Concept Of Certification Research Articles

Investigating the deployment of project management

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a summary description of the doctoral thesis investigating the field of project management (PM) deployment. Researchers will be informed of the current contributions within this topic and of the possible further investigations and researches. The decision makers and practitioners will be aware of a set of tools addressing the PM deployment with new perspectives.Design/methodology/approachResearch undertaken with the thesis is based on quantitative methods using time series statistics (time distance analysis) and comparative and correlation analysis aimed to better define and understand the PM deployment within and between countries or groups.FindingsThe results suggest a project management deployment index (PMDI) to objectively measure the PM deployment based on the concept of certification. A proposed framework to empirically benchmark the PM deployment between countries by integrating the PMDI time series with the two dimensional comparative analysis of Sicherl. The correlation analysis within Hoftsede cultural framework shows the impact of the national culture dimensions on the PM deployment. The forecasting model shows a general continual growth trend of the PM deployment, with continual increase in the time distance between the countries.Research limitations/implicationsThe PM researchers are offered an empirical quantification on which they can construct further investigations and understanding of this phenomenon. The number of possible units that can be studied offers wide possibilities to replicate the thesis work. New researches can be undertaken to investigate further the contribution of other social or economical indicators, or to refine and enrich the definition of the PMDI indicator.Practical implicationsThese results have important implications on the PM deployment approaches. The PMDI measurements and time series comparisons facilitate considerably the measurement and benchmarking between the units (e.g. countries) and against targets, while the readiness setting of the studied unit (in terms of development and cultural levels) impacts the PM deployment within this country.Originality/valueThis paper provides a summary of cutting‐edge research work in the studied field of PM deployment and a link to the published works that researchers can use to help them understand the thesis research as well as how it can be extended.

Green segmentation and environmental certification: insights from forest products

AbstractFirms engage in environmental marketing in order to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. Within the context of the forest product industry, this research uses data from two studies to empirically test whether a relationship exists between demographic/psychographic characteristics and reported environmentally conscious intentions. In both studies, the results indicate that the environmental marketing of certified/ecolabeled forest products appeals to a segment of environmentally conscious consumers. This appeal occurs for both a value‐added product (furniture) and a non‐value‐added product (plywood). Thus, there is support for the argument that environmental marketing to environmentally conscious consumers can result in ‘green segmentation’. Key findings from this study suggest that those consumers reporting the strongest preferences for environmentally certified forest products were more willing to pay a premium for certified products, more likely to display environmentally conscious behavior and more likely to perceive that green consumer purchases effectively benefit the environment. These characteristics were most common among females and those familiar with the concept of environmental certification. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and EPR Environment.

Using an ecolabel to promote on-farm conservation: the Wisconsin Healthy Grown experience

We report on a project to establish a market-based approach for the conservation of lands in an agricultural landscape. It is based on the Wisconsin Healthy Grown potato ecolabel, and the concept of certification. Potatoes produced in certified fields can be marketed under the ecolabel and, it is hoped, sold at a premium that returns to the growers to support the additional costs of environmentally sensitive practices. Although the label was launched on the basis of in-field practices, the growers and supporting conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs) intended from the beginning to include a component into the certification that would require restoration and ecologically sound management of native communities on non-crop lands owned by participating farmers. We describe here the process by which this ‘natural community standard’ was developed and included within the certification. The certification requires either a financial or in-kind commitment to land management actions from a list approved by the certifying body. The emphasis has been on restoration of native prairie in marginal cultivated lands and moving wooded areas back towards the open oak-pine barren and savanna communities present at the time of European settlement. At present, grower interest and acceptance of the programme within the Healthy Grown community is high. Sustainability and extension of the programme to other farms and other commodities will require that growers acquire natural lands management skills and apply them in conjunction with private and government conservation entities. We conclude that market-based ecolabels have promise as a means of promoting on-farm conservation for a wide variety of crops and ecological settings.

Credentialing and Certification

This article will provide a brief overview of the concepts of credentialing and certification and will identify some of the issues around certification and credentialing for clinical nurse specialists (CNSs). The article will also describe some of the misconceptions about certification and licensure that cause problems to CNSs, identify the current questions on the debated regulation of CNSs, and outline some of the proactive steps that can be taken to stay ahead of the current wave of change anticipated with the suggested changes in the forthcoming regulation of CNSs. Information provided is pertinent for new graduates and seasoned CNSs and provides an opportunity for both to gain a better understanding of certification and credentialing.

Family Forest Landowners' Interest in and Perceptions of Forest Certification: Focus Group Findings from Minnesota

Abstract Focus groups were organized with individuals owning between 15 and 720 forested acres in northern Minnesota to better identify their understanding of, questions about, and interest in forest certification; factors that would encourage or discourage their participation in certificationprograms; and the types of certification program characteristics they preferred. Family forest landowner participants were generally unfamiliar with the concept of forest certification. They expressed concern about certification costs and benefits, its impact on land-use decisionmaking, eligibility requirements, and program administration. They also expressed clear preferences about how forest certification programs should be tailored to family forest landowners. The availability of financial assistance to help cover initial and ongoing certification costs, assurance that certification will not encumber property rights, and clear and tangible benefits were found to positively influence their interest in participation. The perspectives of other family forest landowners influenced individual attitudes toward certification. Moreover, initial attitudes toward forest certificationonly became more entrenched as landowners were provided additional information about certification—skeptics became more disinterested while those inclined to participate became even more so. Recommendations for foresters, forest policymakers, and forest certification program leaders are presented that would encourage more family forest landowner participation in certification.

Certification to ensure sustainable production of biofuels

AbstractSustainability risks increase with rising biofuel production. Environmental, social and economic sustainability issues in agricultural production and conversion processes have become a major concern. External effects of biofuel production are not covered by a market mechanism. Therefore, an instrument to address the most pressing sustainability issues of biofuel production is required.The article provides the outline of an implementable certification concept that was elaborated in a multi‐stakeholder approach with companies and organizations from Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The approach chosen for certification is beneficial for stakeholders, is market based and does not hamper international trade. The proposed certification system is focused on the most pressing sustainability issues, such as conversion of high carbon density and high nature value land. “Major must” and “minor must” criteria have been developed to assess the sustainability. The certification itself should occur through a compact and cost‐effective system. A meta system approach will allow the use of already existing standards. Two separate certificates, one for sustainability of biomass production and one for greenhouse gas emissions, are proposed. The certificates are decoupled in a book and claim system from the biomass or biofuels traded and will be traded on a market place. The general concept of this certification system for biomass and biofuels has been discussed intensively with industry and trade companies and with public sector organizations and nongovernmental organizations. The practical feasibility should be tested in a pilot phase with co‐operation of the stakeholders who are already involved.

THE CERTIFICATION OF CAM OUTPUT TOOLPATHS : A NECESSARY IMPROVEMENT

This paper presents a study on the evolution of CAM systems. Today, machining strategies and tool paths calculation algorithms are well established. However, a new concept of certification of tool paths must be introduced to enable the computed tool path to respect all the constraints imposed by the manufacturing process and to guarante to obtain suitable parts. This certification may ensure a reduction of machining time and cost.

New approaches to digital evidence

Digital evidence, such as digital signatures, is of crucial importance in the emerging digitally operating economy because it is easy to transmit, archive, search, and verify. Nevertheless, the initial promise of the usefulness of digital signatures was too optimistic. This calls for a systematic treatment of digital evidence. The paper provides a foundation for reasoning about digital evidence systems and legislation, thereby identifying the roles and limitations of digital evidence, in the apparently simple scenario where it should prove that an entity, A, agreed to a digital contract, d. Our approach is in sharp contrast to the current general views documented in the technical literature and in digital signature legislation. We propose an entirely new view of the concepts of certification, time stamping, revocation, and other trusted services, potentially leading to new, sounder business models for trusted services. Some of the, perhaps provocative, implications of our view are that certificates are generally irrelevant as evidence in a dispute, that it is generally irrelevant when a signature was generated, that a commitment to be liable for digital evidence cannot meaningfully be revoked, and that there is no need for mutually trusted authorities like certification authorities. We also propose a new type of digital evidence called digital declarations, based on a digital recording of a willful act indicating agreement to a document or contract.

The zero-emission certificates: A novel CO 2-pollution reduction instrument applied to the electricity market

Today several instruments exist to decrease air pollution. The paper discusses pollution taxes, emission trading permits and green certificates applied to reduce the CO 2-emissions in the electricity sector. It then investigates how the different mechanisms behind these three instruments can possibly be combined. The proposed approach is to introduce the concept of zero-emission certificates (ZEC). ZEC are confirming actual emission reductions achieved by electricity producers as compared to a well-defined baseline. Producers can trade ZEC on a market to achieve least-cost efficiency in their reduction efforts. Distributors can themselves produce an additional contribution to emission-reductions by decreasing the final demand, i.e., by producing zero-emission MWh. In this way the electricity market is approached from both the supply and the demand sides. The paper uses system dynamics to validate the approach. It shows why it is in the interest of all operators to make the largest possible reduction efforts as long as they are compatible with economic efficiency.

Casino Managers' Perception of the Need for a National Gaming Management Certification

Using casino managers as an example, this paper examines certification issues and the importance of conducting a needs assessment. Because of the rapid rise in the number of casinos during the late 1980s and 1990s, casino employee training could not meet the industry needs. While there are many forms of employee training available, no standards or core competencies allow human resource managers to compare knowledge across programs. A national gaming management certification is a possible solution. This needs assessment indicates that while managers want a national gaming management certification, the are not willing to support the effort with higher pay raises, faster promotions, or any other benefits a potential candidate wants for his or her time and effort. This study links the theoretical concept of certification and needs assessments to the practical issue of casino manager needs.

Why physicians are certified by boards

The concept of board certification of a physician in a discipline dates back more than 80 years. A certificate was awarded for life and indicated that the certificate holder had taken and passed a written examination and, often, an oral examination. This board certification indicates that a physician has met a national standard. The “Boards” of the major disciplines, such as Pediatrics, Medicine, Surgery, etc, are bound together under the American Board of Medical Specialists (ABMS), which supervises 24 specialty Boards. The programs in which ABMS trainees are instructed are carefully critiqued and evaluated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The Residency Review Committees (RRC) are appointed by the ACGME and review all residencies. Two important concepts are that individual physicians are certified by “Boards” on the basis of their knowledge, skills, and attitudes and residency programs are accredited by the RRC and, hence, the ACGME and not by individual “Boards.” The individual physician is certified by the following process: training for a designated period in an approved residency program, completing a prescribed curriculum, being approved to sit for a certifying examination by a program director, and passing a secure examination in a testing center. Since the 1930s, new concepts have been incorporated; key among these are that the individual trainees have the attitudes and moral behavior required of an excellent physician (attested by the program director) and the certificate is time limited. Physicians must recertify to maintain their Board status. Similarly, training programs are required to renew their status with the RRC in 5-year intervals, thus, assuring that residency program development is ongoing. Most critical, however, is that the Board assures the public of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of each physician who receives a certificate. Because the Board certifies physicians, it must have an arm's length and objective relationship with medical-led professional societies. Hence, the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) is separate from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Board of Internal Medicine is separate from the American College of Physicians, and so forth. Similarly, subboards are independent of subspecialty societies (eg, American Society of Nephrology/American Society of Pediatric Nephrology, etc). All Boards have nonphysician public members who represent views of the public (stakeholders). A specialty board can develop subspecialty boards. For instance, the ABP certifies pediatric nephrologists through the subboard of Pediatric Nephrology. It is the role of the ACGME, through the RRC, to approve the length and content of each Pediatric Nephrology fellowship program; this is how each program receives its accreditation. However, the examination, which must be passed by each trainee, is written by the members of the ABP Subboard of Pediatric Nephrology and supervised by the ABP. This process of training and certification is again not influenced by professional societies or by pharmaceutical companies. The examination fee is paid by the trainee. This process assures the public of the lack of undue influence by the profession on the certification process. The Boards of clinical disciplines also have “third-tier” examinations and certificates. These are known as “certifications of added qualifications” or CAQ. “Third-tier” is defined as specialized skills within a subboard of a discipline. Under the ABP are third-tier Boards in Toxicology and Laboratory Medicine. A third-tier certificate also exists in Cardiac Electrophysiology within Internal Medicine/Cardiology. The development of a third-tier certificate or CAQ requires approval of the ABMS. A developing concept concerns the maintenance of certification, which assures that physicians remain aware of the advances in medical progress. In the past, this has involved either a lifetime certificate or periodic recertification (frequently every 7 years) using only a test of knowledge. The new concept that is being established is to assure that certified physicians remain current on an ongoing basis. This is described in the accompanying essay by Ham and Stockman.1Ham HP Stockman JA. Why maintenance of certification?.J Pediatr. 2002; 141: 299Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar In conclusion, the certification process involves a series of steps by which individual physicians can be evaluated and certified by a specialty board. On the other hand, the training program in which that physician trains is accredited by a residency review committee that is supervised by the ACGME. This process, which has been in place for many years (80+), has served our discipline well and is now being emulated by organized medicine in the nations of the European Union. Most importantly, the established processes ensure an arm's length relationship with professional societies and avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest.

Standardization and certification of medical devices: results and prospects

The paper presents the concept of standardization and certification of medical articles, which has been worked out by the State Committee of Russia for Standardization, and the results of the first stage of harmonization of the ISE and ISO standards with the national ones.

National School Nurse Certification Part II: Questions and Answers

The National Association of School Nurses proposed the concept of certification for school nurses in the 1970s. The development and evolution of the school nurse certification process, from concept to reality, were described in the October 2000 Journal of School Nursing (Gregory & Marcontel, 2000). Readers were asked to submit questions to be answered in the second article. This article describes issues and answers questions from school nurses about national certification, gives information from past and current presidents and certified school nurses regarding their experiences, and presents a forecast on the future of school nurse certification.

National School Nurse Certification Part I: An Ongoing Process

The National Association of School Nurses proposed the concept of certification for school nurses in the 1970s. The development and evolution of the school nurse certification process, from concept to reality, is described in this article. It is the first of a 2-part series on national certification for school nurses. Part 2 will examine issues and answer questions about the certification, give information from past and current presidents and certified school nurses about their experiences, and present a forecast about the future of school nurse certification.

Renewable Electricity in a Liberalised Market – The Concept of Green Certificates

Liberalisation of energy markets in Europe has altered many aspects of energy policy. In order to realise environmental targets in a liberalising market, the design and implementation of policy measures and incentive schemes have to be in accordance with free market principles. Current incentive schemes, most of which have been established in the pre-liberalisation situation, might not be able to fulfil this requirement (European Commission, 1999). This emphasises the need for new policy measures that are more in coherence with the new market. Such measures are discussed, thereby focussing on the green certificate system.

National School Nurse Certification Part I: An Ongoing Process

The National Association of School Nurses proposed the concept of certification for school nurses in the 1970s. The development and evolution of the school nurse certification process, from concept to reality, is described in this article. It is the first of a 2-part series on national certification for school nurses. Part 2 will examine issues and answer questions about the certification, give information from past and current presidents and certified school nurses about their experiences, and present a forecast about the future of school nurse certification.

An Integrated Bonded Repair System: A Reliable Means of Giving New Life to Aging Airframes

The application of bonded composite repairs to restore cracked or corroded metallic airframes has seen rapid expansion recently, following twenty years of technology development. However, the lack of standardized bonded repair methods and certification concepts impedes wider application of the technique. Existing bonded repair technologies are maturing rapidly, but several specialities (design and analysis, surface preparation, installation, inspection, training and certification) must be integrated into a seamless package before civil and military airworthiness authorities will embrace bonded 'crack patching.' This paper outlines efforts by the United States Air Force to develop an integrated system to allow aircraft maintenance engineers to cover the complete life cycle of a bonded repair. The successful construction of this integrated system will speed the widespread acceptance of the technology and help to assure the continued airworthiness of the aging aircraft fleet.

Arsenal Ship Program Certification Plan

ABSTRACT The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), in conjunction with the U.S. Navy, initiated a research program for the design and construction of a distinctive warship for the 21st century known as the Arsenal Ship. By using an innovative development and acquisition approach it was hoped to streamline the procurement process and reduce costs. In an environment where budgets are being cut, both industry and Government were challenged to develop, design, and produce the innovative ship and related mission systems to meet specific performance capabilities within strict affordability constraints. A key element of this innovative acquisition approach was a new certification scheme designed to replace the traditional test and evaluation (T & E) and acceptance process.The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of the certification plan during Phase II of the Arsenal Ship program by the American Bureau of Shipping and the contending Shipyard teams, and to discuss the potential benefits of this alternative certification approach. Although the Arsenal Ship program was canceled late in 1997, insight derived from the exploration of new certification concepts could benefit future design and building programs.

Ecolocical certification of forest products: Economic challenges

With increasing rates of forest depletion worldwide, increasingly the question is being asked: Can markets play a role in mitigating the deleterious environmental and social impacts of forestry activities? The Forest Stewardship Council and others have proposed systems of ‘ecological certification’, where otherwise very similar products are viewed by consumers as different products because additional information on the products' history is provided. The ‘certification’ assures the consumer that the products have been produced with practices that meet fundamental ecological and social standards. For ecological certification systems to be viable and deliver products to the market over the long term, the relationships among key components must evolve economically and institutionally. Consisting of local forest management firms, local certifying non-government organizations, international non-government organizations, timber and product markets, the ecological certification system transcends local forests and communities to international markets. Conceptually, the system is a series of principal-agent relationships. This paper, in addition to developing the concept of ecological certification, analyzes the relationships among the many actors and the relationship of the actors to the forest.

Software process assessment concepts

Software and the software processes (design, implementation, maintenance) are defined and described. Assessment, i.e. the measurement of software processes is introduced as seen by the concepts of Certification (ISO 9000) and of Maturity Levels (SEI CMM). Then various important assessment methods are compared: CMM, BOOTSTRAP, SynQuest, and SPICE. The comparison stresses practical experience and the cost-benefit ratio. All methods have in common that the set of items measured (the “questionnaires”) are ad hoc (but based on practical experience), and that statistical quality control is lacking. Finally, an enhanced assessment approach is proposed using statistical analysis of assessment data, and including an evaluation method based on a process model and expert system technology.