The theory of quality management has been studied from different areas: quality leaders' ideas, empirical research and formal evaluation models. This has helped identify a set of critical factors for a successful implementation, as a way to improve customer satisfaction and performance.Our study reviews the literature from these three points of view, in order to identify measures for change towards a quality culture, which can be empirically tested from the answers provided by those responsible for quality in 106 certified firms. The results yield a valid, reliable scale and provide empirical support so that managers know what to do in order to advance towards total quality management.

In this light, we analyze the origin of a culture based in innovation technology. We also describe, with the support of a large number of empirical and theoretical studies, the most important conditions for the generation of a corporate culture based on technological innovation.3

Abstract:Outsourcing has become one of the strategies adopted by businesses to manage their IS. During the last few years, the use of outsourcing has resulted in an increase in the volume of literature devoted to it. We decided therefore to analyse the literature with the aim of identifying the main topics, the methodologies most often applied and the authors and countries that have contributed most to the area of IS Outsourcing. We also intended to offer suggestions on improving research in this field. The paper thus provides a review of articles about IS Outsourcing published in the most prestigious journals of the IS area and journals of Management or Business.

The adoption of ISO 9000 has been justified in terms of the many benefits it generate, although problems may also arise. Such advantages and disadvantages lead to different reasons for seeking certification. Based on these reasons, this paper analyzed the influence of internal motivation for seeking certification with level of quality management and performance in order to determinate whether internal aspects are more important than external aspects. For this purpose, a factor analysis (to identify reasons) and a cluster analysis (to establish significant differences among the groups in order to study the relation between reasons for seeking certification and level of quality management and performance) have been performed on the answers supplied by 106 certified firms in the Alicante area (eastern Spain). It is part of a wider research process, aimed at analyzing quality practices in certified firms by using quality management elements.

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