Interest In Certification Research Articles

Motivations and Barriers of Professional Certification for Tree Workers

Abstract Background Professional credentialing refers to the process of obtaining a certification or license that validates an individual’s knowledge, skills, and abilities according to industry-accepted ethics and standards. The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) confers and manages professional arborist certification as well as other arborist credentials. However, many communities, such as in the southern United States, have few if any credentialed commercial tree care professionals. This study explores the motivations and barriers commercial tree care workers place on professional arborist certification. Methods The research employed 60 qualitative interviews from 3 of the 8 southern states to elicit emergent themes and detailed understanding of participants’ attitudes and experiences. In addition, an online survey of 742 international respondents was conducted to validate and complement interview findings. Results Results illustrate degrees of professional interest in certification. For example, some arborists pursued certification to improve sales with government organizations, while both certified and noncertified participants suggested few clients were aware of certification and therefore did not consider certification valuable to market competition. Additionally, company cultures supporting professional development and engagement with professional organizations influenced certification among new employees. Finally, some arborists viewed certification as a pathway to increase knowledge, skills, and confidence in arboriculture. Others discussed difficulties in traditional education and testing required for certification. Conclusion The reasons for pursuing certification were as diverse as the tree care workers in the industry. Findings suggest several possible interventions to address the challenges some individuals have in achieving certification.

Certifier competition and audit grades: An empirical examination using food safety certification

AbstractThird‐party certification bodies (CBs) audit companies to determine compliance with standards. Using panel data from the British Retail Consortium food program, a leading international food safety standard for manufacturers, we empirically examine determinants of audit grades. We show that on average, audit grades are lower the first‐time manufacturers certify, consistent with certification improving food safety practices. Small manufacturers are disadvantaged compared with large (multisite) producers who obtain on average higher grades. We also test and support the hypothesis that a higher degree of CB competition leads to higher grades, raising concern for a potential conflict of interest in certification.

Lean production management system and sustainability of lean transformations

For more than 20 years the enterprises of the Russian Federation have been in- troducing the concept of lean production. The article analyzes the systematic work of the organizations of the Russian Federation to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of production systems through the introduction of tools and methods of lean production; the results of the «Efficient Region» project implemented by the regions in cooperation with «Rosatom» State Corporation and «Increasing labor productivity and supporting employment» national project. A conclusion has been made on the basis of the analysis, and the reasons considered that the growth of interest of enterprises and organizations in lean production is not accompanied by an increase in interest in certification of organizations for compliance with the requirements of the lean production management system. In conclusion, the features and differences of the lean production management system from other management systems have been considered, the main of which is that the philosophy of management of a lean enterprise is SFM (Shop floor Management) «management of business processes from the place of value creation», known both in the world and in Russia, as a goal management system. Its implementation ensures a constant increase in the efficiency of processes due to identifying and elim- inating losses, achieving the proper state of an enterprise according to standardized indicators in the SQDCLME areas: (S (safety), Q (quality), D (delivery), C (costs), L (labor), M (corporate culture), E (environment). The article proposes a comprehensive application of the goal management system and the process approach which is the basis of management system standards developed by an international certification organization. Lean production management including tools and philosophy, values, culture, combined with the integrated application of the goal management system and the process approach, will transform the production culture through the formation of new business thinking and will contribute to the sustainability of the ongoing lean transformations.

Factors that affect the interest of the manufacturing industries to implement the green industry certification regulation in Indonesia

Green Industry Standards, as a regulation to achieve sustainable industrial development, currently still have little interest in its application in Indonesia, especially through certification. There are only 27 industries that have implemented Green Industry certification from a total of 33,923 industries in Indonesia until 2019. Based on this data, it is necessary to evaluate the application of current Green Industry certification regulations. The findings of this study are expected to be used as one of the information sources for government strategic consideration to increase industrial interest on Green Industry certification implementation. This study is done by analyzing the factors that drive and hinder industrial interest in implementing Green Industry certification. The method used in this study is a quantitative method conducted by a survey of 27 certified industries and 20 uncertified industries using a questionnaire with a Linkert scale and then processed statistically. The results of the research show that the driving factors of industry's interest in implementing Green Industry certification up to 100% was to improve company image, whereas 94.5% of factor inhibiting interest in certification stated by respondents was the currently limited Green Industry Standards that are only available to a certain scope of certain commodities.

The consumer of food products in organic markets of central Mexico

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the characteristics of consumers of organic food, based on their motivations.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire based on the Food Choice Questionnaire was applied to a 656 consumers. A multivariate factor analysis and cluster analysis was performed to the data.FindingsSeven factors were identified: ecological concern; nutritional content; availability of natural products; sensory aspects; certifications, health and confidence; and economic aspects. Resulting clusters were named as: conscious and interested in certification; conscious with no interest in certification; opportunist in transition; unconscious opportunist. There are signs of different consumers. The consumers of these products are characterised by an interaction between hedonic and ethical motivations, where the most important motivation is environmental concern and the least important are the economic aspects.Research limitations/implicationsThe reduced number of alternative markets in Mexico limits the amplitude of the research.Practical implicationsThe work herein reported is pioneer and contributes to reduce the lack of studies on the motivations and characteristics of consumers of organic foods in Mexico. Findings may set a path for new research in other cultural contexts; as well as for more specific work in Mexico as of consumers of industrialised organic products.Social implicationsCharacterising consumers of organic foods will enable the development of these markets.Originality/valueSocial studies of eating habits have taken place in European countries; and several works have been developed in other areas of the world to determine the way in which consumers build their preferences and food choice patterns. In Mexico, specifically in organic foods, studies have focussed in agrarian economics, but the analysis of motivations for choice has not been addressed. Therefore, it is important to research this issue given the relevance for consumers.

Ten Years Back, Five Years Forward: The Data Seal of Approval

If we want to share data, the long-term storage of those data in a trustworthy digital archive is an essential condition. Trust is the basis of storing and sharing data. That trust must be present in the various stakeholders involved. Certification of digital archives can make an important contribution to the confidence of these stakeholders in the digital archives.Ten years ago DANS was assigned the task of developing a Seal of Approval for digital data to ensure that archived data can still be found, understood and used in the future. In 2009 this Data Seal of Approval (DSA) was transferred to an international body, the DSA Board, which has managed and further developed the guidelines and the peer review process ever since.The objectives of the DSA are to safeguard data, ensure high quality and guide reliable management of data for the future without requiring implementation of new standards, regulations or heavy investments. The DSA contains 16 guidelines for applying and verifying quality aspects concerning the creation, storage, use and reuse of digital data.Based on feedback from data archives that applied for a DSA and different case studies we have gained some insight into the benefits of DSA. Still, the impact of having the Seal is not easy to measure. Seal holders usually refer to qualitative benefits in the form of increased awareness of the value of their repositories to their communities, funders and publishers.Ten years down the line we can safely state that the Data Seal of Approval has proven its added value. If we try to look five years into the future, what can we expect? There are different developments: a growing interest in DSA among European research infrastructures, the collaboration between DSA and the ISCU World Data System under the umbrella of the RDA (Research Data Alliance) and the European Commission is showing a growing interest in certification services.The success of DSA also provides the challenge to further professionalize the DSA organization in the coming years, this to enable its community to continue to grow. All in all there are promising developments for a bright future for the Data Seal of Approval.

Pharmacists: First responders

Pharmacists: First responders

Certifiably Excellent

The purpose of this article is to provide a road map for individuals and chapters to use in beginning a certification program. The Heart of the Piedmont Chapter used the mission, vision, and values of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses to create an environment of safety and expert care for patients and their families. The journey began when our chapter realized that there were only a few certified nurses in our chapter and hospital. As a chapter, we decided to use a survey to determine interest in certification. We invited all interested nurses to attend a certification meeting. Eighty nurses attended. Collaborating with nursing administration, we held study groups, brought in a national speaker, and assisted with payment of the certification examination. This article describes how 1 chapter can make a positive difference in the lives of nurses and patients. Although our chapter’s journey is ongoing, we hope to share our strategies for success with others.

Certifiably Excellent

The purpose of this article is to provide a road map for individuals and chapters to use in beginning a certification program. The Heart of the Piedmont Chapter used the mission, vision, and values of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses to create an environment of safety and expert care for patients and their families. The journey began when our chapter realized that there were only a few certified nurses in our chapter and hospital. As a chapter, we decided to use a survey to determine interest in certification. We invited all interested nurses to attend a certification meeting. Eighty nurses attended. Collaborating with nursing administration, we held study groups, brought in a national speaker, and assisted with payment of the certification examination. This article describes how 1 chapter can make a positive difference in the lives of nurses and patients. Although our chapter's journey is ongoing, we hope to share our strategies for success with others.

Certification Issues for Some Common Aquaculture Species

There is interest in certification of aquaculture production facilities in response to concerns about negative environmental and social impacts and food safety. This study identifies issues to be considered by stakeholders in developing certification standards for channel catfish, tilapias, rainbow trout, oysters, mussels, clams, scallops, abalone, and seaweed. Common issues include land and water use, water pollution, benthic effects, effects on biodiversity, use of antibiotics and other chemicals, and relationships with workers and local communities. Specific, contentious issues apply to individual species or species groups. Fish meal use in feeds will be a major concern in finfish certification. Use of groundwater, removal of daily mortalities, and medicated feed in channel catfish culture should be given particular attention. Tilapia culture can introduce these species into watersheds where they have not previously occurred, resulting in serious competition with native species. Some environmentalists and consumers object to hormone treatment of tilapia to produce all male fry. Widespread use of therapeutic agents in trout culture will be a major concern. Discussions of shellfish certification should focus on water use conflicts and public health risks associated with the consumption of these organisms. The introduction of non-native species and genetic alterations with respect to oysters also will need to be addressed. Further, introduction of non-native species should be a major topic in discussions of abalone and seaweed culture. The source of wild seaweed to use as food in abalone culture also will be an issue.

Shared Vision (April 2005)

My definition of a professional is a competent, educated, ethical, continuously developing person with communication and interpersonal skills, and a holistic perspective. A professional uses innovative approaches, participates in professional associations, and is committed to the pursuit of excellence. It is interesting to note that this definition encapsulates all of SPE’s core values. SPE has always been dedicated to helping members to maintain and upgrade their technical knowledge through our publications, conferences, workshops, and other technical programs. Now we are exploring the opportunity to verify professionalism through a certification program being overseen by the SPE Engineering Professionalism Committee for members in countries where there is no governmental or organizational licensing. Our first step is a pilot program for Petroleum Professional Certification to be conducted in the Middle East. This pilot project stems from requests by members in the Middle East and elsewhere for SPE to offer an internationally recognized certification program for petroleum professionals. A task force was formed in 2003 to study and make recommendations on what SPE’s involvement in certification ought to be. We sought member feedback through focus groups in a number of locations, and a survey was sent to more than 6,200 members to gauge the interest in certification. An astounding 65% of the respondents said they were interested in obtaining SPE certification. With those results in hand, the task force recommended that the SPE Board of Directors establish a certification program under the responsibility of the SPE Engineering Professionalism Committee and establish an SPE Petroleum Professional Certification Subcommittee to compose and maintain the certification examination. The Board approved conduct of a pilot to test the certification process thoroughly. Because of the strong interest demonstrated by members in the Middle East, the pilot examination is planned for February 2006 in Abu Dhabi. SPE certification would mean that a petroleum professional has passed an examination and has met certain minimum requirements that demonstrate both technical knowledge as well as a commitment to ethics. Certification would not be conferred automatically through membership in the Society.

Certification of forestry: A small-scale forester perspective

A perspective is presented on the role of forest certification in general and concerning small-scale forestry in particular. Certification may be viewed as a tool to communicate with consumers, as a tool to influence forest management or as a game of power and money. Market studies indicate that the end consumers have little interest in certification; the process seems to be more of an issue for some large retailers of wood products. The impact of certification on forest management and thus on the environment has not been studied extensively, and the original objective to stop devastation of tropical forests has so far failed. Certification is a new type of regulation, not based on democratic institutions. Equal treatment, correct procedures for appeal and transparency of decision processes are issues of governance yet to be addressed. The market penetration of certification is increasing, but its importance is an open question. One possible scenario is that large retailers and their large suppliers will adopt certification while the large number of smaller forest owners, wood processors and dealers abstain. Small-scale forest owners do well to develop their own standpoint vis-a-vis certification and marketing.

Strengthening the Science behind Certification: The Role of University Research and School Forests

Abstract The Pinchot Institute for Conservation conducted a study to gauge the potential for refining certification assessment methodologies through research in school forests involving faculty, staff, and students. The study was based on a series of interviews with certification experts and a survey completed by 38 schools with research and teaching forests. It evaluated the potential for better use of untapped capacity at research universities by addressing needed improvements in certification programs, current level of participation by school forests, and capacity for and interest in certification. Facilitating the dialogue and coordination between the certification programs and the students, faculty, and staff who conduct research in school forests can refine the assessment methodologies used for certification.

The influence of forest certification on forest product trade

Forest certification is considered to be complementary to forest management policies and takes a significant effect on forest product trade. In recent decade, it has been followed with interest and approved by governments and forestry departments in the world. This paper analyzes the influence of forest certification on forest product trade in the world, including the interest in certification in exporting countries and importing countries, trade flow and business competition, and the demands for Certified Forest Products (CFPs) and also discusses the influence of forest certification on forest product trade in China.

Training status and interest in certification of nondiplomate faculty teaching predoctoral dental public health.

A survey was conducted to better understand the training needs of faculty members without dental public health (DPH) specialty board certification who teach DPH to dental students. An 11-item questionnaire was sent to 193 non-DPH diplomate faculty members at US dental schools who were dentists and at least one of the following: a member of the American Association of Dental Schools Community and Preventive Dentistry Section, a referral from an academic American Board of Dental Public Health diplomate, a DPH faculty listed on the school's Web pages, a DPH contact from the AADS Institutional Directory, or the school's dean if no other contact. A 70 percent response rate was obtained. Seventy-nine percent of the respondents taught at least one national board-related DPH topic. Among these faculty members, 67 percent have or are in training for the master of public health, 26 percent have completed or are in a DPH residency, and 63 percent desire training in one or more of the DPH topics. The majority (64%) does not plan to take the specialty exam, while 28 percent plan to take the exam within five years. About half reported no personal incentives to take the exam and 39 percent perceived no institutional incentives. These nondiplomate teachers of predoctoral DPH desire training, but appear to have barriers and perceive few benefits to achieving DPH board certification.

Forest certification and Canadian forestry — An overview and update

Forest certification is the identification and recognition that a forest management system and the specific forest to which it is applied has met agreed-to standards and requirements. The relatively recent interest in certification stems from three intertwined roots. These are social, market-place and professional. It was the concept of sustainable development in the late 1980s which provided the soil in which the roots would flourish. The development of certification schemes has varied depending on whether or not the focus was on a forest product or the forest and its management. The use of external independent audits as central to the assurance of credibility for the certification process is generally accepted. Differences and disagreements about certification have related mainly to what was being certified, the process of developing standards, and who would control certification. All certification schemes must have international credibility if they are to address market-place concerns, and therefore they must be trade-neutral. Within the jurisdiction within which they operate, they should be equally applicable to all forest conditions and ownerships. The initiation of forest certification is a watershed for Canadian forestry and foresters.

Sustainable forestry and certification in the Commonwealth

Sustainable forest management is the goal of most foresters and of the informed public and it is the main mission of the Commonwealth Forestry Association. Certification of forest products is a recent market phenomenon, driven partly by Non-Government Organizations and partly by retailers; it is largely a western initiative with parallels in agricultural and pharmaceutical products. Certification does not guarantee sustainability—it only defines what the buyer demands, like lumber dimensions. Environmental or social certification is a contractual specification and the European market seems currently to be the furthest forward with such schemes. Without such market pull, interest in certification would collapse. There are now many initiatives world wide; the Forest Stewardship Council began as an accrediter of independent certifiers, but countries are now developing their own criteria and especially seeking approaches through the International Standards Organization (ISO), an ISO 14000 or ISO 9000 approach. The relevance of certification to many smaller tropical Commonwealth countries is limited, since international trade is of little concern, and many newcomers to the international market have not yet adopted certification requirements. The challenge for the future is to find norms of country-specific good forest stewardship and certifiers are now turning their attention to other objects of trade.

Certification of Pediatric Oncology Nurses: From Roundtable Discussion to Reality

Certification for pediatric oncology nurses became a reality in 1993 when the first national certification examination was administered in Reno, NV. Some members of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nursing initially voiced an interest in certification at a roundtable discussion held during the 1988 annual meeting. The momentum lead to the formation of a task force to initiate the certification process. The task force led to an ad hoc committee, organized to design and implement certification. Certification is now overseen by the Certification Corporation of Pediatric Oncology Nurses. The benefits of certification and a historical overview of pediatric oncology nursing certification is discussed in this article. Details of how the test was designed are offered, as well as results from the pilot study. This article concludes with data from the first examination.

Certification of pediatric oncology nurses: From roundtable discussion to reality

Certification for pediatric oncology nurses became a reality in 1993 when the first national certification examination was administered in Reno, NV. Some members of the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nursing initially voiced an interest in certification at a roundtable discussion held during the 1988 annual meeting. The momentum lead to the formation of a task force to initiate the certification process. The task force led to an ad hoc committee, organized to design and implement certification. Certification is now overseen by the Certification Corporation of Pediatric Oncology Nurses. The benefits of certification and a historical overview of pediatric oncology nursing certification is discussed in this article. Details of how the test was designed are offered, as well as results from the pilot study. This article concludes with data from the first examination.