Abstract
Leading corporations have demonstrated that improved quality in products and services raises profits, reduces cost, and improves competitive position..The prime purpose of this study is to observe whether ISO certification, auditor and audit process influences quality management system and the extent to which quality management system affects auditor performance and business performance. The researcher sought to understand the expectations of management from the audit process and auditors, as well as whether ISO: 9001: 2015 is suitable to achieve their corporate objectives and improvement. All the five hypothesized relationships in the study were supported in a significant way except H5. A mix methods of data collection was employed in the research namely quantitative (research questionnaire) and qualitative analysis. The SPSS and SmartPLS3 analysis were used to attain the quantitative results. Whereas the qualitative results of the research are analysed using content and thematic analysis. In this study, descriptive statistics were discussed, and the reliability of all the constructs in the developed model used to develop the questionnaire are unpacked. Structural Equation Modeling was also conducted, where Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Path Modeling were conducted to check for Model Fit, Reliability and Validity of the scales used in the research questionnaire. To check the validity of the scales, shared variance was compared to average variance extracted (AVE). The study finaliy proposes that industry in both South Africa and Cameroon encourage their respective organisations to attain ISO certification since it will have a significant impact on quality management systems. One of the study’s limitation is insufficient financial resources, the researcher had to limit the geographic coverage of the study. For instance, in Cameroon, the qualitative study focused more on the Doula region. Similarly, in South Africa, qualitative findings did not cover all the nine provinces. The study recommends the following further studies to be pursued; 1. Replication of current study in other geographical areas. As well as the digitisation of quality management systems.
Ph.D. (Operations Management)