The Evolution of Social Responsibility:
Resources For Making the Quality Connection
The resources listed here contain supporting information for the presentation “Quality and
Social Responsibility: Achieving Sustainable Results.” See the sources behind the key facts you’ll
find in the slides and speaker notes, organized by slide number.
Slide
Key fact
Source
4
A formal definition of social responsibility
is the responsibility of an organization for
the impacts of its decisions and activities
on society and the environment, through
transparent and ethical behavior.
ASQ/ANSI/ISO 26000-2010: Guidance on social
responsibility. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press,
2010. http://asq.org/quality-press/displayitem/?item=T866.
4
“Research demonstrates that most
consumers (60-79%) expect organizations
to be responsible regarding issues of
health and safety, environmental
sustainability, ensuring responsible
supply chains, and treating workers
fairly.”
Council on Foundations. “Increasing Impact,
Enhancing Value: A Practitioners Guide to Leading
Corporate Philanthropy.” Council on Foundations.
2012.
http://www.cof.org/files/Bamboo/whoweserve/cor
porate/documents/CorporateGuide.pdf.
5
Socially responsible attributes such as
providing safe working environments,
safe food processing conditions, and fair
labor practices, positively influence
consumer purchasing decisions.
Auger, Pat, Timothy M. Devinney, Jordan J. J.
Louviere, and Paul F. Burke. “The Importance of
Social Product Attributes in Consumer Purchasing
Decisions: A Multi-Country Comparative Study.”
Social Science Research Network. June 18, 2009.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_i
d=1270474.
5
Many companies have reported tangible
business gains from proclaiming
commitment to socially responsible
practices in annual reports, on websites,
and through policy statements.
Lourenço, Isabel, Manuel Castelo Branco, José Dias
Curto, and Teresa Eugénio. “ How Does the Market
Value Corporate Sustainability Performance?”
Paper presented at the 10th Seminar GRUDIS, Porto,
Portugal, January 22, 2011,
http://www.fep.up.pt/conferencias/10seminariogr
udis/Louren%C3%A7o,%20Isabel%20et%20al%20%20How%20does%20the%20market%20value%20c
orporate%20sustainability%20performance%20%20Paper_DJSI_Grudis2011.pdf.
Slide
Key fact
Source
5
66% of chief financial officers agreed that
environmental, social, and governance
programs create value for shareholders,
and 66% of executives believe
shareholder value created by
environmental and governance programs
will increase in the next five years relative
to their contributions before the
economic crisis.
McKinsey & Company. “Valuing Corporate Social
Responsibility: McKinsey Global Survey Results.”
McKinsey Quarterly, February 2009,
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Valuing_corpo
rate_social_responsibility_McKinsey_Global_Surve
y_Results_2309.
6
Goodwill Industries in Illinois saved
approximately $120,000 on cooking oil by
removing deep-fat fryers. In addition to
providing healthier food, it cut the
number of food service-related slips and
falls and reduced preventative
maintenance costs.
Brush, Molly. “Goodwill Industries of Southeastern
Wisconsin: Integrating Quality and Social
Responsibility.” ASQ, December 2009,
http://asq.org/2009/12/lean/integrating-qualityand-social-responsibility.pdf.
8
Total quality management…
1) Addresses ALL areas of an organization
2) Emphasizes customer satisfaction
3) Uses continuous improvement
methods and tools
Tague, Nancy R. The Quality Toolbox: Second
Edition. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press, 2005.
http://asq.org/quality-press/displayitem/?item=H1224.
8
There was a doubling in SR reports issued
by S&P 500 businesses from 2011 to
2012. Now, more than half of S&P 500
companies issue SR reports.
Boerner, Hank. “New Report: S&P 500 Index
Companies Step Up Sustainability Reporting.”
CSRWire, Dec. 21, 2012,
http://www.csrwire.com/blog/posts/653-newreport-s-p-500-index-companies-step-upsustainability-reporting.
10
In 2011, more than 140 participants from
33 countries evaluated several dozen
social, political, economic, and technical
forces that could shape the future of
quality, identifying “global responsibility”
as the #1 force.
ASQ. Emergence: 2011 Future of Quality Study.
ASQ. September 2011,
http://asq.org/asq.org/2011/09/globalquality/emergence-2011-future-of-qualitystudy.pdf.
11
Two building blocks in the evolution of SR
are ISO 14001, an international standard
on environmental management systems,
and ISO 9001, an international standard
on quality management systems.
ASQ. “ISO 9000 and Other Standards.” Learn About
Quality, 2005, http://asq.org/learn-aboutquality/iso-9000/overview/overview.html.
2 The Evolution of Social Responsibility: Making the Quality Connection
Slide
Key fact
Source
11-12,
17-18
In 1988, the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for
Performance Excellence were first
released. The Criteria emphasize SR as
one of the 11 core values underpinning
the Baldrige Award. In 2003, the Criteria
were refined to include a focus on
governance accountability, a principal
component of social responsibility.
The International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) has developed ISO
26000, a consensus standard on Social
Responsibility that is applicable to all
organizations.
ASQ. “Baldrige Award.” Knowledge Center Topics,
January 2013, http://asq.org/knowledgecenter/baldrige/index.html.
16
U.S. socially responsible-based
investments account for $2.7 trillion.
Wine, Elizabeth. “SRI Plows the Path to Prosperity.”
onwallstreet, August 1, 2009,
http://www.onwallstreet.com/ows_issues/2009_8/
sri-plows-the-path-to-profitability-2663476-1.html.
16
U.S. retail companies spend $20 billion on
energy each year. The carbon dioxide
produced as a result is harmful to the
environment.
ENERGY STAR, “National Association of
Manufacturers (NAM) and EPA Challenge U.S.
Manufacturers to Save Energy,” 2008,
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=industry.b
us_nam_epa.
16
U.S. service-providing industries are
expected to increase employment by 13
percent – 15.8 million jobs – from 20062016, affecting thousands of
communities!
AFL-CIO: Department for Professional Employees
(2009). “The Service Sector: Projections and
Current Stats.”
http://www.dpeaflcio.org/programs/factsheets/fs_
2009_service_sector.pdf.
17
Quality professionals have the tools to
improve social responsibility results:
Baldrige Criteria, lean methods, Six
Sigma.
ASQ. Learn About Quality, 2005:
 “Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award,”
http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/malcolmbaldrige-award/overview/overview.html
 Lean, http://asq.org/learn-aboutquality/lean/overview/overview.html
 “Six Sigma,” http://asq.org/learn-aboutquality/six-sigma/overview/overview.html
19
By eliminating the waste of
overproduction, transportation,
inventory, scrap, motion, etc. through
lean manufacturing processes and quality
tools, companies are practicing social
responsibility.
Levinson, William A., and Raymond A. Rerick. Lean
Enterprise: A Synergistic Approach to Minimizing
Waste. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press, 2002,
pages xiii-xiv, 38.
13-15
ASQ/ANSI/ISO 26000-2010: Guidance on social
responsibility. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press,
2010. http://asq.org/quality-press/displayitem/?item=T866.
The Evolution of Social Responsibility: Making the Quality Connection
3
Slide
Key fact
Source
21
By focusing on an appropriate set of
sources of competitive advantage,
companies can use environmentally
beneficial strategies selectively to
become more competitive over the long
run. Implementation of these strategies
will require fundamental changes in core
business processes such as product
development, marketing and sales,
manufacturing, supply chain
management, and customer service.
Environmental Protection Agency: Office of
Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances, “The
Lean and Green Supply Chain: A Practical Guide for
Materials Managers and Supply Chain Managers to
Reduce Costs and Improve Environmental
Performance,” 2000,
http://www.epa.gov/ppic/pubs/lean.pdf.
23
The SRO.org was created to help the
world understand how social
responsibility and quality can achieve
sustainable results. Version 2.0 of the site
will be released in May 2013.
ASQ. TheSro.org, to be released May 2013.
24
Pathways to Social Responsibility is a
publication that highlights the creativity
of organizations that have successfully
integrated SR into their missions. 2013
will see the fifth edition of Pathways.
Pathways to Social Responsibility: Successful
Practices for Sustaining the Future. Milwaukee, WI:
ASQ, 2009-2012.
 2009, http://asq.org/2009/04/socialresponsibility/pathways-to-socialresponsibility.pdf
 2010, http://asq.org/2010/04/socialresponsibility/pathways-2010.pdf
 2011, http://asq.org/2011/04/socialresponsibility/pathways-2011.pdf
 2012, http://asq.org/2012/07/socialresponsibility/pathways-2012.pdf
24
The Spencer Hutchens Jr Medal
recognizes individuals who demonstrate
outstanding leadership as an advocate
for social responsibility.
“Hutchens Medal,” ASQ, asq.org/aboutasq/awards/hutchens.html.
25
Quality for Life shares the stories of
professionals who use quality tools to
make a positive impact on the lives of
others.
“Quality for Life,” ASQ,
www4.asq.org/qualityforlife/.
4 The Evolution of Social Responsibility: Making the Quality Connection