Critically Analyze Microsoft's Approach Case Study

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Introduction

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Every company should focus on effectively following all the ethical and sustainable approaches in their operations. This essay is based on the ethical and sustainable activities used in the Microsoft. This will also include various steps which have been used by company during pandemic and CSR practices used in their operation. This report will also include measures which have been taken by the company for welfare of society. It will also include HR practices and initiates which will help in overcoming all ethical issue prevailing in the company. These essays will emphasis on the activities undertaken by Microsoft for protecting environment and employee’s welfare. This essay will include the various measures taken by Microsoft for reducing child labor and providing women welfare.

Main Body

Sustainability refers to as carrying out operation of the business which is having minimum impact on the environment and society. Ethics are the rules and regulations which are followed by individual for effective completion of the task. Every company should focus on implementing sustainable approach in their business operation as this will help in improving reputation and goodwill of organization (Alrobaish et al, 2022). In current time, it is important for every company to work on sustainable approaches as this will help in attracting more customers and eventually lead to increasing profitability. Ethics help in creating better working environment for employees and help in reducing turnover of employees.

Microsoft is leading software company in world which was founded by bill gates in 1975. The market share of the company is 14.28% and has annual turnover of $212 billion. Microsoft is aiming at including sustainable activities in their operations which will help in improving overall position of the company (Annual turnover of Microsoft, 2022). For ensuring sustainability in the organization, company has appointed sustainability science team which focuses on analysis each activity of Microsoft on the basis of sustainability. Microsoft has lay foundations for Microsoft Climate Research Initiative (MCRI) which aims at conducting research on the regular basis which will help in identifying all changes in climate. It assists in determining all possible changes and strategies which company needs to initiate for reducing its impact on climate (VEGA, 2023.). While taking into consideration the climate changes, Microsoft has established the goal of carbon negative by 2030. They have also claimed that by 2050 company will mitigate total carbon which has been released from the electrical consumption of organization.

For achieving the objective of reducing carbon emission Microsoft has undertaken various strategies. The company has invested 1 billion dollar in the last four years for identifying the technologies which can help in reducing the impact. They had replaced their current technologies with more effective and efficient technologies. Company’s investment is guided on theme of equality in climate, impact of climate, shared alignment and underfunded markets. Microsoft has reduced its carbon emission by 20 million metric tons in previous year by purchasing 30 billion kilowatt of green power (Carbon Negative goal of Microsof,. 2020). This support company in saving over 10 million US dollar in a year and had positive impact on over 82 million people. The MCRI department of Microsoft has provided opportunity of working with skilled scientist which help in identifying measures by which climate changes could be handled. Company is focused toward hiring domain experts across world that assist in ascertain ways to overcome issues in carbon accounting and decarbonization. Department also focused on undertaking climate risk assessment that assist in identify changes and risks associate with changes in climate.

Corporate social responsibility includes activities which have undertaken by the company that supports growth and welfare of community. Microsoft has been focused toward implementing CSR activities in the organization which will help in improving reputation and goodwill of firm. The main focus of company is on fulfilling all fundamental rights of consumers and employees. CSR policies of Microsoft are based on gaining trust and confidence of the individual for which company is investing towards awareness programs. Company has joined with various institutions, non profits organization, corporate, business and government to help people get more access to digital opportunity available in the industry (Buchal and Songsore, 2019). Microsoft is aiming at influencing individual toward learning AI skills and technology which will help in development of the country.

Company has focused toward conducting various events and seminars where the knowledge regarding AI and its implication has been shared. This will enable them to get deeper understanding of the opportunity and fundamental of creating AI (Thagunna, Bhatta and Adhikari, 2020). Company has taken initiative by conducting partnership with Data. Org which aim at providing Digital training for individual which help in enhance their skills. Microsoft has conducted various skills challenges and the winner will provided with scholarship by which he could develop its skills at minimum or no cost and take the benefit from available opportunities. This will help in reducing unemployment in the country and help in overcoming financial issues of the individual which eventually assists in improving economy of the country.

In the light of Covid-19 pandemic Microsoft has undertaken various activities which benefits overall working of country. It has been identified that company has invested dollar 110 million for the welfare of the society (Corvellec, Stowell and Johansson, 2022). Company was focused at reducing unemployment within various countries that support in improving their economy. Company has provided its support in carryout mass vaccination drive in which 1300 employees of Microsoft was allotted the duty of volunteering the events. This help in effective and successful completion of the vaccination drive. Company has also provided support in arranging ventilators and oxygen to the patient in various countries which help in overcoming issue of shortages. Pandemic has created negative impact on employment rate in the world. Microsoft has provided free access for user to identify the best suitable job at Microsoft Learn, LinkedIn and GitHub. Company has focus on providing all the necessary data to government that will support them in creating most suitable and effective policies for overcoming issue of unemployment and aim at initiative training program around world.

Ethics refer to all guidelines and rules which are followed by company that will help in effective working of the company. From last 11 years Microsoft has been recognized as most ethical company in the world (Sutton-Parker, 2022). This indicates company’s commitment towards its ethics and practices that emphasis on the benefit of society. The company is having strict rules for the employees who violate the ethical regulation of organization. Microsoft has working toward gaining confidence and trust of customer, suppliers, investors, government and representatives. Any employee’s violating the rule will need to face many actions which may include its termination (Dodge et al, 2022). The ethical commitment of Microsoft involves creating a culture in the firm which focuses on improving the learning and knowledge of the employees and focuses on their overall development. The company is able to gain trust and confidence of employees and customer by focuses on effective decisions and efficient ethical choices. The company has taken initiative which aim at contributing some amount for social welfare and making it necessary for each employees to donate. In year 2018, Microsoft and its employees has successfully collected $100 million for the welfare of community. Employees in company are motivated to donate some hours in the volunteer programs which aim at development of housing, Girls club in America, education and museums.

Microsoft has done a partnership with pact which emphasis on reducing child labor within the cobalt mining industry (Grafström and Aasma, 2021). They have also focused toward providing investment by which awareness could be created and joined with various non profit originations to resolve this issue. It has been identified that involvement of company has result in reducing child labor by 77 % in the mining industry. The company has focused on increasing the number of women employees which will help in empowering women worldwide. It has been identified that number of women employees has been increased by 3.2% percentage which amount to 30.7 % of total workforce of Microsoft. The company has focused on providing training session related to work and financial literacy to women. This will help in enhance their knowledge and helps in better management of their income (Huzaizi et al, 2021). Company has also focused toward providing flexibly in working time for women which support them to manage their personal and professional life. Microsoft has initiated various welfare programs for women across world that helps in improving their future.

Circular economy aims at reuse, regeneration and recycling of the materials and products in the economy (Sobaih et al, 2021). This will help in reducing the waste in country and help in achieving sustainability. This process aims at circulating the same product and material in the economy by remanufacturing it which will not have any negative impact on the environment. Microsoft is working on the rule of circular economy as company focuses on producing most sustainable IT hardware’s. The company has provided sustainable arrangement for develop, supply and dispose IT kit which did not create negative impact on the environment (Circular economy for Sustainable development, 2020). The company is implementing hardware which can be refreshing and need not to replace for long period of time. This help in reducing the amount of wastages in country and help in attaining sustainability. In current time employees are facing issues of modern slavery which involve the situation of threats, deception and coercion within organization.

HR department can help in overcoming the issue of modern slavery by implementing various necessary activities within the firm. Awareness videos, training session and events are conducted within Microsoft which helps in educating employees related to the aspects of modern slavery. This will assist employees in evaluating their workplace and supply chain on the basis of factors of modern slavery (Kachi, Mooldijk and Warnecke, 2020). HR plays an important role in forming polices which involves benefits for both organization and employees. It has been identified that HR in Microsoft determines appropriate policies which will help in motivating employees in the organization by providing scope for growth. HR in Microsoft is concerned toward arranging various activities and programs within organization which will help in increasing the involvement of employees. The work force in Microsoft is highly diverse which create challenge for HR to maintaining diversity among them. The culture in company promotes the growth of every individual as they focus on motivating employees to take new initiative without the fear of failure.

HR department in Microsoft is focus toward providing training and development program for the employees according to the need of company and individual. Company is focuses toward the providing personalized training opportunity which will help in gaining new skills. Microsoft is providing various benefits for employees which will help in maintaining their motivation level. This includes providing transportation facility, retirement benefits and other benefits (Morseletto, 2020). Hr in company aim at improves interpersonal communication within employees which will help in understating culture and beliefs of other that assist in maintaining diversity. Microsoft has taken initiated to celebrating festival of different religion which will improve employee’s satisfaction within organization.

There are various unethical activities which have been undertaken by Microsoft that are affecting both consumer and manufactures. Company was suppressing small organization by providing 60% discount on selling of window to OEMs. These include double royalties for the supplier as they need to pay to Microsoft even if they wish to install some other operating system (Nylund, Brem and Agarwal, 2021). This leads to increase in manufacturing cost which eventually results in increase expense of the customer. Competitors claim that Microsoft operates in the monopoly market and compress small companies with his high market shares. These results in creating barriers for other company to entry in market that enable them to enjoy full control over the prices.

HR team in organization play an important role in forming strategies by which the impact on environment could be reduced by the organizational‘s operation. They assist employees regarding ethical and sustainable activities which they need to carry out and create awareness among employees related to violation of rules. Microsoft has hire a specialist HR team which focuses on identifying measures by which environmental could be protected with effective working of employees (Purnamasari et al, 2023). For improving sustainability, Microsoft has focused on the Lying tax on their internal production. This involves charge $15 on per metric ton of carbon emission and collect it in their sustainably fund. This amount is later on used for the protection of environment. Hr department of Microsoft focus in conducting various events through virtual mode by which employee’s traveling could be reduced which will help in reducing carbon emission within country (Silverio et al, 2021.). HR in Microsoft is promoting energy effect routine at workplace, focuses on the proving green training session to employees. They also focused towards conducting workshop on the importance of sustainability which assists in creating awareness among employees.

HR of Microsoft is paying attention toward implementing sustainable policies at each step of the operations. In hiring and boarding process of the company, HR has determined sustainability goals and criteria which employees need to clear. In orientation program in the company, HR is focused toward making new employers aware of all corporate social responsibility within the company which they need to follow (Quansar et al, 2020). HR has formulated various benefits and strategies for employees which assist them in increasing motivation for carrying out sustainable operation within organization. At on boarding moment, HR evaluate new employees to identify their ability and skills and determine training session required for them which help in working according to sustainable goals. Microsoft is focused toward implementing cloud based software at their workplace which result in reducing use of paper and enable to achieve sustainability in organization.

Legalistic and moralistic approach refers to as integrating employees to follow all legal and ethical guidelines of company. HR team in Microsoft focuses on clearly defining ethics for the employees (Rusydiana and Izza, 2022). Ethic provides guideline for employees which help in changes their behaviors according to cultural of organization. HR aim at creating awareness regarding the ethics which need to be followed and monitored action of employees to identify proper application of the morals. HR focuses on creating polices for employees which helps in integrating organizational benefits with fulfilling legal requirement.

CONCLUSION

It has been concluded form the essay that sustainability and ethics need to be followed in each organization which will help in improving reputation of company. It has been identified that Microsoft is successfully implementing sustainable activities which enable company to become most sustainable organization in world for 11 consecutive years. Microsoft has focus toward achieving the goal of zero emission by 2050 for which they have invested huge amount in research and development. HR in Microsoft has recommended the implementation of circular economy within country which will help in reducing wastage in country and support in achieving sustainability. It has been identified that Microsoft is facing ethical issue relating to suppressing small companies and aim at creating monopoly in country. It has been identified that HR of Microsoft is effective and efficiently working toward making the company ethical and sustainable.

References

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