Impact of TQM on the Realization of Corporate Social Responsibility: Empirical Evidence from Palestinian Civil Police (PCP) رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

There is a growing interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) among various stakeholders in developing countries, as well as a lack of studies investigating the relationship between total quality management (TQM) and CSR in the public sector organizations. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between TQM and CSR within the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP), and how TQM practices can help PCP achieve CSR initiatives. More specifically, this study examines the impact of each of the TQM six practices adopted by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) framework on the adoption of CSR practices, which were examined through two aspects of CSR based on the stakeholder theory; internal CSR practices toward PCP employees and external CSR practices toward citizens and the environment. This research is an exploratory sequential mixed method research to investigate these relations within this developing countries context. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data from eleven police directors in various PCP departments. A survey of 212 police officers in various departments and positions related to TQM and CSR practices was also used to collect quantitative data. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to validate the reliability and validity of the measurement models, and to test the theoretical model and the proposed hypotheses (structural model). The findings show that TQM practices have a XIII significant and positive impact on CSR within the PCP in general. Moreover, it was found that these practices leadership commitment (LC), customer focus (CF), human resource management (HRM) and information and analysis (IA) have the highest impact on internal CSR (ICSR), and these practices customer focus (CF), process management (PM), and information and analysis (IA) found to have the highest impact on external CSR (ECSR), whereas the Strategic planning (SP) has no significant impact on ICSR or ECSR indicating that the PCP does not include CSR activities in their strategic planning. Furthermore, it was found that the impact of TQM practices on ICSR is lower than its impact on ECSR, because the PCP focuses more on the external aspects of CSR towards their citizens and the environment, as requested by donors, other stakeholders, and their partners. As a result, it is suggested that the PCP focus more on ICSR toward their own employees, which will greatly benefit the ECSR, as the police officers will be the ones who perform all of the ECSR toward the environment and the citizens. In this regard, the PCP and any other police in any other developing country context could benefit from this study to investigate the best TQM practices and their impact on improving internal and external CSR practices. This empirical study is regarded as the first to investigate the impact of TQM practices on the implementation of CSR practices in Palestine and in the policing context, and it provides a managerial framework for the decision makers in the PCP and other similar countries context public sector organizations, which would help public organizations and police management’s focus on several TQM practices to help them increase their internal CSR practices toward their employees, as well as determining which TQM practices to focus on to increase their external CSR practices toward the environment and citizens. XIV This study also adding significant value to the literature by responding to calls to consider the relationship between TQM and CSR in the context of developing countries.