Evaluating Microsoft's Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Microsoft's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. It begins with an introduction to CSR and its importance, followed by a detailed description and explanation of Microsoft's CSR work, including its mission, awards, and various programs suc...Read More

CORPORATE
SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY

Contents
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY........................................................................................................................................3
Describe and explain CSR work of Microsoft.......................................................................................3
Evaluate CSR work of Microsoft.......................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES......................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Corporate social responsibility is defined as self regulating business model which
assist organisation to become socially accountable to their stakeholders, government,
community, public and so on. It is very important for business to follow CSR so that they can
enhance their value and brand at marketplace. The given assignment is based on Microsoft
which was founded in 1975 at United States. It is technology business dealing in different
products and services. Main aim of report is to discuss about CSR work, reason behind
activities, positive as well as negative aspects of CSR for business.
MAIN BODY
Describe and explain CSR work of Microsoft
Microsoft CSR are guided through mission of business that is to serve at international
level in order to meet need of communities as well as fulfilment of responsibilities to public.
Respective organisation has won several achievement as well as awards for CSR activities as
well as behaviours. It has ranked number one in Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 100 in
2018, raking first for social as well as environment score that measures more than 200 factors
(Crane and et al., 2019)
. There are different CSR initiatives as well as programs run by Microsoft. They are
described below:
Supporting Local Communities
 Respective organisation has donated USD158 million to serve local communities as
well as world
 Youth Spark initiatives taken by Microsoft to provide 300 million young people with
opportunities for employment, education (Our approach, policies, and practices, 2020)
Educating and Empowering Workers
 90% of staff are liable for different bonuses
 They collect feedback of employees through different channels

Labour and Human Rights
 From 2016 it has made formal commitment in respecting human rights of UN global
Compact
 Organisation provides wellness as well as health programs for paid vacation, families
and so on (2019 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report. 2020)
Staff health and Safety
 This conduct supplier surveys in order to monitor health as well as safety of people
 It care staff program offering free access to services like stress management, child
care and so on.
Apart from above, there are also other CSR activities carried out by Microsoft which
includes gender equality & minorities, energy consumption, water consumption, waste
reduction & recycling, carbon emissions, sustainable sourcing, initiatives and charitable
donations (Microsoft Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): a brief overview, 2019).
The main reason for Microsoft to conduct CSR work is to empower all people as well
as organisation on planet in order to achieve more in effective manner. The rationales given
for particular approach to CSR taken are environmental sustainability, Microsoft
Philanthropies, skills & employability, privacy & cyber.
Evaluate CSR work of Microsoft
It is very important for organisation to follow CSR in their business activities and
operations in an effective manner. There are various initiatives taken by Microsoft to achieve
their set goal and objectives. These are explained with help of different theories such as:
Stakeholder Theory
This is founded by Edward Freeman and other that represents about mirror image of
CSR. It includes those stakeholders who are affected by action of business and ask about their
legitimate claims on business. Such theory begins with those people living at surrounding or
environment to make corporate decisions. In context of Microsoft stakeholders includes
employees, investors, communities, customers, governments and so on. For example, in
terms of customer as stakeholder, it has to take various initiatives for attainment of goal and
objectives. Respective organisation has to provide employees with high quality products so
that they are satisfied and happy (Grayson and Hodges, 2017). They have adopted feedback

system to address issues and complaints of consumers regarding products (Microsoft’s
Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy & Stakeholders (An Analysis), 2020). This approach
helps them to make improvement in providing of goods and services to consumers. Such
aspects can be made better by providing products on trail basis so that consumers can use and
know more about it in proper manner. Approach helps in addressing social as well as
environmental impact because it mainly work for people and surrounding so it create force on
both aspects. Apart from this, respective organisation has to focus on providing discounts to
their consumer while buying products and services. Therefore, all these all part of CSR
activities and initiatives taken by them.
Carroll and Schwartz theory
This is defined as theory which includes five main characteristics such as corporate
social responsibility, business ethics, stakeholder management, sustainability and corporate
citizenship. All these aspects are interrelated with each other as lack of one lead to fail to
achieve other. It is very important for organisation to adopt all these aspects in running
business activities and operation by considering requirement of environment and society.
Here, CSR is established framework in terms of research as well as community. Microsoft
has to follow CSR activities for their people for better results. Business ethics concerned with
values, principles and believes of enterprise to work as well as manage corporate. For
successful running of business, above organisation has to follow ethical values and principle
to run firm successfully (Kolk, 2016). Stakeholder management concern on relationship with
different stakeholder prioritization as well as identification. In terms of Microsoft, it has to
maintain relationship with all stakeholders who are working with them. Corporate
sustainability focus on long term survival and growth of business at marketplace. Corporate
Citizenship concerned with developing business in terms of political, social and economic
spheres. For example, if Microsoft wants to open school at marketplace then it has to
contribute some part of profits in CSR which leads to rise trust of stakeholders towards
business that makes it sustainable along with fulfilment of citizenship. These all activities
follow business ethics which guide organisation. In this way, this theory interrelate all these
aspects and attain goal and objectives of business by following different activities and
initiatives (Akcaoglu, Wehner and Bolsinger, 2018).
Triple Bottom Line

It is form of CSR that dictate about corporate leaders results not only in economic
terms such as costs versus revenue but in respect of company effects in social aspects with
regards to environment. This theory is based on two keys where three activities of
responsibility have to be kept separate and other is to obtain sustainable results. It is called
triple bottom line because company focus on obtaining economic, social and environment
sustainability at same time (Scherer and et al., 2016). For achievement of all three aspects, it is
very important to focus on CSR activities of business in an effective and efficient manner for
positive outcomes. The triple bottom lines are described below:
Economic Sustainability- This is defined as long term financial benefits to
organisation. As per this theory, large firms have responsibility in creating business plan that
allow them prolonged action as well as stability. Main aim of business is to earn a high profit
margin which is possible by following CSR activities and operations in proper manner.
Social Sustainability- This is defined as balance among people’s live as well as way
they want to live. It also comes under CSR as it is responsibility of organisation to conduct
business in social manner to improve living standard of people at community or society.
Environmental Sustainability- This is defined as way of protecting natural resources
as well as environment in most effective manner. It is responsibility of organisation to protect
environment by using different technology, implementing projects and so on (Picciotto, 2017).
For example, Microsoft has launched AI for Earth Program in order to support
environmental projects. The respective organisation has spent money on AI research and
technology for positive outcome. For CSR activities, Microsoft has launched AI for earth
which is new projects in areas of climate change, water and biodiversity. Such program will
donate $2 million in tools of above organisation for training as well as services in order to
support environmental projects (AI FOR EARTH’ PROGRAM FROM MICROSOFT TO
SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS, 2016). This is the good approach taken by
business which helps in making biodiversity, climate change and water to be good. As it only
focus on three areas, other aspects like recycling, natural resources are not included in list so
in order to make it more better such elements has to be included. CSR is mainly framed for
saving environmental and social value of people so that they can remain happy life. It is
responsibility of each and every organisation to contribute in development of society welfare
so that they can attain goal and objectives in most effective manner (Vallaster, 2017).

CONCLUSION
From the report, it has concluded that organisation has to follow CSR activities in
their business in order to attain goal and objectives in an effective and efficient manner. Such
activities and initiatives lead to raise brand value and goodwill in diligent manner. It is
important to adopt different theories of CSR in business to know about positive and negative
aspect along with improving them.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Akcaoglu, E., Wehner, R. and Bolsinger, H., 2018. Managing International Political Risk:
Arising Challenges for Multinationals in a Changing World.
Crane, A., Matten, D., Glozer, S. and Spence, L., 2019. Business ethics: Managing corporate
citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press, USA.
Grayson, D. and Hodges, A., 2017. Corporate social opportunity!: Seven steps to make
corporate social responsibility work for your business. Routledge.
Kolk, A., 2016. The social responsibility of international business: From ethics and the
environment to CSR and sustainable development. Journal of World Business, 51(1), pp.23-
34.
Picciotto, S., 2017. Rights, responsibilities and regulation of international business. In
Globalization and International Investment (pp. 177-198). Routledge.
Scherer, A.G., Rasche, A., Palazzo, G. and Spicer, A., 2016. Managing for political corporate
social responsibility: New challenges and directions for PCSR 2.0. Journal of Management
Studies, 53(3), pp.273-298.
Vallaster, C., 2017. Managing a company crisis through strategic corporate social
responsibility: A practice‐based analysis. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental
Management, 24(6), pp.509-523.
Online
2019 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report. 2020. [Online]. Available through: <
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility >
AI FOR EARTH’ PROGRAM FROM MICROSOFT TO SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL
PROJECTS. 2016. [ONLINE]. AVAILABLE THROUGH: < http://justmeans.com/blogs/ai-
for-earth-program-from-microsoft-to-support-environmental-projects>
Microsoft Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): a brief overview. 2019. [Online]. Available
through: < https://research-methodology.net/microsoft-corporate-social-responsibility-csr/ >

Microsoft’s Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy & Stakeholders (An Analysis). 2020.
[Online]. Available through: < http://panmore.com/microsoft-stakeholders-corporate-social-
responsibility-strategy-analysis >
Our approach, policies, and practices. 2020. [Online]. Available Through:
<https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility>