Certification intensity level of the leading nations in ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards
International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management
ISSN: 0265-671X
Article publication date: 12 October 2010
Abstract
Purpose
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.
Design/methodology/approach
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.
Findings
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.
Originality/value
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.
Keywords
Citation
Marimon, F., Casadesús, M. and Heras, I. (2010), "Certification intensity level of the leading nations in ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 27 No. 9, pp. 1002-1020. https://doi.org/10.1108/02656711011084800
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited