Essay on Maximizing Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Microsoft.inc Case Study

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is one of the most critical aspects of running business operations for nay large organizations such as Microsoft.inc. Through various opportunities in the global market, an organization can practice CSR to benefit the communities, the company as well as its employees to develop in terms of environmental factors, economic and social wellbeing. It is promoting economic opportunities for the suppliers, employees, and all the stakeholders that influence a company's progress both internally and externally. Many of the large organizations in the world d are increasingly adopting social responsibility to support gender-related issues, human rights, environmental conservation, and attempts to eradicate poverty at local, national, and worldwide levels. An organization that is socially responsible projects a more impressive image to both the stakeholders and the consumers (Snider, Hill & Martin, 2003). CSR empowers workers and the community to grow, boost their morale, and promote higher productivity. This article analyses the Corporate Social Responsibility of the Microsoft.inc, one of the Fortune 100. It explores different strategies and ideas that the company has recently engaged in supporting CSR initiatives and how it affects the organization both internally and externally.

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Microsoft.inc is one of the leading companies in the United States that has significantly promoted CSR into its objectives, policies, internal and external operations (Dziekanski & Stapor, 2015). The company benefits that by promoting CSR, it will help to solve some of the global issues facing different people, communities and nations, the belief in using their resources to facilitate CSR-related programs across the globe because of the opportunities that exist in incorporating CSR into their policy-making and developing business strategies (Dziekanski & Stapor, 2015). The belief is reflected in the company's policies, practices, and approaches across different areas in the economy, such as skills, employment, poverty, and environmental factors.

Microsoft's corporate social responsibility is led by the company's citizenship mission statement, which states, "To serve the needs of the communities across the world and fulfill our goals and objectives to the public" (Dudovskiy 2019). The company is committed to exploring unlimited opportunities that people have using technology and their products that are designed to serve people and the community. The mission implies that the company aims to use its resources to serve the communities to develop and eradicate some of the challenges faced nationally and globally.

Company policies are designed to use the technology to earn and retain customer's trust as well as core investors and all the stakeholders. Through the mission statement, the company empowers employees, and the communities to grow and eradicate various challenges. The company's aims rely on the mission statement; its focus is to achieve the best and deliver according to their products and services that suffices their objectives (Dudovskiy, 2019). The company intends to work with the stakeholders to promote CSR programs because they are of a stake in any successful operations of the business. The company considers that the decisions that they make significantly influence stakeholders. They include employees, partners, suppliers, shareholders, customers, as communities as well. Therefore, their mission reflects on these stakeholders whose voices are considered essential to business.

Dudovskiy 2019 identifies various activities that Microsoft.inc has engaged in surmounting CSR programs. The mission statement is used to guide CSR operations, one of the critical activities that the company established its charitable programs of Bill and Malinda Gates, which was developed by Microsoft as one of the preparations to serving the general public and promoting CSR (Dudovskiy, 2019). The author identifies the company as one of the leading giants in technological products and services; it has won several awards and achievements as well, for it cooperates with social responsibility programs.

The company has recently implemented some of the strategies aimed at promoting CSR; these include Microsoft programs to support local communities. In the programs, the company encouraged its employees to donate over $158 million to serve local communities. Secondly, the company established solar projects in Lagos, Nigeria; this project was aimed at supporting the Nigerian communities to solve the problem of power shortage (Dudovskiy, 2019). It involves using solar panels and specialized inverters that are integrated with Microsoft t Azure Internet of Things Technology. In Myanmar, the company established an international software supplier called Temenos that relies on the company's cloud services (Dudovskiy, 2019); this project was aimed at helping citizens of having better access to banking hence giving them new opportunities for financial access and stability.

Besides, the company has established the 4Afrika initiative, a project that provides various programs to empower youths, businesses, developers, civil leaders, and entrepreneurs in Africa. Also, the YouthSpark initiative has been developed to promote 300 million youths across the globe by providing educations, entrepreneurship services, and employment (Dudovskiy, 2019).

These projects, therefore, are beneficial to the company both internally and externally. One of the most significant benefits is market expansion; exploring new markets in Africa through these projects helps to build the company's image and loyalty among African states. The canny have experienced a significant increase in financial performance as a result of these initiatives. Externally, through these initiatives, the company will enjoy an added competitive advantage. The initiative is CSR-based; therefore, Microsoft is positively considered by the customers across the globe based on the initiatives and support to the communities.

Besides the Microsoft has promoted a labor and human rights within the organization. In the year 2016, the company confirmed its commitment to observe and respect human rights based on the United Nations Global Compact of human rights (Dudovskiy, 2019). The company considers global human rights critical to its operations, it has provided health-related programs in various communities, through paid vacation, paid time off, and paid sick leave. These programs aim to promote the image of the company. It serves to benefit the company in from external perspectives, through the observation of labor and human rights, the company is seen as one of the most respectful and employee-oriented institutions. All these programs help the company to maintain a good reputation.

Microsoft has incorporated workers' health and safety initiatives to promote CSR; it provides free services such as family and personal counseling, referrals for elder/child care, and stress management initiatives. Also, the company has initiated Microsoft Ergonomics Program that provides workers with training, ergonomic assessment, equipment, furniture, and media care softwares. Besides, it carries out the Voice of the Supplier Surveys to assess the implementation and outcomes of CSR related operations. Through employee CSR initiative, the company has dramatically improved work experience and benefited from positive performance and cooperation from its employees with the company.

Embracing CSR initiatives in the organization goes a long way to retaining and attracting workers, which is critical to the progress company to achieve its mission of servant the community. The most crucial benefit of CSR in the organization and the community is that it helps to attract and empower employees whose main aim is not only to earn a leaving but to make a difference in the world (Dziekanski & Stapor, 2015). Social or community-oriented business organizations often enjoy an added competitive advantage as well as benefits from a superior image.

References

Dudovskiy, J. (2019). Microsoft Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): a brief overview. Retrieved from: https://research-methodology.net/microsoft-corporate-social-responsibility-csr/

Dziekanski, J. P., & Stapor, I. (2015). Corporate Social Responsibility-Microsoft Corporation in the Role of Corporate Citizenship. Security Dimensions, 184. https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5941&context=lkcsb_research

Snider, J., Hill, R.P. & Martin, D. (2003). Corporate Social Responsibility in the 21st Century: A View from the World's Most Successful Firms. Journal of Business Ethics 48, 175-187. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BUSI.0000004606.29523.db