ISO 9000 is a management system produced by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The purpose of the ISO 9000 is the improvement of the efficiency and productivity of organizations. Businesses use ISO 9000 to make sure they consistently satisfy customers, and comply with their industry’s regulations.

Systems are often the last things on the minds of small business owners. Instead of organized processes, most small businesses rely on the expertise of staff and owners and their ability to communicate that expertise to each other. Unfortunately, individual skills and relationships don’t scale – as businesses grow, those that don’t have a management system become inconsistent, chaotic and inefficient.

Developing management systems is something all successful businesses have to do. Unfortunately, most organizations come up with systems in isolation from everybody else. Not only is this “re-inventing the wheel” but it also means that they can’t take advantage of management best practices.

ISO 9000 is an international, generic management system that can be applied to service and product oriented businesses, as well as public administrations and government departments. It allows organizations to take advantage of the latest models for setting up and running a management system.

ISO 9000 improves:

Customer Satisfaction – by focusing on improving what the organization does to provide value for customers, ISO 9000 promotes consistent high-level quality.

Efficiency – by concentrating on how processes provide quality to customers instead of simply the final product, ISO 9000 improves organizations’ efficiency.

Marketing – because ISO 9000 is an internationally recognized standard, using it communicates quality and reliability to customers and partners.

Employee Motivation – by establishing a consistent, comprehensive set of rules and procedures, ISO 9000 ensures that employees know exactly what their responsibilities are and how to fulfill them.

International Trade – because ISO 9000 is an internationally developed management system, adopting it significantly simplifies their relationship with organizations in other countries.

The ISO itself does not provide ISO 9000 certification. Instead, organizations can obtain certification from third party auditors. Certification is not required, and even businesses that choose not to go to the expense of having a formal audit can benefit significantly from implementing ISO 9000.

Work/ life balance as we know it at present isn't working, because it's based on conflicting demands of employer and employee for a share of the 24/7 day. There simply isn't enough time to achieve everything - and its getting worse.

Work life balance suggests people are living two lives - one at work and one away from work. But people don't ‘work' for five days (or more) and ‘live' for two days (or less). Work is just one of many roles that people perform in their 24/7 week. No matter where they are or what they are doing, day or night, people are carrying personal baggage, problems, responsibilities, personal goals and work goals. Separation of work and personal life roles has become a blur and, to many of us, almost a seamless link..

Family-friendly policies are now only one aspect of the work life balance issue. Work life balance has become a key factor in attracting and retaining good staff (male and female) in a ‘buyers market' generated by a shortage of quality skilled staff. People want more than money. They want quality of life, of which a quality working environment forms only one (albeit important) part.

This situation has arisen for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which was because businesses in western society found permanent staff to be too expensive and resorted to down-sizing and outsourcing. Workers had to learn to manage their own lives; work life balance is now finally determined by the employee rather than the employer (to be effective, it of course cannot be decided unilaterally but by co-operative agreement between employee and employer).

Globally, business has had to come to terms with the fact that, while economic growth depends on the work ethic, employees are now opting for what I call a “life ethic”. Features of this ethic include:

• working to live, rather than living to work,

• personal goals being a higher priority to the individual than the employer's corporate goals and

• emotional needs as the determinant of material needs.

Business therefore is finding it has to seek ways of harmonizing corporate goals of economic growth with individual philosophies of “I'm here for a good time, not a long time”. This seeming dichotomy is frustrating older managers greatly, but emerging generations of employees don't see it as a problem. They still see work as important but only as a means to higher, more personal, ends.

Harmony is drawn from diversity. A choir or orchestra is a ‘mosaic' of unique individuals who come together periodically to produce a pleasing sound. Business has to find ways of maximizing the unique interests and potential of employees to achieve its own 'pleasing sound' - usually in the form of a quality service to customers and a satisfactory financial bottom line.

Sustained long-term business success is going to increasingly depend on employers and employees working together to develop a workplace culture that encourages a harmonious relationship between the personal goals of individual employees and the corporate goals of the employer.

Here are some initial steps you can take towards developing a Work Life Harmony strategy in your business:

• for the purposes of the strategy, regard the organization as a totally flat structure with all people on the same line and of equal importance regarding work life harmony issues (the CEO is as interested as anyone else in quality of life and various work and other roles he/she performs):

• arrange round-table discussions between groups of people from all levels of the organization, on issues that are presently inhibiting a satisfactory work life harmony culture in the organization,

• group recommendations towards a strategy that sets out actions in the following order:

o issues that can be most readily resolved with the least effort and cost,

o more difficult issues that require more time, effort and cost to be scheduled for attention in an agreed order and over a period of time up to, say, three years maximum.

Bar Code Labels can have many uses within a business, and there are many types available, a few of them are listed below with specific purposes. 5 top areas covered are: asset tags, parking permits, product labels, general solutions / applications, and bar code types.

Asset Tags: Asset tags can be used to identify equipment, furniture and other physical assets in your business. They are usually printed with sequential serial numbers for tracking in database systems. Typical materials are white polyester, metalized matte silver polyester, security silver polyester, destructible reflective vinyl, Lexan®, or LexSaver®.

Parking Permits: Bar Code labels can be integrated on wide range of parking permit types; such as hang tags, bumper stickers and window stickers. Some materials used are PVC, LexSaver™, static cling, vinyl with permanent adhesive, and destructible reflective vinyl.

Product Labels: There are 100’s of uses for bar coded product labels. To name a few, industrial labels, media labels, Product ID labels, Property management, shipping / mailing, tracking / pricing and many others.

General Bar Code Solutions / Uses: Product ID Labels with UPC bar code on rolls or fan folded, product ID labels with UPC code on laser sheets, very small sizes, bar code only, no other printing on the label and blank laser, thermal and ink jet bar code labels.

Bar Code Types: Codabar (numeric only): Codabar bar codes are typically used in labeling solutions for applications that require sequential issuing and processing of information. Some examples would include library systems, membership cards, overnight package delivery systems, and other simple processing and tracking applications.

o Code 128 (alphanumeric): Code 128 bar codes are typically used when a high reliability code read is required from the label application.

o Code 39 (alphanumeric): Code 39 is the most popular, general purpose bar code printed on labels. Some examples would include serial numbers for any type of hard good (from automobiles to laptops). Asset tags and parking permits typically are printed with code 39 bar codes.

o EAN-13 (numeric only) EAN - 13 is often referred to as the international retail product code. EAN stands for European Alpha Numeric (bar code). This is the global version of the UPC codes used in North America. The primary bar code label application of EAN 13 codes is products that are to be sold in Europe.

o Interleaved 2 of 5 (numeric only) Interleaved 2 of 5 bar codes are the compressed version of EAN-13 code described above. Used to provide bar code product information on small products throughout Europe.

o PostNet (numeric only) PostNet bar codes were developed by the USPS to make automated mail a reality. Most PostNet bar codes are printed on labels and are ultimately applied pieces that are mailed through the USPS, ranging from envelopes to catalogs.

o UPC-A UPC-A stands for Universal product Code. The UPC bar code is required on all products sold in North America and throughout the world. Typically, the UPC bar code is printed on the product ID label.

o UPC-E Compressed UPC code used on small products sold in North America and throughout the world. Typically, the UPC-E bar code is printed as a separate label rather than as part of the product ID label.

o 2D Bar Codes: 2D (two dimensional) barcodes contain more information than typical one dimensional barcodes. One dimensional barcodes get wider as more data is encoded. Typically, 2D bar codes area applied to labels by a thermal printing device. 2D barcodes make use of the vertical dimension, allowing for more data to be stored. Bare in mind that using more square inches and a larger label which will add expense to your bar code labels. 2D barcodes have become possible as auto scanning CCD and laser scanners have replaced the original 'light pen' type of scanner. At this time most conventional CCD and Laser scanners cannot read 2D barcodes but low cost 1D/2D scanners are entering the market.

o Ink and Printing Methods for Bar Code Labels: Bar code symbols are printed in black ink. The rest of your label can be printed in spot (PMS) colors or in process (CMYK) colors. You also have a choice between excellent quality traditional flexo printing or high end photo quality digital printing. The example to the left displays the difference between the flexo and digital production methods. Either method will ensure excellent readability of your bar code. Digital label printing is best suited for label quantities of 5,000 or fewer. Traditional flexo printing is best suited for quantities of 1,000 or more labels.

Haven't been able to achieve the "American Dream" of home ownership? No matter where you turn to try to buy a home you're always "turned down" or your just "don't qualify". We cure your heartbreak through our Lease Purchase. Do you fit this scenario: you have a good job, good rental history, and could pull together $4,000 or $5,000, but you have a few glitches and blemishes on your credit report or maybe just some slow pays, a car repo, or maybe some other type of credit problem. Because you're not an "A" credit borrower the lenders are telling you that you need 10% or 15% down payment (that's a lot on a $400,000 home), closing costs (another $4,000 or so), plus you're going to get a high interest rate! After hearing that a few times most families throw in the towel.

With our Lease Purchase Program we turn your nightmares into a real dream come true. Take the following for an example. You go to one of our open houses in the Southern California area, you fall in love with the home, and you call us saying, "I want it." At that point you fill out an application. Don't worry about this part; it's simple! We just have to verify the information. Then you fax it to us. Within 24 hours you get the answer you've dreamed of. IT'S YOURS! You're able to put down a $3,500 option fee downpayment, pay the first month's lease payment, and you're able to move in. You have simply signed a "Lease Agreement With Purchase Option," and it locks in a specific sales price, and the monthly lease amount. Plus it allows you to enjoy the home while you pull together the rest of your downpayment and clean up your credit rating. There is no long pre-qualification process, no days and days waiting for an answer, and no more rejection. The full option fee downpayment is credited back to you at closing when you're ready to get a mortgage in your name. Sometimes there is even a "rent credit" (a % of the monthly lease payment) built in that's also credited back to you a closing. Now that you're getting a clearer picture of what can take place, read the following and get really excited about your possibilities.

The Advantages of Lease Purchase

You usually need only about $3,500 in downpayment for homes in the $350,000 to $400,000 price range. That's nowhere near what the mortgage company wants.

You can move in quickly and enjoy the pride of home ownership immediately. There is no long waiting period for tons of paperwork to be done.

You will have time (usually 12-24 months) to arrange your finances so you can qualify for a loan, save up the rest of your downpayment, and clean up your credit rating by establishing a solid payment history during the lease period.

You can arrange the "Lease Agreement With Purchase Option" to allow a portion of the monthly lease payment to be credited to you at closing, thus building equity along the way.

The full amount of the option fee downpayment is also credited to you at closing.

It allows you to distance yourself from any major credit problems.

You can wallpaper, paint, decorate and make improvements to the property knowing that the benefits are going to be to your advantage, not a landlord's.

Qualification requirements are not as strict as conventional financing.

There are no taxes or insurance to pay, however a rental policy is recommended.

Repairs are covered through a Home Warranty Plan, which we usually recommend you obtain.

Any appreciation that the property receives is your profit if you decide to sell one day. You're usually able to get a fair price with great terms and have your home ownership dream come true! If you’re looking for a home in the Southern California area, contact us, and we will give you a list of houses that we are offering "Lease Purchase" and all of the details on each one. We will help you not only find the home of your dreams, but we will help you negotiate all the aspects of purchasing a home "Lease Purchase" to your greatest advantage.