*6.1.2 Incentives and the intended outcomes of quality standards on the business performance of SMMEs*

The second question in the survey was to assess the incentives and the intended outcomes of quality standards on the business performance of SMMEs. Both certified and non-certified questions were asked the same set of questions to establish their financial status, as indicated in **Figure 6** below. The graphic representation in **Figure 6** depicts the responses by both certified and non-certified organisations on their annual revenue for the past three financial years.

From the survey results, a positive economic impact on the application of quality standards has been confirmed by certified organisations. Growth and sustainability of the annual revenue of certified organisations from 2015/2016 to 2017/2018 and

#### **Figure 6.**

*Represents the annual revenue between certified and non-certified organisations.*

the projected revenue for 2018/2019 were evident compared with the revenue situation of non-certified organisations. Considering both organisations' annual revenue survey results, it can be concluded that the application of quality standards to business processes and practices has a positive impact on business performance. Therefore, the research hypothesis is that quality standards' incentives and intended outcomes positively relate to optimal organisational performance.
