Response to Classmates Discussions
kingstonman41
BUS638Week1Discussion2.docxBUS 638 Week 1 - Discussion Forum 2
Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates by commenting on their posts with constructive comments that move the conversation forward. Though two replies are the basic expectation for class discussions, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to additional students and to respond to any comments or questions from other students. In addition, responding to the instructor’s questions or comments is mandatory. Continuing to engage with peers and the instructor will further the conversation and provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real-world experiences with the discussion topics.
Marc Anthony Reynoso
Hi class,
By the year 2030 and beyond, Microsoft plans on making environmental impacts. Smith states, by 2030, Microsoft will be carbon negative, and by 2050 Microsoft will remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975. Microsoft recognizes that progress requires a detailed plan. They are launching an aggressive program to cut carbon emissions by more than half by 2030, both for direct emissions and for the entire supply and value chain. They will fund this by expanding an internal carbon fee in place since 2012 and increased last year to start charging not only direct emissions but also those from supply and value chains (Smith, 2020).
Aside from reducing their carbon print, Microsoft also has initiatives that impact water supply. Smith states, by 2030, Microsoft will be water positive, meaning they will replenish more water than they use. They will do this by putting back more water in stressed basins than global water consumption across all basins. The amount returned will be determined by how much water Microsoft uses and how stressed the basin is (Smith, 2020).
The replenishment strategy will include investments in projects such as wetland restoration and removing impervious surfaces like asphalt, which will help replenish water back into the basins that need it most. Microsoft will focus on replenishing efforts on roughly 40 highly stressed basins where they have operations. This reflects a science-based assessment of the world’s water basins. Smith also states, the majority of the world’s freshwater is divided into 16,396 basins, each of which has been assigned a “baseline water stress” score by the World Resources Institute (WRI). This leading nonprofit global research organization focuses on natural resources. A basin is considered “highly stressed” if the amount of water withdrawn exceeds 40% of the renewable supply. Globally 4,717 basins fall into this category (Smith, 2020).
The article above describes Microsoft in partnership with TechSoup Asia to connect with local NGOs to support and strengthen their technology operations. The event features case studies from NGOs, sessions on technology for social good, as well as demonstrations on the latest Microsoft solutions to facilitate more efficient systems and processes in nonprofit operations. Furthermore, NGO Connection Day focuses on how the Cloud can power nonprofit operations, featuring Microsoft’s comprehensive Cloud tool Office 365 made accessible to eligible nonprofits for free or at a significant discount (Microsoft Philippines Communications Team, 2015).
The article above describes an ethical dilemma Microsoft faced in the its China counterparts. For Microsoft, its setbacks China are particularly galling because high rates of software piracy have sharply limited its sales there, even though products like Windows and Office are widely used. The scrutiny of Microsoft by the regulator, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) stems from antitrust investigations of major Western tech companies in 2014.
-Marc Anthony
Resources:
Smith, B. (2020, July 23). Microsoft will be carbon negative by 2030. The Official Microsoft Blog. https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2020/01/16/microsoft-will-be-carbon-negative-by-2030/ (Links to an external site.).
Smith, B. (2020, September 21). Microsoft will replenish more water than it consumes by 2030. The Official Microsoft Blog. https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2020/09/21/microsoft-will-replenish-more-water-than-it-consumes-by-2030/ (Links to an external site.).
Microsoft Philippines Communications Team. (2015, June 29). Microsoft Philippines holds annual NGO Connection Day. Microsoft News Center Philippines. https://news.microsoft.com/en-ph/2015/06/26/microsoft-philippines-holds-annual-ngo-connection-day/ (Links to an external site.).
David Harris
YesterdaySep 24 at 3:16pm
Begin the web quest by researching current news articles and the most recent annual report for Microsoft.
After searching for Microsoft’s most recent annual report, we found that the company generated more revenue than it has in at least the past 5 years. The company is in good financial health, despite the current state of the world due to the world-wide pandemic. Microsoft is considered a global company, with many investors and their stock has stayed relatively on top despite the market consistently seeing a loss.
What is the overall global economy projected to be by 2030 and what do you think will be the highest growth divisions for Microsoft at that time and in what geographic areas? Support your projections with at least two credible and recent sources.
The economic projects for Microsoft are unclear, but two things they are working on and see for their future are their continued work in the removal of greenhouse gases in the environment and the focus that there may be a life without windows someday. Microsoft is leading by example in trying to clean up our planet to protect future life. They have vowed to be carbon negative by 2030 and by 2050 will have removed all the previous carbon the company has affected the planet with. When it comes to a world without windows they are addressing that technology is changing and everything is app and cloud focused. Microsoft CEO has even prepped the window division of the company that Microsoft may not be needed much longer.
Share a news link to an article that you found that describes Microsoft interacting with a nongovernmental organization (NGO) or foreign government. Share your link (please cite it), briefly summarize the article, and include a description of the importance/role of the NGO or government entity.
The current interactions Microsoft has had with foreign governments is the signing of deals to provide them with cloud-infrastructure services. These deals can be worth up $10 billion dollars in government contracts. These contracts have come under fire after Amazon made an appeal against them. The pentagon in now in control of who will receive the contracts and a decision should be made shortly.
Next, share a news link to an article that describes a cultural challenge or ethical dilemma Microsoft faced outside of the United States. Share your link (please cite it), briefly summarize the article, and include your own thoughts on how Microsoft might have handled the problem differently to ameliorate the situation.
Microsoft has recently had to pay $26 million to settle claims that it violated foreign corrupt practices act. This happened because Hungarian employees inflated their margins on software sales. It was all part of an improper payment scheme. It is noted in the article that there were not proper procedures that were implemented in order to monitor the discounts that were being deducted as part of the payment scheme.
