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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Competition between business industries have been more intense compared to


the past decades. Businesses distinguish itself with top offers, efficient structures and
excellent service. Moreover, thats what the competitors also claim. Customers might
think that all products are the same considering the offers and the services offered by
the industry. In order to have an edge against the competitors, certifications and
accreditations are now issued to support the quality of the services provided by the
company. Notre Dame University already has its accreditation from the Philippine
Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU). Now, it plans
to apply for the ISO 9001:2015 Certification.

ISO 9001:2015 sets outs the requirements for Quality Management System. ISO
9001 is a standard that sets out the requirements for a quality management system. It
helps businesses and organizations to be more efficient and improve customer
satisfaction. A quality management system is a way of defining how an organization can
meet the requirements of its customers and other stakeholders affected by its work.
ISO 9001 is based on the idea of continual improvement. It doesnt specify what the
objectives relating to quality or meeting customer needs should be, but requires
organizations to define these objectives themselves and continually improve their
processes in order to reach them. This study aims to identify the level of preparedness
of Notre Dame University on the possibility of acquiring standards set by the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), specifically ISO 9001:2015.

Review of Related Literature

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the worlds largest


developer of voluntary International Standards. It was founded in 1947, and since then
has published more than 21000 International Standards covering almost all aspects of

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technology and business. It is an independent, non-governmental international
organization with a membership of 163 national standards bodies. Through
its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary,
consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and
provide solutions to global challenges. ISO International Standards impact everyone,
everywhere.

The ISO story began in 1946 when delegates from 25 countries met at the
Institute of Civil Engineers in London and decided to create a new international
organization to facilitate the international coordination and unification of industrial
standards. On 23 February 1947 the new organization, ISO, officially began operations.
Because 'International Organization for Standardization' would have different acronyms
in different languages (IOS in English, OIN in French for Organisation internationale de
normalisation), our founders decided to give it the short form ISO. ISO is derived from
the Greek isos, meaning equal. Whatever the country, whatever the language, we are
always ISO.

ISO uses a system of technical committees, sub-committees and working groups


to develop International Standards. The work was conducted on the basis of
consensus among quality experts nominated by the National Standard Bodies,
representing a wide range of interested parties. ISO also permits other international
organizations that develop standards to participate in its work by accepting them as
liaison members. Industry experts drive all aspects of the standard development
process, from deciding whether a new standard is needed to defining all the technical
content. Getting involved in this process can bring significant advantages to your
business. Conformity assessment involves a set of processes that show your product,
service or system meets the requirements of a standard. In addition, ISO has a
committee, CASCO that develops standards and addresses issues related to conformity
assessment. It develops policy and publishes standards related to conformity
assessment.

Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a


certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements.

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Certification is also known as third party conformity assessment. Testing is the
determination of one or more of an object or products characteristics and is usually
performed by a laboratory. Inspection describes the regular checking of a product to
make sure it meets specified criteria. CASCO has developed a number
of standards that inspection bodies can follow to help ensure that we can trust their
work.

Certification can be a useful tool to add credibility, by demonstrating that your


product or service meets the expectations of your customers. For some industries,
certification is a legal or contractual requirement. However, ISO does not perform
certification. It develops International Standards, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, but
are not involved in their certification, and do not issue certificates. This is performed by
external certification bodies, thus a company or organization cannot be certified by ISO.
ISO's Committee on Conformity Assessment (CASCO) has produced a number of
standards related to the certification process, which are used by certification bodies.

International Standards make things work. They give world-class specifications


for products, services and systems, to ensure quality, safety and efficiency. They are
instrumental in facilitating international trade. ISO International Standards ensure that
products and services are safe, reliable and of good quality. For business, they are
strategic tools that reduce costs by minimizing waste and errors and increasing
productivity. They help companies to access new markets, level the playing field for
developing countries and facilitate free and fair global trade.

ISO management system standards provide a model to follow when setting up


and operating a management system. These standards can be applied to any
organization, large or small, whatever the product or service and regardless of the
sector of activity. Audits are a vital part of the management system approach as they
enable the company or organization to check how far their achievements meet their
objectives and show conformity to the standard. Like all our standards, they are the
result of international, expert consensus and therefore offer the benefit of global
management experience and good practice. These standards can be applied to any

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organization, large or small, whatever the product or service and regardless of the
sector of activity.

ISO Management System Standards:

(a) ISO 50001 - Energy management

(b) ISO 50001:2011 Energy Management System

(c) ISO 14000 - Environmental management

(d) ISO 22000 - Food safety management

(e) ISO/IEC 27001 - Information security management

(f) ISO 20121 - Sustainable events

(g) ISO 45001 - Occupational health and safety

(h) ISO 37001 - Anti-bribery management systems

(i) ISO 9000 - Quality management

The ISO 9000 family addresses various aspects of quality management and
contains some of ISOs best known standards. The standards provide guidance and
tools for companies and organizations who want to ensure that their products and
services consistently meet customers requirements, and that quality is consistently
improved.

Standards in the ISO 9000 family include:

1. ISO 9001:2015 - sets out the requirements of a quality management system


2. ISO 9000:2015 - covers the basic concepts and language
3. ISO 9004:2009 - focuses on how to make a quality management system more
efficient and effective
4. ISO 19011:2011 - sets out guidance on internal and external audits of quality
management systems.

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ISO 9001:2015 sets out the criteria for a quality management system and is the
only standard in the family that can be certified to (although this is not a requirement). It
can be used by any organization, large or small, regardless of its field of activity. In fact,
there are over one million companies and organizations in over 170 countries certified
to ISO 9001.

This standard is based on a number of quality management principles including a


strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process
approach and continual improvement. Using ISO 9001:2015, it helps ensure that
customers get consistent, good quality products and services, which in turn brings many
business benefits.

Certification to ISO 9001:2015

Checking that the system works is a vital part of ISO 9001:2015. It is


recommended that an organization performs internal audits to check how its quality
management system is working. An organization may decide to invite an independent
certification body to verify that it is in conformity to the standard, but there is no
requirement for this. Alternatively, it might invite its clients to audit the quality system for
themselves.

All ISO standards are reviewed every five years to establish if a revision is
required to keep it current and relevant for the marketplace. ISO 9001:2015 is designed
to respond to the latest trends and be compatible with other management systems such
as ISO 14001.

The new version follows a new, higher level structure to make it easier to use in
conjunction with other management system standards, with increased importance given
to risk. More information about the changes can be found in the news area.

Organizations are granted a three-year transition period after the revision has
been published to migrate their quality management system to the new edition of the
standard.

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Although ISO 9001 is applicable for all organizations, the ISO (International
Organization for Standardization) strategic plan 2011-2015 failed to identify education
as a sector where ISO standards provide benefits. Aware of this problem, ISO published
IWA (Internal Workshop Agreement) 2 Quality management systems Guidelines for
the application of ISO 9001 in education. This guideline helps educational institutions
(including higher education) to successfully implement ISO 9001 and achieve adequate
benefits. The education and training world is losing much of its special status, and is
being considered more and more like an ordinary economic sector. This also implies
that schools, universities, and training providers are increasingly expected to perform at
high level, behave professionally, and provide quality services throughout. Two
important trends may be observed in this regard: External demands (from governments,
students, employers, etc) on the education system are increasing; this puts pressure on
the deployment of resources and the efficiency of the organization, and the continuing
education and training sector is becoming a more mature and established economic
sector, alongside many other service sectors.

Such trends suggest that the education and training paradigms are changing
from supply-driven teaching to demand-led learning. Although many educators do not
feel comfortable with such developments, they would seem to be inevitable. Indeed,
similar customer-driven trends can also be witnessed in other areas, such as public
services. Having this in mind, implementation of ISO 9001 seems like a logical step in
gaining a competitive advantage. Besides the usual benefits that ISO 9001 brings to
organizations, it offers some benefits especially for education institutions due to their
specificities. The quality in educational institutions has often been interpreted fairly
narrowly, focusing on particular features of the education and training services
delivered.

Properly implemented, ISO 9001 will bring the following to the education institution:

1. a shift in emphasis in schools, from a focus on the quality of the teacher toward
the performance of the institution as a whole;
2. the introduction of new or additional quality control mechanisms in higher
education;

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3. the creation, for the first time, of quality assurance systems and performance-
related mechanisms in continuing education and training.

These advantages in the process are possible only if top management is able to
engage people for the cause. Every person who affects quality should have the required
competence, and be given training in the principles and dimensions of quality. They
must understand why it is necessary to measure trends in processes, and to declare
non-conforming services and not hide them.

There are ten sections provided by the ISO 9001:2015 that specify activities that
need to be considered when implementing its system. The first three are for guidance
and illustration purposes while the rest are the requirements which the organizations
need to meet: (1) Scope, (2) Normative References, (3) Terms and Definitions, (4)
Context of the Organization, (5) Leadership, (6) Planning, (7) Support, (8) Operation, (9)
Performance Evaluation, (10) Improvement.

Together, these sections define what should be done to consistently provide


product that meets customer satisfaction as it is a focal point in the standard and
applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. The standards place great emphasis
on making quality management systems closer to the processes of organizations and
on continuous improvement. The new standard helps organization to achieve quality
products and services by simply defining the requirements, and not exactly referring to a
particular requirement. As all organizations are unique with each other, ISO standard
stated the requirements generally to ensure that QMS and processes that an
organization came up with is directly in line with the purpose and mission of the
organization. Customer satisfaction is recognized as one of the driving criteria for any
organization. In order to evaluate if a product or service meets customer needs and
expectations, it is necessary to monitor the extent of customer satisfaction.
Improvements can be made by taking action to address any identified issues and
concerns.

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Theoretical Framework

Complete Procedure manuals


for:
ISO 9001:2015
ISO 9001:2015 Quality


Management System
Required HR
Certification
procedures
ISO training class

Figure 1. Complete Procedure Manuals Required for ISO 9001:2015 Certification

With complete procedures manuals for ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management


System, required HR procedures, and an ISO training class, a template like an ISO
9001:2015 Quality Procedures Manual can help a business on its way to ISO
9001:2015 certification. Sometimes the effort can be very great, but companies typically
notice a remarkable difference in efficiency and effectiveness after the first year.

The success of the ISO 9001:2015 certification of an organization could really


improve its operation not just once, but on a continuing basis. This accreditation gives
the organization an edge over its competitors simply because its development can be
easily be monitored and maintained as long as the practices are also sustained. The
ISO standard is being updated every five years, so the success in getting the
certification is just a beginning of a quality performance. The organization must have a
continuing knowledge of the requirements of the standard to provide an up-to-date
quality performance.

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Conceptual Framework

Sections that states the


requirements of the Standard
-Context of the Organization Preparedness
-Leadership For
-Planning
-Support ISO 9001:2015
-Operation
-Performance Evaluation Certification
-Improvement

Independent Variable Intervening variable Dependent


Variable

Figure 2.Activities required to be accomplished to be prepared for ISO 9001:2015


Certification

The diagram presents the different activities that are required to be accomplished
by a certain organization in acquiring an ISO 9001:2015 certification. The enumerated
activities acts as the independent variable while the universitys preparedness for ISO
9001:2015 certification acts as the dependent variable. When the university successfully
determines the capability of the school to provide the following requirements, it will be
the determining factor to say that university has the potential to acquire the ISO
Certification.

Statement of the Problem

This research aimed to identify the level of preparedness of the Notre Dame
University in trying to acquire an ISO certification. It aimed to assess if the University
has the potential in acquiring the certification and how prepared the university is in
terms of the seven activities considered in implementing the system. The study seeks
the answer to the question:

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What is the level of preparedness of Notre Dame University if it plans to acquire
an ISO Certification considering the requirements stated in the ISO 9001:2015 on
whether Notre Dame University is able to:
Section 4

A. understand the organization and its context

B. understand the needs and expectations of interested parties

C. determine the scope of the quality management system

D. establish quality management system and its processes

Section 5

A. demonstrate leadership and commitment

B. maintain customer focus

C. develop quality policy

D. communicate the quality policy

E. assign and communicate organization roles, responsibilities and authorities

Section 6

A. plan actions to address risks and opportunities

B. establish quality objectives and planning to achieve them

C. plan the changes

Section 7

A. provide for resources needed

B. determine the necessary competence needed

C. ensure awareness of quality policy by the persons responsible for work

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D. communicate the Quality Management System

E. document the information

Section 8

A. plan, implement and control the processes needed

B. communicate with customers about their requirements for products and


services

C. design and develop product and services

D. control externally provided resources, products and services

Section 9

A. monitor, measure, analyse and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of


the Quality Management System

B. conduct internal audits at planned intervals

C. review the organizations Quality Management System

Section 10

A. determine and select opportunities for improvement and implement necessary


actions

Significance of the Study

The study strives to determine how prepared is the University in its plan to
acquire an ISO 9001:2015 Certification. This would help the University administrators to
assess its capability in its plan to acquire the Certification. This study will serve as an
indirect assessment of the quality of the services they provide. This study will also serve
as a guide or basis for future researchers in case a further/deeper study would be
conducted.

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Scope and Limitation

The scope of the study is to determine the level of preparedness of the University
in its plan to acquire the ISO 9001:2015 Certification and is limited in this purpose only.
The study was conducted at Notre Dame University, located at Notre Dame Avenue,
Cotabato City during the second semester of school year 2016-2017. A sampling risk
was present due to non-representative of the number respondents who answered the
questionnaire. Factors such as work of the respondents and time constraint were the
reasons to the failure of retrieval of .some questionnaires.

Definition of Terms

1. ISO International Organization for Standardization. An international standard-


setting body composed of representatives from various national standard
organizations.
2. Certification the act of making something official. It is an official approval of
something professionally or legally.
3. International Standards are the standards developed by international standard
organizations. International standards are available for consideration and used
worldwide.
4. Quality the standard of something as measured against other things of similar
kind.
5. Quality Assurance any systematic process for ensuring quality during the
successive steps in developing a product or service.
6. Quality Management System is a collection of business processes focused on
consistently meeting customer requirements and enhancing their satisfaction. It
is expressed as the organizational structure, policies, procedures, processes and
resources needed to implement quality management.
7. Customer Focus is the awareness of who the customers are their strategic
importance, and their needs and expectations.
8. Quality Policy is the top managements overall direction and philosophy related
to quality.

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