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The ISO-9000:2000 documentation introduces itself with "Quality Management Principles."  these are summarized under 8 headings:

a) Customer focus

b) Leadership

c) Involvement of people

d) Process approach

e) System approach to management

f) Continual Improvement

g) Factual approach to decision making

h) Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

In the actual ISO 9000:2000 document, "Quality Management Systems -- Fun damentals and Vocabulary," it expands on each of these.  Available in the USA from the American Society for Quality, http://www.asq.org/

The ISO-9000 standard is usually applied to companies that supply goods to other companies (B to B).  It can easily apply to service providers, and with a little work, to not-for-profit organizations.  The American nameplate automobile companies are pushing hard to have _all_ their suppliers, including 2nd & 3rd tier, ISO-9000 certified.

For the moment, let's ignore such details as definitions of "leadership," OK?  These folks are trying to explain what it takes for a company to be "successful" (survive and live well), without being overly prescriptive.  They do say the organization should be controlled in a transparent manner, and that the process approach is more efficient/effective.  Verbally, ISO explainers in the US say that almost any management system can fit within the standard.

I'm thinking that this subject, and specifically this section, is really your (plural) purview.  Somewhere in an MBA curriculum, there should be a discussion of what an organization management structure and behavior should look like, what characteristics are productive or counterproductive, and why/when, etc.

So to my question:  

Do most of you approve of the outline given in ISO 9000:2000?  Do some of you have serious misgivings or desired improvements on it?

This would not be such a major issue, except that those who like ISO standards (usually an overlap with those who earn money from them) are pushing to develop a standard for educational institutions, and health provider institutions (as if those long suffering souls didn't have enough audits & inspections now.)

Jay