Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Essay Example

The main goal of the organization is to improve healthcare and mitigate global poverty. The objectives of this private foundation also involve providing educational opportunities and access to information technology throughout the United States. The mission statement of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation reflects that “all lives have equal value” (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). The organization maintains a well-designed professional website under the name ‘Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that illustrates various programs and policies of the foundation.

       By the end of 2009, it was estimated that the organization had an endowment of US433.5 billion (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). As per the organization’s norms, the foundation must donate at least 5% of its assets each year in order to maintain its status as a charitable institution. Therefore, it is obvious that the organization would donate over US$1.5 billion each year. In order to improve the efficiency of its operations, the foundation was organized into four divisions in 2006 under Chief Operating Officer Cheryl Scott. The organization became well known as it designed three grant-making programs such as ‘Global Health Program, Global Development Program, and the United States Program’ (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). Global Health Program seems to be the most fruitful initiative taken by the organization as this program donates approximately US$800 million each year, including grants for the ‘Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, HIV Research, Children’s Vaccines Program, and Visceral Leishmaniasis Research.  

      The Wall Street Journal (as cited in Altaner, 2008) reported that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation would offer hundreds of millions of dollars toward the upliftment of the world’s poor. The organization’s other areas of focus include response to catastrophes. Currently, the foundation deals with water, hygiene, and sanitation in order to address the dreadful environmental issues and thereby contribute to sustainable global development. For this purpose, the foundation has given US$1.2 million to International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

          The organization is operated based on its 15 fundamental guiding principles among which the main focus is given to ‘prioritization of neglected issues’ (Fundsforngos.org). Under the foundation’s Conflict of Interest policy, its employees are directed to avoid situations of ethical, legal, financial, and other conflicts involving the interests of the foundation. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation follows a ‘whistleblower’ policy with the intent to efficiently maintain its ethical conduct and governance. It has also formulated its Staff Travel and Expense Policy in order to improve its operational efficiency.

   A business manager can learn a lot from the characteristics and activities of this particular team with the intent to enhance his/her own business setting. It seems that the foundation gives importance to ethical conduct and governance so as to achieve good public stature. In addition, the organization also promotes a whistleblower approach by which an employee can directly inform his problems to the management. Evidently, this policy will largely contribute to the development of an effective business setting.