Book: Social Responsibility: Failure Mode Effects and Analysis

(CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL) -- Like quality, social responsibility is an ideal, and ideals change. How do you continuously improve something that changes continuously? To start, you need a way to measure improvement efforts, and Social Responsibility: Failure Mode Effects and Analysis (CRC Press, 2010), by Holly Alison Duckworth and Rosemond Ann Moore, has answered that need.

There is a growing concern about social responsibility among organizational leaders in the public and private sectors. Although many books cover market response and interest in this global issue, this book focuses on methods for assessing an organization’s progress toward social responsibility performance and improving it. Authors Duckworth and Moore begin by defining social responsibility. They analyze the two relevant international standards with the most global acceptance—ISO 26000—“Guidance on Social Responsibility” from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), an Amsterdam-based organization for social change—and explain how these standards will affect the marketplace. They then provide problem-solving methods based on failure mode affects and analysis (FMEA) that any organization can use to improve its social responsibility.

Writing not from an academic, political, or theoretical point of view, Duckworth and Moore offer their combined expertise in engineering, management, and Six Sigma Black Belt experience in continuous improvement to organizations interested in practical help with social responsibility initiatives. The book features a hands-on, action-oriented, format and includes:

• A working definition of social responsibility
• Explanation of how the new ISO 26000 standard will affect the marketplace
• Survey of current academic research trends and findings
• Practical help with prioritization and risk mitigation
• Examples of improvement methods for social responsibility risks

Holly Alison Duckworth is a certified Master Black Belt with more than 20 years in aerospace and automotive manufacturing. Duckworth mentors and instructs Black Belts and Green Belts in the Six Sigma training techniques and influence strategies, and has logged more than 2,000 hours as a classroom instructor. She has served as a manager and an engineer in quality, operations, and manufacturing; and she is a member leader for the American Society for Quality (ASQ). She has also co-authored My Six Sigma Workbook (Paton Professional, 2009). Duckworth is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in industrial and organization psychology at Capella University.

Rosemond Ann Moore is a certified Master Black Belt with more than 18 years’ experience in automotive manufacturing. She is an officer for her local section of ASQ. Moore has a breadth of experience teaching and leading Six Sigma and lean manufacturing projects. She is currently a faculty member at South Texas College and is seeking a doctorate degree in business at the University of Texas–Pan American. Her research interests include services operations management, human resources, corporate social responsibility, and environmental sustainability.

About The Author