Corporate Social Responsibility Case Study

Case Title:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, world's largest charity: philanthropy with a managerial approach

Abstract:
Deriving inspiration from renowned philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, Bill Gates took up charity with a mission to improve the lives of people in the underdeveloped and developing countries. He and his wife, Melinda, established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000 to promote global health and education apart from funding public libraries and under-privileged families of Pacific Northwest in the US (Washington State, and Greater Portland, Oregon). The Foundation has donated millions of dollars for developing vaccines for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tetanus across the world and has granted scholarships to poor students for pursuing higher education. Unlike other foundations, this Foundation has taken a professional approach in managing its charitable activities to add value to its activities by increasing its accountability towards the society at large. However, sceptics question whether Gates would be able to disseminate the benefits of modern science and technology in the developing countries to fulfill the needs of the deprived.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To understand the initiatives taken up by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve health and education of the deprived masses in the developing and the underdeveloped nations
• To discuss how philanthropic missions, when administered with a professional zeal, can rapidly alleviate the conditions of the underprivileged masses across the globe
• To highlight the increasing inclination towards charity among the rich echelons of the society in the developed countries.

Keywords : Corporate Social Responsibility Case Study Corporate philanthropy, Charitable organisations in the US, Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health, Humanitarian activities in Africa, Scholarships from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Objectives of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Top 10 charitable donors in the US