Navigating the myriad of corporate quality standards: a CSR and stakeholder perspective

Ri chie, William J.; Gallaghe , Sco ; Melnyk, S e en A.; Shahzad, Ali
A icle
Na iga ing he my iad o co po a e quali y s anda ds: a
CSR and s akeholde pe spec i e
In e na ional Jou nal o Co po a e Social Responsibili y (JCSR)
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Ri chie, William J.; Gallaghe , Sco ; Melnyk, S e en A.; Shahzad, Ali (2024) :
Na iga ing he my iad o co po a e quali y s anda ds: a CSR and s akeholde pe spec i e,
In e na ional Jou nal o Co po a e Social Responsibili y (JCSR), ISSN 2366-0074, Sp inge , Cham, Vol.
9, Iss. 1, pp. 1-13,
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Na iga ing hemy iad o co po a e quali y
s anda ds: aCSR ands akeholde pe spec i e
William J. Ri chie1* , Sco Gallaghe 1, S e en A. Melnyk2 and Ali Shahzad1
Abs ac
Quali y s anda ds (QS) (e.g., ISO 9001) play an impo an ole in assu ing he quali y o goods and se ices o o gani-
za ional s akeholde s on a global scale. Recen wo k has highligh ed he ole o QS in communica ing co po a e social
esponsibili y (CSR) p ac ices o a i m’s s akeholde s making bo h he QS adop ion decision and he iming o adop-
ion o immense s a egic impo ance o op manage s. Howe e , he ypes o QS and hei in ended and unin ended
bene icia ies a y widely, making i di icul o manage s o choose QS ha a e in acco d wi h hei CSR goals. Fu he ,
cu en economic (cos /bene i ) and ins i u ionally-based heo e ical app oaches do no p o ide manage s wi h ade-
qua e guidance in making s a egic adop ion decisions. Rapid de elopmen s in QS p ac ices ha e also made i
di icul o esea che s o inco po a e hem in o CSR heo y. D awing upon a li e a u e e iew o QSs and s akeholde
heo y, his s udy p esen s a QS amewo k and axonomy ha in eg a es QS adop ion iming and bene icia ies. The
amewo k also p esen s ou con igu a ions o QS adop e s and hei associa ed bene icia y s akeholde g oups, ena-
bling bo h esea che s and p ac i ione s o mo e comple ely unde s and he complex na u e o s akeholde p essu es
on o ganiza ions.
Keywo ds Quali y s anda ds, Co po a e social esponsibili y, S akeholde heo y
In oduc ion
Co po a e social esponsibili y (CSR) has ecei ed con-
side able a en ion in business li e a u e (e.g., Fa ima and
Elbanna, 2023). Wi hin he CSR li e a u e, esea che s
ha e in es iga ed he ole ha quali y s anda ds (QS) play
in helping o ganiza ions achie e hei s a egic CSR goals
and bols e awa eness among hei s akeholde s (Kok
e al., 2001; Reynolds & Yu has, 2008; Ga cía e al., 2022).
Fo manage s o bo h manu ac u ing and se ice o gani-
za ions alike, quali y s anda ds (also known as ce i ied
managemen s anda ds (CMS) (Te laak, 2007; Te laak
& King, 2007) o me a-s anda ds (He as-Saiza bi o ia,
2018; He as-Saiza bi o ia & Boi al, 2013; Uzme i, 1997)
play a c i ical ole in communica ing CSR p ac ices in
i ually all ma u e indus ies, such as heal hca e, edu-
ca ion, inancial se ices, and manu ac u ing (Cas ka &
Co be , 2015; Mon iel e al., 2012; Uzme i, 1997). QS
ha e been de eloped o co e se e al CSR- ela ed ou -
comes, including co po a e social esponsibili y (ISO
26000) (Melnyk, e al., 2013), quali y (ISO 9000), ene gy
managemen (ISO 50001), en i onmen al managemen
sys ems (ISO 14001) (Link & Na eh, 2006; Va ylio ou
e al., 2006), and isk managemen (Raz e al., 2005).
The QS po olio a ailable o manage s is con inually
expanding and inc easing in complexi y as go e nmen al
agencies ha e also been u ning o QS as an al e na i e
o ins i u ing new egula ions o e ing expanded oppo -
uni ies o i ms o engage in CSR p ac ices. Fo exam-
ple, Ame ican agencies such as U.S. Cus oms and Bo de
P o ec ion and he Depa men o De ense ha e c e-
a ed he Cus oms-T ade Pa ne ship Agains Te o ism
(C-TPAT) and he Cybe secu i y Ma u i y Model Ce i i-
ca ions (CMMC), espec i ely. The widesp ead adop ion
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In e na ional Jou nal o
Co po a e Social Responsibili y
*Co espondence:
William J. Ri chie
[email p o ec ed]
1 Depa men o Managemen , College o Business, James Madison
Uni e si y, Ha isonbu g, VA 22807, USA
2 Depa men o Supply Chain Managemen , Eli B oad College
o Business, Michigan S a e Uni e si y, Eas Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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Ri chiee al. In J Co po a e Soc Responsibili y (2024) 9:2
o such s anda ds is e iden , gi en he 11,400-membe
C-TPAT p og am and he g owing de elopmen o he
CMMC s anda d, whe eby bo h agencies ecognize ha
he in oduc ion and use o QS o e s an e ec i e ool
o achie ing objec i es wi h b oad and signi ican social
impac (Ri chie & Melnyk, 2012). Responsible Ca e is
ano he —a QS in he chemical indus y ha was d a ed
by membe s in he a e ma h o he 1984 Union Ca -
bide Bhopal disas e . This QS has o med he bed ock
o he mo e ecen Responsible Ca e 14,001, o e ed by
ANSI Na ional Acc edi a ion Boa d (ANAB), which
combines he Ame ican Chemis y Council’s QS wi h
ISO 14001 (DNV, 2023). Simila de elopmen s in o he
indus ies include s anda ds such as he non-GMO P o-
jec ha was c ea ed o assu e he quali y o ood p od-
uc s. In each one o hese ins ances, a olun a y QS has
been p oposed, which shi s he onus o compliance o
he i ms seeking he s anda d, a he ensu ing compli-
ance h ough moni o ing and inspec ion by he agencies.
O e all, o mo e han a decade, CSR publica ions ha e
pos u ed QS as a pa hway o manage s o communi-
ca e CSR p ac ices o a ious s akeholde g oups (e.g.,
ISO 9000) (In e na ional O ganiza ion o S anda diza-
ion, 2022). Gi en he wide spec um o QS a ailable, i
is o en challenging o esea che s and p ac i ione s o
accu a ely assess which s akeholde g oups a e likely o
bene i om adop ion o speci ic QS, including hose ha
may be in ended o CSR (Camille i, 2019). E en wi hin
o ganiza ions, i m-speci ic bene i s o QS adop ion a e
di icul o codi y (Al-Dhaa i, 2016; Lepis o, Saunila,
& Ukko, 2022), and bene i s o ea ly s la e adop ions
emain unclea (Kennedy & Fiss, 2009; Ri chie & Mel-
nyk, 2012). As ope a ions manage s inc easingly assess a
wide a ay o QS as means o mee hei CSR goals, hey
no only s uggle o iden i y app op ia e QS (Se hi e al.,
2017), bu hey may also di es one s anda d in a o o
mo e s a egically app op ia e one (Melnyk, Ri chie,
S a k, & Hea ey, 2023). The e is s ill li le guidance
ela ed o he eplacemen , di usion, and g ow h o QS
in he ma ke place, pa icula ly ega ding i s use as a CSR
p ac ice (Se hi e al., 2017).
We p esen manage s wi h a new model o he QS ma -
ke place wi h a speci ic emphasis on i s linkages wi h
key s akeholde g oups. This model enables manage s
o ex end beyond simple applica ions o QS di es i u e
(F ied e al., 2013) and adop ion iming and unde s and
he s akeholde dynamics in he QS adop ion p ocess
and in de e mining i s bene icia ies. We cla i y he key
s akeholde g oups in ol ed in he QS adop ion p ocess
including hei in luence on when QS a e adop ed. We
con ibu e o he CSR li e a u e by de eloping a mo e
comp ehensi e QS adop ion axonomy ha includes
adop ion iming, wi h a ocus on he QS bene icia y
s akeholde g oups.
A mo e comp ehensi e QS heo y is essen ial o CSR
p ac ice in ope a ions managemen o h ee easons.
Fi s , since he ad en o he millennium, we ha e wi -
nessed a ise in go e nmen -au ho ed QS ha ha e a
CSR emphasis. These s anda ds ha e eplaced p e ious
eliance on legal manda es and appea o be “ olun a y,”
ye ca y bo h aci and eal penal ies o non-adop ion,
he eby se ing as a ga ekeepe o business in e ac ion
wi h go e nmen . Fo example, while he Uni ed S a es
Cus oms and Bo de P o ec ion’s C-TPAT secu i y s and-
a d is olun a y, impo e s ha a e no ce i ied incu
signi ican delays a he bo de . O he bo de secu i y
di ec i es ha e been in oduced in Canada (e.g., Canada
Bo de Se ices Agency’s Pa ne in P o ec ion P og am)
and in Ko ea (e.g., Ko ean Cus ome s Se ice’s Au ho -
ized Economic Ope a o P og am). Mo e ecen Au ho -
ized Economic Ope a o (AEO) p og ams ha e been
es ablished in Taiwan, in Mexico, in Pe u, and in B azil.
Simila ly, non-compliance wi h o he olun a y, Uni ed
S a es-based s anda ds, such as he Cybe secu i y Ma u-
i y Model Ce i ica ion (CMMC), es ic s con ac o s
om conside a ion o go e nmen bidding.
Second, QS play an impo an ole in s a egic CSR
p ac ices and o ganiza ional decision-making, pa -
icula ly in e ms o ensu ing quali y p ocesses (He as-
Saiza bi o ia & Boi al, 2013). The widesp ead impac o
QS is exempli ied in ha millions o o ganiza ions ha e
adop ed ISO 9001 (In e na ional O ganiza ion o S and-
a diza ion, 2022) alone. As such, QS p o ide c i ical
ad ice o manage s ega ding he app op ia e alloca ion
o esou ces o compliance ac i i ies. Thus, i behoo es
manage s o gain a deepe knowledge o QS o be be e
p epa ed o bene i om hei adop ion (Reddy, 1987).
Finally, he s a egic CSR each o success ul QS di uses
in o supply chains, i m ne wo ks, as well as deep in o
o ganiza ional cul u es and ou ines p o iding “o de
wi hou law” (Te laak, 2007). In some cases, hese condi-
ions se e as a means o achie ing compe i i e ad an-
age h ough cus omiza ion (Ande son e  al., 1999),
pa icula ly when QS become embedded in he DNA o
he o ganiza ion. Howe e , o o he o ganiza ions, he
i ness o a pa icula s anda d (e.g., o s a egic CSR
p ac ices) may be ques ioned (Thomas, 1999). The a i-
e y in QS implemen a ion ou comes begs u he inqui y.
To op imize he s a egic bene i s o QS adop ion o
CSR s a egy implemen a ion equi es ha esea che s
and quali y manage s co ec ly in e p e he QS con ex
in e ms o he key s akeholde s in ol ed in he adop ions
p ocess, and he ue bene icia ies o QS adop ions. This
will enable ope a ions manage s o make mo e in o med
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Ri chiee al. In J Co po a e Soc Responsibili y (2024) 9:2
decisions ega ding s anda d selec ion and adop ion
iming.
Quali y s anda ds – heo e ical ounda ions
Quali y s anda ds—de ined
A s anda d is a speci ica ion o equi emen ha is widely
accep ed. Ou de ini ion o QS is based on he de ini ion
o e ed by he In e na ional O ganiza ion o S anda di-
za ion (ISO) (In e na ional O ganiza ion o S anda di-
za ion, 2023). Tha is, a s anda d is: he way in which an
o ganiza ion manages he in e ela ed pa s o i s business
in o de o achie e i s objec i es…speci ying epea able
s eps ha o ganiza ions consciously implemen o achie e
hei goals and objec i es, and o c ea e an o ganiza ional
cul u e ha e lexi ely engages in a con inuous cycle o
sel -e alua ion, co ec ion and imp o emen o ope a ions
and p ocesses h ough heigh ened employee awa eness
and managemen . The e a e ou key a ibu es alluded
o in his de ini ion: 1) speci ic goals o ou comes, e.g.,
quali y; 2) speci ic p ac ices ied o hose goals; 3) some
minimum accep able le el o pe o mance on hose goals
o ou comes; and 4) an ex e nal hi d-pa y ce i ica ion
mechanism.
S anda ds come in wo o ms: p oduc s anda ds (e.g.,
USB, HDMI, Blu- ay) and managemen p ocess s and-
a ds (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO14001, ISO26000, C-TPAT).
P oduc s anda ds, enable connec i i y (e.g., ail oads)
o compa ibili y (e.g., ideo games) ia in e ace p o o-
cols ha c ea e a ne wo k o use s (Da id & G eens ein,
1990). This s udy ocuses on he second o m – quali y
s anda ds. Quali y s anda ds codi y p ocess beha io s
and explain how wo k is o be pe o med (Te laak, 2007;
Ri chie e  al., 2019; Melnyk, Ri chie, S a k, & Hea ey,
2023). A p ocess is ypically unde aken by ei he humans
o machines o c ea e a good o se ice. Ideally, o gani-
za ions c ea i ely bundle combina ions o esou ces and
capabili ies (Lopez-Mielgo, Mon es-Peon, and Vazquez-
O das, 2009) o achie e QS implemen a ion ha is mo e
in line wi h s a egies (Hussain, Ba be , and Hussain,
2009).
QS in esea ch—a e iew andassessmen
The po en ial o QS o c ea e a s ong signal o quali y
has a ac ed he a en ion o esea che s and p ac i ion-
e s alike. Much o his esea ch has ocused on he i m’s
decision o adop (e.g., whe he hey should adop a QS)
and iming (e.g., when hey should adop a QS) o adop-
ion. The dominan heo e ical amewo ks employed in
he li e a u e o explain hese decisions a e: 1) he eco-
nomics o inno a ion and 2) he neo-ins i u ional heo y
ames. Bo h pe spec i es p o ide u ili y o decision-
make s planning o implemen QS o CSR pu poses.
Likewise, hese ames also ha e sho comings which we
hope o emedy by in oducing a mo e s akeholde -cen-
ic app oach o QS adop ion and iming decisions.
Economics o inno a ion
His o ically, he p ima y mo i a o in he economics o
inno a ion iew is a simple cos /bene i analysis o QS
adop ion. Rela edly, his iew assumes ha i ms will
seek he leas -cos me hod o adop ion (Gold, 1990).
Conside a ion o adop ion also ex ends o he deci-
sion o whe he o “cus omize” he s anda d (Wes phal
e al., 1997). Fo example, o mos i ms, he consensus
in ex an esea ch has adi ionally been ha he o al
bene i s o ISO 9001 ce i ica ion exceed he cos s (Bu -
le, 1997; Go zamani, 2005; Leung e al., 1999; Wilson
e al., 2003). As a as iming o adop ions is conce ned,
Wes phal e al. (1997) p oposed he idea ha ea ly adop-
e s we e economically d i en, while la e adop e s we e
mo i a ed by p essu e om hei cus ome s. Because
ea ly adop e s we e economically d i en, hey we e mo e
likely o cus omize he s anda ds o i hese p ac ices
wi h he i m’s en i onmen s, p oducing g ea e bene i s.
In con as , la e adop e s we e d i en by coe ci e p es-
su es coming om hei cus ome s and implemen ed he
s anda ds wi h li le o no cus omiza ion.
Challenges acing heeconomics o inno a ion amewo k
Recen s udies ha e challenged he economics o inno-
a ion iews as inadequa e a ionale o adop ion im-
ing and he ex en o cus omiza ion. The e a e nume ous
ins ances whe e ea ly QS adop ion occu ed e en hough
he cos s exceeded he bene i s (Ni e al., 2016). The e a e
se e al ins ances in which bo h ea ly and la e adop e s
we e mo i a ed by economic ac o s (Benne & Veloso,
2008). Rela ed wo k has also ound ha la e mo e s (no
he ea ly mo e s) signi ican ly bene i ed om olun a y,
s a e-au ho ed QS implemen a ion (Ri chie & Melnyk,
2012). A i ming he mul iplici y o indings on his opic,
Kennedy and Fiss (2009) ound ha he e a e equi ocal
ou comes in he esea ch ela ed o he economic bene-
i s o QS adop ion iming (i.e., he e exis s bo h ea ly and
lagga d bene icia ies). O e all, he economics o inno a-
ion app oach, wi h i s cos /bene i ocus, o e s only lim-
i ed bene i in he QS adop ion equa ion, pa icula ly in
e ms o CSR.
Neo‑ins i u ional heo y
The second p ima y mo i a ion o adop QS is g ounded
in Neo-Ins i u ional Theo y (NIT). This heo y desc ibes
how an o ganiza ion in e ac s wi h i s en i onmen
(e.g., ex e nal o ces, compe i i e en i onmen , and sup-
ply chain pa ne s) o a ec p ocesses, and ul ima ely
pe o mance (Meye and Rowan, 1977; Zucke , 1977;
Sco , 2014). Acco ding o NIT, beha io ac oss di e se
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Ri chiee al. In J Co po a e Soc Responsibili y (2024) 9:2
o ganiza ional uni s ends owa d isomo phism (DiMag-
gio & Powell, 1983; Oli e , 1988) as o ganiza ional p ac-
ices and s uc u es e lec he belie s and con en ions
embedded in social and poli ical en i onmen s (Pow-
ell, 1995). A he hea o he NIT a e h ee “ o ces,” 1)
mime ic, 2) no ma i e, and 3) coe ci e p essu es. All
h ee o hese p essu es play a ole in QS adop ion.
No ma i e p essu esand QS
Quali y s anda ds ha e adi ionally been amed in
e ms o he au ho ship o he s anda d (e.g., ei he pub-
licly o p i a ely au ho ed), wi h an emphasis on social
in e ac ion (Ing am & Clay, 2000; Ing am & Sil e man,
2002; Te laak, 2007). In his case, he en o cemen o he
QS was classi ied depending upon whe he i was cen-
alized o decen alized. Fo example, Te laak (2007, p.
970) posi ioned he mos common QS, ISO 9001, as an
example o a p i a e-decen alized in e ac ions. Impo -
an ly, in his aming, public en i ies (e.g., go e nmen s)
we e no associa ed wi h olun a y s anda ds and he
di usion and adop ion o p i a e QS we e cas as exam-
ples o a no m. As no ed by Sco (2001, p. 55), “…no ms
speci y how hings should be done; hey de ine legi ima e
means o pu sue alued ends.” Impo an ly, no ms lack
he legal powe o laws, ye hey signi ican ly in luence
how ac ions and ac i i ies a e o be ca ied ou in he
ma ke place.
Mime ic p essu es andQS
Mime ic p essu es a e de i ed om, as he e m implies,
he mimic y o o he i ms in he indus y. In his case,
o ganiza ions may seek o deploy p og ams and p o-
cess imp o emen s ha o he i ms in he indus y ha e
implemen ed.
Coe ci e p essu es andQS
In con as o he social en o cemen o QS ia no ms
(Te laak, 2007) and mime ic o ces, coe ci e QS a e ypi-
cally en o ced by he powe o he ule-o -law enac ed by
go e nmen s (O hman e al., 2011). Recen ly, howe e ,
go e nmen -au ho ed egula ions a e being w i en as
olun a y s anda ds wi h a much mo e sub le coe ci e
componen . Fo example, a e he 9/11 a acks, Ame i-
can decision-make s ecognized wo key socie al needs:
1) bo de secu i y had o quickly imp o e, and 2), due
o limi a ions in esou ces, he ac i e coope a ion o
indus y was necessa y. Following Ing am and Clay’s
(2000) and Ing am and Sil e man’s (2002) amewo k,
he expec ed esponse o he Uni ed S a es go e nmen
would be he c ea ion o a law, wi h cen alized en o ce-
men me hods (e.g., inspec ions o all incoming con ain-
e s and ucks a i ing a all bo de c ossings). Howe e ,
Cus oms and Bo de P o ec ion (CBP) launched C-TPAT
as a olun a y QS wi h mo e sub le coe ci e p essu es.
Simila o o he p i a e QS, C-TPAT shi ed he onus o
en o cemen om he s a e and i s agen (i.e., CBP) o he
indi idual ce i ied i ms. Howe e , adop ion iming and
bene i s di e ed om o he non-s a e au ho ed QS, as
his new s anda d did no p o ide economic bene i s (Ni
e al., 2016) o mos adop e s. Fu he , mo i a ions o
adop ion we e no in line wi h adi ional ea ly/la e adop-
e amewo ks. Taken in agg ega e, he p oli e a ion o
s a e au ho ed olun a y QS depa s om he dominan
logic ha go e nmen s anda ds a e adi ionally sup-
po ed by he ule o law (Ing am & Sil e man, 2002; Te -
laak, 2007).
Challenges acing heNIT amewo k
Despi e i s con ibu ions ha ex end beyond he cos –
bene i calcula ions o he economics o inno a ion pe -
spec i e, he NIT iew also does no comp ehensibly
desc ibe he cu en QS en i onmen . I s g ea es sho -
coming is ha i does no accoun o empo al ac o s
(Law ence e al., 2001). Cu en NIT amewo ks cas QS
as no ms which, by de ini ion, coalesce a e he QS has
al eady been widely ecognized and accep ed. This does
no apply o he my iad o quali y s anda ds ha en e
he ma ke as ela i ely unknown en i ies (a.k.a. guide-
lines) wi hou a coali ion o adop e s (e.g., ISO 26000).
C ea o s o e e y olun a y QS ul ima ely desi e o
achie e a coali ion o adop e s in he p esence o whom
he QS is iewed by adop ing i ms as simply a cos o
doing business (O’Neill e al., 1998; Ri chie & Melnyk,
2012). Bu he a ainmen o his “no m” s a us akes ime
(Shabana e al., 2017). I also ypically in ol es a compe i-
i e p ocess whe eby o he compe ing s anda ds e ol e
and gain ac ion (Shapi o & Va ian, 1999). Thus, he cu -
en use o he NIT pe spec i e o explain QS adop ion
is only applicable o a small numbe o highly isible QS
ha ha e al eady been accep ed as no ms. Second, ea lie
NIT pe spec i es ha e no been upda ed o e lec ecen
de elopmen s in QS which sugges ha ea ly and la e
adop e s appea o be simila (Ni e al., 2016). Thi d, he
NIT ocused on examining mac o le el o ces inducing
change in o ganiza ions. I does no impac i ms homo-
geneously (Oli e , 1988) o comple ely add ess mic o-
le el i m dynamics such as manage ial agency, esou ce
he e ogenei y, and en ep eneu ial beha io s (Al esson
and Spice , 2019).
O e all, as explained in he p oceeding sec ions, bo h
he economics o inno a ion and NIT amewo ks o e
use ul insigh s ela ed o he adop ion decision. Howe e ,
he e a e many condi ions in which hese amewo ks
canno be applied uni e sally o unde s and QS adop-
ion in p ac ice and pa icula ly QS ha mee CSR goals.
We p opose a mo e cu en and comp ehensi e aming

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Ri chiee al. In J Co po a e Soc Responsibili y (2024) 9:2
o he QS en i onmen by shi ing he examina ion o
s akeholde in luence on adop ion. To accomplish his,
we emphasize he impo ance o key s akeholde g oups
such as buye s, supplie s, communi y (local communi-
ies, in e es g oups, and ad ocacy g oups), he ce i ying
o ganiza ions, and he audi egime.
Using s akeholde heo y, we p esen a con igu a-
ion model ha iden i ies ou ypes o QS adop e s. The
model is he esul an o in eg a ing wo key cha ac e is-
ics o he na u e o QS, 1) he p ima y bene icia ies and
2) he adop ion iming.
Quali y s anda ds adop ion – p oposed amewo k
Consis en wi h s akeholde heo y, we ake a s ake-
holde managemen app oach o QS adop ion o explain
he a ie y in QS adop ion beha io displayed by i ms.
A s akeholde -o ien ed app oach o QS adop ion is sup-
po ed by ad ances in s akeholde heo y esea ch which
ecognize he ole o di e en s akeholde s, wi h a ying
mo i es, in luencing i m decisions (Aguile a e al., 2007).
S akeholde s possess he abili y o in luence i m s a e-
gic decisions by placing demands on i ms (Helmig e al.,
2016). Fo example, s akeholde g oups ha e been shown
o place p essu es on i ms o os e indus y homogene-
i y (Ve beke & Tung, 2013). Simila ly, a decision o adop
QS and he iming o he decision a e likely o be an
impo an conside a ion o di e en s akeholde g oups,
especially when hey pe cei e hemsel es as a p ima y
bene icia y o adop ion. Below, we explain he s ake-
holde g oups in ol ed in he QS adop ion p ocess, and
hei ole in shaping he o e all QS sys em.
S akeholde g oups
De elopmen o ou amewo k begins wi h desc ibing
he key s akeholde s in he QS adop ion con ex wi h
a en ion o hei oles (p ima y o seconda y). S ake-
holde esea ch ecognizes he di e ences in he goals
and needs o di e en s akeholde s (F eeman, 1984).
When de ising s a egies ha shape a i m’s dealing wi h
i s ex e nal en i onmen , manage s a e expec ed o bal-
ance he compe ing in e es s o s akeholde g oups
(F eeman, 1999). Wi hin his esea ch, s akeholde clas-
si ica ion schemes ha e been de eloped based on s ake-
holde powe , legi imacy, and in luence which help
manage s p io i ize and manage s akeholde s (Mi chell
e al., 1997; Wheele & Sillanpää, 1997, Wagne e al.,
2012). Such classi ica ions di ide s akeholde g oups
along dimensions based on hei pos u es owa ds spe-
ci ic i m s a egic choices, e.g., adop ion o en i on-
men al s a egies (Ha , 1997; Buysse & Ve beke, 2003;
Simpson & S ou e, 2014). We ake a simila app oach
in classi ying s akeholde s based on he ype o p es-
su e hey place on i ms in hei QS adop ion decisions
and iming, wi h an expec a ion owa ds hei in ended
bene icia y.
S akeholde heo y andQS
The mos publicly isible ace o QS is he achie emen
o s anda d “ce i ica ion” by he i m. Howe e , QS
implemen a ion is a p ocess in ol ing a la ge sys em o
in e ela ed s akeholde g oups. F eeman (1984) de ined
s akeholde g oups as en i ies which can a ec a i m’s
pe o mance o a e a ec ed, posi i ely o nega i ely, by
he achie emen o a i m’s goals. As hese g oups can
po en ially impac a i m’s esou ce acquisi ion, i ms
manage he compe ing in e es s o s akeholde g oups
when making s a egic decisions (F ooman, 1999). Fu -
he , s akeholde heo y li e a u e di ides s akeholde
g oups in o p ima y and seconda y s akeholde s whe e
he o me a e in ansac ional ela ionship wi h he i m.
Fo example, employees, buye s, supplie s, and di e en
le els o go e nmen a e p ima y s akeholde s, whe eas
he communi y a la ge, media and ac i is s e c., a e sec-
onda y s akeholde s (Cla kson, 1995).
Re iews o he li e a u e con i m he impo an ole o
s akeholde heo y in explaining issues ele an o ol-
un a y s anda ds (Tuczek, Cask a, & Wakolbinge , 2018;
Toda o e  al., 2020). S akeholde s a e no only ins u-
men al in shaping quali y s anda ds (Balza o a & Cas ka,
2012) bu also he e is po en ial o QS o c ea e a s ong
signal o CSR and quali y (Cas ka & Co be , 2015).
Resea ch has also highligh ed he ole a ious s akehold-
e s play in a i m’s decision o adop QS. The e is con-
side able s akeholde in e es in QS ha communica es
a company’s commi men o issues ha a e impo an
o s akeholde s (Ma ins, Teixei a, and Ba alhao, 2023).
Gi en hese s akeholde demands, companies espond
by adop ing QS o demons a e hei commi men o
s akeholde s. Indeed, Blind and Heß (2023) ind ha
s akeholde s pe cei e he pu sui and adop ion o QS
a o ably and as e idence o he o ganiza ion’s success in
pu sing sus ainabili y- ela ed goals.
O e all, p e ious QS esea ch conside s he i m as
ei he he buye o he supplie , ha unde akes he QS
adop ion p ocess o in eg a e a QS in o he ab ic o i s
cul u e and p ocesses. We ex end exis ing li e a u e by
p oposing ha his p ocess is comp ised o a ying ypes
o p essu es om di e en s akeholde g oups. In addi-
ion o he ocal i m and socie y as impo an s ake-
holde g oups, who a e also he p ima y bene icia ies
o QS adop ion, we p opose wo addi ional s akeholde
g oups ha a e pa o he QS adop ion p ocess: he
ce i ying o ganiza ions and he QS audi egime. The
i s g oup is esponsible o de eloping and ac i ely
p omo ing he quali y s anda d. The second g oup ali-
da es he adop ion o he s anda d and se s he one o
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Ri chiee al. In J Co po a e Soc Responsibili y (2024) 9:2
i s implemen a ion, a p ac ice ha o en in luences he
deg ee o cus omiza ion du ing QS implemen a ion.
Toge he , hese ou en i ies (e.g., i ms as buye s/sup-
plie s, socie y a la ge, ce i ying o ganiza ions, and he
audi egime) in e ac , o ming an impo an business
ecosys em ha in luences he adop ion, di usion, and
g ow h o he QS. To illus a e he in e connec edness
o hese s akeholde s, o each g oup we p o ide a QS
example.
The Fi m (Buye s andSupplie s)
Fi ms, ac ing as ei he buye s o supplie s o goods o
se ices adop QS o add ess p oblems ela ed o in o -
ma ion asymme ies (Mon iel e al., 2012). The buye /
supplie pai ing o i ms can be conside ed he p ima y
dyad. The supplie s adi ionally ini ia e QS adop ion,
pa icula ly in cases whe e indus y s anda ds a e es ab-
lished as s anda d ope a ing p ocedu es (Wes phal e al.,
1997). In ime, he buying o ganiza ions become in e -
es ed in he QS since hey become awa e o he imp o ed
p oduc s o se ices o e ed by ce ain supplie s and he
associa ed QS. Consequen ly, buye s will “encou age”
o he non-ce i ied supplie s o pu sue he QS (Wes phal
e al., 1997). Fo example, in he case o he Cus oms-
T ade Pa ne ship Agains Te o ism (C-TPAT), he
buye may p essu e he supplie owa d ce i ica ion o
speed hei goods h ough cus oms.
The ce i ying o ganiza ions
Ce i ying o ganiza ions a e cha ged wi h es ablishing,
dissemina ing, and p o ec ing he in eg i y o he QS. A
ce i ying o ganiza ion can ake many o ms. I can be an
ex e nal o ganiza ion such as he In e na ional O gani-
za ion o S anda diza ion (www. iso. o g), p o essional
socie ies (e.g., he Supply Chain Council and he Asso-
cia ion o Supply Chain Managemen (ASCM)), p i a e
consul ing o ganiza ions (e.g., McDonough B aunga
Design Chemis y (Mcdonough & B aunga , 2002) and
he C adle- o-C adle ce i ica ion o p oduc design, o
go e nmen al agencies, and C-TPAT). Ce i ying o gani-
za ions a e an ex e nal seconda y s akeholde and can
only place no ma i e p essu es on he i m o adop a QS.
They lea e he challenges o adop ion and di usion up o
he i ms in ol ed. I is howe e , in he bes in e es s o
he ce i ying o ganiza ions o ensu e ha hei s anda ds
achie e widesp ead accep ance and be pe cei ed as legi -
ima e. As such, ce i ying o ganiza ions ake an ac i e
ole in he p omo ion o hei s anda d and i s adop ion.
Fo example, Ni e al. (2016) ound ha ea ly adop e s o
C-TPAT we e p ima ily la ge ma ke leade s, a esul -
an o CBP’s dis inc e o s o p omo e he s anda d and
encou age ma ke leade s o d i e adop ion (Giache i &
Lampel, 2010). In his case, he ce i ying o ganiza ion
( he ede al go e nmen ) sough adop e s o he C-TPAT
s anda d o ad ance he b anding o he ce i ica ion in
he ma ke place.
The audi egime
One o he mos impo an asks o he ce i ying o gani-
za ion is o se up he audi egime. The audi egime
consis s o he p ocess by which he s anda d is ce i ied.
I s ounda ion is he eam o audi o s (inspec o s and su -
eyo s) who a e esponsible o assessing he p ocesses o
he QS adop ing o ganiza ions. As ex e nal seconda y
s akeholde s, audi o s no only a i m QS implemen a-
ion, bu also play a key ole in communica ing amend-
men s and new s anda d de elopmen s om he home
o ice o he ield. Audi egimes moni o he adop ion
p ocess, as well as ecommend o deny e-ce i ica-
ion. As such, he na u e o he audi egime some imes
de e mines he accep able le el o QS cus omiza ion
pe mi ed.
O e all, we p opose ha he collec i e ac i i ies
(whe he sub le o coe ci e) o buye s/supplie s, he
ce i ying o ganiza ions, and he audi egime, esul
in signi ican di e ences in adop ion iming decisions
and adop ion bene i s o he i ms and socie y a la ge.
Amids hese in e ac ions, i ms decide which bene icia y
g oup is mos salien (Mi chell e al., 1997), as well as he
cos /bene i and iming o adop ion. Inclusion o hese
key s akeholde g oups in o he QS adop ion discussion
helps explain he pa adoxes ha a ise when iewing QS
adop ion decisions h ough only economic o NIT lenses.
The ela ionships be ween hese s akeholde g oups, he
p essu es o adop QS, and he adop ion decision a e p e-
sen ed in Fig.1. I is no ewo hy ha while s akeholde s
a e o en in e dependen en i ies, he ela ionships p e-
sen ed in Fig.1 a e illus a i e o he p ima y in luences
on he adop ion decision.
The QS adop ion con igu a ions
QSs ha e adi ionally been classi ied om he pe spec-
i e o he o ganiza ion; whe he QS adop ion ollows
a s anda d ha is go e nmen manda ed o olun a y
(Ing am & Sil e man, 2002). Fo example, go e nmen -
au ho ed QS ha e been desc ibed as “laws” and p i a ely
au ho ed s anda ds (e.g., he amily o ISO s anda ds)
ha e been classi ied as “ olun a y.” While his classi ica-
ion is a con enien dicho omy, i does no p o ide he
adop e guidance on adop ion bene icia ies. Fu he con-
ounding he p ac ical use ulness o his dicho omy is
ha go e nmen en i ies ou inely collabo a e wi h he
p i a e sec o in he de elopmen o olun a y s and-
a ds. Fo example, he O ice o Managemen and Budge
publisheda e ision o OMB Ci cula A-119s a ing ha
agencies and depa men s “…shall pa icipa e wi h hem
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Ri chiee al. In J Co po a e Soc Responsibili y (2024) 9:2
in de eloping olun a y consensus s anda ds when such
pa icipa ion is in he public in e es and is compa ible
wi h agency and depa men al missions, au ho i ies, p i-
o i ies, and budge esou ces…” (U.S. Go e nmen O ice
o Managemen and Budge , 2023). Simila ly, hisCi -
cula s a es ha  “many olun a y consensus s anda ds
a e app op ia e o adap able o Go e nmen pu poses.”
This emphasis on olun a y s anda ds o e laws e lec s
a widesp ead poli ical eluc ance o enac o en o ce new
egula ions. The equi emen s o go e nmen al speed
and esponsi eness, a g ea e ocus on go e nmen e i-
ciency, and educed le el o go e nmen al unding and
suppo a e inc easingly key mo i a o s in adop ing QS
as a p e e ed me hod o e laws o achie e b oad-based
social goals (Robe s, 2013). These ends ela ed o go -
e nmen in ol emen in QS ha e signi ican implica ions
o CSR- ela ed QS, pa icula ly o o ganiza ions ha
a e ying o na iga e he QSs landscape o se e hei
cons i uencies mo e e ec i ely.
The QS adop ion amewo k
The bene icia y
We p opose ha a mo e e ec i e me ic in classi y-
ing QSs b oadly, and CSR- ela ed QSs speci ically, is
o build a model ha ocuses on he bene icia y o QS
adop ion. Using his s akeholde -o ien ed app oach,
we classi y a “p i a e s anda d” as one in which p i-
a e s akeholde s (e.g., he i ms, such as he buy-
e s and supplie s) cap u e mos o he adop ion
bene i s. Fo example, Bu le (1997) ound ha i ms
success ully implemen ing ISO 9001 no only gained
signi ican ma ke ing bene i s bu also epo ed g ea e
posi i e impac s in e ms o p ocess imp o emen and
ul ima ely, p o i abili y. The ac ha he i m ealized
mos o he QS bene i s, would classi y his s anda d as
“p i a e.”
Simila ly, in ou amewo k, a “public” s anda d
exempli ies QSs whe eby socie y cap u es mos o he
bene i s o adop ion. Fo example, he ini ial impe-
us o public QSs is a socie al need (e.g., cleane
wa e ways wi h he Clean Ma ina Ce i ica ion o he
Ame ican Chemis y Council’s (2022 Responsible Ca e
ce i ica ion). These QSs a e ypically in oduced o
add ess a need ha is impo an o he gene al popu-
lous, and one ha p i a e indus y would no o he -
wise ha e add essed. Simila ly, C-TPAT ( he cus oms
ade pa ne ship agains e o ism) imp o es na ional
secu i y by shi ing he bu den o de eloping, imple-
men ing, and managing supply chain secu i y o p i a e
i ms di ec ly engaged in c oss-bo de ac i i ies.
I is no ewo hy ha , while bo h public and p i a e
s anda ds migh ha e a mul iplici y o bene icia ies, ou
amewo k ocuses on he p ima y bene icia ies and
he di e ing deg ees o adop ion bene i s. Fo example,
wi h ISO 9001, a p i a e s anda d, he p ima y dyad
o adop ing i ms bene i s he mos . Howe e , socie y
also bene i s, h ough he design and deli e y o highe
quali y goods and se ices a lowe p ices, albei o a
lesse deg ee han he adop ing i ms. Wi h C-TPAT,
a public s anda d, he membe s o he p ima y dyad
bene i h ough he educ ion o lead- ime, howe e , a
g ea e bene i acc ues o socie y in he o m o educed
e o ism isk. The key is ha in ou p oposed ame-
wo k, classi ying a QS as ei he “public” o “p i a e” is
de e mined by he s akeholde g oup ha po en ially
cap u es mos o he QS adop ion bene i s a he han
who au ho s i .
Fig. 1 S akeholde p essu es on quali y s anda d adop ion decisions. A a ie y o ins i u ional p essu es in luence he decision making associa ed
wi h he adop ion o a quali y s anda d. Fi e key s akeholde s a e iden i ied, including he buying i ms, he supplying i ms, ce i ying o ganiza ions,
he audi egime, and he communi y a la ge
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Ri chiee al. In J Co po a e Soc Responsibili y (2024) 9:2
Adop ion iming
The second dimension o his amewo k is he empo al
na u e o adop ion. The li e a u e on his opic ypically
di e en ia es QS adop ion along a iming con inuum
anging om ea ly o la e adop ion. Fo mos QSs, “ea ly”
adop ion means ha a i m adop ed he s anda d in i s
de elopmen o g ow h phase. In many cases, ea ly adop-
ion is ypically wi hin a couple yea s o he QS incep-
ion o he QS. Du ing his phase, he QS di usion and
in eg a ion in o he ma ke place is ela i ely low. By con-
as , la e adop e s adop a e a QS has been ci cula -
ing in he ma ke place o many yea s, likely du ing he
ma u i y phase o a QS li e cycle. Fo example, some QS
ha e endu ed o decades (e.g., ISO 9001). These QS also
ca y a high le el o di usion and in eg a ion in o a gi en
indus y. O e all, due o he nuanced na u e o olun a y
QS and he b ead h o o ganiza ional ypes ha adop
such s anda ds, he na u e o he di usion cu es a y by
QS and ime ho izon.
We now de elop a amewo k ha iden i ies a axon-
omy o ou QS adop e ypes based upon he bene icia y
s akeholde g oup and adop ion iming dimensions. In
Fig.2 we classi y he con igu a ions o QS adop e ypes
as Bene i s Maximize s, Rec ui ed Adop e s, Cos Mini-
mize s, and Compelled Adop e s. Each o hese ypes is
explained in he ollowing sec ions.
Bene i s maximize s
This g oup ep esen s ue belie e s in economic ben-
e i s o he QS dyad and adop s he s anda d ea ly.
Quali y s anda ds esea ch claims ha hese adop e s
a e economically d i en and a e ocused on maximizing
bene i s (Te laak & King, 2007; Wes phal e al., 1997) ha
will acc ue o he pa ies o he p ima y dyad. P ima y
s akeholde g oups such as he i m’s op managemen ,
and sha eholde s o he i ms in ol ed in he p ima y
dyad all in his ca ego y. S akeholde esea ch con i ms
ha i ms ha place a g ea e impo ance on mee ing
hei p ima y s akeholde g oups’ needs, ake a leade -
ship ole in adop ing s a egies ha bene i hese g oups
(F eeman, Pie ce, and Dodd, 2000). Gi en hei p oximi y
o c i ical i m decisions and hei powe , legi imacy, and
salience (Mi chell e al., 1997; Ne ille e al., 2011) hese
s akeholde s a e likely o spea head adop ion decisions
when i ’s clea ha bene i s o adop ion acc ue o hem.
Fo example, ecen esea ch sugges s ha CEO com-
pensa ion is posi i ely associa ed wi h CSR pe o mance,
(Ka im e  al., 2018) and u he , ha CEOs pu posely
in es in CSR ini ia i es o impac hei compensa ion
(Hsu, 2023). The adop ion o he ISO amily o s anda ds
may se e as a basic example o his cause-and-e ec
ela ionship whe eby p ocess imp o emen implemen a-
ions may acc ue o he i m h ough economic bene i s
such as eal cos sa ings o imp o emen s in epu a ional
capi al.
Rec ui ed adop e s
In his cell, we a e ocused on ea ly adop e s who a e
dealing wi h a QS ha o e s li le in he way o i s -
mo e ad an age o economic bene i s (Melnyk e  al.,
2013; Ri chie & Melnyk, 2012). These “Rec ui ed Adop-
e s” a e essen ial because o his ca ego y o s anda ds
Fig. 2 The Quali y S anda d Adop e F amewo k. This amewo k depic s likely con igu a ions o QS adop e ypes ela i e o he ypes o bene i s
hey ecei e upon adop ion and iming o adop ion. Fou gene al ypes o QS adop e s a e iden i ied, including Bene i s Maximize s, Cos
Minimize s, Rec ui ed Adop e s, and Compelled Adop e s. Each o hese adop e ypes ep esen s unique mo i a ions o QS adop ion and hei
iming o adop ion