Business Standard
What is the "IABM Business Standard"?
The IABM Business Standard is an initiative that was launched in 2009 as a response to member demand and comments from member's customers in the broadcast media industry. Our sector is truly global with suppliers based in more than one hundred countries. Many of these sell the majority of their goods and services internationally and seek business relationships through the web, advertising, at tradeshows and by personal contact.
It is impossible for customers to be familiar with all these companies and even when dealing with a well known name, it is not always clear how they operate and manage their customer relationships. The big question for a user is: how you can identify whether the potential supplier is likely to make a reliable and responsible business partner for your project, providing support during the Contract and throughout the life of the product? Websites can look very impressive but can equally mask the true nature of a business. Procurement specifications and tender documents are a vital part of the technical and commercial appraisal of a product or business but will not give a full appreciation of the underlying ethos of a company.
The IABM Business Standard aims to add an additional dimension to the decision-making process. By subscribing to the standards which underpin the use of the new Business Standard logo, IABM members have demonstrated that they want to fully engage in the industry and their commitment indicates that member companies have carefully considered all their responsibilities as a business.
The eight criteria that make up the Business Standard form an integral part of our Terms of Membership.
This new initiative relates to good business practice only and is not and does not refer to technical specifications – the IABM is not seeking to supplant any of the excellent work on technical standards undertaken by SMPTE, EBU and other organisations but to add a complementary recognised good business standard.
If you have any queries or would like to discuss how this affects your business please contact Lucinda Meek on +44 1684 854460 or email lucinda.meek@theiabm.org
The IABM Business Standard is a support tool for encouraging professional procurement and the highest standards of business behaviour. Responsibility for evaluating the suitability of suppliers and their products and services ultimately rests with the purchaser who should carry out their own investigations into such suppliers and their products. The IABM accept no liability for the consequence of any action by any person taken on the basis of a member’s compliance with its Business Standard or otherwise. The scheme is operated in good faith. The IABM does not carry out regular checks to ensure member companies are complying with the Business Standard and is reliant on notifications from its members, purchasers and potential purchasers of any breaches of the Business Standard to enable it to take appropriate action however at no time shall such action give any person any redress against the IABM. The Business Standard does not remove the obligation of any purchaser or prospective purchaser to undertake proper enquiry, take up references, seek warranties and take professional advice where appropriate.