Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example

September 10, Corporate Social Responsibility of the Video Clip The selected video on the topic of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is entitled “CSR: Apple vs. Microsoft” which was reportedly created by Jenna Nowak and uploaded online through YouTube (Nowak): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLUu262pmxU. The video presented a mini-documentary of CSR practices of two famous organizations: Apple and Microsoft; particularly the ideals of the respective owners, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, regarding CSR.

Nowak, who narrated the documentary, initially provided a definition of CSR prior to delving into comparing historical origins of both companies and the philosophies of each owner in terms of CSR. As revealed, Bill Gates’ philanthropic thrusts extends to his applying concepts of CSR in his organizations; including the establishment of Bill & Melinda Gates’ Foundation. On the contrary, Steve Jobs’ main thrust was focused on coming up with innovative ideas on Apple’s products and little emphasis in applying CSR was exemplified.

Illustration of CSR The differences in ideals and philosophies on CSR as exhibited by Apple and Microsoft actually revealed inconsistent conclusions with that advocated by the concept. It was revealed from the concepts presented in class about CSR that the benefits of organizations for investing in CSR include: customer loyalty, workforce satisfaction, community support, and exhibiting a better corporate image. From the experiences of both Apple and Microsoft, it was confusing to realize that despite Microsoft’s application of CSR, the organization was surpassed by Apple (the organization that has not invested in CSR) in term of leadership, popularity, and financial returns.

Relation of CSR to Class Discussion In analyzing the comparative thrusts of each organization regarding investing in CSR, one actually expected that the organization that aptly invested in CSR should exhibit greater popularity and financial returns. However, from the experience and from the information revealed in the video, the opposite effect was noted. It was therefore concluded that comparing one to the other in terms of their investment in CSR could be insufficient to validate that this factor alone was contributory to the financial success of Apple.

From the perspectives of the owners, it determining factor was that the investment and application of CSR had been instrumental to the feeling of fulfillment that Bill and Melinda Gates have experienced. Their main thrust for Microsoft was not merely to generate financial returns, nor to project a positive corporate image. For Bill and Melinda Gates, the self-actualization and fulfillment being realized from engaging in activities that are consistent with CSR were more rewarding in the long run.

One could even compare this from the experience of Steve Jobs whose health condition worsened despite financial success of his organization. Although one could not judge or gauge his innate feelings regarding CSR, his inability to give back to the community in terms of activities that could uplift the well-being of mankind could have affected his overall wellness and health condition. Thus, despite the popularity and leadership of Apple and surpassing the performance of Microsoft, at the end of the day, it is the realization of fulfillment of the owners for having given back to mankind through CSR that was most noteworthy and commendable.

Work CitedNowak, Jenna. "CSR: Apple vs. Microsoft." 24 February 2012. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLUu262pmxU. 25 March 2013.