Microsoft Enterprise Principles Complicated and Hierarchical - Term Paper Example

Microsoft business ethics Business ethics refers to professional or applied ethics that involves examination of ethical morals and principles or problems related to ethics in a business environment. It covers all spheres of business conduct and is relevant to entire business and individual conduct. It entails the behaviour to which a business adheres to as it carries out its daily activities. Business ethics applies to both how the business interacts world at large and individual customers. Each business is expected to have good business ethics. However, business sometimes gains bad reputation as they interact with their customers or the world at large. Microsoft’s behaviour in business is guided by various values, which guides its employees as they interact with one another and other stakeholders. Employees at the firm share values such as integrity and being honest. Employees are also expected to be passionate to the firm’s partners, customers and technology. Another value that is upheld at Microsoft is being open and respectful with others and being dedicated to make others better. Employees at the firm are also expected to be willing to take on big challenges and see them through. Another value that employees at Microsoft are expected to uphold is being self-critical, questioning and being committed to self-improvement and personal excellence. The company also expects its employees to be accountable for results, commitments and quality to the firm’s shareholders, customers, employees and business partners. In general, the firm also has standard of business conduct, which provides guidance to the firm’s standards of business regulatory compliance and practices. Microsoft’s standard of business conduct covers various issues. The standard requires that the firm to comply with global regulations guiding the firm’s business at all level. Any lobbying carried out by the organisation is required to be implemented in compliance with applicable laws and regulations governing the activity. Under the standards, employees are at liberty to exercise their right to participate in political activities. Any information requested during investigations, inspections and inquiries about the firm is coordinated by the firm’s legal and corporate affairs members and corporate. The firm also expects its employees to comply with both US laws and regulations that govern its operations and local laws wherever it transacts its business. Corruption is prohibited at the firm. In addition, the firm adheres to anti-boycott requirements, which are overseen by the global trade organization. The firm is also expected to comply with trade controls guiding export, import and re-export in all its operations under the standard of business conduct. The standard also requires Microsoft to comply with antitrust laws and fair competition laws both within US and in global market where it does business. The standard also encourages the firm to uphold responsible leadership; product and service quality; full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in all its communications; fair information practices, and obtaining information about its competitors through honest, ethical and legal methods. The firm’s vendors are expected to adhere to the highest standards of ethical behaviour and regulatory compliance and to operate in the best interest of the firm. The firm is also expected to uphold financial integrity by complying with local, state and federal laws in regard to completion and accuracy of records. The standards requires Microsoft employees to use and protect the firm’s assets; be fiscally responsible, use good judgment and common sense and conduct themselves ethically, lawfully and professionally as they utilize information technology; and comply with laws and regulations related to intellectual property right. In spite comprehensive standard of business conduct adopted by Microsoft, the company has been accused on several occasions for acting unethically. For instance, the firm was in 1997 accused by the Department of Justice, USA, for violating antitrust laws. The DOJ sued Microsoft alleging that the firm forced computer manufacturers to ship Microsoft internet explorer web browser with its Windows 95 operating system. Microsoft club live has also been accused of wasting the time of many Americans. Microsoft falsely took the time of these people to promote their Live Search engine. Even though the players participated, their rewards were cancelled by Microsoft unwilling to pay out. This violated the honest value entrenched in the firm’s standard of business conduct. In 2006, critics of Microsoft accused the firm for violating freedom of expression when the firm shut down the web site of a Chinese blogger that was maintained on a Microsoft service called MSN spaces following a request from Chinese rulers. Even though the management of Microsoft argued that they did so in order to comply with censorship laws in china, critics argued that Microsoft was engaging itself in Chinese government dirty games instead of being upholding their believe internet ought to be used as a liberating force in the world. Thus, the firm was accused of helping a government suppress free expression on vital issues affecting the society. Microsoft social responsibilities Social responsibility entails voluntary integration of economic, social and environmental considerations in a firm’s operations. Social responsibility is the obligation a business assumes toward society. This obligation is usually designed to maximize the positive influence and minimize the negative influence that a firm has on the general society in which it does its business. Social responsibility includes legal, economic, ethical and philanthropic dimensions of a firm. The legal dimension of social responsibility refers to obeying laws and regulations of the government, civil laws and criminal laws. Ethical dimensions refer to any behaviours and activities that are expected or prohibited by firm members, the society and the community that are not covered in the law. The ethical dimension covers standards, norms or expectations that are a reflection of the concern of major stakeholders. The economic responsibilities of a firm refer to how the firm’s resources for the production of goods and services are distributed within the social system. The philanthropic dimension of social responsibility refers to business contribution to the society. Microsoft undertakes strategic philanthropy. Microsoft is committed to integrating corporate social responsibilities principles into all aspects of its business activities and internal working practices. In late 2009, Microsoft and Disney were ranked at the top as leading firms in corporate social responsibility in US by the Boston College for Corporate Citizenship. Microsoft has a Citizenship responsibility whose mission is it to globally serve the needs of communities and fulfil the firm’s responsibilities to the public. The firm uses its partnerships, technology innovations, their people and resources to help solve societal challenges and to create economic opportunities on both local and global scale. The firm has Microsoft global corporate citizenship initiative, which works with businesses, communities and governments to help in advancing social and economic well being and to enable people around the globe to realize their full potential. The firm strives to maximize the opportunities of the information society for all. The initiative mainly specializes in education and digital inclusion; internet safety and policy leadership; responsible business practices, and economic opportunity. The education and digital inclusion enables people, communities and nations to gain access to technology skills, tools and innovation they require to realize their full potential. The internet safety and policy leadership dimension partners with government, industry leaders and others to address key societal challenges of information and communications technology including security, spam, privacy and online safety of children. Responsible business practices dimension ensures integrity and transparency in all of the firm’s business practices and provision of a healthy and safe working environment for Microsoft employees. Finally, the economic opportunity dimension partners with communities and governments in strengthening local economies, competitiveness, growth and innovation. Microsoft organization structure The corporate structure of Microsoft is more global, complex and hierarchical. At the top of the company, corporate structure is board of directors. This board oversees the firm’s activities through five committees, which include audit, antitrust compliance, compensation, governance and nominating and finance. The board of directors is made up of nine members and as of 2010; it included the firm’s cofounder and chairman of the board Bill Gates. Below the board of directors is the senior management made up seven business presidents, five senior vice presidents of various functions, the chief research and strategy officer, the chief software architect, the general counsel and the chief operating officer all of whom are under the firm’s chief executive officer. Below senior management of the firm, there are five divisions, which include client, server and tools, online services business, business division and entertainment and devices. The client division produces windows operating system line such as windows 7; and windows live family. The server and tools division produces the server versions of windows. The server and tools division also provides IT consulting and is involved in production of a set of certification programs, which are handled by the server, and tools divisions. The online services business division handles the search engine Bing and the online service MSN. The business division produces Microsoft office and the firm’s line of office software. The entertainment and devices division produces the windows CE OS for embedded systems and windows phone for Smartphone. Read More

The firm is also expected to uphold financial integrity by complying with local, state and federal laws in regard to completion and accuracy of records. The standards requires Microsoft employees to use and protect the firm’s assets; be fiscally responsible, use good judgment and common sense and conduct themselves ethically, lawfully and professionally as they utilize information technology; and comply with laws and regulations related to intellectual property right. In spite comprehensive standard of business conduct adopted by Microsoft, the company has been accused on several occasions for acting unethically.

For instance, the firm was in 1997 accused by the Department of Justice, USA, for violating antitrust laws. The DOJ sued Microsoft alleging that the firm forced computer manufacturers to ship Microsoft internet explorer web browser with its Windows 95 operating system. Microsoft club live has also been accused of wasting the time of many Americans. Microsoft falsely took the time of these people to promote their Live Search engine. Even though the players participated, their rewards were cancelled by Microsoft unwilling to pay out.

This violated the honest value entrenched in the firm’s standard of business conduct. In 2006, critics of Microsoft accused the firm for violating freedom of expression when the firm shut down the web site of a Chinese blogger that was maintained on a Microsoft service called MSN spaces following a request from Chinese rulers. Even though the management of Microsoft argued that they did so in order to comply with censorship laws in china, critics argued that Microsoft was engaging itself in Chinese government dirty games instead of being upholding their believe internet ought to be used as a liberating force in the world.

Thus, the firm was accused of helping a government suppress free expression on vital issues affecting the society. Microsoft social responsibilities Social responsibility entails voluntary integration of economic, social and environmental considerations in a firm’s operations. Social responsibility is the obligation a business assumes toward society. This obligation is usually designed to maximize the positive influence and minimize the negative influence that a firm has on the general society in which it does its business.

Social responsibility includes legal, economic, ethical and philanthropic dimensions of a firm. The legal dimension of social responsibility refers to obeying laws and regulations of the government, civil laws and criminal laws. Ethical dimensions refer to any behaviours and activities that are expected or prohibited by firm members, the society and the community that are not covered in the law. The ethical dimension covers standards, norms or expectations that are a reflection of the concern of major stakeholders.

The economic responsibilities of a firm refer to how the firm’s resources for the production of goods and services are distributed within the social system. The philanthropic dimension of social responsibility refers to business contribution to the society. Microsoft undertakes strategic philanthropy. Microsoft is committed to integrating corporate social responsibilities principles into all aspects of its business activities and internal working practices. In late 2009, Microsoft and Disney were ranked at the top as leading firms in corporate social responsibility in US by the Boston College for Corporate Citizenship.

Microsoft has a Citizenship responsibility whose mission is it to globally serve the needs of communities and fulfil the firm’s responsibilities to the public. The firm uses its partnerships, technology innovations, their people and resources to help solve societal challenges and to create economic opportunities on both local and global scale. The firm has Microsoft global corporate citizenship initiative, which works with businesses, communities and governments to help in advancing social and economic well being and to enable people around the globe to realize their full potential.

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