Introduction

BSI was the pioneer in creating standards. It is the UK's National Standards Body - the world's first. It also plays a prominent role in the development of global standards.

BSI:

• leads in the creation of standards

• tests and certifies products and services

• is one of the organizations that assesses Quality Management Systems (QMS).

Businesses gain an advantage over rivals and also gain a high reputation by producing high quality goods and services. Using standards helps businesses to do this. The standards are based on best practice - for example, in handling environmental waste or storing data.

BSI provides certificates such as the Kitemark.

The Kitemark shows that a product or service conforms to rigorous standards for safety and performance and has been tested against them. It is a trusted symbol found on objects people can take for granted every day, such as electrical plugs and double glazed windows. It is also on objects we all rely on in an emergency, e.g. fire extinguishers and surgeons' gloves.

BSI works with all types of organizations:

The following table shows a breakdown of companies, by sector, that are licenced by BSI as a result of meeting the international standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS) (ISO 9001).

This case study focuses on the benefits of quality and how an organization designs and implements a quality system.