The ISO 9000 standard has been revised as of December 2000 with the new version compulsorily replacing the old by December 2003. It has been thought that the implications of addressing the changes may be particularly acute for small businesses, for which the impact of requirements and relative commercial costs of compliance can be greatest. The research reported in this article explores the differing implications that the revision to ISO 9000 is likely to have upon small and medium-sized, as well as larger, businesses. Issues covered include assessing the appropriateness of the revised standard to firms of these sizes, the likelihood of continued registration, difficulties that such firms are likely to experience with the changes, type of support needed and the identification of support packages that will be most appropriate and effective. This article reports on the study and some relevant findings.
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