosting the confidence factor in every organization. This is especially in consideration of the fact that protection of the reputation of the company is among the most important tasks, as well as a very difficult one, that senior executive managers in organizations, other management teams, as well as company directors face in the modern day economy. The basic reason underlying this principle in the fact that a reputable brand image of the company creates a significant competitive edge for the firm. As such, it is imperative for the management to note that even a minor slip can be a cause for major irreparable damage on the image and brand of the company. Therefore, adherence to ISO standards enables the firm to develop the best image before its customers and other stakeholders, as well as follow internationally accepted standards of anti-corruption and anti-bribery alongside development of a global reputation that boosts the confidence of the company to operate globally and benefit from a greater leverage in performance and execution of its activities. Principles of ISO International Standards The development of ISO International Standards takes the efforts of a panel of experts within a structured technical committee. These experts meet to negotiate, discuss and draft a standard after establishing the need for a given standard to be in place. ISO members get a chance to comment, as well as vote for or against a draft developed by this panel of experts. The draft only gets to become an international ISO standard if all the ISO members reach a common consensus regarding it, failure to which it returns to the technical committee, which has to undertake further reviews and edits to polish up the draft. The development of these ISO standards follows a structured number of key principles. A given ISO standard has to respond to a given need in the market, otherwise its development would be futile. As such, it is not the prerogative of ISO to make a decision on whether or not to develop a new standard. On the contrary, ISO makes new standards in response to a request from the industry players, or other concerned stakeholders, such as the consumer groups. Under basic circumstances, an industry sector or a given group makes appropriate communication to the ISO outlining the need for development of a given standard. Secondly, global expert opinions drive the establishment of new ISO standards. As such, a group of experts from across the entire globe comprising of the larger technical committee take part in the development of these standards. Therefore, these experts have to negotiate and come to a consensus regarding all aspects of the given standard, such as its content, scope, as well as key definitions. The third principle is the fact that development of these ISO standards follows a multi-stakeholder process. Not only do the technical experts tasked with the duty of developing these standards come from relevant industry sectors, but they also come from other concerned stakeholders such as academia fields, consumer associations, relevant government agencies, as well as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The last key principle of the ISO standards is consensus. The development process of these standards follows a consensus-based approach whereby all involved parties have an opportunity to give their comments for consideration. Phases Establishment of ISO standard has different phases based on the fields upon which they apply. As such, there are different standard referring to different sectors of the economy. Some of the popular standards include standards focusing on Quality Management, Environmental Management, Country Codes, Social Responsibility, Energy Management, Risk Management, Food Safety Management, Information Security Management, and Sustainable Events. Biometric Standard Development Process A biometric standard is another key branch of the ISO Corporation that focuses mainly on quality aspects related to biometrics. As such, a good performance in the biometric systems depends on the quality of input samples acquired. Therefore, it becomes easier to improve the quality standards of the products and as such, have a guaranteed productive performance by incorporating sensor design, or user interface design, or through strict compliance with the standards provided. However, some quality aspects not able to fit into the design need an added ability in the analysis of the quality within the live samples. This concept is essential in the fact that initiates reacquisition from a user, as well as support the real time selection or choice of the best sample, as well as the selective invocation of a number of different methods of processing. ANSI Standard Development Process ANSI is a quality standards institute that oversees the quality and standardization of all products and services offered within the American market. As such, the institute empowers its constituents, as well as members to make the U.S market place much stronger and competitive within the global playing field. In addition, it also assists in provision of the necessary assurance and guarantee to the concerned stakeholders, such as the environment and the consumers, of their safety and health. Consequently, the key role of the institute is to sponsor the creation, promulgation, as well as the application or implementation of a number of guidelines and norms that have a direct impact on businesses performing in nearly every sector of the economy, such as construction equipment, acoustical devices, livestock and diary production, and distribution of energy. It also plays the policing role in the U.S by ensuring all members and constituents conform to globally accredited standards such as the ISO international standardizations for quality (ISO 9000) and environmental management systems (ISO 14000). Through these activities, ANSI manages to enhance the quality of life within the United States and the global competitiveness of products and services from the U.S. It achieves this by facilitating and promoting conformity assessment systems, and voluntary consensus standards, as well as safeguarding the integrity of these standards. ANSI serves as the coordinator and administrator of the voluntary standardization process within the U.S private sector, under the sponsorship of three governmental agencies and five engineering societies. An NGO does not look for profits in its operations, but rather seeks for the promotion of quality standards and safety among all industry and market players within the country. Through its efforts, the organization promotes the competitiveness of American business and products across the global platform. Conclusion and Discussion In conclusion, it is evident that the three bodies, ISO, biometric standards, and ANSI look out for the promotion of high quality and safety of products and services offered to the market for sale and consumption. This is majorly with the regard to improve the competitiveness of these products, especially with the wake of the emerging growth in international markets and globalization trends. As such, a product or service produced in a third world or developing country, has the same chance to access foreign markets as a product or service produced in the developed or first world countries, as long as it confers with the standards of quality and administration conferred upon each product, process, or system of production. This is a welcome move especially for those companies that want to take their operational global, as these international quality standards will enable them produce or manufacture goods and services that meet the required international standards of quality and administration, as well as the promotion of safety and health of both the consumers and the environment. References Andrews, T. & Pardy, W. (2009) Integrated Management Systems: Leading Strategies and Solutions. Washington, D.C: Government Institutes. Garza-Reyes, J., Kumar, V. & Rocha-Lona, L. (2013) Building Quality Management Systems: Selecting the Right Methods and Tools. Boston: CRC Press. 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