ISO 9000 - is it panacea for small businesses in developing countries?

With the advancement of technology and the opening up of more countries to trade, entry into the global market is becoming easier. Equally, the need for products to meet consumer expectation is increasing. The International Standard Organization (ISO) sets processing standards for products sold in the global market so that consumer expectations are met. Producers are expected to ISO at all levels of the production process. The benefits resulting from earning ISO certification are so significant that producers and exporters are putting their best efforts to acquire ISO certification. However, because of the high costs involved, companies with limited resources in both the developed and more so in the developing countries are at a serious disadvantage. Potential policies to address these issues are explored in this paper. Keywords: ISO 9000; quality management standards; high quality services; total quality management; services; standards