Assignment:
• Pick a large international corporation applying the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) (not the companies evaluated in class)
• Short description of the corporations
• Which SDGs are the corporation addressing/applying?
• Evaluate and analyze the company’s approach to sustainable development.
• What is good and what can be improved? Be concrete on a few key issues associated with the company and sustainability.

Evaluation criteria:
• Does the essay answer the essay question(s)?
• Is the essay well written and convincing (tip: consult the classical rhetoric; logos (logic/reason/facts), pathos (emotions) and ethos (credibility) when you write the essay)

Microsoft Corporation Inc.

Microsoft Inc.is an American international technology company and is globally recognized for its Microsoft Windows operating system and software products (Microsoft Corporation Inc, 2019). The Corporation is one of the forward-thinking companies taking the lead in sustainable development. It is committed to empowering sustainable development by ensuring that everyone has access to the benefits of technology. Through its dynamic and diverse sustainable programs, Microsoft is working towards achieving the UN SDGs by 2030.

Microsoft’s philanthropic belief and commitment to empower people by employing technology-based system in all aspects of life to solve pressing global issues resembles with the UN SDGs. As a high-level technology company, it seeks to apply unique and powerful innovative technologies to achieve the SDGs. The company is committed to leveraging its assets to eight key SDGs. Microsoft focuses on fostering good healthcare and wellbeing. It offers training to healthcare providers on advanced technological products and services, such as data analytics and cloud solutions to transform healthcare (Microsoft Corporation, 2017). In alignment with its philanthropic strategies and business, the corporation is partnering with educators and other stakeholders to provide quality education for all students across the world by 2030

With numerous women and girls empowerment programs across the globe, Microsoft is committed to close in the gap on gender inequality. In partnership with the formal and informal sectors, the company seeks to provide a sustainable job market to drive economic stability across communities in the world. As a high-level technology company, Microsoft is working closely with manufacturers to facilitate innovation in the Industries.  Through partnerships with development agencies, the corporation is pioneering for sustainable cities and communities. It is also employing policies and powerful information technologies to address climate change. Also, Microsoft is advocating for equal human rights and fighting against social pathologies such as human trafficking and other social vices that disrupt peace justice and strong Institutions.

In its approach to sustainable development, the company has capitalized on research to identify the technological integration rate across the world. A global perspective of the technical benefits and impacts of technology helps the company create products that empower sustainable development. This approach seeks to quantify the scale and scope of transformation needed in the technological space to achieve sustainable global corporate development. With this understanding, the company will be able to locate and embrace its role as a technology company in achieving the SDGs.

The company is also maximizing on its existing programs and projects to develop a more concrete approach to achieve global corporate sustainability. One of its flagship projects includes the carbon-neutral program. A well-integrated program that censors green gas emissions into the atmosphere by holding business units liable for the carbon footprint generated from their business operations. Through this approach, the company is helping other forward-thinking companies to operate responsibly and grow sustainably (GOLD STANDARD, 2019).

One of the company’s successful approaches to sustainable development is the Microsoft Educator. This program allows every person to access educational content through technology. Technology-based learning has the potential to reach an extensive network of people, thus empowering them with pertinent information and skills that fuel innovation — as a result, creating viable solutions to pressing global issues that drive an economic change and societal impact.   In as much as the corporation is employing meaningful strategies on sustainable development, it needs to reevaluate the importance of its operations towards the achievement of the UN SDGs, such as offering products and services in local dialects.

With its philanthropic belief and commitment in its business operations, Microsoft’s approach is well aligned to drive socio-economic change that leads towards sustainable development. The company has located its unique contribution and impact in the SDGs and wholeheartedly taken up its corporate social responsibility to foster a sustainable future.

References

GOLD STANDARD. (2019). How Microsoft is driving impacts on the ground. Retrieved November 28, 2019, from GOLD STANDARD: https://www.goldstandard.org/blog-item/qa-how-microsoft-driving-impacts-ground

Microsoft Corporation. (2017, September). Microsoft and the Sustainable Development Goals. Redmond, Washington, US.

Microsoft Corporation Inc. (2019). Microsoft. Retrieved November 28, 2019, from Microsoft: https://theorg.com/org/microsoft