In recent years, two performance evaluation methodologies have received significant attention in managerial circles: quality audit and self‐assessment. While the quality audit examines the compliance of a quality system with ISO 9000 standards and its suitability to achieve stated objectives,...

This paper illustrates a perennial self‐audit model for quality management system (QMS) improvement. The model is based on the concepts of self‐ and nano‐audits, which directly contradict the two central tenets of classical auditing, namely auditor independence and the discrete nature of...

Due to the proliferation of function‐specific management systems and related standards, a need has emerged to somehow integrate them in order to reduce wasteful redundancies and possibly generate synergy effects. While the integration of the requirements of standards, for example ISO 9001 and...

Since they were introduced internationally in 1987, ISO 9000 standards have been criticized for their lack of flexibility, emphasis on bureaucracy and paperwork, deficiency in quality improvement, usefulness of application in small businesses and service organizations, confusing terminology and...

This paper addresses the implementation of ISO 9000 international standards in the university environment, and presents examples of developing a quality system based on these standards in a Canadian university department. The application is based on a holonic systems concept, which is first...