Diffusion of ISO 9000 certification in the precast concrete industry

Abstract

ISO 9000 is one of the most important administrative innovations of the last two decades. The Turkish precast concrete industry is an interesting example of the diffusion of this important administrative innovation. Innovation diffusion theory proposes that the diffusion of an innovation is driven by internal (i.e. behaviours of copying others) and external (i.e. complying with client requirements, changes in government regulations, demand conditions, and consulting firms' suggestions) influence factors. The propositions of innovation diffusion theory are empirically tested by using three mathematical models: the internal influence model, the external influence model and the mixed influence model. The mixed influence model has the highest explanatory power and the diffusion of ISO 9000 certification in the precast concrete industry is primarily driven by internal rather than external influence factors.

Keywords:

• Innovation diffusion
• quality control
• quality assurance
• ISO 9000 series
• precast concrete industry