Study Aims to Find Evidence of Sustainability in Outsourcing

In a move with supply chain implications, the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP) is conducting a study to determine the importance of corporate social responsibility in outsourcing.

Throughout July, IAOP is surveying outsourcing providers, customers and advisors on their actions and views on CSR, sustainability and environmental responsibility. Results should come out this fall.

The survey is open not only to IAOP’s 100,000 members and affiliates, but also unaffiliated outsourcing professionals who wish to participate. The survey is here.

Academic researchers with the Ted Rogers School of IT Management at Ryerson University and the IT Services Qualification Center (ITSqc) at Carnegie Mellon University will be involved in the study.

The IAOP said that research from the ITSqc suggests that companies with high rankings in IAOP’s 2009 Global Outsourcing 100 list had higher levels of CSR activities than other outsourcing firms.

The survey will query companies on the following topics:

• perceptions about the impact of outsourcing on the environment, climate and society
• reporting on CSR practices
• business strategy
• budgets for CSR activities
• standards and codes of conduct
• the importance of CSR issues and policies.