The Methodology for Assessing the Applicability of CSR into Supplier Management Systems

Abstract

The implementation of management systems has become a strategic advantage in achieving business goals, especially in industrial organizations, but the implementation of social responsibility requirements is an especially ethical issue. Due to the existence of various standards (often industry-specific) as well as individual codes of conduct developed by large multinational organizations, supplier organizations must face a variety of requirements. The question, then, is to what extent their established management systems (MSs) meet these requirements. The objectives of the study were to: (1) analyze the different CSR requirements of internationally recognized cross-industry and industry-specific standards and codes in different industries; (2) select the most appropriate framework and develop a methodology for assessing the degree of applicability of CSR in the selected management systems; (3) apply the proposed methodology (the so-called Social Requirements Applicability in Management Systems—SRIMS) in the selected areas: automotive industry, research organization, and metallurgical industry; and (4) analyze the results of SRIMS by the application of the ANOVA and Bonferroni method and define clusters within the selected factors—“Organization”, “Standard”, and “Chapter” and determine differences between pairs within each factor. The application of the Bonferroni method confirmed the hypotheses that the developed SRIMS model is an appropriate tool for assessing the overall level of applicability of CSR requirements in established MSs.