The Business of Human Factors

Abstract

This paper describes the implications of treating human factors as a business. It discusses what such a business has to sell, who it sells to, how it makes the sale, who provides the products and services, why the business is constituted, and how it must be managed to be successful. Clearly, a human factors business must be managed for the good of its customers, its employees, and its stockholders. Not as obvious, however, is the fact that it must also be managed for the good of the human factors profession.