This paper discusses how a systems approach to management can be used to facilitate the development and implementation of an integrated management system (IMS) in an organization. It is argued that any solution to address the rapidly growing need for the integration of function‐specific...

Purpose – Seeks to analyze changes in the perceived benefits and costs of ISO 9000 implementation over time. Design/methodology/approach – Results of two surveys, performed in 1998 and 2002, with 283 and 399 Catalonian companies participating, respectively, are presented, compared and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore an “integrated lean TQM model for sustainable development” by synthesising the best practices of TQM in all functions of business and management. Design/methodology/approach – Further to the paper “Integrated lean TQM model for global...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the application and the level of integration of internal and external audits in organizations that are registered to multiple management system standards. Design/methodology/approach – Using descriptive analyses, this work examines the manner...

ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 were created as a “consistent pair” of standards so that businesses that wanted to exceed the requirements of 9001 could use the principles of 9004 to move towards business excellence. In this paper, opinions from Canadian quality standardization experts were used to...

Purpose – To analyze the changes in the perceived benefits of ISO 9000 with the passage of time. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical survey of 399 companies conducted in 2002 in Catalonia (region of Spain). Findings – ISO 9001: 2000 registered organizations report benefits to a...