Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India, is engaged in the activities of Standardization at National & International Levels and operating Conformity Assessment Schemes such as the Product Certification Scheme (popularly known as ISI Marking Scheme), Hallmarking of Gold & Silver articles and Management System Certification etc. All these activities are aimed at creating a vibrant quality ecosystem in the country to ensure availability of quality goods and services to the consumers through the industries implementing the quality standards. BIS occupies a pivotal position in the quality ecosystem and has a treasure trove of experiences in the area.
Documentation of these experiences in the form of Case Studies can serve as invaluable assets in experience sharing and establishing benefits of the various measures taken by the Bureau for the improvement of the quality ecosystem. Similarly, Case Studies on failed or deficient ventures provides opportunities for improvement in the system by identifying and implementing the required corrective measures. On the whole, Case Studies help enrich the knowledge capital of an organization that can serve as important training and promotional tools.
With this background in mind, BIS organized two training programmes with faculty from IIM, (Lucknow) for capacity building of officers in writing case studies, the outcome of which has been codified in this booklet. The topics covered include the activities of BIS like Standards Formulation, Product Certification, Hallmarking, Management Systems Certification, Laboratory, Standards Promotion etc. Efforts have been made to capture a range of perspectives in these Case Studies. These Case Studies make you travel through the dilemma of the decision maker and enable development of a holistic view on the topic. This provides time and space to build a detailed understanding of the topic, establishing a sound platform from which to explore the factors influencing these activities in greater detail.
