Implementing ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System by Ethiopian Enterprises: Opportunities and challenges
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Date
2007-03
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A.A.U
Abstract
Quality is becoming the overriding operational priority for firms seeking to capture international market. Ethiopia is in the accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO),which will result towards an open and market led competition. To be successful, companies need to build efficient quality management practice through the implementation of ISO 9000:2000 system, which has become the "passport" to the European and other developed countries' markets. This paper aimed at knowing the status of Implementation of ISO 9000:2000 Quality Management System among Ethiopian enterprises. It attempts to show the extent of quality awareness, current quality management practices, impairments for getting ISO certification and the benefits and disappointments encountered by those certified companies. It also compares the results with other countries' experiences. The study found out that generally there are very few enterprises currently implementing ISO 9000:2000. However the awareness level towards quality management is high. Also, it was observed that, the level of government or other trade promotion agencies intervention in giving technical or other form of assistance is very marginal. The inhibiting factors for companies towards certification are fOf:lnd to be cost and the difficulty of the standard to understand and implement. The cumbersome documentation and
inability to change culture of people to the new system were the difficulties identified after certification. This paper recommends that the level of intervention by government and trade promotion agencies towards assisting and encouraging to implement quality management has to be enhanced. Private companies should be encouraged to be established as quality consultancy and certification bodies. Companies should also strive to get certified, the sooner the better, so that they build competitive advantage and benefit from the globalized trade economy.
Description
A project report submitted ~/
In partial fulfilllllent of
Masters of Business Adlllinistration
Keywords
Ethiopian enterprises, Opportunities'and , Challel}ges