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Advisory group presents recommendations
on social responsibility to ISO

An international advisory group, convened by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and including representatives of business, government regulators, trade unions and consumers, has recommended two concrete steps to assist in determining whether or not to develop ISO standards or deliverables addressing the social responsibility of organizations.

The group recommends ISO to:

• firstly, develop a technical report surveying the worldwide state of the art in social responsibility codes, guidelines and specifications, and
• secondly, carry out a justification study with a view to the preparation of a management system guideline standard that specifically includes a process for the self-declaration of conformity by organizations and excludes conformity assessment involving third-party certification.

These recommendations will initially be considered by ISO's Technical Management Board (TMB) by correspondence and then by the ISO Council at its meeting on 13-14 March 2003.

The recommendations were the outcome of the advisory group's second meeting, held on 16-17 February 2003 in Geneva. The group was established by the TMB to examine the question of whether standardization work by ISO could add value to already existing programmes for the range of issues coming under the scope of what has come to be termed "corporate social responsibility".

However, the advisory group is recommending that any work by ISO should address the social responsibility not only of business corporations, but also of all types of organization. In a working paper identifying preliminary issues, the group states: "Although there are many entities which use the word 'corporate social responsibility (CSR)', there is no single authoritative definition of the term and it is recognized that the term is evolving over time. However, most definitions emphasize the interrelationship amongst economic, environmental and social aspects and impacts of an organization's activities.

"It is not this advisory group's role to authoritatively define CSR. With respect to the use of the word 'corporate', it is understood that CSR had its origins in the context of commercial enterprises. ISO does not, as a rule, pre-determine which particular type of organization may use its standards or other deliverables. As a result, we refer to possible ISO social responsibility deliverables without organizational specification."

The advisory group is chaired by Daniel Gagnier, Senior Vice President, Corporate and External Affairs, of the Canadian multinational corporation, Alcan Inc., who also chairs ISO/TC 207, the ISO technical committee responsible for the ISO 14000 series of environmental management standards. The group currently comprises 21 participants chosen to represent a wide spectrum of stakeholder interests, including business, government regulators, trade unions and consumers, as well as different geographic regions. If ISO decides to go ahead with work on social responsibility, then the group recommends that the organization should review its processes for involving stakeholders in order to ensure the broadest possible acceptance of the output.

ISO is the world's largest developer of voluntary technical standards, having published nearly 14 000, including the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 families for quality and environmental management, which are implemented by more than 540 000 organizations in 160 countries.

ISO's work programme includes something to offer for the entire range of business and technology, from standards for traditional activities, such as agriculture and construction, through mechanical engineering, to medical devices, banking cards and toys, to the latest information technology developments.

Press contact:

Roger Frost
Press and Communication Manager
Public Relations Services
Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 733 34 30
E-mail frost@iso.org

Free brochures help users to get the best out of ISO 9000:2000 series

Two free brochures published by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) to assist organizations in implementing and getting the best out of the ISO 9000:2000 series of quality management standards are proving to do the job.

The steady international demand for the brochures has just been boosted by an order for a total of 4 500 copies from the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), prompting ISO to undertake a reprint.

"NSAI has found the brochures Quality Management Principles and ISO 9000:2000 – Selection and use to be very valuable in communicating to our auditors and customers on the principles underlying ISO 9001:2000 and the other standards in the series which support the development of an effective quality management system," Simon Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of NSAI, explained.

The full texts of the two documents are freely available on ISO's Web site and the attractively produced brochure versions can ordered free (for small quantities – postage and handling charged on larger orders) from ISO national member institutes (see complete list with contact details) and from ISO Central Secretariat (sales@iso.org).

"Although the information contained in the documents is available on ISO's Web site, we find that the brochures provide opportunities to involve more people in organizing themselves for the change to ISO 9001:2000," Mr. Kelly said. "We are keen to ensure that our customers understand that ISO 9001:2000 is an opportunity to invigorate their quality management system with a new dimension in both empowerment and business practicality."

ISO 9000 - Selection and use presents the main features of the ISO 9000:2000 series, such as the merging of the 1994 versions of ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003 into the new ISO 9001:2000. The brochure emphasizes that organizations stand to obtain the greatest value when the standards in the series are used in an integrated manner, both with each other and with the other standards making up the ISO 9000 family as a whole.

Quality management principles presents the eight quality management principles that provide a foundation for the ISO 9000:2000 series. The brochure gives the standardized descriptions of the principles as they appear in ISO 9000:2000 and ISO 9004:2000. In addition, it provides examples of the benefits derived from their use and of typical actions that managers carry out when implementing them. The principles are intended for use by senior management as a framework to guide their organizations towards improved performance.

"The key to benefiting from ISO 9001:2000 is to understand the quality management principles which, because they are part of ISO 9000:2000, are often overlooked because they are assumed not to be 'auditable'," Simon Kelly commented.

The two brochures were authored by experts from ISO technical committee, ISO/TC 176, which is responsible for the ISO 9000 family of quality management system standards and which produced the revised core series, published on 15 December 2000. ISO/TC 176 has developed a whole set of free documents to assist organizations in implementing the ISO 9000:2000 series. These documents include answers to frequently asked questions, guidance on making the transition from the 1994 versions of the ISO 9000 standards, and the following four guides that address specific aspects: Guidance on ISO 9001:2000 clause 1.2 'Application', Guidance on the Documentation Requirements of ISO 9001:2000, Guidance on the Process Approach to Quality Management Systems, and Guidance on the Terminology used in ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9004:2000.

Enquiries about orders:

Ms. Sonia Rosas
Marketing Services
Tel. +41 22 749 03 36
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
E-mail sales@iso.org

Press contact:

Roger Frost
Press and Communication Manager
Public Relations Services
Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 733 34 30
E-mail frost@iso.org

ISO publishes advice for the SME on implementing ISO 9001:2000

A completely revised second edition has just been published of the ISO handbook that gives small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) advice on implementing ISO 9000-based quality management systems.

ISO 9001 for Small Businesses has been updated to align the advice with ISO 9001:2000, the single standard which has replaced the 1994 versions of ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003. The new standard defines the requirements for a quality management system based on "the process model" and aimed at achieving customer satisfaction and continual improvement in performance. The handbook explains the standard in plain language, giving examples to illustrate its application.

ISO 9001 for Small Businesses (ISBN 92-67-10363-6), 186 pages, A5 format, hard cover, ring binder, costs 44 Swiss francs. A joint publication by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and the International Trade Centre (ITC - www.intracen.org) UNCTAD/WTO, it is available from ISO's national member institutes (see complete list), and the ISO Central Secretariat (sales@iso.org).

The handbook has been written by a group of experts participating in ISO/TC 176, the ISO technical committee which developed the revised ISO 9000:2000 series. Their target audience is the small business operator who has neither the time nor the resources to spend on ISO 9001:2000 training courses. The full text of ISO 9001:2000 is included in boxes, section by section, accompanied by explanations, examples and implementation guidance in everyday terms.

In addition, the handbook includes the eight quality management principles on which the ISO 9000:2000 series is based, plus revised sections on the steps involved in setting up a quality management system - including how to get started - and doing so with or without the assistance of a consultant.

The first edition of the handbook was eventually published by more than a dozen of ISO's national member institutes. French, German, Spanish and Swedish editions of ISO 9001 for Small Businesses are already planned and other languages will no doubt follow.

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