For Immediate Release

ASQ Offers Social Responsibility Webinar Series

Four-part Series Highlights Relevance, Business Value of SR

Milwaukee, Wis., September 14, 2009 – As part of its SRO (Socially Responsible Organization) movement, ASQ is offering a four-part webinar series on the importance of social responsibility and how organizations can build business value by improving environmental and societal outcomes over the long term. In an era where local and worldwide accountability is transparent on a social, financial and environmental level, organizations are rapidly seeing the benefits of being socially responsible.

Dr. Joseph Jacobsen, associate dean of environmental studies at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), will host the webinars. He is responsible for development of faculty, courses and programs in the areas of sustainability and the green economy.

The first webinar, Seeking Sustainable Success — An Introduction, is scheduled for October 22, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. CDT. This session will introduce the concepts of social responsibility and define key elements such as the "quality triple bottom line," which helps articulate the business case for social responsibility. The session will also address how organizations can establish measures of social responsibility and sustainability. Registration information is available at http://www.asq.org/webinar/seeking-sustainable-success.html.

The second webinar in the series, Seeking Sustainable Success — Use and Applications of Social Responsibility Measures, will explore the resources, finance and return on investment of socially responsible efforts. Participants will learn about sustainability measures that can lead to long-term business and economic success.

Information on the dates and times of the remaining webinars will be available on the ASQ Web site. Remaining topics include:

• Social responsibility and sustainability projects: research, statistics and continuous improvement
• Establishing links between ASQ’s Quality Body of Knowledge and social responsibility
• Social responsibility and sustainability reporting
• Reverse supplier networks
• Social responsibility in commercial and industrial facilities

The SRO initiative looks to help the world understand the value of social responsibility and the role quality has in achieving results. Organizations interested in joining The SRO can contact Michelle Mason, ASQ managing director, at mmason@asq.org.

About the Presenter
Dr. Joseph Jacobsen is the associate dean of environmental studies and also serves as director of enrollment and retention for Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), Milwaukee, Wis. He is responsible for development of faculty, courses and programs in the areas of sustainability and the green economy. Before coming to MATC in 2007, Dr. Jacobsen was the operations manager for DPW, City of Milwaukee, where he was responsible for staff development, programs and budgets, green building initiatives, USGBC partnership, project management, technology implementation and integration of digital systems, site development for public demonstration and academic advantage of energy technologies, intergovernmental and private/public partnering, funding and economic outcome analysis and management of O&M staff and activities. He has taught at the two-year, four-year, master’s and Ph.D. levels in the U.S., Europe, Asia and South America. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Concordia University Wisconsin’s Graduate School, as well as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he teaches decision sciences, managerial economics and sustainable business.

ASQ, (American Society for Quality) www.asq.org, has been the world’s leading authority on quality for more than 60 years. With more than 85,000 individual and organizational members, the professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results and to create better workplaces and communities worldwide. As a champion of the quality movement, ASQ offers technologies, concepts, tools and training to quality professionals, quality practitioners and everyday consumers. ASQ has been the sole administrator of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award since 1991. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., ASQ is a founding sponsor of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator, and also produces the Quarterly Quality Report.