Skip to main content
Log in

ISO certification and new product success in an emerging market

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Asian Business & Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The relationship between self-imposed certification of the quality of a firm’s management practices and its new product performance was investigated using data from a survey of 878 manufacturing and service firms. Certification was shown to promote new product success by reducing the information asymmetry a firm and potential buyers in an emerging market. That positive effect weakens where the quality of local institutions is better.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. According to a 2009 survey of ISO 9000 certificates in force, 257,076 had been granted to organizations operating in China, making China the number one country worldwide to have received ISO 9000 certification.

  2. http://www.caq.org.cn/.

References

  • Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, S. W., Daly, J. D., & Johnson, M. F. (1999). Why firms seek ISO 9000 certification: Regulatory compliance or competitive advantage? Production and Operations Management, 8(1), 28–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anonymous. (2003). Productivity and investment climate survey (PICS): Implementation manual. The Private Sector Investment Climate Unit of the World Bank, working paper no. 44327. http://go.worldbank.org/H0DVV557O1.

  • Anonymous. (2011). The ISO survey of certifications—2011. International Organization for Standardization. http://www.iso.org/iso/iso-survey.

  • Benner, M. J. (2009). Dynamic or static capabilities? Process management practices and response to technological change. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 26(5), 473–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benner, M. J., & Tushman, M. (2002). Process management and technological innovation: A longitudinal study of the photography and paint industries. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47(4), 676–706.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benner, M. J., & Tushman, M. L. (2003). Exploitation, exploration, and process management: The productivity dilemma revisited. Academy of Management Review, 28(2), 238–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boiral, O., & Roy, M. J. (2007). ISO 9000: Integration rationales and organizational impacts. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 27(2), 226–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, H. P., & Wiersema, M. F. (1999). Matching method to paradigm in strategy research: Limitations of cross-sectional analysis and some methodological alternatives. Strategic Management Journal, 20(7), 625–636.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casadesu, M., Gime, G., & Heras, I. (2001). Benefits of ISO 9000 implementation in Spanish industry. European Business Review, 13(6), 327–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casadesús, M., & Karapetrovic, S. (2005). Has ISO 9000 lost some of its lustre? A longitudinal impact study. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 25(6), 580–596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Child, J., & Tse, D. K. (2001). China’s transition and its implications for international business. Journal of International Business Studies, 32(1), 5–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christmann, P. (2000). Effects of “best practices” of environmental management on cost advantage: The role of complementary assets. Academy of Management Journal, 43(4), 663–680.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole, R. E. (1998). Learning from the quality movement: What did and didn’t happen and why? California Management Review, 41(1), 43–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, R. E., & Scott, W. R. (2000). The quality movement and organizational theory. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Corbett, C. J., Montes-Sancho, M. J., & Kirsch, D. A. (2005). The financial impact of ISO 9000 certification in the United States: An empirical analysis. Management Science, 51(7), 1046–1059.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darby, M. R., & Karni, E. (1973). Free competition and the optimal amount of fraud. Journal of Law and Economics, 16(1), 67–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dean, J., & Bowen, D. (1994). Managing theory and total quality: Improving research and practice through theory development. Academy of Management Review, 19, 392–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garvin, D. A. (1995). Leveraging processes for strategic advantage. Long Range Planning, 28(6), 126–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greene, W. H. (2000). Econometric analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hair, A., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington, H. J., & Mathers, D. D. (1997). ISO 9000 and beyond: From compliance to performance improvement. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hausman, J. A., Bronwyn, H. H., & Griliches, Z. (1984). Econometric models for count data with an application to the patents–R&D relationship. NBER technical working paper no. 17.

  • Hitt, M. A., Ahlstrom, D., Dacin, M. T., Levitas, E., & Svobodina, L. (2004). The institutional effects on strategic alliance partner selection in transition economies: China vs. Russia. Organization Science, 15(2), 173–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmstrom, B. (1985). The provision of services in a market economy. In R. P. Inman (Ed.), Managing the service economy: Prospects and problems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoskisson, R. E., Eden, L., Lau, C., & Wright, M. (2000). Strategy in emerging economies. Academy of Management Journal, 43(3), 249–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katila, R., & Ahuja, G. (2002). Something old, something new: A longitudinal study of search behavior and new product introduction. Academy of Management Journal, 45(6), 1183–1194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khanna, T., & Palepu, K. (1997). Why focused strategies may be wrong for emerging markets. Harvard Business Review, 75(4), 41–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lafuente, E., Bayo-Moriones, A., & García-Cestona, M. (2009). ISO-9000 certification and ownership structure: Effects upon firm performance. British Journal of Management, 21(3), 649–665.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levine, D. I., & Toffel, M. W. (2010). Quality management and job quality: How the ISO 9001 standard for quality management systems affects employees and employers. Management Science, 56(6), 978–996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, H., Meng, L., & Zhang, J. (2006). Why do entrepreneurs enter politics? Evidence from China. Economic Inquiry, 44(3), 559–578.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lo, C. K., Wiengarten, F., Humphreys, P., Yeung, A. C., & Cheng, T. C. E. (2013). The impact of contextual factors on the efficacy of ISO 9000 adoption. Journal of Operations Management, 31(5), 229–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G. S. (2006). The press as a watchdog for accounting fraud. Journal of Accounting Research, 44(5), 1001–1033.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, P. W. (2006). ISO 9000 and financial performance in the electronics industry. The Journal of American Academy of Business, 8(2), 227–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nayyar, P. R. (1993). Performance effects of information asymmetry and economies of scope in diversified service firms. Academy of Management Journal, 36(1), 28–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, P. (1970). Information and consumer behavior. Journal of Political Economy, 78(2), 311–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Normann, R. (1984). Service management: Strategy and leadership in service business. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • North, D. C. (1987). Institutions, transaction costs and economic growth. Economic Inquiry, 25(3), 419–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, institutional change, and economic performance. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • North, D. C. (2005). Understanding the process of institutional change. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Peng, M. W. (2003). Institutional transitions and strategic choices. Academy of Management Review, 28(2), 275–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piperopoulos, P., Wu, J., & Wang, C. (2018). Outward FDI, home-country political ties and innovation performance of emerging market enterprises. Research Policy, 47(1), 232–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, T. C. (1995). Total quality management as competitive advantage: A review and empirical study. Strategic Management Journal, 16(1), 15–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reinhardt, F. L. (1998). Environmental product differentiation: Implications for corporate strategy. California Management Review, 40(4), 43–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rindfleisch, A., & Moorman, C. (2001). The acquisition and utilization of information in new product alliances: A strength-of-ties perspective. Journal of Marketing, 65(2), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samson, D., & Terziovski, M. (1999). The relationship between total quality management practices and operational performance. Journal of Operations Management, 17(4), 393–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorensen, J. B., & Stuart, T. E. (2000). Aging, obsolescence, and organizational innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 45(1), 81–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spence, A. (1973). Job market signaling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87, 355–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Terlaak, A., & King, A. A. (2006). The effect of certification with the ISO 9000 quality management standard: A signaling approach. Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organization, 60(4), 579–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Terziovski, M., Power, D., & Sohal, A. S. (2003). The longitudinal effects of the ISO 9000 certification process on business performance. European Journal of Operational Research, 146(3), 580–595.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsekouras, K., Dimara, E., & Skuras, D. (2002). Adoption of a quality assurance scheme and its effect on firm performance: A study of Greek firms implementing ISO 9000. Total Quality Management, 13(6), 827–841.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uzumeri, M. V. (1997). ISO 9000 and other metastandards: Principles for management practice? Academy of Management Executive, 11(1), 21–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Waarden, F. (2001). Institutions and innovation: The legal environment of innovating firms. Organization Studies, 22(5), 765–795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Q., Wong, T., & Xia, L. (2008). State ownership, the institutional environment, and auditor choice: Evidence from China. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 46(1), 112–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westphal, J. D., Gulati, R., & Shortell, S. M. (1997). Customization or conformity? An institutional and network perspective on the content and consequences of TQM adoption. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(2), 366–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilde, L. L. (1981). Information costs, duration of search, and turnover: Theory and applications. Journal of Political Economy, 89(6), 1122–1141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge, J. M. (2009). Introductory econometrics: A modern approach (2nd ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western, Thomson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J. (2011). The asymmetric roles of business ties and political ties in product innovation. Journal of Business Research, 64(11), 1151–1156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J. (2012). Technological collaboration in product innovation: The role of market competition and sectoral technological intensity. Research Policy, 41(2), 489–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J. (2013). Marketing capabilities, institutional development, and the performance of emerging market firms: A multinational study. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 30(1), 36–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J., & Chen, X. Y. (2012). Leaders’ social ties, knowledge acquisition capability, and firm competitive advantage. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 29(2), 331–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J., & Park, S. (2017). The role of institutional complexity on emerging multinationals’ Innovation Outcomes. Global Strategy Journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1166/full.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J., & Si, S. (2018). Poverty reduction through entrepreneurship: Incentives, social networks and sustainability. Asian Business and Management, 17(4), 243–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J., Si, S., & Wu, X.-B. (2016a). Entrepreneurial finance and innovation: Informal debt as an empirical case. Strategic Entrepreneurial Journal, 10(3), 257–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J., Wang, C., Hong, J., Piperopoulos, P., & Zhuo, S. (2016b). Internationalization and innovation performance of emerging market enterprises: The role of host-country institutional development. Journal of World Business, 51(2), 251–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zbaracki, M. J. (1998). The rhetoric and reality of total quality management. Administrative Science Quarterly, 43(3), 602–636.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71728003), the Macao Foundation (Grant No. MF1711) and the University of Macau (Grant No. MYRG 2016-00207-FBA/MYRG2018-00171-FBA) for this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zefu Wu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wu, J., Wu, Z. ISO certification and new product success in an emerging market. Asian Bus Manage 18, 51–71 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41291-018-0046-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41291-018-0046-6

Keywords

Navigation