Quality Systems and Standards for a Competitive Edge
This book argues for the urgent need for countries to move forward aggressively on adopting and upgrading quality and standards. The focus is on developing countries, many of which are lagging in the race for standards adoption, and within that cat...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/01/8092704/quality-systems-standards-competitive-edge http://hdl.handle.net/10986/6768 |
| Summary: | This book argues for the urgent need for
countries to move forward aggressively on adopting and
upgrading quality and standards. The focus is on developing
countries, many of which are lagging in the race for
standards adoption, and within that category, on
middle-income countries. The book analyzes the economic
impact of quality and standards on economic growth, on
international trade, and as an entry point for the
industrial upgrading and mainstreaming of small enterprises.
It offers detailed guidelines for the creation of national
quality systems that can effectively support the use and
adoption of standards. It describes the optimal structure
for a national quality system, evaluates the precise roles
of the public and private sectors, and proposes
best-practice guidelines and norms for these roles. It also
addresses the financing issue, including the extent of and
rationale for targeted subsidies, and questions of
jurisdiction. Special emphasis is given to international
integration through mutual recognition agreements that
enhance access to external markets-a key objective for
developing countries. The first part of the book is generic
and normative, providing empirical evidence and guidelines
for reform. The second part describes and evaluates the
performance of a number of Latin American countries with
respect to various components of the national quality
system. The first half of this book presents a conceptual
framework, highlighting the importance of a national quality
system and explaining its role in international trade and
economic development. Chapter 2 examines the systemic impact
of quality and standards on economic growth and
international trade. In particular, it looks at the
usefulness of standards as an entry point for technological
upgrading and for the mainstreaming of Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs). Chapter 3 addresses the relative roles
and jurisdictions of the public and private sectors in the
implementation of an effective national quality system.
Chapter 4 presents the structure, organization, and
functioning of the certification, testing, calibration,
inspection, accreditation, and metrology bodies of the
national quality system. Chapters 5 and 6 discuss
international aspects of the system, especially the ISO 9000
quality management standards. Chapters 7 through 10 focus on
the experience in Latin America and the Caribbean. These
chapters examine the standards-setting institutions,
certification activities, accreditation processes, and
metrology institutions in this region. The last two chapters
of the text turn to the policy framework. Chapter 11
analyzes existing policies and support programs implemented
in several Latin American countries to facilitate the
diffusion of standards and quality in the productive sector.
Finally, chapter 12 presents detailed policy recommendations
for developing countries for implementing effective national
quality systems and ends with a brief conclusion. |
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