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Examines a range of reasons relating to ISO 9000 series certification and the implementation of total quality management (TQM). Identifies five different types of strategies in relation to the approach taken to ISO 9000 series certification and defines their key characteristics. Also identifies and describes four different types of TQM maturity, following the achievement of ISO 9000 registration. Points out that the development of a TQM approach to managing a business is based on the emotional commitment of the chief executive officer, the understanding and knowledge of the management team about TQM, appropriate systems to stimulate, guide and direct TQM activities, and the involvement and participation of employees in the business. The findings indicate that ISO 9000 series registration can be a tool for organisational change, but only if the organisation has a plan to develop its approach to the management of quality on the principles of TQM.

Discusses the experience of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with ISO 9000 series certification, based on the results of a Western Australian questionnaire survey. It explores issues ranging from why certification was sought, the benefits derived and disappointments. Also examines the problems encountered by SMEs and how they dealt with them. Comparisons are made between those SMEs perceiving more success with ISO 9000 series certification and those which do not. Findings suggest that SMEs are experiencing mixed results from ISO 9000 series certification. Some are reporting considerable internal benefits while many are not experiencing external benefits. An encouraging outcome is that a number of SMEs see ISO 9000 series certification as a useful first step in the quality journey with a view to moving forward in the direction of a broader quality management approach.

To assess the relative value of the 2000 version of the ISO 9000 series of quality management system standards in comparison with the 1994 version.

A total of 773 organisations in The Netherlands which have all been certified to the ISO 9000 standard were surveyed (a response rate of 21.4 per cent) and of these only 22 had not yet converted to the 2000 version of the standard.

Amongst the major findings is an overall positive perception of the value of the ISO 9000 (2000) quality system standard and a consistently higher appreciation of the 2000 version compared with the 1994 version.

Adds to the body of knowledge concerning the ISO 9000 series with particular focus on The Netherlands and the 2000 version of the standard.

As the process of standardisation in all aspects of business management has accelerated in recent years in an environment characterised by economic globalisation and integration, two series of standards issued by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) stand out: the ISO 9000 series, related to the implementation of quality systems; and the ISO 14000 series, related to the implementation of environmental management systems. The purpose of this paper is to analyse and compare the evolution of both standards in the leading countries in these certifications.

It is noteworthy that the same few nations consistently occupy the highest rankings in both the number of ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series certifications. These countries are also those with highest growth rates in certifications. The present study examines these phenomena in terms of: a proposed new index for measuring the “certification intensity”; and a proposed model to analyse how standards are disseminated in a given country.

The leading nations in ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series certifications have a common spreading pattern. All of them are increasing in both standards, not only in absolute number of certifications, but also in its certification intensity. On the other hand, the logistic curve is a good pattern to forecast the trend of these intensities.

The paper concludes with some forecasts and trends for the immediate future in the most successful countries. Some suggestions are also made for future research.

Assesses the latest revisions to the ISO 9000 quality system, which seek to embrace the principles of total quality management (TQM) more closely. Highlights some of the TQM elements introduced into the system, such as: quality improvement; management commitment with a greater emphasis on executive roles; operational processes showing linkages to the overall system; and customer satisfaction. Compares the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems and discusses the practicality of the revised ISO 9000 system as a highway to TQM.

Small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute 90 percent of all enterprises in Iran. Thus they have an important role in the development of the country. SMEs need to utilise management systems, especially quality systems such as the ISO 9000 series, in their operations. The purpose of this paper is to address the following questions: to what extent do the performances of SMEs change before and after acquiring the ISO 9000 certification and how far do they differ from non‐ISO certified companies?

The authors have studied a sample of SMEs, comprising those that have acquired the ISO 9000 certification after the end of September 2004 and were located in Greater Tehran. Based on the literature review, the authors designed the following methodology to survey the selected SMEs: they developed a questionnaire containing 27 questions relevant to advantages of acquiring ISO certification and sent the same to the selected SMEs; then analysed the responses and performed non‐parametric tests such as sign‐test and chi‐squared test; and they used Minitab and SPSS to analyse the data.

Acquiring the ISO 9000 certification appeared to improve the performance of SMEs in the sample studied. In other words, SMEs have benefited from achieving the ISO 9000 certification.

This paper will help the non‐ISO certified SMEs to consider investing in development and deployment of a suitable quality management system, preferably leading to certification under the ISO 9000 standard. It will also help the ISO‐certified SMEs to build on their success and move to apply a suitable performance assessment and improvement model such as the EFQM.

This study aims to examine empirically how business in Taiwan has successfully implemented and benefited from ISO 9000.

Of 1,668 survey questionnaires mailed to companies with ISO 9000 certification, a total of 441 usable responses were used in the survey. Using the structural equation model, this study is grounded in a theoretical framework that links five key variables: top management support, quality planning, employee involvement, continuous improvement and firm performance.

The empirical results indicate that there is a positive relation between ISO 9000 and business performance. Keys to success include four constructs, namely top management support, quality planning, employee involvement and continuous improvement. These constructs are a series of chain, rather than parallel components.

This study constructs a conceptual framework that links the following key variables: top management support, quality planning, employee involvement, continuous improvement and firm performance. This study not only assesses the impact of these practices on firm performance, but also clarifies the process through which ISO 9000 implementation effects performance. Moreover, it provides an empirical framework for testing the well‐known PDCA cycle. The results should provide valuable information for dealing with similar managerial issues.

To exploit the main implications of the revised series of quality assurance standards ISO 9000:2000 for the certified organisations. The paper aims to identify the anticipated benefits of the changes in the series, as well as the main barriers and pitfalls that may deprive organisations of these benefits.

The paper combines the ideas and views of different authors and studies in this subject and organises them accordingly, based on the author's previous experience and empirical studies on ISO 9000 implementation, in order to fully describe the subject for the reader.

The paper finds that although the revised series of standards may offer important benefits to the certified organisations in areas which were previously considered to be the weak areas of the standards, there are still important dilemmas regarding the degree to which companies will be able to overcome a number of barriers and implementation pitfalls.

The paper is not based on official empirical research, since it is still too early to empirically test the results of the new standard to the certified organisations. However, this would be the focus of a future survey.

The paper offers important information to certified organisations, regarding the main benefits of the new ISO 9000:2000 series and the barriers that they will have to overcome in order to realise them.

The paper is the first one to bring all these ideas regarding the new standard's implementation together, offering a complete, comprehensive review of the new standard, and raising important questions that will have to be answered through further research.

The authors of this study, who adopted a holistic view of the international organization for standardization (ISO) 9000 series of standards, aimed to evaluate the current status of the standards within the framework of the quality movement. Specifically, the evaluation covered two dimensions, i.e. the significance of the content included in the standards and the quality of the standards’ elaboration, which encompasses such issues as, for instance, their correctness, relevance to current trends in quality management, comprehensibility, etc.

The paper is based on a review of the scientific literature, analysis of the current and all previous versions of the international standards and the results of a survey, through which data were collected from 73 quality management experts from 17 different countries. To evaluate the results, an importance-performance analysis was performed.

As the results of the research demonstrated, experts in quality management have accepted the ISO 9000 standards series. However, this positive view refers mainly to the very idea of developing quality management standards and these standard’s content structure (components included in them). Study participants assigned a low rating to the quality of the standards’ elaboration. Therefore, improving the following aspects of the standards is essential: definitions, guidelines explaining the requirements for a quality management system, self-assessment tools and guidelines concerning quality management concerning chosen forms of activity.

The research described here in has both practical and social implications. First, it delineates the direction needed to improve standardizations, whose use need not be strictly limited to quality management but can be successfully used to improve the standards in other areas of management. Therefore, the conclusions of this research directly contribute to increasing both the effectiveness and the quality of the standard organizations. The significant consequences of this research for managers are the identification of ISO 9000 components which they will find are the most useful.

The research described herein has both practical and social implications. First, it delineates the direction needed to improve standardizations, whose use need not be strictly limited to quality management. However, it can be successfully used to improve the standards in other areas of management. Therefore, the conclusions of this research directly contribute to increasing both the effectiveness and the quality of the standard organizations. The significant consequences of this research for managers are the identification of ISO 9000 components, which they will find are the most useful.

Most research treats ISO 9000 standards as a benchmark for their studies on quality management systems implemented in organizations. The standards themselves are rarely the subject of a study, and so this paper fills a gap in the research and provides insights into desired directions for standards improvement.

The construction management literature discusses the benefits which companies derive from having their operations certified to the ISO 9000 series of quality management systems (QMS). In Singapore, quality has been a topical issue in the construction industry for the past decade. ISO 9000 certification, which has been a major part of the construction quality development programme, is now mandatory for large construction contracting and consultancy organizations wishing to register to undertake public‐sector projects. This paper reports on a study on the role which ISO 9000 implementation plays in the quality development of Singapore's construction industry by ascertaining the perceptions, objectives, motivations and experiences (including benefits and problems) relating to quality in general, and to ISO 9000 certification and implementation in particular. A questionnaire‐based survey of large construction companies was conducted. It was found that construction firms benefit from QMS certification, and face no significant problems with it. Recommendations are made for enhancing the benefits of ISO 9000 and ensuring that it has a positive long‐term impact on the development of Singapore's construction industry.