Evaluation of ISO 9000 Registration Practices. A Case Study of Sports Goods Industry

Resumen o Introducción

ISO 9000 is currently becoming a license to compete globally with its generic standards which are applicable in all industrial operations globally. Many have described the ISO 9000 as a one size fits all standards because of their universality to apply in all industries. Despite its applicability in all industries, there are concerns on ISO 9000 quality management system adoption especially in the developing economies which is slow, and one of the cited reasons for its slow adoption is lack of awareness and also initiatives to apply it. Currently, most of the businesses and manufacturing companies have taken a great initiative to register for ISO 9000 or in industry-specific version including ISO 9000:2000, AS 9100, QS 9000 or ISO 14000. According to the Geneva-based international organization for standardization (ISO), all ISO 9000:1914 companies need to re-certify under the current standards ISO 9000:2000. On that note, Pakistan who is a member of ISO is taking the necessary measures to upgrade its standards to meet the current ISO 9000:2000 standards (Hayat, 2003).

ISO 9000 is beneficial to organizations because it acts as a tool or strategy to enhance their performance in the global market as they certify the standards on quality management when producing their goods and services in the market both domestically and internationally. The certification with ISO standards, therefore, becomes a prerequisite for the firm’s survival in the market thus increasing its use in most of the firms in Pakistan and across the globe.

On that note, the article takes a critical analysis on ISO 9000 different practices including the use of ISO 9000 in international markets, top management support, consultancy, role of training, critical success factors, the next step after ISO 9000 has been certified, cost of certification, impacts of ISO 9000, the benefits to be gained, some of the problems faced before, during and after the adoption process, its current status, its future prospects, and some of the general practices as evident in Pakistan sports industry. The article has intensively identified several case studies which explain the current status of ISO 9000 and its existing practices in the sports industry.