Factors affecting service companies' satisfaction with ISO 9000

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PurposeThe purpose of this study has been to determine the level of difficulties/obstacles associated with the implementation of ISO 9000, the importance of achieving expected improvements and the level of success in achieving expected improvements. The overall aim is to specifically explore the influence of these factors on service companies' satisfaction with ISO 9000.Design/methodology/approachA survey methodology was used to gather data. Simple t‐ and Tukey tests, principal components analysis, and multiple regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses of this study.FindingsThe results suggest that service companies may be more than satisfied with ISO 9000 if they lay greater emphasis on considering alternative approaches to educating the top and medium level managers and receiving support from top management. They also need to focus on enhancing the enterprise's quality in terms of reputation, inter personal relations, and motivation on the part of employees.Research limitations/implicationsThere are several limitations. First, the fact should not be ignore that these relationships may not apply to all businesses because the data have been collected from service companies. Second, a large percentage of the satisfaction remains unexplained suggesting the need for additional research incorporating potential unmeasured variables in the current study.Practical implicationsEducating top and medium level managers must increase in importance as a competitive priority. Personnel must be provided with extensive training particularly in communication and quality skills. Activities aimed at increasing personnel motivation must be given a high priority.Originality/valueThis study presents a thorough understanding on a model of service companies' satisfaction with ISO 9000, and how various factors moderate several paths of the model.