Determinants affecting the adoption time of iso 9000 standards across countries

The ISO 9000 standards have been diffused globally. The possible influence on the adoption time for ISO 9000 standards by various countries is still reported according to expert impressions and has not been tested scientifically. Therefore, this study proposes hypotheses based on the innovation diffusion theory and practice of ISO 9000 standards to examine what national characteristics can explain the adoption time of ISO 9000 standards by different countries. Moreover, this study applies the survival analysis and the data of 71 countries to investigate the significant determinants influencing adoption time of ISO 9000 standards by different countries. The analytical results demonstrate that degree of national industrialization, national wealth, non-isolated countries, government intervention, and level of scientific and technological knowledge are significant determinants. © 2008, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.