IMPACT OF THE ISO-9000 SERIES STANDARDS ON INDUSTRIAL MARKETING

A major focus of industrial marketing research has been industrial buy er behavior. The adoption of the ISO 9000 Standards may have a signifi cant impact on industrial buyer behavior by removing some of the uncer tainty in the selection of products and services. International trade has always been complicated due to differences in culture, language, a nd distance. Artificial barriers have been created to restrict trade b y imposing national product and service standards. The International S tandards organization was created by 89 member nations to develop prod uct and service standards that would be acceptable to all member natio ns. Any product or service which met the ISO 9000 Standards could be d istributed in all of the member nations without being subjected to oth er national requirements. Compliance to the ISO 9000 standards by prod uct and service providers must be demonstrated by obtaining certificat ion of their management and quality assurance practices by an independ ent audit organization.