Benefits Of Certification Research Articles

Does certification improve hired labour conditions and wageworker conditions at banana plantations?

Certification of banana plantations is widely used as a device for protecting and improving socio-economic conditions of wageworkers, including their incomes, working conditions and—increasingly—voice [related to labour relations and workplace representation]. However, to date, evidence about the effectiveness of certification in these domains is scarce. We collected detailed field data on (1) economic benefits for improving household income, (2) social benefits for labour practices, and (3) the voice of wageworkers focusing on identity and identification issues amongst wageworkers at Fairtrade certified banana plantations and comparable, non-certified plantations in the Dominican Republic. We used different types of regression models to identify significant relationships. Econometrical analysis of survey results complemented by field observations and outcomes from in-depth stakeholder interviews indicate that the impact of Fairtrade certification on wageworkers’ economic benefits is rather limited. However, the impact on the voice of wageworkers (job satisfaction, sense of ownership, trust), is more evident. On Fairtrade certified plantations workers are more satisfied with the course of life and better represented. Thus while the additional value of Fairtrade certification on primary wages seems limited, Fairtrade has relevant positive effects on the labour force, particularly by delivering in-kind benefits, offering a sense of job-security, improving voice and enabling private savings. Benefits of (Fairtrade) certification, but also other interventions with a similar purpose, might therefore not be discerned in terms of economic benefits such as wages or basic labour conditions that are under direct control of (inter)national law, but they should be identified in terms of social benefits and improved norms of conduct for wageworker engagement.

Does ISO 9000 Certification Benefit Service Firms?

This paper examines whether ISO 9000 certification benefits service firms in terms of their financial performance and promotes sustainable improvement. We argue that in a developing country setting such as China, the massive benefits brought by the signalling effect of the certification can discourage firms’ motivation to fully implement the standard of certification and lead to the decline of investment on productivity-improving activities. In other words, the certification may have negative effects on the productivity of certified firms. We investigate 89,024 firms in Chinese service industries to assess the impacts of the certification on sales, productivity and profitability of these firms. To address the potential selection bias of ISO 9000 certification, the Propensity Score Matching method and Coarsened Exact Matching method were used. Our key findings are that the ISO 9000 certification does help to increase the total amount of sales, but it decreases the productivity and profitability of these certified service firms. We also find that earlier certifiers seem to gain larger advantage in sales but more reduction in productivity, and firms with higher level of technology intensity seem to obtain a larger increase in sales and less productivity loss after receiving their ISO 9000 certification.

Effect of SME Food Entrepreneurs Knowledge on Halal Certification for Certified Awareness Using Partial Least Square

This study aims to predict the impact of the understanding of halal certification by Small Medium Enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs on the intention to conduct halal certification. This study was conducted in the Cooperative and SME Office of Surakarta City. The Halal Certification Comprehension Rate was assessed using three variables. We had knowledge of halal (PGT), perceived halal certification advantages (MNF), and perceived halal certification procedures (PROS). Structural Equation Model-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) was used for data analysis. The results show that SMEs have a good knowledge of halal and agree that halal certification is beneficial to their businesses. We found, though, that the processes for handling Halal Certification are relatively complex. Based on the study, the perception of Halal Certification Benefits (MNF) is significantly affected by the intention of SMEs to conduct Halal Certification (NHL). The other two results show a positive correlation. However, they are not statistically significant.This study aims to predict the impact of the understanding of halal certification by Small Medium Enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs on the intention to conduct halal certification. This study was conducted in the Cooperative and SME Office of Surakarta City. The Halal Certification Comprehension Rate was assessed using three variables. We had knowledge of halal (PGT), perceived halal certification advantages (MNF), and perceived halal certification procedures (PROS). Structural Equation Model-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) was used for data analysis. The results show that SMEs have a good knowledge of halal and agree that halal certification is beneficial to their businesses. We found, though, that the processes for handling Halal Certification are relatively complex. Based on the study, the perception of Halal Certification Benefits (MNF) is significantly affected by the intention of SMEs to conduct Halal Certification (NHL). The other two results show a positive correlation, but they are not statistically significant.

Effect of SME Food Entrepreneurs Knowledge on Halal Certification for Certified Awareness using Partial Least Square

This study aims to predict the impact of the understanding of halal certification by Small Medium Enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs to conduct halal certification. This study was conducted in SMEs in Surakarta, Indonesia. The Halal Certification Comprehension Rate was assessed using three variables. We used knowledge of halal (PGT), perceived halal certification advantages (MNF), and perceived halal certification procedures (PROS). Structural Equation Model-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) was used for data analysis. The results show that SMEs have a good knowledge of halal and agree that halal certification is beneficial to their businesses. We found, though, that the processes for handling Halal Certification are relatively complex. Based on the study, the perception of Halal Certification Benefits (MNF) is significantly affected by the intention of SMEs to conduct Halal Certification (NHL). The other two results show a positive correlation. However, they are not statistically significant.

Does Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) certification benefit winemakers in British Columbia (BC), Canada?

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the significance of British Columbia Vintners Quality Alliance (BC VQA) certification that constitutes BC’s wine appellation and its influence on wine prices, the volume of wine sales and winemakers’ revenues.Design/methodology/approachA three-stage endogenous dummy variable specification that addresses the endogeneity of the VQA certification is used. The data used in this research come from the BC liquor distribution branch, and it is composed of a monthly scanner wholesales data of all wines sold by the BC estate wineries located in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys of BC in 2011-2015.FindingsThe obtained results suggest that VQA certification has a positive and marginally significant effect on the average volume of sales of BC produced wines, but it seems not to influence the average wine prices and the average revenue share. The results imply then that VQA certification allows rent dissipation via over-certification, which, in turn, allows arbitraging away of producers’ rents.Originality/valueThe research constitutes the first attempt of the use of three-stage endogenous dummy variable modeling approach to correct for the endogeneity of the VQA certification in BC. The analysis is essential for BC winemakers as it can inform them about the current role of the VQA certification in BC. This knowledge is especially important now when the BC wine region is developing its collective, regional reputation and is in the process of introduction of new appellations and sub-appellations.

Barriers to the adoption of green certification of buildings

Purpose This paper aims to identify the key barriers to the adoption of green certification of buildings in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts face-to-face and telephonic interviews with ten built environment professionals, using a semi-structured interview guide. Qualitative responses to the interview were thematically analysed using NVivo 11 Pro analysis application software. Findings The findings suggest that “lack of information on existing green buildings”, “lack of incentives”, “conservative nature of Ghanaians”, “lack of active government participation”, “inadequate human resource”, “lack of awareness of the benefits”, “cost and financing” and “lack of legal backing” are the eight key barriers that hinder the adoption of green certification of buildings. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to built environment professionals registered with their appropriate professional bodies. The findings cannot be generalized and extended to other developing countries that do not share similar characteristics and context with Ghana. Practical implications Practically, this study highlights, for the benefit of the construction industry and the government, the critical barriers to the adoption of green certification of buildings in Ghana. Identification of these barriers provides a pathway for the provision of pragmatic solutions towards the adoption of green buildings in Ghana. Originality/value Findings of the research make significant contribution to the debate on the barriers to the adoption of green certification of buildings. Four out of the eight barriers (inadequate awareness of the benefits of green certification of buildings, inadequate human resource, conservative nature of Ghanaian and lack of information on existing green buildings) identified are unique in the context of other related studies and advanced knowledge on the subject matter.

A framework for the implementation of green certification of buildings in Ghana

Buildings are responsible for more than 40% of global energy use and one third of global greenhouse gas emissions both in developed and developing countries. A number of buildings are constructed every year but only a small number of them can be identified as ‘green buildings’. Despite the well-known benefits of green certification of buildings, it still remains in the state of infancy in Ghana, and adequate diffusion and implementation strategies should be put in place to ensure that they become more established. This paper sought to propose an implementation framework that can aid the certifying body in making decisions in relation to implementing the green certification of buildings in Ghana. The methodology was based on schedule interview with representatives of professional bodies with knowledge on the subject matter. The findings of this study indicate that while the knowledge of green certification of building exist in Ghana, some of the professional bodies in the built environment rarely use their influence to promote this green certification of buildings which does not help in its diffusion. The implication of the findings is to enable the certifying body for green buildings in Ghana to make decisions relating to its implementation.

CoreTrustSeal: From academic collaboration to sustainable services

National and international digital repositories must design and deliver sustainable services as a foundation for a range of scientific and data management infrastructures while reducing costs and avoiding duplication of effort. The CoreTrustSeal, launched in 2017, defines requirements and offers core level certification for Trustworthy Digital Repositories (TDR) holding data for long-term preservation. This paper traces the journey of the CoreTrustSeal through the Data Seal of Approval (DSA), ICSU World Data System (WDS), Research Data Alliance (RDA) working groups, and community engagement, towards becoming a sustainable service supporting global data infrastructure. We outline the design and delivery of the service, current activities, the benefits of certification to a range of communities, and future plans and challenges. As well as providing a historical narrative and current and future perspectives the CoreTrustSeal experience offers lessons for those developing standards and best practices, or seeking to develop cooperative and community-driven efforts which bridge data curation across academic disciplines and the governmental and private sectors.

Trends, Costs, and Benefits of Green Certification of Office Buildings: A Polish Perspective

Green buildings may become the solution to the problem of high energy consumption, including those that are subject to verification by the relevant institutions issuing green certificates. The aim of the paper is an analysis and a brief discussion of trends related to the certification of office buildings in Poland. At the end of 2017, almost 9.7 million m2 of modern office space was available in Poland, of which 62% was a certified area. This constitutes a five percent increase in the share of certified office space in relation to the total modern office space available during 2017. In order to compare the costs and benefits of certified buildings, the costs of an office building and a certified building were simulated. The comparison was made using the idea of costs in the life cycle and calculating the Life Cycle Cost. The difference between the base building and the green one was mainly based on obtaining higher Net Present Value with lower investment expenditures for the green building. There was also a clear difference between the beginning of investment profitability for the different levels of rent.

A Study on the Effect of Expected Benefits of AEO Certification on the Business Performance

A Study on the Effect of Expected Benefits of AEO Certification on the Business Performance

KEBERLANJUTAN USAHATANI MANGGIS PROGRAM SERTIFIKAT PRIMA DI KECAMATAN KOTA AGUNG KABUPATEN TANGGAMUS

This research aims to analyze the performance of mangosteen farming and certification benefits of sustainable mangosteen farming development in terms of economic, social, and environmental aspects. The location of the research is decided purposely in Terdana, Kota Agung, Tanggamus District. The samples of this research are 54 farmers whose products have been certified by prima. The performance of mangosteen farming is assessed by R / C ratio. The results showed that the performance of mangosteen farming in terms of R / C ratio per-ha was 6.91; it meant that each cash cost incurred by farmers of Rp1.00 then the farmers would receive revenue of Rp6.91 (could provide benefits on economical aspects). Prima Certification Program of mangosteen farming in Terdana, Kota Agung, Tanggamus district was quite sustainable in economic, social, and environmental aspects, in which sustainability index were 67.90; 71.02 and 72.82Key words: farm income , mangosteen, prima certification, sustainability

A Study on Economic Benefits of ISO certification to Manufacturing Units

A Study on Economic Benefits of ISO certification to Manufacturing Units

Peeling back the label—exploring sustainable palm oil ecolabelling and consumption in the United Kingdom

Palm oil production has been linked to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. We explore consumer awareness of palm oil, perceptions of its environmental impact, recognition of ecolabels including the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) ecolabel, and inclusion or avoidance of ecolabels in household shopping using a representative sample of the British population. We find consumer awareness of palm oil to be fairly high (77%), with 41% of those aware of palm oil perceiving it as ‘environmentally unfriendly’, more than double the level of any other vegetable oil examined. However, recognition of the RSPO ecolabel is the same as those who ‘recognize’ a fictitious ecolabel, making recognition indistinguishable from zero. Based on our logistic regression analysis, members of the British population most likely to actively include ecolabelled products in their weekly household shopping are those who are female, from higher socioeconomic groups, spend more than £120 per week on household shopping, and have received a Bachelors degree or higher. Despite clear benefits of environmental certification and ecolabelling, a relatively niche segment of the general population actively includes ecolabelled products in their weekly household shopping. Therefore, we recommend current policies be amended to require companies to source 100% identity preserved certified palm oil that can be traced to the plantation level to avoid having to rely on consumer decisions to enable a shift towards more responsibly-sourced palm oil. Additionally, requiring multinational companies to map and publicly disclose full supply chain information for all global operations, including palm oil suppliers and concessions, could help illuminate and discourage unsustainable practices.

A Study on Economic Benefits of ISO certification to Manufacturing Units

A Study on Economic Benefits of ISO certification to Manufacturing Units

Profile of students referred for the assessment of scholastic backwardness at a tertiary care center.

Background:Scholastic backwardness (SB) is a challenging problem affecting school-going children. Students seeking evaluation and certification of SB, especially in class nine and ten are on a rising trend in Kerala, the most literate state in India. However, there is a paucity of research regarding this.Objectives:The objectives of this study are to determine the clinical, sociodemographic, and academic profile of students referred with “difficulty in academics” in the psychiatry department of a government teaching hospital in Kerala.Materials and Methods:A retrospective chart review of students aged 6–16 years, referred to clinical psychologist for the structured assessment of SB, after evaluation by psychiatrists, over 1 year was done.Results:Overall, 207 students were assessed. Children aged 13–16 years were the majority (61.4%). Most of them were males (61.4%) and from rural background (81.6%). Majority (60%) was from high school and 22% of students were in class 10. Previous assessments for SB were done only in 20% of high school students. About 97% belonged to state syllabus, 90% were in Malayalam medium, and 93.3% were referred by teachers. The principal diagnosis was “slow learners” (34.8%) followed by intellectual disability (28%). About 11.6% had specific learning disorder (SLD), 15.5% had other neurodevelopmental, behavioral, and emotional disorders/problems, and 10% had no diagnosis.Conclusion:Varying degrees of intellectual impairment was the main cause of SB; majority was in high school and was never evaluated for SB. There was over-representation of class 10 students for first-ever assessment. Students with SB were identified and referred late for professional services. Those with SLD and nil diagnosis were similar in number probably reflecting an attempt to pass board exams by availing the benefits of certification. Designing curriculum and assessment to suit the differing intellectual levels of students are, therefore, recommended.

인도네시아 케둥 케리스 마을의 지속가능한 산림경영이 소규모 산주에게 미치는 생태적⋅사회경제적 편익 분석

인도네시아 케둥 케리스 마을의 지속가능한 산림경영이 소규모 산주에게 미치는 생태적⋅사회경제적 편익 분석

THE CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT IN THE CERTIFICATION OF COFFEE FARMS: A CASE STUDY IN THE SOUTH OF MINAS GERAIS

<p>The certification of agricultural products is considered a strategy that promotes sustainability and appreciation of product. In coffee production, the <em>Certifica Minas Café</em> is the only public coffee certification program in Brazil. However, over the years, many coffee farms that have this certification reduce their competence to meet the requirements, stabilizing at minimum levels of compliance, which allows maintaining the certificates, but does not promote continual improvement. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of <em>Certifica Minas</em> <em>Café</em> certification on the improvement of sustainability over time on coffee farms. For this, a case study with two properties in the south of the state of Minas Gerais was carried out, in which one of them quest to achieve continuous improvement, while the other did not. On the coffee farm of the first case was observed a reduction in investment and low concern to maintain the requirements established by the certification, while the coffee farm of the second case reduced the number of requirements requested by the certification program over time. Lastly, this paper hypothesizes that improvement of sustainability depends on understanding the benefits of certification in the long term and is related to a behaviour change by the certified farm.<strong></strong></p>

The Benefits of Obesity Medicine Certification.

With the majority of patients seen by primary care practitioners suffering from overweight or obesity, an additional certification in obesity medicine provides the critical tools and skillset to expertly address the many chronic health conditions predicated by unhealthy adiposity and excess weight.

Impacts of ISO 9000 on Greek SMEs business performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the association between ISO 9000 certification and business performance for small-to-medium enterprises in the food and beverage (F&B) industry.Design/methodology/approachThe research employed a qualitative approach based on case studies to investigate in depth how companies perceive ISO 9001. More specifically, four enterprises were examined, and a total of 26 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with top and middle managers from the companies. Questions were validated by experts and through pilot interviews. In total, 45 documents of a broad range related to the quality management system were examined. Personal observation and non-structured consultation with personnel were also used to evaluate the possible impacts and livelihood outcomes.FindingsResearch findings showed that the certified companies in the F&B industry gain a number of both internal and external benefits, including: quality awareness, increased productivity, increased personnel participation and efficiency, improved image and penetration into new markets. Regarding the financial benefits of certification, the findings are not as convincing, as one company reported no financial benefits, and the rest reported that financial benefits are indirect and intangible. Conclusively, it can be said that SMEs that wish to pursue certification should certainly expect benefits.Practical implicationsAlthough many studies have concentrated on analyzing the impact of the implementation of ISO 9001 certification, there is still a clear need for research in specific sectors. Practicing managers and researchers will be able to examine findings in order to evaluate benefits and weaknesses from certification, thereby identifying and acting before and after certification.Originality/valueAlthough the F&B industry has shown a great preference for the ISO 9000 standard and has adopted it extensively, scant empirical evidence has been recorded on the subject. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the benefits for implementing the ISO 9001 certification and to the analysis of its application to the ever-important F&B industry in Greece, a country whose economy is particularly supported by SMEs and has been severely hit by the economic crisis. Researchers will therefore further their knowledge, understand benefits but also acknowledge weaknesses.

A421 - A Single-Center Experience in Supporting Certified Bariatric Nurse Certification

Background: As a MBSAQIP Accredited Center, we are committed to the quality care we deliver to our metabolic and bariatric surgery patients. Our facility has a dedicated and knowledgeable nursing staff. However despite our dedication and commitment to ongoing education, none of our nurses are currently certified bariatric nurses (CBN). With nursing leadership support, we have witnessed an increase number of our nurses throughout the institution becoming certified in a variety of specialties. A recent change in nursing leadership on our bariatric surgery designated unit provided us the opportunity to begin the dialogue with our nursing staff on the benefits of certification. This resulted in 20 nurses expressing an interest to become certified bariatric nurses.