Bowers and West, authors of the article, “Getting on Track,” in the May 2011 issue of Quality Progress, describe ISO 26000 as a guidance standard “that can help manage social responsibility (SR) issues at your organization.” The reference adds that ISO 26000 was developed by experts on governance, human rights, labor practices, environment, operating practices, consumer rights, and community rights. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) website provides a detailed overview of what appears to be a fairly extensive standard, but Henry Ford defined social responsibility in a single sentence long before anybody heard of the concept.

The following 17 words are, in fact, sufficiently comprehensive to serve as a corporate SR policy:
Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible.

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