Since the advent of scientific management in the late 19th century, investors have remained unpersuaded if not dismissive of human capital measures when determining the cumulative financial value of publicly traded companies. This reluctance stems from a perceived arbitrariness and empirical uncertainty that has attached to the measurement of workforce contributions to organizational value. Past critics of the use of human capital metrics frequently claim these measures are unproven, unserious, and immaterial disclosures that fail to meet the standard of relevant information for investors to consider. Contemporary management and investment experts challenge that reasoning and offer a more expansive and inclusive perspective of what investors need to know to make informed decisions. The publication of ISO 30414:2018 Human resource management* recommends that stakeholders revisit the relevance of human capital measurement in both American and international board rooms, investment banks, regulatory agencies, and security markets. These stakeholders now have the means to explore whether human capital measures can provide faithfully and rigorously derived material information for investors.
“Temple, Fountain and Cave in Sezincote Park” | Thomas Daniell (1819) | Yale Center for British Art
From time to time we break from our interest in lowering the cost of our “cities-within-cities” to enjoy the work of our colleagues responsible for seasonal ambience and public art. We have a dedicated post that celebrates the accomplishments of our gardeners and horticultural staff. Today we dedicate a post to campus fountains–a focal point for gathering and a place for personal reflection for which there is no price.
Alas, we find a quickening of standards developing organizations growing their footprint in the spaces around buildings now. They used to confine the scopes of their standardization enterprises to the building envelope. That day will soon be behind us as an energized cadre of water rights social justice workers, public safety, sustainability and energy conservation professionals descend upon campus fountains with prescriptive requirements for evaporation rates, bromine concentrations, training, certification and inspections. In other words regulators and conformity functionaries will outnumber benefactors and fountain designers 1 million to 1.
We will deal with all that when the day comes. For the moment, let’s just enjoy them.
We are happy to walk you through the relevant structural, water safety, plumbing and electrical issues any day at 11 AM EST during our daily standing online teleconferences. Click on any image for author attribution, photo credit or other information.
Purdue University
The Great Court at Trinity College, Cambridge
Regent University
University of Washington
Hauptgebäude der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Bayern, Deutschland
College of the Desert / Palm Desert, California
California Institute of Technology
Berry College
Utah Valley University
Universitat d’Alacant / Sant Vicent del Raspeig, Spain
“Mount Adams, Washington” | Albert Bierstadt (1875) | Princeton University Art Museum
A great deal of the technical substance informing proposals for the next revision of the International Energy Conservation Code is reported in a technical report linked below:
Hans Christian Ørsted discovers electromagnetism / Københavns Universitet
We follow the gathering pace of international distance learning enterprises with particular interest in its technical foundation for quality and availability. International Telecommunication Union Recommendation F.742 provides the service description and the requirements for distance learning services. This Recommendation is intended to support the multimedia framework for distance learning services. From the project description:
“…Distance learning involves interactive and non-interactive multimedia communications between learners and learning resources located at two or more separate locations. The aims of learners who use distance learning services may be to get some degree certificates based on the degree standards, to get training given by employers, or to learn special knowledge independently. The distance learning services may be teaching-centred learning services that are similar to traditional face-to-face classroom learning, individual instruction, self-pacing learning, multi-role learning/team learning, etc.
In the course of distance learning, information may be required from remote databases containing the learning resources, or from live lectures. The material may be textual, aural, graphical, or video in nature and may be stored in a multimedia format. The information can be delivered in point-to-point configuration, point-to-multipoint or multipoint-to-multipoint configuration. Participants in the distance learning may be located in classrooms equipped with related facilities, offices, homes or other places, such as on trains, where they are able to access to a distance learning services platform. Learners may learn in real-time with or without interaction with others, following a curriculum schedule or in non-real-time by themselves on demand. The equipment that learners use may be a PC, PDA, mobile phone, or even a TV set with STU. Learners can change their equipment without interruption while they are learning, with the assistance of a DLSP…”
Note that the last revision became effective in 2005; and was re-affirmed in 2008. Other ITU documents relevant to the education industry can be found on the page linked below:
We normally coordinate our engagement with ITU standards with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee which meets four times monthly in European and American time zones. We discuss any consensus product that affects the education industry every day at 11 AM Eastern time. We also host a monthly teleconference on telecommunication standards. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.
Issue: [8-8]
Category: Academics, Electrical, Information and Communication Technology, Telecommunications
The education industry — specifically schools, colleges, universities (residence halls, athletic venues, hospitals, etc) — all have significant food preparation and serving enterprises.
Since 2013 we have been following the development of food safety standards; among them ANSI/NSF 2: Food Equipment one of a constellation of NSF food safety documents whose provisions cover bakery, cafeteria, kitchen, and pantry units and other food handling and processing equipment such as tables and components, counters, hoods, shelves, and sinks. The purpose of this Standard is to establish minimum food protection and sanitation requirements for the materials, design, fabrication, construction, and performance of food handling and processing equipment.
You may be enlightened by the concepts running through this committee by the 24-page summary of 2018 technical committee action below:
This committee – along with several other joint committees –meets frequently online. If you wish to participate, and receive access to documents that explain the scope and scale of NSF food safety standards, please contact Allan Rose, (734) 827-3817, arose@nsf.org. Even if those who are not granted a vote within the constraints of ANSI’s Due process requirements for American national standards, NSF International welcomes guests to nearly all of its standards-setting technical committees.
We are happy to discuss the NSF International’s relevance to the safety and sustainability goals of the education industry any day at 11 AM Eastern time. We also host a monthly food safety standards teleconference. See our CALENDAR for the next meeting. Both are open to everyone. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
Since 2013 we have been following the development of NSF International food safety standards; among them ANSI/NSF 2: Food Equipment one of a constellation of NSF food safety documents whose provisions cover bakery, cafeteria, kitchen, and pantry units and other food handling and processing equipment such as tables and components, counters, hoods, shelves, and sinks. The purpose of this Standard is to establish minimum food protection and sanitation requirements for the materials, design, fabrication, construction, and performance of food handling and processing equipment. Click here for an overview of the technical specifics.
NSF has opened for public review, a relatively small document correlation change in the NSF 2 (Page 35 of ANSI Standards Action). Comments are due January 21, 2018.
Additionally, NSF International is always seeking experts to serve on various NSF Joint Committees. Members provide technical guidance, review and vote on revisions to NSF/ANSI Standards, and address public health and safety issues. Members are needed to represent Users, Public Health and Safety/Regulatory and Industry stakeholders; and are defined below.
– User is a person outside the manufacturing sector who purchases, uses, or specifies materials, products, systems, or services covered in the various scopes of the NSF/ANSI Standards.
– Public Health and Safety/Regulatory is a person from a public agency (local, regional, state, federal, or international) or represents a professional public/environmental health/safety organization, academia, or a model code organization.
– Industry is a person who produces, assembles, distributes, or sells materials, products, systems, or services covered in the scope of the standard. Industry trade association representatives are included in this membership classification.
Click here for information about openings on food safety committees. If you wish to participate please contact Allan Rose, (734) 827-3817, arose@nsf.org
“The Bosses of the Senate” | Cartoon by Joseph Keppler depicting corporate interests—from steel, copper, oil, iron, sugar, tin, and coal to paper bags, envelopes, and salt—as giant money bags looming over the tiny senators at their desks in the Chamber of the United States Senate.
“…The antitrust laws proscribe unlawful mergers and business practices in general terms, leaving courts to decide which ones are illegal based on the facts of each case. Courts have applied the antitrust laws to changing markets, from a time of horse and buggies to the present digital age. Yet for over 100 years, the antitrust laws have had the same basic objective: to protect the process of competition for the benefit of consumers, making sure there are strong incentives for businesses to operate efficiently, keep prices down, and keep quality up….”
Scope: Part 3 Supplemental Support Systems standards are performance standards for the installation of cabling, bracing, guying, and prop systems in trees and woody shrubs. It is a guide for drafting supplemental support system specifications for consumers as well as Federal, state, municipal, and private authorities including property owners, property managers, and utilities.
Project Need: Revision needed to review and incorporate changes in industry standard practices, as appropriate, since the approval of the current standard.
Stakeholders: Tree Care industry, Green industry, arborists, Land Care industry, landscape architects, property managers, utilities, urban planners, consumers, government agencies.
Comments are due July 29th. As an accredited standards developer, the TCIA welcomes public participation (Learn more HERE). Stakeholders in any interest category may communicate directly with Amy Tetreault at the Tree Care Industry Association, (603) 314-5380, atetreault@tcia.org, 136 Harvey Rd # 101, Londonderry, NH 03053
The activity of all ANSI accredited standards developers who contribute to the safety and sustainability agenda of the education industry are a standing item on the agenda of our daily 11 AM (Eastern) teleconference. We also devote an hour every month to codes and standards that govern education industry Grounds & Landscaping enterprises. See our CALENDAR for the next online teleconference.
“Still Life with Apples and a Pomegranate” | Gustave Courbet
Food, food preparation, food services, food economy and food politics are fairly emotional subjects in the home — in the education industry — as it is everywhere. The safety and sustainability of school cafeterias; student dormitory dining halls; food storage warehouses; hospital patient, visitor and medical staffs food services; athletic venues; as well as a expanding number of academic and business units with their own food service enterprises depend upon a continually moving set of local, national and international standards.
Among the standards we follow are the ISO 22000 family of food safety management standards that help organizations identify and control food safety hazards. As many of today’s food products repeatedly cross national boundaries, regardless of town-and-gown insurgencies to grow and buy local, the practical reality is that food safety systems need to be inter-operable in the emergent #SmartCampus because of blockchain technology. Attention to international Standards are needed to ensure the safety of the local the global food supply chain.
The global Secretariat for ISO TC/24 is Groupe Afnor (AFNOR)*. The business plan is linked below:
The food sector is, arguably, one of the largest and fastest moving in the world. Stakeholders in the US education industry with an interest in the US position on this ISO standard are encouraged to communicate with ASABE directly:
We do not advocate in this standard at the moment but encourage other educational institutions — land grant institutions and academic departments involved in blockchain development and application, for example –to participate. Many land grant colleges and universities have extensive property that may be remote from the core campus (where we focus most of our attention) so we might be helpful with water, energy and communication system safety and sustainability standards. That would be the extent of it at the moment, however.
We are happy to walk through a few of the on international standards generally during our next monthly International Standards teleconference. See our CALENDAR for the next scheduled online meeting. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page. To receive an advance agenda please send a request for access to bella@standardsmichigan.com
Issue: [15-126]
Category: Food safety
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Christine Fischer, Jack Janveja
We continue to follow the trend of thinking on the use (and “hardening”) of education facilities as community storm shelters; particularly after natural disasters. As central, community assets, such use makes sense but we must be mindful that the codes and standards that determine the standard of care for the built environment are highly networked. For sustainability reasons, and for economic reasons, a great deal of construction activity is renovation activity.
The degree to which a community-owned asset shall be rebuilt to current code is a topic where good minds disagree. This is one of the most difficult decisions to make; involving a spaghetti bowl of interdependencies that can confound local building code jurisdictions. All ICC administered technical committees are mindful of how ICC regulatory products are received by their “customers”. The Federal Emergency Management Commission plays a significant role in decision making and federal resource allocation.
D’Iberville, Miss., Nov. 14, 2007–Construction crews build the new D’Iberville High School. FEMA is funding the construction of a storm shelter within the new school. Jennifer Smits/FEMA.
The ICC completed its Group B Hearings earlier this month in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We focused on concepts in the Group B monograph that will have affect on the use of education facilities for community safety. Those concepts appear the document linked below:
It is a large document — 2919 pages — so keep that in mind when accessing it. There are many issues affecting #TotalCostofOwnership of the education facility industry so we will get cracking today at 11 AM Eastern time and review the preliminary voting of the technical committees that took place in Albuquerque. We will pay particular attention to the committee response to proposals listed below:
Committee Action on these proposals can be found at the link below (Another large document but handy for seeing the action in all ICC Group B consensus products):
Typically the ICC Building Code Action Committee administers normal “back and forth” on public discussion and curates responses. The BCAC has been meeting with considerable frequency since May and we are happy to walk you through the trend of thinking that affects the use of education facilities for storm shelters any day at 11 AM Eastern time. These discussions should interest building designers, facility managers and public safety officials.
“Approaching Thunderstorm” | Martin Johnson Heade (1859)
Finally, we persist in encouraging education industry facility managers (especially those with operations and maintenance data) to participate in the ICC code development process. You may do so by CLICKING HERE. Real asset managers for school districts, colleges, universities and technical schools in the Albuquerque region should take advantage of the opportunity to observe the ICC code-development process. The Group B Hearings are usually webcast — and we will signal the link to the 10-day webcast later this year when it becomes available. The experience of seeing how model building codes are determined is enlightening when you can watch it live and, preferably on site.
Photo credit: New York City DOB Technical Affairs Staff Participates in ICC Code Development Conference
Issue: [Various]
Category: Architectural, Facility Asset Management, Space Planning
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jack Janveja, Richard Robben
The International Code Council provides extensive training in the use of its consensus products which we have no interest in duplicating. We focus on “code writing and vote getting” for the user-interest. CLICK HERE for information on ICC Learning Center.
See related post on ICC 500 Standard for the Design & Construction of Storm Shelters
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