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Recently, ISO 9000 and its associated versions are rapidly becoming a “license to compete” worldwide. Its standards are generic in the way that they can be applied to all functions and all industries in various areas of human endeavor. They have been described as the “one size fits all” standards. In developing countries like Pakistan, adoption and implementation of ISO 9000 quality management system is slow due to lack of awareness and initiatives. The present study is an attempt to analyze different practices of ISO 9000, like its status, problems faced (before, during and after implementations), benefits gained, its impact, certification cost, the next step after ISO’s 9000 certification, critical success factors, the role of training, consultancy, top management support, use of ISO 9000 in the international markets, future prospects and in particular, general practices of ISO 9000 in the Sports Industry of Pakistan. In this study, detailed case studies clearly explain the current status and existing practices of ISO 9000 in the sports industry.

To enhance and promote quality construction, the Construction Quality Assessment System (CONQUAS) was introduced in Singapore in 1989 to evaluate the quality performance of building contractors using numerical scores. Apart from the CONQUAS system, the ISO 9000 quality management standards were also introduced in the Singapore construction industry in 1991. Is there a relationship between certification to ISO 9000 standards and the achievement of higher construction quality standards as indicated by CONQUAS scores? As several years have passed since the introduction of the CONQUAS system and ISO 9000 in the Singapore construction industry, this paper aims to ascertain if the implementation and certification of quality management systems to ISO 9000 standards in construction firms has helped them to achieve higher construction quality standards through higher CONQUAS scores.

This paper aims to investigate and to highlight the way the quality system is being managed and the outcomes in terms of changes and improvements obtained by the two companies as a result of its maintenance approach. By studying how ISO 9000 is being maintained in the service organisations, it provides useful insights into the unique ways quality systems are managed and the aspects that are important to successful and effective maintenance of ISO 9000 quality system.

A case study approach as described by Eisenhardt and Yin, is used for this study. A total of 30 face‐to‐face interviews were conducted over a period of 13 weeks with top management, middle management, lower management in charge of operations and quality, and the management representative responsible for the implementation of ISO 9000 in the organisation. To support the findings of the interviews, 300 questionnaires were distributed to employees of both companies. ISO 9000 and quality documents were also reviewed as part of the data gathering process for the study.

Based on the interview results, there are similarities and differences in how the two case companies maintain their ISO 9000 in terms of how they view and manage the aspects that are closely associated with ISO 9000 maintenance. It was found that the company with higher top management commitment and better internal communication has better‐motivated employees. Regardless of the length of time being certified to ISO 9000, the firm which incorporates a higher level of human resource aspects such as reward, recognition and empowerment into its quality system experiences higher employee enthusiasm and commitment to the maintenance of the quality system which resulted in better employee participation and involvement compared to the one that did not.

This paper makes a contribution to the body of knowledge in the field of quality management systems during the maintenance phase where such work is still limited, especially in the service sector.

It seems today to be an indisputable fact that ISO 9000 is a powerful instrument, which cannot be disregarded. It is, far and away, the most influential initiative that grew from the quality movement of the late 1980s. This paper contains an evaluation of results from a survey on ISO 9000 certified companies and aims to present some aspects of the current state of the standard in Swedish industry. This study is focused on motives for implementation, perceived benefits and key implementation factors. The predominant reasons identified for seeking certification were the desire to improve corporate image and quality. Like many previous studies this study underlines the need for management commitment and participation. The very important conclusion drawn from this survey is that the motivation for certification may influence the performance of ISO 9000. The overall benefits which the companies gain from the standard showed dependence on the motivation which initiated the drive for the certification.

ISO 14000 is based on the concept that better environmental performance can be achieved when environmental aspects are systematically identified and managed. Despite the growing interest in voluntary environmental management standards, little empirical information exists and only a few survey studies have been made. This paper contains an evaluation of results from a survey on ISO 14000 and ISO 9000 companies. The study presents experiences from the standards implementation processes in Sweden. It focuses on motives for implementation, perceived benefits and key implementation factors. Further, comparisons are made between ISO 14000 and ISO 9000 systems. Swedish companies mainly use the standard to demonstrate their commitment to environmental protection. Most benefits are also perceived in the improved relations with stakeholders and in marketing advantages. Since the standard requires companies to set their environmental policy and objectives themselves, the identification of environmental aspects was stated as most important and also as the factor requiring most effort. Organizations require their suppliers to implement ISO 9000 to a greater extent than ISO 14000.

Quality assurance (QA) has been adopted by the public construction sectors in Asia since the introduction of ISO 9000 quality standards in 1987. The Governments of Singapore and Hong Kong have designed a series of quality infrastructure to promote, develop and improve the quality management system in the construction industry. Highlights the rapid development of quality systems in Singapore and Hong Kong, and the implementation of the construction quality assessment system (CONQUAS) in Singapore. Examines the performance assessment scoring system (PASS) in Hong Kong to assess the quality of building works. Discusses and compares the incentives for the construction sectors to achieve the ISO 9000 certification in both cities.

While manufacturing organisations were early adopters of ISO 9000, lately, many service sector organisations have also pursued adoption. The aim of this paper is to compare the experiences with the standard of the two sectors.

The research collected data from 149 service and 160 manufacturing organisations using a common survey measurement instrument.

Results show that there are no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of time and cost of obtaining registration. Also, there are only small points of differences in motivation for registration and difficulties faced. There are greater differences between the groups in terms of benefits gained and management practices associated with the standard.

These results provide interesting insights into how the two groups perceive and engage with the standard, how cross‐industry diffusion could be taking place, and the veracity of the claims made about the universal applicability of the standard. These findings imply that service organisations can learn from the experiences of the manufacturing sector, but copying carte blanche the implementation strategies is fraught with risks. Further, the standard is not universally applicable and may need industry‐specific tailoring.

Many companies are working very hard to achieve high quality goods and services and using them as competitive advantages in their businesses. In the 1990s, there are two main subjects on quality that capture the attention of most businesses in the world: namely, the International Quality Management Standard ISO 9000 and total quality management (TQM). Much publicity and promotion have accompanied these two subjects. It is like a fire in the forest among the industrialized nations. Attempts to find out what is so special about ISO 9000 and TQM and why it is necessary for industries and businesses to acquire them. There are four main parts. First, the current thinking on and development of ISO 9000 and TQM are summarized. Then, the rationale of going for ISO 9000 and TQM are established. This is enhanced by numerous examples. Next, the relationships between ISO 9000 and TQM are discussed. Finally, a framework for implementation of either scheme is suggested based on well‐founded research.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of ISO 9000 certification on three dimensions of firm performance that are theoretically derived to have a relationship with the adoption of ISO 9000 standards, namely, sales revenue, cost of goods sold/sales revenue, and the asset turnover ratio (sales/total assets).

Employing a panel data approach covering all publicly traded companies in Brazil that had adopted the ISO 9000 standards from 1995 to 2006, the authors investigate the impact of the certification on firm performance using three categories of economic regression models: the pooling of cutting data with ordinary least squares, the fixed effects and the random effects.

ISO 9000 certification is found to be associated with an increase in sales revenues, decrease in cost of goods sold/sales revenue and increase in the asset turnover ratios of the certified firms.

The research findings suggest that companies large or small, irrespective of their capital structure (i.e. debt/equity) and cutting across industries will benefit from the adoption of ISO 9000 standards. However, the extent to which firms benefit from such adoption is likely to vary. Moreover, the generalizability of the research findings is limited by the size of the sample.

The paper's chief contribution lies in the validation of the signaling theory in the context of business organizations and extending the domain of research on this topic to emerging markets generally.

Public sector organisations have been relatively late in adopting ISO 9000 quality management standards in comparison with those from the private sector. While the standards have the potential to provide many benefits, they could also reinforce certain detrimental orthodoxies. How suitable ISO 9000 is to public sector organisations is not clear. This paper aims to assess the suitability of ISO 9000 through the experiences of a public sector organisation.

The organisation is a prominent Australian federal government agency operating in the maritime safety area. The experiences of this organisation were captured through interviews with key personnel and publicly available data. Specific issues analysed included the motivation for implementation, the registration process involved, the difficulties faced and the benefits derived.

Overall, it is clear that ISO 9000 has been a success in this organisation. It had the “right” attitude in terms of its motivation for implementation, used a pragmatic approach to the registration process, took practical steps to minimise problems and had realised meaningful benefits.

Results suggest that the approach taken by this organisation can be exemplary to other similar organisations. The paper supports the contingent view of ISO 9000 where organisations need to customise the standards to their requirements. Finally, this paper provides empirical insights into the diffusion of a significant management phenomenon in a sector that does not appear to have had much experience with it.