Factors leading to increase in Imported Substandard Products on the Zambian Markets: A case of Zambia Bureau of Standards

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes of substandard imported products on the Zambian markets and also to find solutions in order to eradicate causes of these products from the country. Methodology: The study collected primary data using questionnaires to 43 experts at Zambia Bureau of Standards and Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency responsible for quality assurance of imported products into the country. The study also collected data from 150 consumers of imported products around the city of Lusaka using questionnaires. Experts at ZABS were all selected for the study while the consumers of imported products were sampled purposively. Since the target population was known, the study used Glens and Israel (1992) table and at 95% confidence level with a margin of error of 10% in coming up with the sample size of 150. Data analysis involved descriptive statistical analysis, summarized and presented in tables showing frequencies and percentages using IBM statistical package for social science version 21 as an analytical tool. Correlation analysis was used to determine the nature of the relationship between variables. Findings: The study revealed that substandard imported products are rife on the Zambian markets and causes include lack of testing facilities at border towns, inadequate funding to agencies mandated to prevent entrance of substandard imported products and porous borders. The study further found that inadequate consumers' disposable incomes and insufficient consumers' awareness on quality were also some leading motivations behind consumers buying substandard imported products. The study did not only end at identifying the causes of substandard imported products but went further to identify strategies to this vice which included increasing consumers sensitization programs on quality, increasing testing facilities at border towns, setting up stronger border protection and testing imported products from their countries of origin. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study concludes that combating substandard imported products will increase operations of local industries and with this increased operation of local industries, the level of unemployment in the country will reduce and this will in turn result into increased revenue for the government from this increased tax base. Furthermore, the study concludes that the country will have a productive population because people will be consuming quality products unlike these harmful to human health substandard products which are not regulated by any international approved standards when being produced. In view of the above, the study recommends stiffer legal framework on importers of substandard imported products, increased testing facilities at Zambia Bureau of Standards and increased funding to Zambia Bureau of Standards for operational efficiency as some of the measures to be implemented to curb the vice of substandard imported products on the Zambian markets. Key Words: Substandard Products, Causes, Strategies and Zambian markets