Introduction: Dubai Quality Group is proud to announce the commencement of annual events aimed at creating awareness of the Strategic Role of Establishing Quality Management Systems in Educational Organizations to achieve higher standards In order to support educational organizations to conform to international standards of quality and excellence Dubai Quality Group under the auspices of
His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology, will be launching the Quality in Higher Education Conference 2003 on 22nd, 23rd October 2003. This event will be held at the American University in Dubai Campus. 

The conference will feature the top gurus and authoritative figures on Higher Education to provide first-hand exposure of the requirements of Quality Programs, Faculty and Students in Higher Education. Participants of the conference will have the opportunity to become aware of quality standards in institutes of higher education, develop an understanding of the philosophy of the quality movement in higher education institutes, become aware of methods of improving quality in institutions of higher education, and through the accompanying workshops that will be conducted during the conference participants will be able to start implementing some of the principles and practices in their own institutes. 

For more information please click here

Sponsors:

American University in Dubai	Gems	Al Ghurair University
Tanmia	The Indian High School	University of Wollongong
British Council

 

The Forum agenda covered the following topical issues:

• Women in Business - the challenges women face in today’s career market place. 
• An insight into the impact of environmental and cultural developments in Dubai.
• Gender and cultural adaptation of business education – the demand for international business
  education to adapt to the needs of local markets.
• Increased educational opportunities for women.
• Can an MBA help you achieve your goals?.
• Personal development – advice and guidance on improving business and personal skills.

Ms. Badriya Al Tamimi, Manager, Dubai Quality Group facilitated this unique Forum. Represents the emerging force of the region – confident, smart, sophisticated young woman, driven by a vision to serve their nation. And make it on their own. Product of ‘O’ Levels from Cambridge School later Dubai Civil Aviation College, graduating in Business Administration. 

Dubai Quality Group, a premier institute dedicated towards enhancing quality standards in Dubai. 

Key speakers include:

Faiza Al Sayed, Vice President of the Dubai Women’s Council well-informed and active woman in this arena, and Dr. Nadia Buhannad, Sikologia Consultancy, a highly successful entrepreneur.

From academia:

We were delighted to welcome Dr Miriam M Matar from Dubai Women’s College and Dr.Celia De Anca, Director of the Centre for Diversity in Global Management at IE-Instituto de Empresa, Spain. (Formally of the Euro-Arab Management School in Spain, Dr. De Anca’s research interests are related to subjects of special relevance in gender and cultural management issues, especially in the context of the Arab world. A renowned and respected speaker, Dr De Anca is widely acknowledged for her expertise in the field of Arab professional women. 

The forum was well attended by more than 100 business and professional women, willing to listen, interact with leading women entrepreneurs, personalities and experts, gaining information on career enhancement, networking with business women alike, improve business skills to adapt and face the challenges of today’s world. 

By Mr. Nabil Tay, Abela & Co. LLC

A much -used phrase in the world of management states that “People leave people, not companies”- reflecting the vital importance of maintaining positive relationships in the workplace. And for managers wanting to get the best out of their staff, striking a balance between authority & approachability can be a major headache. Through number of studies it is clearly evident that communication is the number one reason people are happy or otherwise at work.

One of the key areas to look at is accountability & responsibility – managers often complain about the inflexibility of their staff, but chances are, it is the manager who is being inflexible, but blaming someone else. So what makes a good communicator? It is someone who can listen, is accountable, appreciative, encourages face to face interaction, can give & receive feedback and can communicate in many ways. Most communication is carried out in either visual “hands on” or auditory way. A good visual tool is to have a picture or diagram outlining exactly what you want. For example if you want a waiter to set a table in a certain way, rather than just telling him, you should provide a picture of the desired end result. It is found that if you tell someone what to do they may not listen, but if you suggest it to them, they will tend to take it on board. When delivering information verbally, it is important to make sure the information is being heard and understood.

Ask yourself the following questions.

1. Are you just telling people what to do?
2. Are you letting them speak it back?
3. Are you doing it with them, or just giving instruction?

Often people say they do not have the time to go through the things thoroughly. But I would ask are you sure you have the time not to do it? If mistakes are made it can be much more time consuming in the long run. 

However different circumstances require different methods of communication. Don’t always resort to one form of communication. For example e-mails are convenient but not always appropriate, particularly when communicating sensitive information. Make time available for people to talk to you and learn to listen both to what people do say and what they don’t. Ask open questions to people ie, ones that don’t just require a yes or no answer.

It is also recommended that if you are not going to act on information communicated upwards make sure you explain the reasons "why and when”. Communicating downwards make sure you explain “how and why”. Certain things are happening, not just what. 

The information to be misinterpreted should not be underestimated. Good managers recommend being ultra specific when giving instructions. According to the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who came up with flow theory, our brains receive around two million bytes of information a day, but can only handle about 134. According to flow theory, we often manage this excess either making generalization, re-translating or deleting information. 

Managers need to make sure that when they give instructions they are being very specific, or otherwise a member of staff may generalize and assume that what they are being asked to do is the same as they have been asked to do a day or week before. Managers with good communication skills should avoid number of words at all costs. 

One is don’t. The unconscious mind doesn’t process negatives, for example if I say don’t think of Blue what happens? And have you ever tried saying don’t run, to a child? People need to know what they have to do, rather than what they don’t have to do nor is he a fan of the word try saying : Try doesn’t necessarily mean fail, but it can do.

And finally, the big BUT: But can delete everything that came before it. For example if I said this is very interesting conversation, but …it is turning a positive into negative. Saying and instead adds value.

Keeping morale high is key to achieving good staff retention level and this kind of attention to detail can be all-important. To conclude in our business we seem to be very happy to be critical, but the key to decent communication is rapport, and banning negative words can make a difference. 

Dubai Duty Free followed its successful first half year sales with the announcement of record monthly sales for the month of July totalling Dhs114.7 million (US$31.8 million), thereby averaging over US$1 million per day. This surpasses the previous record of Dhs108.4 million (US$30.1 million) set in January 2003 and represents a 30% increase over July 2002.

While sales were buoyant across the board, certain categories showed strong increases over the same month last year. Sales of Electronic goods reached almost Dhs14 million (US$3.9 million) and showed a 35% increase over sales in July last year. Perfume sales reached Dhs13.4 million (US$3.7 million) and showed the same percentage increase of 35% over last July. Buoyed by the demand for the latest best-sellers, including the successful launch of the fifth series in the Harry Potter series, book sales at Dubai Duty Free have increased by 126% over the same period last year.

Commenting on the record July figures, Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free said: “Our first half year sales figures were up 16% on the previous year and we are absolutely delighted that this trend is continuing into the second half. We are aiming to close the year with sales of Dhs1.3 billion (US$360 million) and with monthly figures like this, we are very much on track. This is a great reflection of the commitment from everyone at Dubai Duty Free.”

In December this year, Dubai Duty Free celebrates its twentieth anniversary. During this time, the operation has grown from an annual turnover of US$20 million to become the fifth largest duty free operation in the world with sales of Dhs1.1 billion (US$306 
million) in 2002.


The operation currently employs over 1,000 staff who represent 31 different nationalities and speak a total of 36 languages.

For over 10 years, Dnata Cargo has taken the lead in establishing Total Quality Management (TQM) "Best Practices" at Dubai International Airport and inside its air cargo terminals. 

As a culmination of its efforts, the division just has achieved accreditation to the occupational health and safety management system OHSAS18001. Dnata Cargo is the first air cargo terminal operator in the region to attain this certification, and to hold multiple quality certifications. 

The OSHAS18001 certificate was presented recently to Ismail Ali Al Banna, Executive Vice-President Dnata, by Mr Bruno Ferreyra, Chief Executive of Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI)

Mr Al Banna said: "This new accreditation for Dnata Cargo, the first to receive it in the Emirates Group, is part of an ongoing drive. Dnata wants to push the boundaries of service excellence and cost efficiency to ever-higher levels, for the benefit of our employees and our customers. This award tells us that we are on the right track."

He added: "The OSHAS certification process has added momentum to our efforts on safety and health issues. Committees were formed that enabled front line staff to participate actively in the process. And management was compelled to focus even more intensely on safety and health improvements throughout the organisation." 

OHSAS 18001 was created by leading national standards bodies, certification organisations and specialist consultancies to provide guidelines to prevent accidents and accident-related loss of life, time and resources. 

Dnata Cargo is the leading Emirates Group component in achieving recognition for its TQM initiatives. Its management systems are accredited by several prominent standards such as the quality related ISO9001 (since 1995) and the environment related ISO14001 system (since 2000), Together with the much coveted service related Dubai Quality Award (DQA), they underline the Group's support of Best Practices in every field. 

The recently added OHSAS18001 system has been integrated into the other two ISO certifications and will also undergo six monthly external audits by the accreditation body to ensure continued and strict compliance with internationally accepted standards for Best Practices

Jean Pierre L de Pauw, Senior Vice President Cargo, said: "We already had accreditation to ISO's quality management system and environment system. A health and safety system was the next logical step in the field of quality assurance. 
"Our aim is to achieve a mature total quality management system that will allow us, as one large team, irrespective of title or position, to remain leaders in our field."

Dnata Cargo put several hundred porters, and equipment operators and drivers through an intensive training programme covering occupational health and safety matters. Topics ranged from the correct posture when lifting heavy loads to ramp safety and handling dangerous goods.

The safety campaign began two years ago, when 145 Dnata Cargo equipment operators were put through a vigorous training programme accredited by the UK's Road Transport Industry Training Board. The goal was to increase awareness of safety procedures when handling forklifts inside the cargo terminal. These training sessions are ongoing and ensure that all operators have the skills to prevent accidents and safeguard the terminal. 

Dnata Cargo is the leading freight handling company in the region. It operates the 25,000 square-metre main air cargo terminal at the Dubai Cargo Village, providing total cargo handling services to around 100 airlines operating through Dubai, and to over 1,000 Dubai-based agents. 

The terminal, a world-class facility thanks to Dnata Cargo's investment in equipment, information technology, personnel, total quality management and training, has played a significant part in securing Dubai's position as the Middle East's premier cargo hub. 

Dnata Cargo also operates another cargo terminal - the 19,000 square-meter Freezone Logistics Centre (FLC) - within Dubai airport's Freezone area, mainly dedicated to charter operators, providing a flexible, alternative pricing and service package. A third terminal, in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, known as FACT (Freezone Air Cargo Terminal) that serves around 2,000 companies with a steady link to Dubai Airport, maintained through its fleet of trucks equipped with roller-bed and air suspension, also is operated by Dnata Cargo.

Gulf Agency Company Ltd (GAC) and Rice Unruh Reynolds (RUR) have formed an alliance that encompasses the global marketing and provision of port agency services of both companies. 

The GAC-RUR alliance offers a greater geographical spread of port agency services to ship owners, ship operators, traders, and to chartered clients of wet bulk, dry bulk and specialist carrier tonnage. 

The alliance will manage approximately 35,000 port calls through its combined network of port agency offices, servicing over 1,500 ports and terminals around the globe. 

GAC will provide service coverage in Europe, the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, Asia, Australia/Oceania, US West Coast and the Americas. 

RUR will, through its offices in the United States, cover the US East and Gulf Coasts. 

GAC's Group Shipping Division Vice President, Lars P. Heisselberg, described the alliance as a strategic advance in the provision of services to the global shipping community. “This new agreement represents GAC’s ‘Global Reach – Vision X’ strategy implemented mid 2002”. “The GAC-RUR alliance enhances the commitment that was earlier put in place 
through the GAC-Adsteam alliance, covering the Australia/Oceania region,” he said.

RUR's President, Bob Bandos welcomed the alliance as a commercial concept beneficial for all parties. "We believe our alliance with GAC will provide significant benefits to our customers and provide us with global access to insure our company’s continued growth.”

In a further push towards enhancing service delivery standards, Good health Worldwide (Middle East) LLC, the international medical insurance providers have recently appointed a new Claims and Quality Assurance Manager.

Joan Coker comes with a vast amount of experience from the World renowned international evacuation company, International SOS, and brings with her a European service culture along with ability to converse with Good health clients in 6 different languages.

“Goodhealth customers are able to speak directly to a dedicated in-house local claims person who fully understands the medical infrastructure in their region. Having lived in many different countries all my life and speaking many languages including Arabic, I was keen to work for a reputable insurance company. As working abroad appeals to me, a move to Dubai with Good health's Middle East office has facilitated my desire to continue my career in the medical insurance field,” said Ms. Coker

This is yet another sign of Good health commitment to offering truly international cover for the expatriate community, with a true choice of treatment worldwide and local servicing with all administration and claims settlement undertaken out of their Dubai offices.

The Good health team in Dubai has now grown to over 20 staff including a claims department consisting of Doctors, Dentists, Nurses and Pharmacists ensuring that clients can have access to medical advice as well as prompt and professional claims service at the cost of a local phone call 6 days per week.

By Shaikh Ghazi, Mashreq Bank

I have been baffled by the word competency because it is used time and again by the management of business concerns and even consultants are hired to develop competencies for staff. But the end result has always been a big Zero. It is extremely difficult to develop competencies among human beings. Each one is unique in nature and works according to the DNA that fashions his behaviour. And we should try to build on that uniqueness of the individual. 

First of all let us find the definition of competency.

Isaacs & Benjamin in 1991 defined competency as:

“Competency is a set of congruent attitudes, behaviours, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals to enable them to work effectively”. Here they are defining cultural competency. I will leave this alone.

In 1995 Myers defined competency as:

“Properly or well qualified and capable”. Sounds natural.

Again in 1996 the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc., in Britain defined competency as follows:

“Competency is the application of knowledge and the interpersonal, decision making, and psychomotor skills expected for the practice role”.

One expert defines competency as follows: “A competency is an underlying characteristic of an individual that is causally related to superior performance in a job or situation. Meaning an underlying characteristic is a fairly deep and enduring part of a person’s personality and can predict ways a person will behave or think”. 

Another research found out that there are four competencies that person should have to fit in the organization. They are Knowledge, Skill, Ability and Behaviours.

Yet another toolkit completed from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), University of Michigan Business School says they have identified five key competencies that professionals must have in order to impact business financial performance. These are: Strategic Contribution, Personal Credibility, HR Delivery, Business Knowledge and HR Technology. This is more related toward HR personnel.

Professor Jeffrey E. Auerbach has found out eight emotional intelligence management competencies that one must have to impact the organization positively, they are as follows:


1. Self-awareness and accurate self-assessment
2. Initiative
3. Sound Decision Making
4. Empathy
5. Communication
6. Influence
7. Adaptability and
8. Self Management

Where this all leads. Toward a futile attempt to make a perfect officer or a great manager. This can never be successful. I will return to my first comment in the opening para that every individual is unique and that uniqueness cannot be changed by thrusting down his throat some competencies that the organization needs to further its ends. Let us look at a successful model of organizational effectiveness. To my mind the Military is the only successful and constant model for imbibing in its ranks the uniqueness of individuals to its advantage. But again they had also tried to work out some sort of competencies for their personnel.

In the late 1950s both the British and U.S. Military happened upon the same idea for developing a perfect officer: define the behaviours expected of the perfect officer, measure each person on these behaviours, and then train each person to develop the behaviours he does not display naturally. The selection, measurement, training and promotion systems were then revamped to accommodate this new, scientific approach to officer development.

Forty years later, after many attempts to tweak, tune and redesign, both militaries independently decided to discard what had become known as the “Great Man” approach to leadership development, because it did not work. By either military’s measures of leadership, this approach did not result in the development of better leaders.

Then why is it that HR departments still work on building competencies. Let me quote Marcus Buckinham, the author of the best seller “First Break All the Rules”:
“It's easy to see why this competency-based approach is proving so popular with Human Resources departments. Its explicit goal is to develop people. It imposes an ordered process on the department's vague charge to "build our human capital." It includes a measurement component (the 360-degree metric) so that each employee can track his progress. And finally, it allows the Human Resources department to position itself as a "strategic partner" to the business by identifying only those competencies that will, apparently, lead to a competitive advantage in the future. 
Unfortunately, as the British and U.S. militaries found, this competency-based approach to developing people doesn't deliver on its expressed promise. It doesn't measurably improve productivity, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, retention, safety records, attendance records, or any other real-world measures of performance. 
There are examples in the literature of employees who, having received low ratings from their direct reports/peers/manager on certain competencies, subsequently received higher ratings after they had "worked on" these areas for six months. However, these "improvements" do not show any link to improvements in the employees' real-world business outcomes. At best, these competency "improvements" are irrelevant; at worst, they are a sign that employees have spent too much time trying to eke out improvements in the wrong areas. “

The second part of this article will be published in the November issue of the Quality Quill.

From Leading Concepts

Even while you creatively imitate others, remember that it's also important to be different. Distinguish your business or practice from all the rest. Make your enterprise special in the eyes of your customer or client. That is the goal I want you to pursue.

How do you get your business differentiated? By creating a Unique Selling Proposition - or USP.

A USP is that distinct and appealing idea that sets you and your business, or practice, favorably apart from every other generic competitor. 

The possibilities for building a USP are unlimited. It's best, however, to adopt a USP that dynamically addresses an obvious void in the marketplace that you can honestly fill. Beware: It's actually counter-productive to adopt a USP if you cannot fulfill the promise.

Most business owners don't have a USP, only a "me too," rudderless, nondescript, unappealing business that feeds solely upon the sheer momentum of the marketplace. There's nothing unique; there's nothing distinct. They promise no great value, benefit, or service -- just "buy from us" for no justifiable, rational reason.

It's no surprise then that most businesses, lacking a USP, merely get by. Their failure rate is high, their owners are apathetic, and they get only a small share of the potential business. But other than a possible convenient location, why should they get much patronage if they fail to offer any appealing promise, unique feature or special service?

Would you want to patronize a firm that's just "there," with no unique benefit, no incredible prices or selection, no especially comforting counsel, service or guarantee? Or would you prefer a firm that offers you the broadest selection in the country? Or one with every item marked up less than half the margin other competitors charge? Or one that sells the "Rolls Royce" of the industry's products?

Can you see what an appealing difference the USP makes in establishing a company's perceived image or posture to the customer? It's ludicrous to operate any business without carefully crafting a clear, strong, appealing USP into the very fabric of the daily existence of that business.

The point is to focus on the one niche, need or gap that is most sorely lacking, provided you can keep the promise you make.

You can even create hybrid USPs -- combinations that integrate one marketing gap with another. Before you decide on a USP, though, be sure you can always deliver that USP through your whole organization. You and your staff must consistently maintain high levels of quality or service.

If you decide your USP is that your company offers the broadest selection of products or services "instantly available" or "always in stock," but in reality you only stock six out of 25 items and only a few of each item, then you're falling down on the essence of your USP promise, and your marketing will probably fail. It is critical to always fulfill the "big promise" of your USP.

If you don't honestly believe you can deliver on your USP, pick another one to build your business on. Just be sure it's unique and that you can fulfill it.

Remember, the USP is the nucleus around which you will build your success, fame, and wealth, so you better be able to state it. If you can't state it, your prospects won't see it. Whenever a customer needs the type of product or service you sell, your USP should bring your company immediately to mind.

Clearly conveying the USP through both your marketing and your business performance will make your business great and success inevitable. But you must reduce your USP to its sinewy bare essence.

Try it. With paper and pen, prepare a one-paragraph statement of your new USP. At first, you will have trouble expressing it tightly and specifically. It may take two or three paragraphs or more. That's okay. Ruthlessly edit away the generalities, and tenaciously focus on the crispest, clearest, most specific promise you could possibly hold out. Then, rework it and hack away the excess verbiage or hazy statements until you have a clearly defined, clearly apparent Unique Selling Proposition a customer can immediately seize upon. And then, integrate your USP into every marketing aspect of your business, such as display advertising, direct mail and field selling.

Let's say you run display-type ads, and your USP is that you have better selection and follow-up service than any other competitor. There are several ways to integrate these qualities into your ads. For example: State the selection USP in the ad headline:

"We Always Have 168 different Widgets in No Less than 12 Different Sizes and 10 Desirable Colors, in price ranges from $6 to $600."

Or, if good service at an affordable price is your USP, use this as a model:

"ABC Tree Trimmers will trim and maintain your trees and shrubs six times a year, once every two months, and all it costs you is $16 a month, billed quarterly."

By now you should have the general idea that you should carefully integrate your newly adopted USP into the headline and body copy of every ad you run. And in every direct-mail piece you send out.

But integrating your USP into just your ads and mailing pieces isn't enough. You must integrate its positioning statement into every form of your marketing. When your salespeople call on prospects, everything they say should clearly reinforce your USP. They should explain the USP to the customer in a clear, concise statement. For example:

"Hello, Mr. Prospect. I know your time is short, so I'll get right to the point. Your company manufactures widgets. You buy steel and copper from a competitor. You're currently paying $100 a ton for steel and $75 a ton for copper, of which you waste roughly 25%. My firm will sell you a higher grade steel and a higher alloy copper for $95 and $69 a ton, respectively, freight prepaid, which saves you an extra $3 a ton. Plus, we'll guarantee our metal will produce a waste factor of 15% or less, and we'll replace any wasted coverage, free. One last point, Mr. Prospect. It could be important. We'll furnish you with 50, 20 gauge titanium rivets and cap assemblies free with every 10 tons of steel you order this month. May I have your order?"

Throughout the sales pitch, your sales reps should refer to the USP benefits or advantages, showing the prospect why it's vastly superior to take advantage of your USP rather than your competitor's USP, if he or she even has one.

Don't try and merely have your salespeople "wing it." Insist that they do their homework. Make them sit down (figuratively speaking) and express the essence of your USP. Be sure they can clearly and powerfully express your USP in 60 seconds (the oral equivalent of a written paragraph), and then compellingly state how it benefits the prospect. Furnish your prospects with plenty of examples of how you honestly deliver your USP.

When an old, tired company or profession adopts a powerful, new, and appealing USP, it gives new life, new excitement, new interest and new appeal to the marketing plan. You're suddenly different, instead of just being another interloper preying on customers you've trapped into hearing your sales pitch! Now you're on the customer's side.

However, remember this axiom: You will not appeal to everybody. In fact, certain USPs are designed to appeal to only one segment of a vast market. There is a vast gulf between the upscale clients and the bargain seekers, and you probably can't reach them both. Which do you want to stake out as your market niche?

Don't forget my earlier advice. Don't adopt a USP that you can't deliver, or further marketing is useless. Also, analyze the market potential of various USP positions in terms of volume, profits and repeat business.

For example, the highest marketing niche may be in the exclusive, expensive USP, but the biggest money may be made in the discount-volume USP. There's a place for both, but if you try to ride two horses, you'll probably bite the dust. Remember too, that your USP is giving advice, assistance and superior service; it can't stop with mere sales rhetoric. It must become total company conduct. If someone calls in with a question, the people answering the call must extend themselves. The same goes for every person who interacts with that customer, from the cashier and the delivery person to the service or repair people. You and your employees must live, breathe, and act your USP at all times.

Sit down and write a synopsis of your USP for your staff, how you're trying to carry it out, and how everyone can project that USP to the world. Make their cooperation a condition of employment. The entire company must adhere to the USP.

Talk to your staff, write scripts, hold contests, and reward people who distinguish themselves in promoting your USP. Set an example so that your staff can see the USP in action.

How can you ensure that you are in the hearts and minds of your customers after the sale? 

If you would like to know the answer, read Part II of this article in the next monthly issue of the Quality Quill.

Dubai, UAE – PWC Logistics UAE (PWCL) has been awarded the highly coveted 'Integrated Management Systems' certification for the successful assimilation of their existing management systems for quality, environment soundness, health and safety standards. Certified by Moody International, PWC joins the ranks of select companies in the region, and is the only logistics company in the Middle East to win this distinction. 

The Integrated Management System (IMS) certification was officially conferred on a PWCL team spearheaded by the company’s general manager, Mike Lee, who was accompanied by Sandra Baretto, team leader-Quality Systems, Francis Fernandes, team leader-Warehouse Operations and Grenville D’Mello, team leader-Facility Services, also of PWCL 

Edward Blake, Regional General Manager of international assessing firm, Moody International Certification Ltd., who presented the new credentials, congratulated the PWCL team and applauded the company's efforts towards gaining this praiseworthy accreditation. "It is a very significant milestone in their brief history, and also a shining example that they have earned this distinction within months of launching operations in the UAE. Demonstrating good management practices is of paramount importance to any company providing supply chain services, and the IMS is an excellent way to demonstrate strengths in all areas of operations. 

"PWC Logistics is among the earliest companies in the region to adopt and qualify for these international standards, and it ranks high as a commendable corporate achievement," he stated. 

Receiving the certificate on behalf of PWC Logistics, Mike Lee attributed the win to the organisation's dedication to all four areas that were deemed as qualifiers for the accreditation: quality consciousness, environment soundness, health and safety standards. 

"It speaks of our commitment that we have been able to sustain and strengthen the ISO 9001: 2000, the ISO 14001 and the OHSAS 18001 standards, which are evaluated on a regular basis," he stated. (The Integrated Management Systems certification combines all three earlier titles.) 

Describing the certifying process, Edward Blake explained, "The IMS certifying process is not an overnight task, and it involves steadfast dedication from the companies qualifying for it. A thorough assessment was conducted over the last six months, to identify and assess PWCL's processes and management programmes. We will also continue to monitor and measure the effectiveness of continual improvement at the company," he added.

The official IMS certification has several highlights: Combining quality, environmental and health and safety management systems into one integrated system helps in cost and time reductions, and improve the overall effectiveness of the system. It also enhances competitiveness and differentiates a company in a highly competitive marketplace by adhering to world-class management standards. 

"The IMS Certification is a declaration of our commitment to our valued customers," adds Lee. "We are the first supply chain company to achieve this new all-encompassing certification, and we are assured that our entire operation is managed towards meeting the requirements of our customers.”

Audit is a Latin word means 'He hears'. Auditing originated over 2000 years ago when colonies used to pay for their mother countries, the governor's representative (Auditor) used to stand on the port and check on the fund being brought by the colony's ships. This process was one of the most old control and checks act in the world.
Auditing is a systematic process of objectively gathering data and evaluating evidence relating to assertions about economic actions and events in which the individual or organization making the assertion has been engaged, to find out the degree of correspondence between those assertions and established criteria, and communicating the results to users of the audit report in which the assertions are maid. Auditing process is performed according to logical and structured steps which contain mainly data gathering, data analysis, conclusion generation, and communicating the result with the audit stakeholders. 
Auditing can be classified according to the Audit Beneficiary or the Audit Objective. The beneficiary means the entity that is performing the audit while the Audit Objective means the criteria that the audit will provide assurance about. The classification is as follows:

1. According to Beneficiary 

a. External Audit
Where an external and specialized organization will afford for an Auditor or team of auditors to conduct the audit and submit the report to the audited organization. The External Auditors in this case will have the credibility as experts they will have no negative history in the organization. On the other hand, the external auditor will be perceived as outsiders and they will have limited availability and time constrains.
b. Internal Audit
Where the Auditor or the Audit Team are working in the organization being audited by them. The Internal Auditor in this case will have a credibility as an insider; he will know the norms and culture of the organization; he will have his relationship with the organization members; he will be available all the time for the organization. On the other side the internal auditor will not often be perceived as expert in Auditing; he might have a negative organizational history; he might have limited auditing experience; and he might lack objectivity.

2. According to Objective

a. Financial Statement Auditing
This category of auditing is primarily concerned with examining the entity financial statement which has been prepared for the shareholders and other interested parties outside the audited organization. 

b. Quality Auditing
This audit is wide in scope where the Quality Auditor will examine independently the compliance of a management system, process, or product to established standards. Those standards could be international like ISO Standards or it could be internal like the Saudi Arabian Organization for Standards. 

c. Operational
This kind of Audit involves a systematic examination and evaluation of an entity's operations which is conducted for the purpose of improving the efficiency and/or effectiveness of the entity. In private sector organizations, the management will request for such an Audit and it is conducted by experts in the field and they will report the findings to the management.

The following Top 10 Books can be purchased from Right Selection at a 15% discounted rate. This service is available only to members of the Dubai Quality Group.

List of Top 10 Titles

1. Up Your Bottom line

2. Fish! Sticks: A Remarkable Way to Adapt to Changing Times and Keep Your Work Fresh  

3. Harvard Business Review on Finding & Keeping the Best People

4. Creative Business Presentations: Inventive Ideas for Making an Instant Impact 

5. Life's greatest Lessons- 20 Things that matter

6. As the Future Catches You: How Genomics and Other Forces Are Changing Your Work, Health, and Wealth  

7. Online for Life

8. Up Your Service- Insights

9. Mind Programming for Sales Success

10. Dealing with people you cannot stand- How to bring out the best in people at their worst

We are pleased to announce that the HR Subgroup has completed this project and we are now making this document available to all DQG members through the HR Sub Group website. Click here for more information.