Assignment:
Controlling (Case)
Of course having solid control processes is essential for any successful organization. Some organizations like to seek formal recognition for their control functions through independent certifications such as ISO 9000. In order to receive ISO certification, you need to extensively follow and document a long list of published standards and then have an outside evaluator certify that you are meeting these standards.
ISO certification has both proponents and critics. Proponents argue that meeting ISO standards through certification will improve organizational control functions, and also help signal to the outside world that you are running a solid operation with high standards. However, critics point to the huge amount of time and money spent on documentation that may be excessive. Critics also say that ISO focuses on documentation of processes rather than the actual quality/efficiency of the process.
For this assignment, first review the background materials on the control function of management and pay close attention to all of the steps involved in this function. Especially important are the Pearson tutorial and Ramasamy (2010).
Here are some articles on ISO certification to get you started:
Seddon, J. (1997). Ten arguments against ISO 9000, Managing Service Quality 7(4), pp. 162-168. [ProQuest]
Wahid, R.,& Corner, J. (2009). Critical success factors and problems in ISO 9000 maintenance. The International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management 26 (9), pp. 881-893.
After doing research on ISO 9000 and carefully reviewing the background readings on the control function of management write a four to five page paper addressing the following questions:
1. What aspects of the control function of management do you think will most benefit from ISO 9000 implementation? Consider setting standards, measuring performance, comparing performance to standards, and correcting deviations. Refer to at least one of the three book chapters from the required background readings in your answer.
2. Take a close look at the discussion of "Requirements of an Effective Control System" and "Techniques of Control" on pages 134-138 of Ramasamy (2010). Which of these requirements or techniques do you think will helped the most by ISO 9000? Which ones the least?
3. Carefully consider both the benefits of ISO 9000 to the control function of management as well as the costs of ISO 9000 implementation. Overall do you think the benefits outweigh the costs? Refer to Seddon (1997) and Wahid and Corner (2009) as part of your answer.
Assignment Expectations
• Answer the assignment questions directly.
• Stay focused on the precise assignment questions; don't go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
• Make sure to use reliable and credible sources as your references. Articles published in established newspapers or business journals/magazines are preferred. If you find articles on the Internet, make sure they are from a credible source.
• Reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13 and 14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the "Writing Style Guide," which is found under "My Resources" in the TLC Portal.