The importance of CSR
Smith asserts that a company’s reputation is largely influenced by its CSR programs (par. 3). Any company that engages in corporate social responsibilities builds a good relationship with the surrounding population hence influencing their loyalty. Last year, Microsoft was named the best company in Corporate Social Responsibilities, which was a major acknowledgment of the company’s philanthropic policies (Smith par. 4). Microsoft is one of the largest technology companies in the world today offering its services to a wide variety of markets.
Microsoft’s brief background
The Microsoft Corporation has branches in every continent and its presence is felt in almost every country in the world today. The Microsoft windows program was the first operating system to be developed hence its popularity around the globe. The company formed part of the first wave of innovation of personal computers (Smith par. 4). Before getting into the production of operating systems, the company was initially focused on computer languages but the former gave the company the success, which it still enjoys up to now.
Factors contributing to the company’s success
The success of Microsoft is anchored on some very fundamental factors that have given the company the leading role in the world of technology. First on the list of things that make the Microsoft Corporation successful is its business structure. Microsoft has been able to maintain a reputable financial reserve, which has enabled its expansion and diversification in the world of technology. In the year 2011 for instance, the company had a record $ 50 billion as its annual cash reserve (Smith par. 4). Such savings have helped the company to remain aggressive in the most competitive market.
Another factor that contributes to the success of the Microsoft Corporation is the advantage the company enjoys for being the first entrant in the industry (Satell par. 5). This enabled the company to build a brand name, which gives it a market position that cannot be threatened by the competing players in the industry. In addition, the company engages a competitive corporate culture that influences its production in terms of quality and employees motivation (Satell par. 4). The company has very strict policies in human resources to ensure they get the right people for the work. This has greatly contributed to the growth and success of Microsoft.
Microsoft’s CSR programs
Above all, the success of this multinational corporation is greatly attributed to its Corporate Social Responsibility programs. The company has branded itself not only as a profit-making entity but also as a socially responsible corporation that shows interest in the well-being of its customers. This includes the company’s philanthropic campaigns such as the Youth Spark and the 30th Employee Giving Campaign (Satell par. 4). For the last 30 years, the Microsoft Corporation has dedicated quality services to meet the needs of its customers. This has been achieved through the company’s citizenship mission. Such initiatives have helped the Microsoft Corporation to influence and affect the lives of local communities in the different lactations where the company does its operations.
Conclusion
Among the company’s social responsibilities is to produce and develop technology that will help the youth create a better future (Satell par. 6). The company’s social responsibility programs as outlined above have had direct and positive impacts on its success and influence in the industry. In addition, the company has been able to make good financial gains, as well as offer solutions to some of the world’s problems, especially in communication. Apart from being a profit-making company, Microsoft has displayed itself as one of the world’s socially responsible companies.
Works Cited
Satell, Greg. The Secret of Microsoft’s Success (And Some Lessons for Apple). 2013. Web.
Smith, Jacquelyn. The Companies with the Best CSR Reputations. 2012. Web.