Microsoft's Unlimited Potential

by Akhtar Badshah, Senior Director, Community Affairs, Microsoft

Microsoft was honored to be selected as the 2007 Corporate Stewardship Award for Large Company which recognizes a company for their total performance and contribution to economic, community, and social progress.

As a global leader in technology, Microsoft recognizes that it has a unique opportunity and responsibility to apply its expertise in software to helping people, particularly in underserved communities. Our citizenship commitments are focused in several key areas: transforming education, enabling jobs and opportunities, encouraging local innovation and industry collaboration, helping to create a safe and secure computing ecosystem, and maintaining high standards of accountability in our business practices. We believe that we can make the greatest contribution when our citizenship efforts are closely aligned with our business strategy and when we work in partnership with governments, development organizations, nonprofits and other industry leaders.

In 2007, Microsoft launched Unlimited Potential, which brings together the company's corporate citizenship efforts and many of its business investments to significantly broaden the reach of technology in underserved communities. Unlimited Potential aims to deliver the benefits of relevant, accessible and affordable software to the 5 billion people who today have no access to technology or the opportunities it affords, with a goal of reaching the next 1 billion people by 2015.

Delivering innovation in Microsoft products, services and corporate practices is also central to our citizenship efforts. This includes advanced research; support for intellectual property protections to stimulate innovation; efforts to strengthen computer security, privacy and Internet safety; transparency and integrity in our business practices; environmental stewardship; and humanitarian assistance.

All of these efforts are rooted in Microsoft's mission -- to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential. These priorities also reflect our belief that social improvement and a strong business community go hand in hand.

The U.S. Chamber's Business Civic Leadership Center is calling for nominations for the 2008 Corporate Citizenship Awards. The deadline for nominations is June 27. To nominate your company, visit www.uschamber.com/bclc/awards.

Akhtar Badshah is the Senior Director, Community Affairs, Microsoft