ABSTRACT
The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of the new ISO 9001:2000 standard on the Quality Management Systems (QMS) of Lebanese firms that were already certified under ISO 9000:1994. To get an accurate feedback of stakeholders in a firm, three different questionnaires were developed and distributed to management, employees, and customers respectively. Empirical results indicate that ISO 9001:2000 has improved the QMS performance of Lebanese firms over that of the 1994 edition. Nevertheless, results showed that the new standard still has some weaknesses when it comes to improving suppliers’ relationships and empowering employees.
AKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors want to thank the students in the Total Quality Management course in the Engineering Management Program of the American University of Beirut, Spring 2003, that helped in distributing, collecting, and following up with the questionnaires.