Companies that are ISO certified, such as those that are ISO 9000 certified, undergo audits every six months and recertification every three years. Companies that meet ISO 9000 qualification, which covers management processes, are not meeting a specific ISO standard, but are certifying that they have established standards per ISO guidelines and are meeting their own internal standards (Spearin, 2002).

Based in Geneva, ISO was formed in 1947 when the need for international standards became apparent as companies continued the globalization that start

Nuthall, K. (2004, November 17). King of standards. just-food.com, n.p.

d prior to World War II. The organization's name, ISO, is not an acronym, but is the Greek term for "equal." Aside from eliminating different acronyms depending on which language is being used, "ISO" also communicates the overall mission of the organization: to ensure that "equal" processes are in place regardless of where activities might occur (Williams, 2003). During its initial years, the organization focused on developing technical standards and making them availableùat a costùto companies. Today, much of the focus is on "soft" issues. The well-known ISO 9000 standard, now supplanted by ISO 9001, 9002 and 9003, focuses on quality management, for example. ISO 14000 and 14001 focus on environmental issues ("Overview," 2005).

ISO standards benefit government by providing an international standard which can be used when governments set out to devise their own standards for environmental issues, for example. If govern