A study of ISO 9000 process, motivation and performance

The paper reports the results of a survey on the benefits from ISO and the impact of motivation and implementation process on the benefits from ISO in Taiwan. The empirical result indicates that adopting ISO brings registered Taiwanese enterprises significantly help in quality improvement, international competitiveness, cost reduction, and sales increase. A regression model is used to test whether motivations and implementation processes determine performances. The effect of motivations and processes on benefits from ISO are also statistically significant. With more positive attitudes, more use of computerized information system, and more involvement of all employees, implementing ISO could give companies more help in enhancing product quality. With more positive and internationalizing attitudes, and more degree of implementing documentation through auditing, implementing ISO could give companies more help in enhancing international competitiveness. With more positive attitudes and more experiences in quality controlling activities before implementing ISO, implementing ISO could give companies more help in cost reduction. With more internationalizing and passive attitudes, and more open organizational culture, implementing ISO could give companies more help in raising sales. And, the effects of a control variable, the percentage of overseas sales, on performances of enhancing international competitiveness and raising sales are statistically significant. These results imply that implementing ISO with total quality management philosophy may prove to bring more benefits for many export-oriented firms in the developing countries.