THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION-SYSTEMS ON QUALITY PERFORMANCE - AN EMPIRICAL-STUDY

Asserts that information systems are an essential component in the eff icacy of quality management systems and that information systems there fore merit greater recognition within the theory and the practice of q uality management. Based on an empirically validated reference model w hich includes three dimensions: quality management practices, quality information systems (split into information flows and information tech nologies) and quality performance. The claim is stated through null hy potheses which are tested on a sample of 34 manufacturing plants, with more than 100 employees, in the electronics, machinery and auto-suppl ier industries. The results show that: quality management practices ar e closely linked to quality information flows; the contribution of inf ormation flows to the obtaining of high quality performances is consid erable; information technologies seem to contribute something to the a chievement of high quality performance and in particular of low defect iveness but their contribution requires further investigation; the ups tream links with suppliers and downstream links with customers strongl y influence the achievement of quality performance.