Has ISO 9000 lost some of its lustre? A longitudinal impact study

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 analyzed. Findings There has been a significant decrease in the perception of ISO 9000 implementation benefits from 1998 to 2002. However, most companies still believe that ISO 9000 is beneficial overall. ISO 9000 implementation and maintenance costs have substantially decreased in the same four‐year period. Research limitations/implications In July 2002, when the second survey was conducted, the majority of the participating companies were still registered to one of the old versions of the standard, namely ISO 9001/2/3:1994. The findings support the notion that ISO 9000 standards are limited in providing a set of concrete benefits over time. Practical implications The outcome of the study contributes to a better understanding of the temporal nature of the impact ISO 9000 requirement standards have had on companies. Originality/value This is one of the first papers that analyses the benefits and costs of ISO 9000 implementation over time.