BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENT ISO STANDARDS IN SMALL MEDIUM MANUFATURING INDUSTRIES

Abstract

Purpose- The purpose of my study is to investigate the barriers in implementation of the ISO 9000 standard in small and medium enterprises operating in in the manufacturing sector in Pakistan. Furthermore, my work is to find out the; 1) Characteristics of the sector including lack of resources, lack of knowledge of quality management, and lack of pressure for certification across the whole industry, lack of motivation and leadership. 2) Problems with implementation e.g. Expense of implementation and certification. Methodology/sample- The methodology that has been used in this paper is based on both primary and secondary research. Secondary research is in the form of a literature review that has helped ascertain the conceptual framework of the study. The literature review has aided the conceptualization of the framework by taking into consideration the findings and conclusions from published studies. These conclusions have then been tested through the conceptual model developed to establish the barriers to ISO 9000 certification faced by small and medium enterprises in Pakistan Findings- The answers, that are qualitative in nature, have been converted into quantitative form through the use of codes, where ticks are assigned a value of one while no tick has been assigned a value of 0. While as far as rating questions are concerned, ratings have been applied based on numerical values as well. 1 signifies highest importance assigned to a particular variable, while 5 signifies that the factor is considered as least important. Practical Implications- The outcomes of the research might help the SME’s in order to regain their importance. Also this paper help those industry peoples to know about the barriers to implement ISO standards in their industry.