Statutes of the International Society for Business and Industrial Statistics

1. Name and Language

The name of the Society shall be the International Society for Business and Industrial Statistics (ISBIS), hereinafter called the Society. The Society shall be a section of the International Statistical Institute, hereinafter called the ISI, in accordance with Article 8a of the ISI Statutes and paragraph 205 of the ISI By-laws. The working language of the Society shall be English.

2. Objectives

2.1. The objectives of the Society shall be to promote the advancement and exchange of knowledge in business and industrial statistics, to build international co-operation and association among statisticians working in business and industry, to foster co-operation at an international level between statistical activities in universities and individuals working in business and industry, to increase public awareness of the importance of statistics in business and industry, and to encourage links between statisticians in developing and developed countries.

2.2 In order to realize its objectives, the Society may

• Recommend and help to arrange programmes of relevant meetings during the ISI-sessions;
• Organize meetings, seminars, conferences, workshops, lectures and related activities independently or in collaboration with other organizations;
• Collaborate with international, national, regional and other organizations and institutions having objectives consistent with those of the Society, including other ISI sections;
• Support or sponsor the publication of periodicals, pamphlets, books, information circulars, newsletters, etc. in any form independently or in co-operation with other organizations;
• Undertake or participate in co-operative activities, make business transactions and take all other necessary action for the advancement of the objectives of the Society

3. Membership

3.1. The membership of the Society shall be of {four} (4) types:

(i) Individual members (without any restriction on number);

(ii) Institutional members (without any restriction on number) which may be educational or scientific institutions, business or industrial enterprises, government and non-profit institutions and other groups whose objectives are compatible with those of the Society, upon approval of the Executive Committee. Institutional members shall be liable to pay annual membership dues determined on a case by case basis by the Executive Committee. The voting rights of delegates of the institutional members shall be decided upon a case by case by the Executive Committee;

(iii) Student members (without any restriction on number) interested in the objectives of the Society, certified by a member of the academic staff of the university at which the student is currently enrolled, upon approval of the Executive Committee and without voting rights. Student members shall be eligible to pay reduced annual membership dues as determined by the Executive Committee;

(iv) Honorary members. Individual members whose contributions to the ISBIS merit special honour may be elected an honorary member for life. An honorary member has the same rights and privileges as an individual member and will be exempt from paying their ISBIS membership dues. Honorary members will be selected and approved by a two-thirds majority of the Council and by a unanimous decision of the Executive Committee. The total number of honorary members shall not exceed 2% of the total number of all ordinary members at the time of their nomination. 

3.2. Members of the ISI may become individual members of the Society by applying to the Executive Director and paying the prescribed dues. Payment of the section dues by the members of the Institute shall be in accordance with the by-laws of the ISI.

3.3. Individuals, who are not members of the ISI, and institutions that are interested in the objectives of the Society may become members by applying to the Executive Director and paying the prescribed dues.

3.4. Members may end their membership of the Society by sending a request to this effect to the Permanent Office of ISI and shall be expected to pay their respective dues for the year in which their membership ends. Members of the Society who are liable to pay dues shall be considered to have resigned from membership if they have not paid dues payable during the preceding calendar year in accordance with the by-laws of the ISI.

3.5. All annual membership dues payable in accordance with the above articles shall be sent to and kept by the ISI Office.

4. Organization of the Society

 The organs of the Society are the:

(i) General Assembly;
(ii) Executive Committee;
(iii) Council

5. General Assembly

5.1. The General Assembly shall be the highest authority of the Society.

5.2. The General Assembly is composed of all individual members, honorary members, and representatives of the institutional members in accordance with art. 3.1(ii).

5.3. A meeting of the General Assembly shall, as a rule, be convened at least once every two (2) years in the context of the ordinary meetings of the Society at every ISI Session.

5.4. Subject to art.5.3, the meetings of the General Assembly shall be held at such times and places as the Executive Committee may decide.

5.5. Notification specifying the place and date of a General Assembly meeting shall be sent to all members of the Society not less than three (3) months before the date of the meeting.

5.6. Duties and rights of the General Assembly:

• Consideration and adoption, with or without modification, of reports of the President and other members of the Council on the activities and finances of the Society;
• Acknowledgement of results of election of Officers and members of the Council;
• Consideration of reports of any committees appointed by the General Assembly, and proposals regarding policy and programmes of the Society;
• Amendments of statutes and discharge of responsibilities of the Executive Committee;
• All other business necessary for the promotion of the objectives of the Society.

5.7. The decisions of the General Assembly shall be made by the majority of the votes cast at the meeting or through votes by mail (i.e. postal mail, e-mail, fax). Each individual member, honorary member, and the delegate(s) of the institutional members are allowed to have one vote. In any vote by mail, ballots will not be counted earlier than three (3) months after they have been mailed to the members.

6. Executive Committee

6.1. The Executive Committee members (Officers) of the Society shall be and shall have the following duties:

(i) President: the President shall be the chief executive of the Society. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and the Council; have supervision of the affairs of the Society; ensure that the resolutions of the Council and the General Assembly are carried into effect; and perform any other duties which the Council may, from time to time, assign. The term of office of the President is two (2) years; at the conclusion of his or her term of office, the President, with the help of the Vice President- Scientific Secretariat (see article 6.1.iv), shall prepare a comprehensive report about the management during the last two years (or since the report of his/her predecessor) which shall be presented to the General Assembly at the ordinary meeting of the Society.

(ii) President-Elect: the President-Elect shall, in absence of the President or if the President is unable to perform his or her duties, perform the duties and exercise the power of the President, and perform any other duties which the Council may, from time to time, assign; the term of office of the President-Elect is two (2) years. The President-Elect shall utilize his/her term to become acquainted with the affairs of the Society. Upon expiry of  the President's term of office, the President-Elect shall automatically become the President for a two-year term.

(iii) Vice President- Scientific Secretariat: the Vice President- Scientific Secretariat shall be responsible for overseeing all matters concerning scientific meetings organized or sponsored by the Society; keeping and maintaining the minute book, attending all meetings of the Society, the Council and the Executive Committee to record any proceedings; helping the President prepare the final report for the General Assembly; the term of office of the Vice President- Scientific Secretariat shall be two (2) years;

(iv) Vice President (VP)- Finance: the Vice President- Finance shall be responsible for the financial policy, financial planning and financial administration of the Society; shall act as the treasurer and monitor the finances in collaboration with the Permanent Office of the ISI; the VP-Finance shall keep the President and the Council apprised of the financial position of the Society; prepare a report on the state of the finances of the Society during the two years preceding an ordinary meeting held conjointly with the ISI Session as provided for in art. 5.3 and to present this report to the General Assembly at that meeting; perform any other duties which the Council may from time to time, assign; the term of Office of the Vice President- Finance shall be two (2) years.

(v) Vice President- Publications: the Vice President- Publications shall supervise the publication policies of the Society and may make recommendations to the Council concerning the editorial policy of the Society's various publications; shall be responsible for the editorial contents of any bulletins or publications of the Society; the term of office of the Vice President- Publications shall be two (2) years;

(vi) Vice President- Membership: the Vice President- Membership shall be responsible for promoting the Society among interested individuals and organizations and to take appropriate action to enlist new members; the term of office of the Membership Officer shall be two (2) years;

(vii) Director of the Permanent Office of the ISI: the director of the Permanent Office of the ISI will serve as an ex officio member of the Executive Committee and shall act as Executive Director; shall maintain accounts and provide the financial records of the Society in collaboration with the Society's Vice President- Finance; shall serve as an assistant to the President, support the executive work of the Society and shall perform other duties as delegated by the President. 

6.2. The term of office of all elected Officers shall be two years as indicated in art. 6.1. All elected officers except the President and President-elect, shall be eligible for re-election to the same office for at most one additional (consecutive) term of two years.

6.3. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the proper management of the affairs of the Society in accordance with the policy decisions and guidelines of the General Assembly.

6.4. In order to ensure the continuity of management of the Society, the President shall keep the President-Elect closely informed with respect to all relevant management activities.

6.5. The Officers shall assist the President in all the important activities of the Society. In order to facilitate their work, the President shall keep them informed of all the important matters arising during their term.

6.6. If, for any reason, an office becomes vacant, a substitute officer shall be appointed, on the nomination of the President and with approval of a majority of the Council.

6.7. The Director of the Permanent Office of the ISI shall provide general advice and guidance to the Society in administrative affairs and meeting arrangements, and in particular shall serve in a liaison capacity between the Society and (1) the ISI Council Officers and the Permanent Office of the ISI, and (2) the Organizing Committees for the biennial Sessions of the ISI and for other joint meetings with the ISI or its Sections. 

7. Council

7.1. The Officers of the Society, as provided for in art. 6.1 shall be ex-officio members of the Council with voting rights. The Council shall be composed of ex-officio members and twelve (12) ordinary members. The latter, of whom not more than three (3) shall be residing in the same country, shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee as provided for in art.8.1 and elected by the General Assembly in accordance with art.8. 

7.2. The Council shall have balanced representation from different geographic areas.

7.3. The Council shall be empowered to receive and act upon all matters regarding the termination of memberships, setting policies to enable the Society to comply with its objectives, forming such permanent or temporary committees as it sees fit, administering and controlling monies, funds, investments and securities of the Society, and be authorized to exercise and to perform any other duties as from time to time may be in the best interests of the Society.

7.4. The Council shall take steps as they deem necessary to enable the Society to acquire, solicit or receive legacies, gifts, grants, settlements, bequests, endorsements and donations of any kind whatsoever for the purpose of furthering the objects of the Society.

7.5. Meetings of the Council may be held at any time and place to be determined by the Executive Committee. Written notice (postal mail, e-mail or fax) of the meeting is to be normally given to each Council member at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting. There shall be at least one meeting of the Council per year.

7.6. At all meetings of the Council, every question shall be decided by a majority of votes cast. A quorum for a meeting of the Council shall be seven (7) Council members. In the event of a tie, the individual chairing the meeting shall direct the issue to be discussed again and a second vote shall be taken. If the tie remains, the individual chairing the meeting shall have the decisive vote. A resolution of the Council that is signed (electronically or otherwise) by all of the Council members entitled to vote on the resolution is as valid as if it has been passed at a meeting of the Council.

7.7. The term of office of any Council member is four (4) years. No ordinary member shall serve on the Council for more than two consecutive terms. At least one half of the Council members (non Officers) shall retire every two years.

7.8. No Council member may at any time appoint a proxy to represent him/her at a meeting of the Council. 

8. Elections

8.1. Every two years the Executive Committee shall appoint a nominating committee of five (5) members who shall be selected among the individual members and delegates of the Society and shall all be citizens of different countries. The President-elect shall normally be a member of this committee and serve as committee chair. The Nominating Committee nominates one or more candidates for the next President-Elect, the four Vice Presidents and at least six (6) candidates for Council. In nominating candidates, the Nominating Committee shall give careful attention to the importance of achieving proper geographical representation.

8.2. The membership at large will be invited through the available media (such as postal mail, e-mail or fax) to submit nominations to the chair of the Nominating Committee.

8.3. The Nominating Committee shall ascertain from nominees that they are willing to stand for office in the capacity for which they are nominated, and shall present, not later than ten (10) months before the next ordinary meeting at an ISI Session, its report to the Executive Committee on the candidates. Thereafter, the Nominating Committee shall be automatically dissolved.

8.4. The President-elect shall submit the report of the Nominating Committee to the Council. The Council Members may nominate additional candidates provided that each such nomination is sponsored by at least twenty  (20) ordinary and/or honorary members and is in the hands of the President-elect within three (3) months after the date at which the report of the Nominating Committee was mailed (by post, e-mail or fax).

8.5. The President-elect shall submit, not later than six (6) months before the next ordinary meeting at an ISI Session, the names of all nominated candidates to all ordinary members of the Society for secret vote by mail (i.e. postal mail, e-mail or fax). However, if there is only one candidate for an office, that candidate shall be declared elected without vote.

8.6. The ISI Director shall count, not later than three (3) months before the next ordinary meeting at an ISI Session, all the votes received in accordance with art. 8.5. For each office, the candidate receiving the majority of votes shall be considered elected. If there is a tie for any office, the out come shall be decided by the ISI Director, in the physical presence of at least 1 of the serving ISBIS Executive Committee member(s), picking one of the candidates for that office at random. Members of the Society shall be notified of the result of the elections. This notification shall include the information about any ties that may have occurred.

9. Finance

9.1. The financial resources of the Society shall consist of membership dues, donations, contributions and income, if any, from other sources.

9.2. The membership dues to be paid by members, which may be different for individual and institutional members and for different countries, shall be prescribed by the Executive Committee.

9.3. In exceptional cases of recognized hardship, the Executive Committee may waive, reduce or postpone the payment of dues for which an individual member is liable, for a specified time period.

9.4. The Officers of the Society and members of the Council shall serve without compensation. They may be reimbursed for travel expenses associated with official functions at rates approved by the Executive Committee in advance of their commencement.

9.5. The funds of the Society may be used for the following purposes:

• To pay for direct non-trivial Section costs, at the discretion of the President of the Society, as well as indirect Section costs (in alignment with the 'overhead cost agreement' between the ISI Permanent Office and ISI Sections) as specified by the ISI Permanent Office, at the discretion of the President of the Society.         
           
• To pay, in exceptional cases, for the travel expenses of   speakers, whether members of the Society or not, invited to   present papers at the scientific meetings of the Society subject   to the availability of funds and the approval of the Executive Committee; 
  To pay, in special cases, for research or development projects consonant with the objectives of the Society subject   to the availability of funds and the approval of the Executive Committee.

9.6. The Society may undertake the administration and expenditure of grants or funds for purposes consistent and compatible with the objectives of the Society.

9.7. At each ordinary meeting, the accounts kept by the Vice President -Finance shall be audited by two members of the Society and their report shall be presented to the members of the Society.

9.8. The ISI Permanent Office shall administer the funds, maintain the accounts and provide the financial records of the Society in collaboration with the Vice President- Finance of the Society.

9.9. The Society shall indemnify and hold harmless the Council Members and Officers of the Society, their heirs, executors and administrators, and estates and effects, respectively from time to time and at all times from and against

• All costs, charges and expenses which the Council Member or Officer sustains or incurs in or about any action, suit or proceeding brought, commenced or prosecuted against him or her or in respect of any act, deed, matter of thing whatsoever, made, done or permitted by him or her, in or about the execution of the duties of his or her offices or in respect of such liability; and
• All other costs, charges and expenses that he or she sustains, or incurs in or about or in relation to the affairs thereof, except if such costs, charges or expenses as are occasioned by his or her own willful neglect or default.

10. Seminars, Conferences, Publications

10.1. The Council may arrange seminars, conferences etc. and other programmes on its own responsibility, or in collaboration with other organizations, at the time of the General Assembly of the Society or at other times and places.

10.2. At least three (3) months notice of such meetings shall normally be sent to all members of the Society.

10.3. The Council may publish, as and when necessary, reports, pamphlets, books and other publications for the promotion of the objectives of the Society.

11. Amendments of the Statutes
 
11.1. Proposals to amend the Statutes of the Society may be made in writing to the President by the Executive Committee, or by any seven (7) members of the Council, or by any twenty five (25) members of the Society.

11.2. Any proposal for the amendment of the Statutes, submitted as specified in art.11.1, shall be considered by the Council of the Society and then submitted to the members of the Society for vote by mail (i.e. postal mail, e-mail, or fax). If the amendment is approved by a simple majority of the Council, then its ratification by the membership shall require only a simple majority of all votes cast. If an amendment is not approved by a simple majority of the Council, then its ratification by the membership shall require at least a two-thirds majority of all votes cast.

11.3. The dissolution of the Society or the alteration of the name of the Society shall be treated as an amendment to the Statutes of the Society.

12. Transitory Rules

12.1 After the provisional approval of the Society by the ISI Council in August 2004, a Provisional Executive Committee (approved by a majority of the current SBI Committee) will manage the transition from September 1, 2004 to April 11, 2005 (ISI General Assembly) with the help of the SBI Committee as a whole acting as the Provisional Council. The Provisional Executive Committee shall be composed of: Provisional President and Provisional Vice Presidents for Scientific Secretariat, Finance, Membership, and Publications.

12.2. The Provisional Executive Committee with the help of the Provisional Council will nominate a slate of candidates for a Transitory Executive Committee and Transitory Council for the period April 11, 2005 (ISI General Assembly in Sydney, Australia) to August 2007 (ISI Session in Lisbon, Portugal).

12.3. The Transitory Executive Committee shall be composed of: a President, four Vice Presidents one each for Scientific Secretariat, Finance, Membership, and Publications, and the Director of the ISI Permanent Office (ex officio).

12.4. A proposal for the Society's Section status will be submitted to the ISI General Assembly during the Sydney ISI Session on April 11, 2005. Subject to the approval of the proposal by the ISI General Assembly, the composition of the Transitory Executive Committee, the Transitory Council and the text of the ISBIS Statutes will be declared official. The SBI committee will be dissolved after this.
 
12.5 The term of office for the Transitory Executive Committee and Council will expire at the ISI Session in Portugal in 2007. A new Executive Committee (including a President and President- Elect) and Council need to be elected at the ISBIS general assembly in the ISI Session in 2007. This election and the terms of office will be established according to the ISBIS statutes 8.1-8.6.