FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2006-07-19

SCC seeks stories on standards and small and medium-sized businesses

The Standards Council of Canada wants your stories about the benefits and potential opportunities of standards and conformity assessment to small and medium-sized businesses for its upcoming issue of Consensus magazine.

SCC is seeking articles that illustrate how standards and conformity assessments are being used by small and medium sized businesses to improve their bottom line. Stories might include real life examples about how standards and conformity assessment are increasing competitiveness, reducing barriers to trade in the global marketplace, increasing public confidence, or strengthening management practices. The focus on Canadian small and medium-sized business also builds on the 2006 World Standards Day theme: “Standards: big benefits for small business”.

The October 2006 edition of Consensus will be distributed to: Canadian small and medium-sized business owners, the associations and organizations that represent their interests, and the government stakeholders that support business development activities.

In addition, the magazine will be circulated to individuals and organizations across the National Standards System. An electronic version of the magazine will also be posted to the SCC’s website (www.scc.ca).

Don’t miss your opportunity to speak directly to Canadian business and industry about the benefits of standards and conformity assessment!

How to Contribute:
Send an outline of your proposed article, or previously published articles that you would like considered for publications, to Consensus editor Kathryn Vachon via email ([email protected]), or fax (613-569-7808) no later than August 4, 2006. Story ideas, including suggestions about companies to profile, will also be accepted. A draft of accepted articles will be required by September 1, 2006.

All story ideas and submissions will be reviewed and considered based on their relevance to the proposed theme.  In order to provide a good mix of articles, original pieces that illustrate the impact of standards in action will be given priority. Stories that are not published in this next issue will be considered for use as feature articles on the SCC website, or in another appropriate venue.

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