Table
Table 1. Certification Process Stages (see page 5)
Table 2. ISO Standards (see page 5)
Introduction
The world of business is regulated not only by the rules of economic and financial activities but also by the quality standards that are attributed to organizations by the so-called ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and its representatives among which the TUV Nord Group takes one of the prominent places. The basic topic of the current report includes the certification activities carried out by the TUV Nord Group about the ISO standards and conformity assessment regulations. Accordingly, the report is structured to provide the reader with a clear understanding of the topic. It includes the background of the organization involved in the report, i. e. TUV Nord, followed by the analysis of the data gathered in the context of relevant theories, the conclusions from the analysis, and the respective recommendations that are sure to help the organization in achieving effective performance.
Background of the Organization
The organization under analysis in this report is the TUV Nord Group, the Germany-based and internationally expanded company specializing in the areas of consulting, services, and testing/inspection activities (TUV Nord, 2009b). The company employs over 8,000 people in more than 70 countries of the world and is currently one of the leaders in the market of consulting and certification services being segmented into the Mobility, Industrial Services, International, Natural Resources and Training and Human Resources divisions (TUV Nord, 2009b). In 2008, the company’s turnover amounted to 830.4 million euros, and the corporate goal for 2010 is to hit the 1 billion mark in the turnover. Having over 100 years of experience (TUV Nord was founded in 1869), the company currently works to promote its value-based corporate culture and preserve customer satisfaction levels (TUV Nord, 2009b).
Data Gathered
As a result of the investigation of the currently observed situation in the TUV Nord Group, the following data were gathered and analyzed. The motto of the company is “Making Our World Safer” (TUV Nord, 2009b), and TUV Nord Group works in the direction of realizing this motto in practice. The first major finding of the company is that one of its main services, i. e. the critically acclaimed certification process, is a clearly structured and multilevel activity involving six basic levels. These levels include Pre-Contract, Contract, Pre-Audit, Audit, Post Audit, and Maintenance of Clients (TUV Nord, 2009). These stages allow the company to carry out a high-quality audit that embraces the stages starting from the reception of the initial application from the customers to the conduct of successive re-audit and surveillance procedures (TUV Nord, 2009)[1].
Further on, the investigation revealed that the TUV Nord Group is located at the third level of the conventional certification hierarchy, which includes the four levels like IAF, accreditation bodies, certification bodies (to which the TUV Nord Group belongs), and the customers. The basic ISO standards under which the work of the TUV Nord Group is structured include ISO 9001: 2008 dealing with quality certification, ISO 14001: 2004 (Environmental Protection Standard), OHSAS 18001: 2007 (Occupation Health and Safety), ISO 27001: 2006 (Information Security), and ISO 22000: 2005 (Food Safety Standard) (TUV Nord, 2009)[2].
Among the above standards, the TUV Nord Group bases its leading market position primarily on the ISO 9001: 2008 standard and even has the awareness training developed for the whole staff of the company to be well educated about this standard and working patterns it requires. Thus, the TUV Nord Group bases its perception of quality on the ISO definition, according to which quality is “the degree to which a set of characteristics fulfills requirements” (ISO, 2009; TUV Nord, 2009a). Based on this definition, the company has its Quality Management System (QSM) developed as the embodiment of the idea of quality assurance defined as “All the Planned and Systematic activities implemented within the Quality Management System and Demonstrated as needed to provide adequate confidence for an entity to fulfill requirements for Quality” (TUV Nord, 2009a).
The TUV Nord Group provides both external and internal quality assurance thus achieving the customer satisfaction and the confidence of its own employees in their ability to reach high levels of sustainable customer satisfaction. Moreover, the company implements the system of quality control that together with other elements constitutes the QSM adopted by the TUV Nord Group and is defined as “All activities of overall Management function that determine Quality Policy, Objectives & Responsibility, & Implement them through Quality Planning, Quality Control, Quality Assurance & Quality Improvement” (TUV Nord, 2009a). Thus, it can be seen that the QSM of the TUV Nord Group is based on ISO values and its fundamental quality management principles including customer focus, leadership, involvement of people, process and system approaches, continual improvement, factual decision making, and mutually beneficial supplier relations.
The reference of the theories and what is discussed
The theoretical basis of the quality assessment and certification procedures carried out by the TUV Nord Group can be observed in the basic statement by the ISO expressed at the official corporate website of this organization (ISO, 2005; 2009). Thus, ISO has three fundamental criteria according to which the essence, the major use, and benefits of its conformity assessment services. In more detail, ISO defines the conformity assessment as checking goods and services for their conformity to prior defined standards or state regulations. The benefits of conformity assessment are common for manufacturers and service providers, customers, and regulators. Finally, ISO claims its conformity assessment to improve the quality of international business relations and to facilitate international business through overcoming trade barriers (ISO, 2005; 2009).
Conclusion
So, the current report concludes that the certification activities carried out by the TUV Nord Group about the ISO standards and conformity assessment regulations are based on the common good and the idea of international business development. This report provides a clear outline of the TUV Nord Group activities and working principles and connects them to the theoretical vision expressed by the International Standardization Organization. As a result, it is obvious that the TUV Nord Group rightfully takes one of the dominant places in the market of consulting and certification services in the world.
Recommendations
Finally, the data gathered and presented in the current report allow making a set of recommendations that would facilitate the continued effective and sustainable work of the TUV Nord Group. First, it is recommended to the company keep focusing on its services and dominant market position to provide even better levels of customer satisfaction. Second, the company should take into account the certification and assessment standards not only by ISO but other organizations, like IEC, to provide greater objectivity to its services and quality assurance practices.
Reference
ISO. ISO and Conformity Assessment. International Organization for Standardization, 2005. Web.
ISO. Official Corporate Web site. International Organization for Standardization, 2009. Web.
TUV Nord. Introduction to The Certification Process. Certification Process, 2009. Web.
TUV Nord. ISO 9001:2008 Awareness Training. TUV Middle East ISO 9001:2008 Awareness Training, 10 Jan. 2009a. Web.
TUV Nord. Official Corporate Web site. TUV Nord Gruppe, 2009b. Web.