Research - Institute Palemid Maribor

The European Community has acknowledged the potential role that corporate responsibility might play, in realizing its goal of becoming the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth. Educational institutions (state and private) can compete effectively across the responsibility spectrum.

Institute’s contribution reports on relationship and potential synergies between total quality management (TQM) and total responsibility management (TRM) as well as corporate or educational institutions’ citizenship (CC). TRM principles and standards reflect the raising public expectations about CSR. The evolution and implementation of TRM in educational institutions/companies includes three main components/approaches: inspiration, integration, innovation. TRM indicators focus on stakeholders of economic-social-environment issues (‘cost-benefit’ approach). Both, TRM and TQM provide standards and goals for strategy and implementation that are acceptable at international, national, regional, and even community levels.

Leadership values, business ethics and corporate culture are key actors by the TRM implementation into educational institution/corporate strategy. Leaders, wherever they are positioned in organization, but particularly in top management, need to take a long-term perspective, make a public commitment, communicate the commitment, be a role model for the faculty’s/company’s values, integrate vision, values and ethical behavior into strategies and practices and support change.

Research questions:

1. Is TRM/CSR included in your corporate/university/faculty culture, values and strategies?
2. How does your educational institution put TRM/CSR into practice and explain the leadership commitment?
3. Which management encompassing dimensions have already been included in your strategies?
4. Which TRM/CSR indicators are already introduced in your company/university/faculty and how are they measured – examples?
5. Is this fully transparent and accountable in terms of the triple bottom line?
6. What does your company do to encourage sustainable behaviour of the stakeholders and dialogue with them?
7. What are your expectations, successful outcomes and will TRM/CSR lead your institution responsible and sustainable competitiveness?