00 CERTIFICATION
B. Expense involved in ISO 9000 certification.
C. No new external quality system imposed.
D. Criticism of lack of specific emphasis on quality.
F. Problems faced by smaller firms.
G. Positive experiences by most firms.
1. Beneficial to most United States-based firms.
2. Firms should seek ISO 9000 certification.
ISO 9000 is a quality assurance system that companies can use as a part of a total quality initiative or as a standalone system (Ferguson, 1994, pp. 22-24). ISO 9000 is a voluntary system for which a company must be certified if recognition as an ISO 9000 firm is desired or if ISO recognition for one or more specific products is desired. Certification must be made by an independent registrar who evaluates a company's processes within the context of quality standards established by the International Standards organization.
While the growing importance of ISO 9000 certification is recognized by most United States-based firms operating globally, many of these firms argue that such certification is not desirable for either specific industries or for specific firms (Zuckerman, 1996, pp. 82-86). This research examines the ISO 9000 certification program and its developing role. The thesis of this examination is that the advantages of ISO 9000 certification outweigh the disadvantages for United States-based firms operating globally.
The ISO 9000 quality assurance standards were introduced in 1987 by the International Standards Organization (Zuckerman, 1994, pp. 51-52). Confusion continues to surround ISO 9000, however, even after seven years of activity. This confusion even extends to the term ISO. Wade Ferguson (1994, pp. 22-24), writing in the journal Industrial Management, and Arah Martin (1996, p. B2), writing in a section of The management of strategic systems: The quality perspective, each stated that ISO is an acronym for the International Standards Organization. While ...