Obtaining ISO 9000 certification can help a company by improving its perception among consumers. The theory: Consumers will have more confidence in and are thus more likely to buy goods and services from ISO companies. But is this really true? Do consumers really care about ISO certification? Do they even know what ISO certification is?

A recent study suggests that they don't. Study authors asked 1,012 British consumers if they knew about ISO certification. Results: Only 26 percent of the consumers were aware of ISO. Those who did know about ISO--largely male, upper income and between the ages of 35 and 54-said they would probably prefer to buy from ISO-certified companies.  (Tannock and Brown, ISO Management Systems, June 16, 2006).

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