Factors Influencing the Implementation and Maintenance of ISO 9001:2000 Standard in Selected Organisations in Malaysia

Awareness on the importance of quality and having a quality management system to improve organizational perfonnance has been emphasized through the work of many quality proponents. There is a growing awareness and acceptance of IS0 9000 quality management standards for establishing quality management system among organizations in Malaysia. The number of certified organizations increased from 2022 in 2003 to 3249 in 2005 (as at June 2005) and in 2004 there was an annual increase of 51.2% compared to 2003. The implementation and maintenance of a quality management system is important to satisfy customers' requirements and to ensure there is continuous improvement of the system. This study measures the influence of various factors such as organizational factors, motivational factors in obtaining certification and the perceived benefits on the ease of implementing and maintaining IS0 9001:2000 quality management system. The influence of motivation on perceived benefits was also examined. The survey was conducted on organizations that had obtained their IS0 9000 certification and were continuing with the implementation of the system with various certification bodies at the time of the study. The scope of thls research covered organizations in all economic sectors and industries listed in the statistics on IS0 9000 certification by the Department of Standards Malaysia. Hypotheses were tested using ANOVA in the Statistical Package for Social Solutions (SPSS) version 13.0 and path analysis in the LISREL 8.72. The findings revealed that corrective and preventive actions are among the critical issues or factors in the maintenance of an IS0 9000 system. Results also showed that there are significant differences in ease of implementation among the industrial sectors. The path analysis showed that there is a positive relationship between internally perceived benefits and the ease of implementation and maintenance. It was also established that motivation is a significant predictor which influences the benefits gained. It was also revealed that the motivation for obtaining IS0 9001:2000 certifications seemed to be more internally-driven. Large percentage of respondents agreed that motivation comes from internal factors such as the need to improve internal operation, products, system and processes. As in many previous studies, the most important benefits were mostly from internal factors such as improved internal procedures or documentation and increase in quality awareness among employees. IS0 9000 has provided a platform for a consistent organization-wide approach to continual improvement.

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