What are the impacts of implementing ISOs on the competitiveness of manufacturing industry in China?

Based on the proposed ‘PIE’ analytical framework, this paper argues that the preparation, implementation and evaluation of international standards (ISOs) affect the competitiveness of (foreign-financed) export-oriented manufacturing industry in southern and southeastern China, both in the short- and long-term. During the period of preparation, the decision to adopt ISOs is mainly driven by market demand and/or by the decisions of established competitors. Negative effects due to the diversion of scarce resources and institutional resistance to change during the period of transitional implementation are offset by the overall enhancement of the firm's productivity in the long run. ‘Tailoring for the external audit’ and ‘second-best’ practices are two strategies commonly employed by Chinese firms to lower the transaction costs involved in ISO audits

Quality Certification and the Economics of Contract Software Development A Study of the Indian Software Industry

A significant amount of software development is being outsourced to countries such as India. Many Indian software firms have applied for and received quality certifications like the ISO9001, and the number of quality certified software firms has steadily increased. Despite its growing popularity among Indian software developers, there is very little systematic evidence on the relationship of ISO certification to organizational performance. Using data on 95 Indian software firms and their US clients, we develop a stylized model of a firm that develops software for others to articulate the different ways in which ISO certification can affect firm profits. We conclude that ISO certification enhances firm growth. The results provide partial support for the proposition that ISO certification also enhances revenue for a given size, suggesting that firms are receiving a higher price per unit of output. In turn, this is consistent with the notion that ISO certification also enhances the quality of output. Our field studies confirm that although most firms see ISO certification as a marketing ploy, some of them do proceed to institute more systematic and better-defined processes for software development.

ISO/TS 16949: analysis of the diffusion and current trends

The automotive industry has always shown a particular interest toward quality management systems, which resulted in the development of several different specific standards. As a result of this, by the mid-1980s, automotive suppliers were subject to numerous national and customer specific regulations. The proliferation of these standards and the need to create a single reference model led to Technical Specification (TS) 16949, an ISO technical specification aimed at representing a comprehensive quality management system for the global automotive industry. Since its early introduction, TS 16949 has encountered a certain success thanks to its feature of unifying and harmonizing the already existing standards. This paper studies the global evolution and diffusion of this technical specification, observing its impact on the local economies. The argument is supported by many empirical data

Do Companies Value Maintaining ISO 9000 Certification? 2009 Case Study of 41 US Companies First Certified in 2000

The costs of obtaining and maintaining ISO certification are high. Moreover, studies have shown mixed results on the benefits of the certification. Consequently, the objective of this research was to verify whether or not companies do value maintaining the ISO 9000 certification. The empirical study was conducted on 41 U.S. companies that were first certified in 2000. The companies formed an existing database as they were used by Dr. Arbuckle in 2004 in his doctoral dissertation. Of the 41 companies, 12 were found to be out of business, leaving a final sample size of 29. Data were gathered from this sample through telephone interviews and verified through the organizations’ online documents. In this group, 23 companies were found to be still maintaining the ISO 9000 certification as of 2009. When the statistical analyses were performed, the results clearly indicated that companies do significantly value maintaining the ISO 9000 certification. However, it was interesting to note that the primary reason behind maintaining the ISO 9000 certification was pressure from customers and not necessarily as a tool towards achieving quality production or continuous improvement. Indeed, such an observation may help to explain why even certified companies sometimes produce goods and services of inferior quality

Articulation between information systems and quality management systems: literature review

Technological advancement has influenced all aspects of daily life. Since the adoption of Information Technology (IT) / Information Systems (IS), that represents the key issue for the success of most organizations, management of the quality of its products, services and business processes with established quality certification under ISO 9000, also represents a critical aspect in organizations. Organizations are forced to use advanced technologies and become more efficient in internal organization in order to be more competitive and closer to their customers and partners. In the face of increasingly demanding markets, interventions for organizational improvement through the adoption of quality management are becoming very common. The organizations are concerned with the development and implementation of information systems tailored to their specific needs, rather than buying in the market software applications. By the other hand, organizations acquire software certificates on the market to meet some specific requirements of the Quality Management Systems (QMS), such as auditing and document management. Synergies between the IS and QMS according to ISO 9001 standard, allows the association between these two systems, so that the IS can support and influence the processes related to the QMS, not only limited to the collection and documentation management. The joint development of these systems allows organizations to use only a methodology and a team intervention. The potential benefits of active participation of the organizational processes associated with the IS / QMS raises the need to develop a method that articulate/integrate interventions for improvement motivated by IT / IS with the improvement interventions motivated by the QMS.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

A Structured Approach for Facilitating the Implementation of ISO 50001 Standard in Manufacturing Industry

Technical solutions and technological changes alone cannot sustain energy saving improvements and promote continual improvement in an organization. Successful bridging between technical and management principles to implement an energy management system would lead to energy savings. To overcome the lack of availability of proper framework to implement an energy management system conforming to the ISO 50001, a standard methodology using flow charts and a software ISO 50001 Analyzer is developed to help facilities get certified by checking if their energy management system complies with the ISO 50001 standard. The major aim of the software is to reduce the degree of difficulty in implementing an energy management system in accordance with the ISO 50001 and hence help plants reap the benefits of managing energy which include cost benefits and increased business (due to certification). The software is also designed to be a guiding tool for energy consultants to help company managers understand the requirements of ISO 50001.;This research involves developing flow charts to identify steps to be followed by an organization to meet the requirements of the ISO 50001 standard and designing a software entitled ISO 50001 Analyzer which would help industries implement this management system. The software has code built into it containing all the requirements in the ISO 50001 standard. The user can follow the sequence of flow of the software and give inputs on the present working condition of their energy management system. The software will check if the organization satisfies all the requirements as per the ISO 50001 standard. This work also includes building a database in the software to store all the documents and records in an organized manner as required in the standard. This database would make the auditing process of documents and records simpler for both the auditor and organization

Validating the theoretical underpinnings of the ISO 9001:2015 quality management system standard : a multi-country study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand

ISO 9000 family of quality management system (QMS) standards — particularly ISO 9001, which stipulates QMS requirements for compliance — have received a great deal of attention by academia and practitioners. Every year, thousands of organisations obtain ISO 9001 certification worldwide, and a plethora of studies have examined the effectiveness of ISO 9001 implementation, empirically or otherwise. One existing knowledge gap is the absence of a comprehensive study that examines the theoretical validity of ISO 9001. Another is ascertaining how ISO 9001 compliance requirements are accepted across countries and regions, given that ISO 9001 is meant for sociotechnical systems. Using responses received from 240 ISO 9001 certified manufacturing companies in five countries, this study empirically examined the theoretical validity of ISO 9001:2015, which is claimed to underpin Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) at the overall QMS level. The theoretical model of the study which posited that “Leadership Driven QMS Planning (LDQMSP) (reflected via clauses 04 through to 07 of the standard) leads to implementing the planned processes (reflected via clause 08), and checking the effectiveness of these processes (reflected via clause 09) and taking appropriate action (reflected via clause 10) leads to QMS Results” was found to be a good fit to data, based on goodness of fit criteria used in partial least squares structural equation modelling. As regards national culture effects and regional effects (Australasia, South Asia, and Greece), the empirical test results found that national culture (or region) plays only a very minor role in making ISO 9001 based continual improvement (PDCA) of the QMS being more acceptable to certain cultures than to others; power distance (PDI) and individualism (IDV) showed positive and negative effects (but small) respectively on Plan (LDQMSP), Do, Check, Act, and QMS Results as hypothesised. However, uncertainty avoidance (UAI) failed to show a significant effect (α = 0.05). Similarly, the mean scores of Plan (LDQMSP), Do, Check, Act, and QMS Results of South Asia were found to be higher than those of Australasia, although these effects were small. Thus, the findings support the universal relevance and acceptance of the standard, although the study was limited to ISO 9001 certified manufacturing firms of five selected countries. Contributions of the findings were highlighted, and further research directions were suggested

A journey towards Lean: the case of a Small-Medium Enterprise (SME)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether it is feasible to implement Lean in a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), although literature mentions that it is uncommon and unlikely. Additionally, this paper explores how Lean has been progressively applied to a single SME, if there is room for improvement and how it can be accomplished. Finally, this paper seeks to understand if Lean can be a part of the management system. Methodology: This investigation covers one SME in Portugal. It operates in the cold-refrigerator industry. A qualitative methodology was used to conduct the research, supported on a case study. Data were collected from tape-recorded interviews and from written documentation provided by the company. Findings: It was found that it is possible to implement Lean in a SME, despite some difficulties. Moreover, improvements on how to implement Lean in the field site were suggested, based on literature and on innovative practices found in the organization. Concluding, Lean proved to be crucial to successfully implement a quality management system, dully integrated into the management system. Research Implication: This paper shows that SME’s can also apply Lean processes and techniques. This conclusion is very important for academics and for practitioners, particularly in manufacturing organizations. Originality/Value: There is a gap in the literature regarding the application of Lean in SME’s. Very little research has been conducted on this subject. This paper shows that SME’s can successfully implement Lean techniques.Objetivo: O principal objetivo deste trabalho é examinar se é viável a implementação de Lean numa pequena e media empresa (PME), apesar da literatura sugerir que tal implementação é pouco comum e provável. Além disso, este papel explora com o Lean tem sido progressivamente aplicado a uma PME, se há espaço para melhorias e como podem ser alcançadas. Finalmente, este trabalho procura perceber se o Lean pode fazer parte do sistema de gestão. Metodologia: Esta investigação foca-se numa PME em Portugal, a qual opera na indústria de refrigeração. Foi utilizada uma metodologia qualitativa na elaboração deste trabalho e foi suportada com um estudo de caso. Foi colecionada informação através de entrevistas gravadas e documentação fornecida pela empresa. Conclusões: Concluiu-se que é possível implementar Lean numa PME, apesar das dificuldades encontradas. Ainda, baseado na literatura e práticas encontradas na empresa foram sugeridas melhorias como implementar Lean. Concluindo, o Lean mostrou-se crucial para implementar com sucesso um sistema de gestão de qualidade, integrado no sistema de gestão. Implicações de Investigação: Este trabalho mostra que PMEs também podem implementar processos e técnicas Lean. Esta conclusão é muito importante para os académicos e para os práticos, particularmente em empresas industriais. Originalidade/Valor: Existe um gap na literatura no que toca à aplicação de Lean em PMEs. Muito pouca investigação é está feita nesta matéria. Este trabalho mostra que PMEs podem implementar técnicas Lean com sucesso

Use of IT in ISO 9001 Systems for Better Process Management

This book chapter focuses on process management as one of the key requirements of ISO 9001. This research highlights an issue of raising the effectiveness and efficiency of process management in implemented ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems (QMS) by its integration with information technology (IT) support. Performed research reveals this to be an area of further scientific work. This is just a preliminary study to prepare the background for practical implications and further empirical research. The latter research includes literature review, ISO 9001 requirement analysis and a case study on practiced process management in South-East Europe countries as identified from external audit reports. The new standard ISO 9001:2015 is less formal regarding the documentation than the previous ones, while being more focused on effective running and improvement of the company processes. Actually, ISO 9001 requires basic elements and activities of Business Process Management (BPM). However, there are no obstacles to provide the required evidence of the defined, running and improved processes through the business IT support. Indeed, IT support to the ISO 9001 process management is not generally practiced nor encouraged enough