Understanding the legal environment of business law is essential for the proper delivery of all products. Consider how many agreements are signed every day that control your life, your employment, and the favour of your insurance company? You may even be in the process of moving and signing contracts for your house sale and purchase, and selling that 1998 Nissan Micra you forgot you had. If you are a head of state, CEO or senior manager, you will be aware of the legal complexity and repercussions of trading internationally for your company. Business law is everywhere and will affect every product we buy.
Stonemasonry is no exception to the existence of business law in every aspect of industry. In fact, such is the influence of the legal environment of business law that it plays a significant part in defining industry customs and providing the quality control mechanisms necessary to meet tender requirements and the expectations of large corporate clients. Who therefore takes the responsibility and pride for the management of the legal environment surrounding the industry? The answer lies with the professionalism, thoroughness and competence of stonemasons themselves.
At SPB Stoneworks Ltd, we have an obligation to our customers to practice and observe the highest standards of quality and service. In managing the ‘legal environment of business law’ therefore, we deal with issues such as the regulation and licensing of memorial production and design, legal obligations in memorial construction and the applicability of contract law to the services we provide and the products we sell.
Licensing is an important area of legislation which is met by SAIF (the Society of Allied & Independent Funeral directors), who issue a license to every member for their staff and themselves. Members are encouraged to keep up to date with recent legislation and Industry news, such as Health & Safety, in order to fulfil the standards required. SPB Stoneworks are members of SAIF who carry out their work in accordance with strict guidelines. We have to sign a written statement with each customer we serve, detailing the information submitted on the order, how much we have charged, delivery details and any other special requirements, along with the acceptance of the order from the customer. We also carry out Post-Installation checks of memorials, and ensure that we can be contacted at any time, day or night, if there are any problems with the memorial after installation.
Indeed, all memorial products we make are of a high standard, which are ethically guaranteed and tested. The legal environment of business law regarding memorials covers factors such as quality assurance, trading standards, licensing, contract law, and product liability and safety. This is vitally important when dealing with one of the most emotional and often sensitive purchases one will make, the purchase of a gravestone.
SPB Stoneworks Ltd recommend that a memorial itself is guaranteed for a minimum of 10 years. However, normally, we guarantee our products for 50 years. We recognise that there is no ‘best practice’ manual or handbook for stonemasonry, and therefore we keep up to date with industry guidance and information. We constantly review and update our contracts and service standards in order to meet the legal environment of business law and trade standards.
As a memorial mason, SPB Stoneworks Ltd have an obligation to meet the expectations of the customer to incorporate those legal guarantees and advice.
For more information on business law, you can visit Wikipedia.