Exhibit - An introduction to ISO 9000 & TQM

ISO 9000 is an internationally recognised standard ─ analogous to a warrant of fitness ─ applied to an organisation's procedures and systems. In the past it has been manufacturers, especially those selling in international markets, who have sought ISO certification. Their suppliers soon followed, notably in the raw materials, transportation and distribution industries. More recently, a third wave of paper based and white collar service industries such as legal firms and insurance companies have been seeking certification (Quality Management 1994). Over the last three or four years a fourth wave, including government departments, state agencies, and publicly-funded organisations who increasingly enter private and contestable markets, have also sought to standardise the quality of their products and processes (Smith, 1993).