Responses from over 500 companies relating to their experiences with ISO 9000 implementation are presented. Companies were categorized according to ownership: US-owned (Type U) and foreign-owned (Type F) manufacturing firms. The results reveal the importance and the dual role of documentation as a critical factor necessary to obtain ISO 9000 registration: (1) as the critical element requiring the highest level of effort in the registration process;and (2)as one of the key potential barriers to successful implementation. Increasing market share is the highest rated reason for achieving ISO 9000 registration. ISO 9000 registered companies expect a high degree of improvement in product design , process design , product quality , communication , and supplier relations. The findings also reveal that there is no significant difference between the two firm ownership types for all variables tested, indicating that the ISO 9000 standards appear universal in applicability.