In the movie the
Godfather, Vito Corleone, the mafia boss (Godfather) played by Marlon Brando, is
asked by his godson Jonny Fontane to help to secure a film role that will boost
his fading career. The head of the film studio, has previously refused to give
Fontane the part. The Godfather tells Johnny:
"I'll make him an
offer he can't refuse."
The studio head later
wakes to find the head of his expensive racehorse in his bed. Fontane is
subsequently given the part.
Standards
are necessary tools for the globalized market, based on unlimited
competition between exchangeable economic units, be it companies or
individuals. Production is increasingly organized in so called value chains. And what the chain leaders have done is to give suppliers an offer they can't refuse –follow
the standard. Suppliers in the chain, all the way to the farmers, and sometimes
even the suppliers to the farmers, should follow the standards developed by the
chain leaders. In many cases the standards also shift the costs away from the
chain leader to the suppliers. I order to enforce compliance, suppliers have to
use the verification mechanisms, normally private certification bodies,
authorized by the chain leaders or auditors from the chain leader.
Far to seldom do we ask questions about power when discussing standards.
Read more in my review of the book Standards, recipes for reality.
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