WHAT IS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?

Social responsibility is a means of achieving sustainability. Adopting key social responsibility principles, such as
accountability and transparency, can help ensure the long-term viability and success of any organization or system.

In 2010, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published an international standard, ISO 26000, to

help organizations assess and address their social responsibilities. 

ISO 26000-2010: Guidance on Social Responsibility defines social responsibility as:

The responsibility of an organization for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through
transparent and ethical behavior that:

 Contributes to sustainable development, including health and the welfare of society

 Takes into account the expectations of stakeholders
 Is in compliance with applicable laws and consistent with international norms of behavior
 Is integrated throughout the organization and practiced in its relationships

Organizations can achieve sustainability by paying careful attention to their impact on society and the environment.
Behaving in a transparent, ethical manner ensures an approach that helps protect the long-term success of society and the
environment.

Another tenet of social responsibility is the triple bottom line, also known as "people, planet, and profit." This is the belief
that achieving profit does not require harm to the planet or the exploitation of people. Organizations can profit while also
taking care of the planet and people.

The Business Case for Social Responsibility and Quality

CORE SUBJECTS AND KEY PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

ISO 26000-2010: Guidance on Social Responsibility identifies seven core social responsibility subjects:

1. Organizational governance
2. Human rights
3. Labor practices
4. Environment
5. Fair operating practices
 6. Consumer issues
7. Community involvement and development

In addition to the core subjects, ISO 26000 also defines seven key principles of socially responsible behavior:

1. Accountability
2. Transparency
3. Ethical behavior
4. Respect for stakeholder interests 
5. Respect for the rule of law
6. Respect for international norms of behavior
7. Respect for human rights

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN BUSINESS

Social responsibility in business, also known as corporate social responsibility (CSR), pertains to people and organizations
behaving and conducting business ethically and with sensitivity towards social, cultural, economic, and environmental
issues. Striving for social responsibility helps individuals, organizations, and governments have a positive impact on
development, business, and society. 

Smart business decisions are not just a matter of counting short-term dollars and cents. Wise decision makers consider the
future impact of today’s choices on people, on the community, and on customers and their opinions.

While business results, investment, free enterprise, and other traditional economic forces continue to drive industry,
organizations’ reputations and their ability to compete effectively around the world depend on them integrating social
responsibility efforts into decision making and performance improvement.

HISTORY OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND QUALITY

It is important for quality professionals to understand the history of social responsibility as there are many similarities to the
quality movement. In the early days of quality there were debates about quality costs and everyone’s responsibility to
quality as opposed to end-of-the-line inspection. The social responsibility movement started with debates about a
corporation having any responsibility to society. 

In a now infamous New York Times article by Milton Friedman published in 1970, the Nobel-Prize-winning economist
wrote that social responsibility is a "fundamentally subversive doctrine in a free society." He believed that the only
responsibility that a corporation has is to the shareholder. In 1999, John Elkington introduced the concept of the "triple
bottom line," making the case that concern for society and the environment can coexist with an ambition for profits.

W. Edwards Deming also contributed to the progress of social responsibility. At least two of his famous 14 Points on
Quality Management speak directly to social responsibility theory:

1. End the practice of awarding business on price alone

2. Drive out fear

Since these early debates and transformative moments, social responsibility has gained traction and credibility; it is now
recognized that people, planet, and profit are mutually inclusive. Just as quality leads to profit, responsibility leads to
sustainable profit. Trends have moved from corporate social responsibility programs, to sustainable development, to
sustainability, to social responsibility.
Sustainability is an ideal state, as is quality an ideal state. The aims and ideals of social responsibility, as a path to
sustainability, make social responsibility a natural and progressive extension of the quality practitioner’s professional
competency.