In terms of the contemporary world of business, there is an increasing need to learn more about standards in order to implement them in the operations of companies. ISO standards represent a significant aspect in the activities of every firm. They help to regulate business development by suggesting quality control points. The following discussion reflects the essence of some ISO standards and reveals the connection of the book’s chapters to the well-known principles of running business.

ISO Standards

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) takes care of upgrading its standards, which regulate different spheres of life. They are used to ensure the quality of products and services in the business environment. ISO standards help every entrepreneur to make certain that the company’s activities do not have a negative influence on the surrounding environment; its services and products are safe, of appropriate quality and reliable; and conform to the standards of every business operation (ISO, n.d.). ISO standards help to regulate the performance of every corporation by formulating standards and regulations, which help to see any deviations in the activities and fix them as soon as they occur. The main benefit of ISO standards is that they help companies to enter the new market and develop fair and free trade all over the world, which falls under equal regulation.

First, it is necessary to pay attention to ISO 9000 – Quality Management. It is one of the most popular standards, which helps to regulate various spheres of the company’s activities. It sets the requirements for a quality management system, suggests the improvement of the quality system and measures taken for an overall refreshment of the firm’s performance, and discusses the most appropriate external and internal audits. In general, this information has a complex character, which means that every section needs a thorough examination in order to understand its worth and value. Regardless of the company’s field of activity, it is necessary to apply the standard in order to meet the customer’s needs and compete with other firms on the international level. The primary aim of the standard lies not only in the improvement of quality, but also in the insurance of customers willing to receive high quality products and services. Auditing the company’s quality system is another significant part of the standard, which helps to regulate the level of quality based on the financial inputs. The standard also includes different principles and rules regarding the audit of firms operating in different spheres of economy. It helps small businesses and new companies to take care of their operations and follow the guide to the implementation of the new system of standards. In addition, the standard explains the need to apply a process management approach in every aspect of the corporation’s performance.

Risk management issues are reflected in another standard – ISO 31000. It is one more significant portion of standards, which helps to avoid mistakes and follow a set of principles in business. On the one hand, the standard does not contain much information. On the other hand, such information as risk assessment techniques and vocabulary of terms helps every employer to navigate through the challenges of the running business. The standard teaches how to choose the most effective and appropriate risk management techniques. In addition, it discusses an appropriate allocation of resources, which effectively influences the risk eliminating initiatives. Moreover, the standard encourages benchmarking in the light of risk management. It helps to see the mistakes in the company’s performance based on the experience of another firm.

One more important standard covers the environmental management. ISO 14000 helps to regulate the company’s performance according to its corporate responsibility. It focuses on the environmental systems, which suggest changing the business activities according to the common principles and rules. Regardless of the company’s functioning, the standard regulates the outcomes of the performance and helps to see the mistakes in the firm’s operations in terms of environmental preservation. A similar standard, ISO 26000, regulates the corporation’s social responsibility. Both standards concern the aspect of corporate social responsibility, which require the company’s consideration in order to take care of its impact on the development of the surrounding world. In addition, another standard also relates to the firm’s activities in terms of responsibility – ISO 45001. Occupational Health and Safety is one more standard, which regulates the company’s responsibility in providing employees with safe and comfortable working environment. It is one of the most important standards in the reduction of accidents in the workplace and its negative influence over health and performance of workers. Health and safety programs formulate one of the most significant parts of the standard.

Finally, another group of standards helps to regulate the company’s performance in appropriate way. ISO/IEC 27001 – Information Security Management helps to keep track on the management of security of the firm’s financial information, employee information, and intellectual property. It is an essential standard, which regulates the functioning of every company by protecting its brand, image, financial performance, and other various informational sources. Without this standard, it would be impossible to consider ethically equal and loyal business environment. It is a part of the company’s operations, which requires additional protection in order to enhance an overall stability of the firm’s development.

ISO Standards Compared to the Book

The 16^th chapter “Managing Costs and Uncertainty” discusses the essence of various financial techniques and regulations, which should help to avoid additional costs and ambiguous challenges related to the financial sustainability of the company. In terms of the ISO standards and the information provided in the book, it is possible to see the same intention to provide the target audience with a short guide to financial management. For example, ISO standard related to quality management reflects the importance of understanding the types of costs in the activities of the organization. In addition, both sources of information encourage comparing budgets and discussing further ways of improvement, which can help to increase the quality of all processes (Kinney & Raiborn, 2009). Moreover, it also becomes obvious that both the book and the standard refer to the importance of considering process management in order to estimate costs of every activity. However, the book suggests it in the long run, while solutions should come in the short-term period (Luko, 2013). These aspects help to analyze the company’s performance in terms of costs management. In general, both the book and the standard aim to optimize the regulation of the firm’s activities in order to promote its financial sustainability.

Another piece of information, which finds its reflection in standards and in the chapter, refers to effective human resource management. For example, there is a valuable idea that there is a need to support temporary staffing in order to promote saving funds and spending them on other needs. However, the standard reminds the target audience that temporary employees should not have a negative influence on the level of quality. If the company is not confident in the outcomes of temporary staffing, it is necessary to avoid risk or train temporary personnel in order to ensure effective outcomes. Nevertheless, it leads to additional costs, which has no benefits for the firm’s performance. In this way, both sources of information persuade the target audience that there is a need to consider every business decision before implementing it.

Cost control processes can be regarded as parts of risk management techniques supported in one of the ISO standards. They help to avoid imbalanced performance and promote sustainability in the financial performance of the company. In addition, there are similar pieces of information, which suggest considering benchmarking in order to take care of the firm’s financial stability. In this way, it is possible to emphasize that both the book and the standards help the target audience to gain confidence concerning the avoidance of additional costs. From this point of view, it is necessary to take into account that both sources of information should be considered in combination in order to guarantee the effectiveness of the implementation of changes in the financial activities of the company.

The 17^th chapter of the book has a direct connection to the standard regulating quality. It discusses the essence of the external and internal views of quality management. The external view focuses on customers and the need to satisfy their needs with the help of products and services (Kinney & Raiborn, 2009). In this way, it is necessary to control the level of products and services, which represent the company’s brand, image and reputation. In addition, the book suggests paying attention to the production and its processes, which also has a reflection in the ISO standard reflecting the essence of quality management. In general, the 17^th chapter is appropriate for the explanation of quality management standards, which require additional consideration. Through combination of both sources of information, it is possible to understand the wisdom of the effective quality management.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is necessary to admit that the discussion helped to determine the core of ISO standards and their reflection in the book. The analyzed chapters provided the understanding that there is a need to consider every standard before implementing it. In general, the discussion helped to make an overview of standards. It emphasized the importance of considering every standard in order to promote the company’s activities in terms of outstanding competition. Otherwise, it will be problematic for any business to grow.