This book contains a set of 11 case studies from 10 countries about the economic benefits of standards from the point of view of different companies. In the studies a methodology was implemented that had been developed by ISO, with the support of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, to assess and quantify the economic benefits of standards (the “ISO Methodology”) mainly from a microeconomic perspective.

The studies were undertaken in close cooperation between an ISO member body, an academic institution, a company in the respective country and staff of the ISO Central Secretariat, acting as advisors to the project team. The studies collected were undertaken between around October 2010 and June 2011 in South East Asia (Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), Southern Africa (Botswana and South Africa), South America (Brazil, Colombia and Peru) and Germany (two studies).

The book can be used in teaching to demonstrate how and for which purposes standards are used by companies and what benefits companies can gain from the implementation of standards.