Effective Csr Strategies: Lessons Learned from Selected Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Winners
Open Access
- Author:
- Wilt, Jessica Leigh
- Graduate Program:
- Community and Economic Development
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- July 08, 2011
- Committee Members:
- Leland Luther Glenna, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
- Keywords:
- CSR
Ecological Modernization
Quality Management
BPEP
MBNQA
sustainability
sustainable development - Abstract:
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a business construct and management method is on the rise. In the US, governmental regulations mandating measurement of CSR, beyond the normal legal, regulatory responsibilities do not exist, nor are there any legislated reporting requirements. While organizations like The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), The UN, ISO and others, are working to develop CSR guidelines and/or standardize CSR reporting, quality management techniques and measurement, such as the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP), may be able to assist companies in developing effective CSR strategies and measurements. While volumes of literature have been published on CSR, quality management as a practice, and BPEP separately, there has been relatively little written on their convergence. This thesis examines the intersections of CSR, as rooted in Ecological Modernization Theory, Quality Management (QM), and the BPEP and its Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA). A review of EMT, CSR, QM and the BPEP are discussed. Utilizing case study and qualitative analysis techniques, three MBNQA winners are evaluated to understand how the BPEP may have influenced the evolution of CSR within those companies. Analysis reveals that the quality management techniques embedded in the BPEP, including leadership, employee empowerment, consideration for all stakeholders, measurement of results, and embracing social responsibility and ethics as guiding principles, were especially crucial in companies’ transformation toward embracing CSR. Interestingly, government regulation for encouraging CSR was viewed as ineffective and potentially detrimental. As companies grapple with the changing global business environment and as stakeholders demand more corporate accountability, the intersections of EMT, CSR, QM as a practice, and the BPEP may provide companies with a toolbox of concepts and strategies that will be useful in making the transition to social responsibility. Additionally, it appears that the BPEP Criteria, its whole system focus, and its assessment framework, may be a recipe for successful CSR implementation.