An investigation into issues related to the latest version of ISO 9000

This research studies the emergence of the latest version of ISO 9000, ISO 9001: 2000, which takes a process-based approach to the implementation of quality management systems. The new version has abandoned the structure of 20 sections and now has five comprehensive sections covering all the previous requirements, with some modifications and the introduction of new requirements. This version has introduced a process-based approach that considers the quality management system as a single large process consisting of many smaller processes. The paper focuses on the implementation of ISO 9001: 2000 through an empirical study on Canadian firms. Results show that, whether external or internal reasons provided the impetus for registration, Canadian companies registered under the new ISO standard generally face the same degree of difficulty in implementation. However, internally driven companies have less difficulty for certain items. Externally driven companies perceived a higher degree of benefits as compared with internally driven companies.