THE QUALITY CHAIN: THE ISO, TRADE ORGANISATIONS AND THE CONSUMERS
...esence of ISO has assists many in determining what to expect in their goods and services. They want substantially good pricing and to be more informed of the products. People of the new millennium are willing to pay for good quality choices, and are very concerned that whatever they use in life are environmentally sound. Primarily, when a particular business conforms to the International Standards, consumers can expect their goods to be safer, healthier and environmentally friendly. Manufacturers that comply with the standards will be prone to avoid the use of substances that may adversely affect the environment while still being safe for the usage of mankind. Recycled and recyclable materials will top their list, having in mind to help lessen the increasing volume of landfills across the country. Consumers on the other hand, will be able to participate in the recycling campaigns greatly encouraged by the government so as to promote a better and healthier surrounding. The ISO 14001 fundamentally concentrates on ‘environmental management’, where a particular organisation will constantly improves its environmental performance. It will also make numbers of efforts to minimise the effects from its activities to the surrounding areas. Secondly, by adopting an ISO quality standard, the products or service-oriented organisations have achieved standards of quality that are recognised and respected throughout the world. This stands as a basis of assurance that the consumers will be getting a product or service of expected excellence. They can also be convinced of the goods’ reliability, in which they will remain in good shape, even after a considerable number of uses. More often than not, accompanying these products are good warranties from the manufacturers. ISO 9000 ultimately keeps in the mind of an organisation that customer quality requirements are of its main concern. The most comprehensive of these is the ISO 9001, where a company certified of this standard is declared a model for quality assurance in design, production, installation and servicing. This encompasses everything in its activities. Thirdly, with ISO standards in hand, this guarantees better operational compatibility between products. Bank cards for instance, can be used all over the world. A mobile phone can also accept a wide variety of SIM cards in the same manner, let it be from Russia or Malaysia. Screw threads standardisation by the ISO on the other hand, has helped keep chairs, bicycles and aircrafts together, which was once a major problem for manufacturers and product users. Subsequently, better product information is accessible for consumers. Commerce-oriented companies implementing the International Standards to their practice have realised how important detailed product information is to the users. Consumers' behaviour nowadays differs markedly to those in the previous generations. Take for example the presence of Genetically Modified (GM) foods. In Canada, there has been a great demand for the labeling of GM foods. It is a consumer’s right to be kept abreast of new developments in products in order for them to make accurate and informed decisions with the variety of choices in hand. Thus, with the International Standards strongly urging organisations complying with them to be information friendly, consumers can rest assured that they can decide easily on what is beneficial for their needs. Consumers also are incessantly in the quest for value-for-money goods. Despite that, they do not, in any way discard the importance of satisfactory quality in the products consume...