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National Transportation Safety Board

tions across the globe. NRF’s interactive boards and com- NATIONAL
mittees, comprised of industry experts in their areas of TRANSPORTATION
specialization, are designed to represent and reflect indus-
try’s diversity and breadth. These boards and committees SAFETY BOARD
formulate and implement policies, standards, guidelines, When the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
and strategies that are consistent with retail industry was established in 1967, it was considered an independent
objectives. federal agency. Nevertheless, NTSB’s administrative sup-
The NRF considers itself an advocate for retail organ- port and funding were funneled through the U.S. Depart-
izations across the globe. In December 1997, Fortune ment of Transportation (DOT). Over time, the need for a
magazine, one of the premier publications in the business totally separate, nonreliant agency was recognized, and the
world, ranked the NRF among the top-thirty lobbying 1975 Independent Safety Board Act severed all DOT ties.
organizations in the nation. Additionally, to assist mem-
Congress charges NTSB with investigating every U.S.
bers financially, NRF’s member-discount program pools civil aviation accident, as well as significant railroad, high-
the membership’s buying power to negotiate reductions way, marine, and pipeline accidents. NTSB, based on
on a variety of services and products.
investigation findings, then issues safety recommenda-
NRF’s information technology component serves as
tions in an effort to prevent future accidents.
the retail industry’s information technology headquarters. NTSB differs from other agencies in that it has no
NRF’s groups—such as the Information Technology
official enforcement or regulatory powers, it is a totally
Council and the Association for Retail Technology Stan-
dards (ARTS)—help configure the retail technology envi- independent agency, and its specially trained staff con-
ducts investigations and determines probable cause. Its
ronment. They analyze existing and upcoming
technologies, as well as potential regulatory and legislative investigations are broad, looking more for the “big pic-
initiatives, and educate private and government entities ture,” rather than attempting to focus on a specific detail
about retail technology concerns and needs. or category.
The CIO Council (comprised of highly prominent With fewer than 400 employees, NTSB is a small
chief information officers who serve by invitation only) agency. It plays a large role, however, in maintaining
meets spring, summer, and winter to address promising and/or restoring public confidence in the safety of the
technologies, common-interest issues, and to take proac- nation’s transportation systems. NTSB has investigated
tive positions relating to the creation of new-technology over 10,000 surface transportation accidents and more
environments. Established in 1991, ARTS is comprised of than 124,000 aviation accidents since it began operation
retailer-driven membership striving to facilitate a barrier- in 1967.
free technology environment for retailers internationally The most important outcomes of NTSB investiga-
through its four standards (Standard Relational Data tions are the safety recommendations the agency issues
Model; Unified Point of Service, POS device interface based on investigation findings. NTSB has proven itself to
specification; IX Retail standard XML schemas; and be thorough and impartial and has been able to achieve an
application selection guides through RFPs).
admirable (more than 80 percent) acceptance rate of rec-
Further, through the NRF’s various publications ommendations made to various individuals and organiza-
(STORES Magazine, Management of Retail Buying, Small tions in positions to effect change.
Store Survival, Retail Industry Indicators 2005, and many NTSB also uses accident-investigation findings to
others), valuable information, which can be transformed
identify trends or issues that may otherwise be overlooked.
into best practices, is disseminated. For example, the NRF Through proactive outreach efforts (e.g., conferences,
developed standard color and size codes (used to imple-
symposia, and state advocacy), NTSB makes the public
ment Universal Product Codes) and published them in its
Standard Color and Size Code Handbook. aware of potential safety problem areas, such as child
safety seat concerns or accidents related to human fatigue
More information is available from the NRF at 325
7th Street NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20004; 800- factors.
NRF-HOW2, 202-783-7971 (phone numbers); 202- Further, to address the needs of aviation disaster vic-
737-2849 (fax); or, http://www.nrf.com. tims and their families, the role of integrating federal,
local, and state authorities’ resources with airlines
SEE ALSO Retailers resources was assigned to the NTSB in 1996. To fulfill this
essential role, the NTSB established the Office of Trans-
Mary Jean Lush portation Disaster Assistance (originally called the Office
Val Hinton of Family Affairs).

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION 537