What happened to the ISOmania? ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and other metastandards in perspective

Abstract

This article discusses the strong expansion experienced by the phenomenon of international management standards. After a conceptual exposition on metastandards, carried out in order to clarify the confusion that still prevails on them, their international impact is then analyzed, stressing its particular impact in Spain. The paper also summarizes the different academic perspectives that have analysed this phenomenon. Finally, some considerations on the future evolution of this kind of standards are proposed.