{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,31]],"date-time":"2025-10-31T07:44:59Z","timestamp":1761896699079,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,2,5]],"date-time":"2018-02-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1517788800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJQRM"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,2,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Purpose<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The purpose of this paper is to analyze from an adopters\u2019 perspective the European Quality in Social Services (EQUASS) Assurance standard, a certification program to implement a quality management (QM) system specifically tailored to European social service organizations (SSO). Specifically, it analyzes the motives, internalization, impacts, satisfaction, and renew intentions of this standard.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The research uses a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey methodology with both closed and open-ended questions. Of the 381 organizations contacted, 196 responses from eight different European countries were considered valid (51.4 percent). Descriptive statistical techniques and content analysis were employed to analyze closed- and open-ended questions, respectively.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The results show that SSO typically implement the certification for internal reasons, internalize EQUASS Assurance principles and practices in daily usage, obtain mainly operational and customer benefits, and consider main pitfalls such as increased workload and bureaucracy. Around 85 percent of the respondents are very satisfied or satisfied with the standard, which suggests that it meets their needs. The intention to renew the certification is also encouraging, but the final decision may be contingent on several aspects. Overall, the results reveal a rather optimistic picture, though there are some reasons for concern.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Recent years have seen many social services implementing QM systems, but there have been few studies investigating this phenomenon. Social service managers, consultants, auditors, and the EQUASS certification body can find in this work valuable information to make their practice more effective. This is the first study to report the results of an EQUASS survey in a scholarly journal.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/ijqrm-10-2016-0187","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,12,21]],"date-time":"2017-12-21T07:22:25Z","timestamp":1513840945000},"page":"354-372","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Quality management systems in European social service organizations"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"35","author":[{"given":"Nuno Filipe","family":"Mel\u00e3o","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Marlene","family":"Amorim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Frederic","family":"Marimon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"In\u00e9s","family":"Alegre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"issue":"5","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"590","DOI":"10.1108\/02656711311315521","article-title":"Excellence models in the non-profit context: strategies for continuous improvement","volume":"30","year":"2013","journal-title":"International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref002","first-page":"79","article-title":"Economics aspects of quality and organizational performance \u2013 a study in Setubal care homes for elderly persons","volume":"19","year":"2008","journal-title":"Total Quality Management & Business Excellence"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"39","DOI":"10.1177\/0899764005282468","article-title":"Communalities and distinctions in the measurement of organizational performance and effectiveness across for-profit and nonprofit sectors","volume":"35","year":"2006","journal-title":"Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"309","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1540-627X.2005.00139.x","article-title":"The implementation and impact of ISO 9000 among small manufacturing enterprises","volume":"43","year":"2005","journal-title":"Journal of Small Business Management"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"135","DOI":"10.1002\/nml.97","article-title":"Improving performance? The adoption and implementation of quality systems in UK nonprofits","volume":"16","year":"2005","journal-title":"Nonprofit Management and Leadership"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"229","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jom.2004.08.004","article-title":"Comparing quality of care in non-profit and for-profit nursing homes: a process perspective","volume":"23","year":"2005","journal-title":"Journal of Operations Management"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.1007\/s11628-013-0218-6","article-title":"The adoption of quality management practices and their impact on business performance in small service companies: the case of Spanish travel agencies","volume":"9","year":"2015","journal-title":"Service Business"},{"key":"key2020093019534638800_ref008","unstructured":"EQUASS (2016a), \u201cAbout EQUASS\u201d, available at: www.equass.be\/equass\/index.php\/about-equass (accessed April 22, 2016)."},{"key":"key2020093019534638800_ref009","unstructured":"EQUASS (2016b), \u201cDatabase \u2013 EQUASS Assurance certified organisations\u201d, available at: www.equass.be\/equass\/index.php\/equass-certification-system\/our-certified-organisations\/list-fabrik (accessed June 30, 2016)."},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"152","DOI":"10.1108\/01443570210414310","article-title":"Survey research in operations management: a process-based perspective","volume":"22","year":"2002","journal-title":"International Journal of Operations & Production Management"},{"issue":"6","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"775","DOI":"10.1080\/09593960600597768","article-title":"How quality management models influence company results \u2013 conclusions of an empirical study based on the Delphi method","volume":"17","year":"2006","journal-title":"Total Quality Management & Business Excellence"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"197","DOI":"10.1080\/14783363.2010.532330","article-title":"The impact of ISO 9001 standard and the EFQM model: the view of the assessors","volume":"22","year":"2011","journal-title":"Total Quality Management & Business Excellence"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref013","first-page":"214","article-title":"Renewing environmental certification in times of crisis","volume":"115","year":"2016","journal-title":"Journal of Cleaner Production"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"399","DOI":"10.1002\/nml.195","article-title":"Advancing nonprofit organizational effectiveness research and theory: nine theses","volume":"18","year":"2008","journal-title":"Nonprofit Management and Leadership"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020093019534638800_ref301","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"245","DOI":"10.1080\/14783360903553149","article-title":"What happened to the ISO 9000 lustre? 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