The development of sector‐based quality assurance standards in the UK: diverging or dovetailing?

In 1979, the UK set the standard on which the universally recognised ISO 9000 series was based. Part of the rationale for the creation of a generic quality assurance standard was that it would supplant the need for independent customer inspections, avoid duplications of audits, and coordinate the various national approaches to quality standards. Ironically, however, as the award has grown internationally, there has been a corresponding growth in the number and type of quality standards available to UK organisations. This paper reviews the development of sector‐based quality assurance standards in the UK leisure, hospitality and food industries and draws conclusions on the extent to which the various standards can be aligned. It is found that whereas industry‐specific standards in the food industry dovetail with generic standards, there is a degree of overlap in the hospitality and leisure sectors.