Impact and sustainable value creation in the technology industry

: making the sustainable development goals a key driver within the corporate strategy : the case of Microsoft

Abstract

Within recent years it became clear that the wave of sustainability is not only an emerging trend but rather a crucial dimension likely to shape the long-term future. As a consequence, an increasing number of organizations seeks to integrate this dimension into their corporate strategy without a structured approach to create and capture lasting impact. Microsoft, one of the biggest technology companies worldwide which effectively managed to implement a sustainability strategy while ensuring stakeholder capitalism. Within the last years, the organization used its resources and network to drive collaboration as well as innovation in order to foster quality education, mitigate climate risks, and enable equal work opportunities in a safe environment. This case study presents the way private organizations bear the potential to significantly convert the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) methodology into practice; how activities can be composed to achieve impact; and how sustainable value creation can be made tangibleby measuring stakeholder capitalism. The dissertation clarifies successful corporate impact creation by aligning stakeholders’ interests with sustainable objectives within strategic positioning, realizing programs, partnerships and support based on the SDG’s as well as quantifying and appropriately assessing outcomes.

Date of Award	11 Jul 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Marta Bicho (Supervisor)