Pallawala Pallawala
Doctor of Philosophy, (Engineering)
Study Completed: 2020
College of Sciences
Citation
Thesis Title
Validating the Theoretical Underpinnings of the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Standard: a Multi-Country Study
Read article at Massey Research Online: 
Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) is a four-step process widely used in the manufacturing and service industries to improve quality. The internationally acclaimed ISO 9001:2015 quality management system standard uses this four-step process as a basis for structuring the standard. However, the theoretical basis of structuring the standard has not been clearly presented for empirical testing purposes. Ms Pallawala developed a theoretical model to underpin the ISO 9001:2015 standard and tested it using data collected from a sample of manufacturing firms in New Zealand, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, and Greece. Through model testing, Ms Pallawala was able to validate the theory underlying the standard and demonstrate the non-linear nature of the PDCA process leading to results. She also found that acceptance of PDCA and Results is higher in high power distance, collectivist nations than in low power distance, individualist nations, although the effect of culture was small.
Supervisors
Dr Nihal Jayamaha
Professor Nigel Grigg