Impact of ISO 9000 Certification on TQM Practices: Empirical Study in Ethiopian Manufacturing Companies

ISO 9000 certification is one of the most widely accepted quality assurance systems in world-wide. The primary objective of this study is to examine the relationship between ISO 9000 certification and the levels of total quality management practices of medium and large manufacturing firms in Ethiopia. The design of this research has quantitative approach. Both ISO9000 certified and non-certified firms are included in the survey. From 300 sampled medium and large manufacturing firms a total of 122 valid responses were received. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive analysis such as mean and standard deviation. Inferential statistics was done through T-test. The findings indicate that ISO 9000 certified companies show higher levels of total quality management practices in top management leadership, supply quality management, process management and continuous improvement. Furthermore, the study concludes that when ISO 9000 and TQM are implemented simultaneously, the subsequent benefits to the company are better than those experienced if TQM were implemented in separation.