| Article ID: | iaor1998157 |
| Country: | Portugal |
| Volume: | 17 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Start Page Number: | 61 |
| End Page Number: | 70 |
| Publication Date: | Jun 1997 |
| Journal: | Investigao Operacional |
| Authors: | Cabral J.A. Sarsfield |
| Keywords: | management |
The implementation of the ISO 9000 standards is increasing significantly all over the world. However, many companies found that the ISO 9000 systems have not improved significantly their competitiveness or even the quality of their products or services. Some authors believe that the ISO 9000 standards are good foundations for a Total Quality system, but others claim that the ISO 9000 quality assurance models can cause difficulties when implementing a Total Quality programme. This question is analysed and the role of those formal quality systems is clarified.