Corporate Citizenship at Microsoft

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a term describing the need for a company to act responsibly toward stakeholders other than management and shareholders, such as governments and citizens of the countries where it operates. Microsoft says that its CSR initiatives reflect the core values of its employees and leaders, but they also confer tangible business benefits in areas such as government relationships, sales, and recruiting. Coordinated by the Citizenship team, Microsoft’s CSR strategy in the coming fiscal year will encompass a wide range of issues, including bolstering education in developing economies, job training, and environmental sustainability.

What is CSR?

The term “corporate social responsibility” arose from the field of business ethics in the early 1970s and describes the idea that a for-profit company has an obligation to do more than maximize short-term profits—it must also act responsibly toward other stakeholders, including citizens and employees, and must be responsive to the organizations (such as government agencies and special-interest groups) that look out for the interests of these stakeholders.