Advances in the Standards & Applied Sciences

Advances in the Standards & Applied Sciences

The small and medium-sized Iranian enterprises' challenges and concerns for benefiting from standards (A case study in industrial towns and technology parks in Tehran and Alborz provinces)

Document Type : Case Report

Author
Hoda Aleali
Zobe Ahan blvd., Standard Sq.,Iranian National Standard Organization Standard Research Institute
10.22034/asas.2023.429423.1047
Abstract
Today, Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role as key drivers of economic growth and innovation in both developed and developing countries. The role of standardization is acknowledged as a robust link between research, innovation and the market, serving as an effective tool for enhancing and disseminating knowledge. Consequently, the standardization process can significantly contribute to economic growth, prosperity and improvement of the performance of these companies. However, a limited number of small and medium-sized companies express interest in participating in the standardization process. Many stakeholders and company executives perceive the standardization system as overly intricate and lack awareness regarding the benefits and importance of standardization in their business operations. In this research, the effective factors affecting lack of standardization of SMEs have been identified using a questionnaire tool. The ordinal weighted average operator and the Lagrange coefficients method were used in the ranking process to analyze the gathered data. The results reveal that the most substantial constraint in implementing standards is the constrained availability of resources, while the least significant factor is the lack of access to specialized standards. The reasons behind these findings and the recommended solutions are thoroughly discussed.
Keywords
Standards
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Quality Management
Weighted Average Operator
Subjects
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Advances in the Standards & Applied Sciences
Volume 2, Issue 1
Autumn 2023
Pages 19-24