Benefits of implementing management system standards : A case study of certified companies in the Pearl River Delta, China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent of implementing management system standards among ISO (and other) certified companies in the Pearl River Delta and its effect on the perceived benefits. Design/methodology/approach – A cross‐sectional survey of certified companies was carried out using a self‐administrated questionnaire. A total of 157 companies participated in the study. Findings – It was found that the majority of the responding companies implement more than one standardized management system, mostly adopting the quality management, environmental management, and occupational health and safety management systems (i.e. ISO9001, ISO14001, and OHSAS18001). Results show that companies certified to ISO9001 and ISO14001 gain more benefits than the others. Research limitations/implications – The study shows that companies implementing multiple management systems can have better corporate performance, product quality, and marketing edges than the others. The results indicate that different combinations of management systems give rise to different level of performance. Originality/value – There is a lack of empirical proof that more benefits will be gained when multiple management system standards are adopted. The paper addresses this short‐coming and provides evidence that acquiring more system certifications will result in greater perceived benefits.