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In This Issue
Editor's Note
What CSR Can Learn From Quality
Launched a half century ago, the total quality movement has some striking similarities to CSR: It strives to make hidden costs visible, it focuses on corporate governance, it empowers individuals to improve quality, it takes a proactive approach to prevention and continuous improvement, and it breaks down barriers to internal, cross-functional collaboration.
This week, BSR’s Advisory Services Director Raj Sapru shares lessons from a recent report he coauthored with ASQ, the American Society for Quality, on how the two fields can support each other for greater progress.
Today, we are also releasing a new report indicating that BSR’s HERproject has the potential to deliver a US$4 return for every dollar invested in the program.
And we highlight an interactive map from Oxfam that lets you explore the devastating effects of volatile food prices, which are at an all-time high.
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In Depth
Sustainability: What’s Quality Got to Do With It?
By
The total quality movement is three times older than CSR, but there are a lot of similarities—and opportunities to collaborate that could lead to more progress for both fields.
Read more →
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Toolbox
The 4:1 ROI for Women’s Health Initiatives
BSR’s factory-based women’s health education program has the potential to deliver a US$4 return for every dollar invested in the project, according to a new study.
The study also provides tips for measuring return on investment (ROI), a case study from Egypt, and information on how the program contributes to business benefits, including:
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Lower rates of worker absenteeism, early leave requests, and staff attrition
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Fewer mistakes in manufactured garments
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Workforce development, particularly of factory nurses and peer educators
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More workers using existing resources such as facility nurses, doctors, and clinics
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Improved worker satisfaction with management
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Improved worker health behavior
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Improved recruitment
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International buyers’ improved perceptions of factories’ reputations
The USAID-funded project Extending Service Delivery and its partner Meridian Group International, Inc., conducted the study in four factories in Egypt and Pakistan, in partnership with BSR, the Levi Strauss Foundation, and HERproject implementing partners the Center for Development Services in Egypt and Aga Khan University in Pakistan. To learn more, contact Racheal Yeager.
Quick Hit
The Global Food Crisis
By Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services, BSR
According to Oxfam International, which recently published an interactive map of the global food crisis, food prices—caused by climate change and resulting crop failures, rising oil costs, and short-sighted biofuel strategies—have lingered at an all-time high since late 2010.
The image below shows the percentage of undernourished people in the most at-risk countries. The map also shows the most at-risk countries’ dependency (as a percentage) on imports, and it profiles 25 countries, outlining the problem, causes, and impacts of rising food prices.
View the full interactive map.
Source: Oxfam International (www.oxfam.org/en)
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