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Point of View “We are interested in offering our members more choice, meeting our members’ needs, and making IAFP as inclusive
as possible to food safety professionals all over the world.” If someone were to ask you to state the one word that best describes today’s marketplace, what would your answer be? I suspect that many of you might think of the word choice. There are more products and services to choose from. There are more options or features to consider. There are more stores at which to shop. There is more competition, and so on and so on. Market research in many lines of business has repeatedly shown that, among other things, what consumers really want is choice. Imagine for a moment going into your favorite coffee shop and only being able to order a cup of black coffee – nothing else. You couldn’t order your favorite cappuccino, a latte if you were in the mood for one, or an espresso, because they weren’t offered on the menu. I doubt that this coffee shop would stay in business very long. Or imagine going into your favorite clothing store and only being able to buy shorts. If you wanted to buy slacks, you couldn’t because you were required to first buy shorts. Sounds ridiculous, right? Now, you might be asking yourself, what in the world does this have to do with the affairs of IAFP? The answer – a lot. Beginning in January 2007, IAFP is introducing a new restructuring of our annual membership dues and membership categories, which will offer new and existing members more choice. This new approach, which will offer more flexibility, was agreed to and approved by the Executive Board this past year. Here is how the new dues restructure will work. Instead of starting off with a base membership fee that includes a printed version of Food Protection Trends and allows you to build on that by adding the Journal of Food Protection in print or online, we will offer a wider variety of potential membership options and combinations. You will be able to choose any single publication Why the move towards more choice and flexibility? Although there are several reasons, let me summ-arize two good points below. First, by offering greater choice and flexibility in how to become a member, we believe we increase commitment, ownership, and involvement by current and new members. Personal choice is a fundamental desire of the free human spirit and it implies personal control. When a person feels empowered, they are more likely to be fulfilled and engaged. Top-down executive board mandates with limited options on how to become a member are outdated in this modern era of choice. Companies and organi-zations all over the world know this principle and that is why you see so much choice offered in today’s marketplace. Second, by offering greater choice and flexibility in how to become a member, we enhance our ability to attract additional food safety professionals to IAFP that are not currently members. There are numerous food safety professionals who are members of our many affiliates, but are not members of IAFP. There are also many food safety professionals in other countries who have yet to join. The ability to offer more flexibility and a new base membership category increases our ability to attract them to IAFP. Our goal is simple. We are not interested in numbers or simply increasing our membership. How-ever, we are interested in offering our members more choice, meeting our members’ needs, and making IAFP as inclusive as possible to food safety professionals all over the world. The more food safety professionals we get from all walks of life to collaborate and work together, the more successful we will be at reducing the global burden of foodborne disease. By working together, we can make a difference, advance food safety worldwide, and improve the quality of life around the world. Until next month, thanks for reading. As usual, you can reach me at frank.yiannas@disney.com with questions, comments, or suggestions.
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