The impact of quality management systems on the performance of manufacturing firms
International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management
ISSN: 0265-671X
Article publication date: 7 April 2015
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide additional evidence of the impact of ISO 9001 effectiveness on three dimensions of a firm’s performance, namely product quality, operational performance and business performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis includes an initial exploratory factor analysis (EFA), followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM), in order to investigate the relations between the constructs of the proposed model. A sample of 287 ISO 9001 certified Greek manufacturing firms is used for this purpose.
Findings
According to the study findings, ISO 9001 effectiveness directly contributes to product quality and operational performance. Although it has no direct impact on manufacturing firms’ business performance, it has an indirect impact through the moderator of operational performance.
Research limitations/implications
The sample of the responding manufacturing companies is limited to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from one country (Greece). In addition, the effects of the internal business environment and endogenous business factors have not been assessed through the present study.
Practical implications
The study offers clear implications for managers who focus on elements that will increase the ISO 9001 effectiveness and desire to choose strategies, allocate resources and improve their firm’s performance.
Originality/value
The present study contributes to the literature gap aiming at examining the degree to which ISO 9001 effectiveness influences the performance of certified firms. The concept of “ISO 9001 effectiveness” is introduced as the extent to which its prescribed quality objectives are met.
Keywords
Citation
Kafetzopoulos, D.P., Psomas, E.L. and Gotzamani, K.D. (2015), "The impact of quality management systems on the performance of manufacturing firms", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 32 No. 4, pp. 381-399. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-11-2013-0186
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited