(ASQ: Milwaukee) -- The American Society for Quality (ASQ), a leading authority on quality in all fields, organizations, and industries, recently released the fourth edition of the “Pathways to Social Responsibility” report showcasing case studies from companies big and small making a positive impact on their communities through social responsibility.

The report features organizations in all sectors, including companies such as Ford Motor Co.; University of Virginia-Darden School of Business; and Campbell Soup Co., which is reducing childhood obesity and hunger through its “Nourishing our Neighbors” program by promoting healthy food choices in its hometown of Camden, New Jersey.

The 23-page report also features social responsibility initiatives from organizations like Rebuilding Together-Greater Milwaukee, a nonprofit that provides free, professional-quality home repairs and accessibility modifications for low-income homeowners or persons with disabilities. Since 2000, the organization has completed updates at more than 800 homes with the help of 6,500 volunteers.

“This report is a great collection of best practices for any company striving for social responsibility,” says ASQ CEO Paul Borawski. “The organizations featured in Pathways to ‘Social Responsibility’ demonstrate that companies can be socially responsible regardless of size or industry. And the best of the best are showing that being socially responsible is a pathway to improved top- and bottom-line performance and real reduction of risk.”

Other organizations featured in the fourth edition of Pathways to Social Responsibility include PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Henry Ford Health System, and Zingerman’s, a community of businesses that founded Food Gatherers, Michigan’s first food-rescue program to address hunger, which serves more than 100,000 plates of food annually.

Also featured in “Pathways” is the Ramaiah Institute of Management Studies in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, which is a 2012 ASQ International Team Excellence Award finalist. The International Team Excellence Awards recognize organizations worldwide for creative and innovative solutions using quality.

The Ramaiah Institute of Management Studies developed a program to produce graduates with more promise in the workplace, increasing the average job offers to 1.35 per student from 0.95 per student, and increasing the salaries of graduates. As a result, the organization positively affected financials throughout the community by increasing the employability of its graduates.

In addition to the case studies of social responsibility best practices, the report includes information about ISO 26000, an international social responsibility guidance standard. The standard addresses seven core social responsibility subjects, including governance, human rights, labor practices, environment, operating practices, consumer rights, and community rights.

The fourth edition of the report can be downloaded for free here.