Strategic CSR - Microsoft (+ Delta)

The article in the url below from Bloomberg Green Daily's newsletter is disappointing, for many reasons:

"Staff at Microsoft have told some developers of carbon removal credits that the company is pausing what is currently the world’s biggest program for financing the extraction of CO2 from the atmosphere."

To give you an idea of how big a blow this is to the market for carbon removal credits, the chart accompanying the article makes the extent of Microsoft's impact abundantly clear:

 

 To be specific:

"Microsoft is by far the largest investor in removal credits, having set an ambitious goal to be carbon negative by 2030. The company is engaged in deals across a variety of technologies, with Bloomberg estimating that its purchases in 2025 accounted for 96% of the entire market."

The article develops a line of argument that seeks to explain the decision to pull back but, in the process, instead makes clear why Microsoft's continued engagement is more essential than ever:

"While Microsoft has expanded its carbon removals program, the company’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased significantly on the back of its investment in data centers needed to power artificial intelligence."

Microsoft has been progressive on this issue for a long time, and was one of the first companies to account for an internal carbon price to help assess the ROI on projects (see Strategic CSR - Carbon tax). It is disappointing to see them pull back from this market, especially when technological innovation seems at a formative stage. But, they are clearly not alone -- on this or other related stories. To learn about companies dropping their 'net zero' targets, for example, see the article in the second url, below:

"Delta Air Lines Inc. quietly scrubbed a pair of key environmental targets from its sustainability web page. The Atlanta-based carrier deleted its pledge to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for 10% of its jet fuel by 2030. It also rephrased its quest to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 as an “aspiration,” rather than a 'goal.'”

As the graphic accompanying that article shows, Delta is far from where it would need to be to achieve the targets it (voluntarily) set itself -- unfortunately, they are not an outlier in the airline industry (see also Strategic CSR - Executive pay):

Take care

David

 

David Chandler

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)

© Sage Publications, 2023

 

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  

Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/

The library of CSR Newsletters is archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/

Microsoft Staff Tell Some Carbon Capture Companies It's Pausing Deals

By Alastair Marsh and Ishika Mookerjee

April 13, 2026

Bloomberg Green Daily

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-04-13/microsoft-staff-say-carbon-removal-deals-paused-in-program-shakeup

Delta Waters Down Net Zero Target to an 'Aspiration'

By Ben Elgin and Kyle Stock

April 14, 2026

Bloomberg Green Daily

https://origin.www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-04-14/delta-waters-down-net-zero-target-to-an-aspiration

Strategic CSR - 40-hour workweek

The article in the url below charts the development of the 40-hour workweek in the U.S. As the author argues, while the story of its evolution is interesting, it is more interesting that something we take for granted today is a relatively recent innovation. In spite of some industry-specific legislation, along with experiments by companies such as Ford, the norm for workers in the early 20th Century remained long hours and a six-day week -- a situation that only really changed with The Great Depression:

"Amid mass unemployment, a bipartisan consensus developed in Washington around work sharing: more people working shorter hours. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act into law. It set a minimum wage of 25 cents an hour and a standard workweek of 44 hours initially, reduced to 40 hours by 1940, with anybody who worked longer hours being entitled to time-and-a-half overtime pay."

This idea spread after the end of WWII:

"In postwar America, the 40-hour week became the norm for millions of workers, with overtime pay acting as a disincentive for employers to require longer hours."

Having won this progress, the author argues that the U.S. worker is now voluntarily surrendering it. Starting in the 1970s, the average workweek has increased in length, and all in the name of individual freedom:

"In the new millennium, the U.S. workweek varies widely for different kinds of workers. Email and the internet, laptops and smartphones, and tools like Zoom and Slack have liberated many office workers from the physical office, but at the cost of an increasingly porous boundary between work and home life."

In other words, you can work whenever you like, as long as it is most of the time:

"A 2025 Gallup poll found that 40% of full-time employees work 40 hours in a typical week, while 38% work from 41 to 59 and 15% work more than 60 hours a week. Only 8% work less than 40 hours."

But, as some begin to question whether the level of productivity is correlated positively with the quantity of hours worked, a few companies are experimenting with a 4-day week (see Strategic CSR — 4-day workweek and Strategic CSR — Microsoft). The research on this so far suggests there are real benefits for organizations:

"Employers participating in the trial saw improvements in employee retention, with resignations falling from 1.8 a month before implementing the four-day week to 1.4 a month afterward. Sick and personal days declined from one day per employee a month to 0.8."

There are also benefits for workers:

"For employees, meanwhile, the main benefits were in well-being and work-life balance. … For example, 69% of participants experienced reduced burnout, nearly 40% were less stressed and anxious, 42% reported better mental health, and 37% percent saw improvements in physical health."

 

The latest twist in the story is the evolution of A.I, of course, which promises to reduce the amount of total work needed. But, it is unclear to the author if that promise will ever be realized, and whether whatever the new norm becomes will be beneficial for workers:

“… it’s not a foregone conclusion that the productivity gains from AI will usher in the age of 15-hour workweeks and abundant leisure time predicted somewhat prematurely by John Maynard Keynes back in 1930."

Take care

David

 

David Chandler

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)

© Sage Publications, 2023

 

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  

Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/

The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/

 

How Did We Get A 40-hour Workweek?

By Andrew Blackman

December 1, 2025

The Wall Street Journal Report: The Business of Work

Late Edition – Final

R17

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/workplace/labor-activism-40-hour-work-week-edcd8305

Strategic CSR - Executive pay

Another indication that the ESG fad has run its course (and was always a distraction) is the decoupling of executive pay from specific associated metrics:

"Two years ago, many of America’s largest companies began stripping diversity targets out of executive pay packages. Now, environmental measures—including goals tied to climate emissions—are beginning to face a similar fate."

In particular, the article in the url below highlights a more recent decision by Apple: 

"Apple Inc. quietly dropped a so-called 'ESG modifier' from its 2025 pay packages for Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and other top executives, according to a corporate filing last month. The provision, in place since 2021, had allowed Apple’s board to adjust annual bonuses up or down by as much as 10% depending on the company’s performance on a variety of measures, including greenhouse-gas reductions and renewable energy use among suppliers."

But, Apple is not alone:

"Apple’s move follows similar decisions at dozens of companies, including Starbucks, Salesforce, Mastercard and P&G, which have recently weakened or severed ties between environmental performance and the size of their executives’ paychecks."

As a result, the more important underlying principle, the need to align compensation with the most essential performance metrics, is being lost due to the shallowness of the ESG discussion:

"The shift is beginning to show up in the numbers. The share of S&P 500 companies tying executive compensation to environmental metrics fell to 46.7% in 2025, down from a peak of 52.6% two years earlier."

Ultimately, in spite of the good intentions driving the ESG 'movement,' the rush to establish it opened the door to easy criticism, and therefore setback the conversation, because it was so ill-thought-through.

 

Take care

David

 

David Chandler

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)

© Sage Publications, 2023

 

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  

Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/

The library of CSR Newsletters is archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/

Apple Drops ESG Links From Top Executives' Pay Packages

By Ben Elgin and Jeff Green

February 18, 2026

Bloomberg

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-18/apple-quietly-unlinks-environmental-performance-from-pay-packages

Strategic CSR - Wind turbines

The article in the url below sheds some light on the environmental impact of the wind turbines that have grown in line with the accessibility of wind energy. In one small town in Texas, for example, where a lot of used blades have been discarded, the problem is more than a local nuisance:

"For nearly a decade, residents of Sweetwater have been confronted by a jarring sight as they leave and enter this small West Texas town: thousands of used wind-turbine blades. The blades take up nearly 1 million square feet in a field off Interstate 20. Hundreds more occupy a second site nearby. Originally up to 200 feet long — nearly the wingspan of a Boeing 747 — the blades have been cut into thirds, exposing gaping openings. Locals complain they're a haven for rattlesnakes, collect water that attracts mosquitoes and pose a threat to children living nearby."

To be sure, no-one is suggesting wind turbines approach the environmental impact of fossil fuels. But, this particular problem will only get worse as the value of wind energy continues to increase:

"[This situation] offers a window into the larger challenge of disposing of turbine blades, and other complex plastic-infused materials, after their useful life. Blade waste has been increasing as older turbines are replaced or refurbished, and the world could see some 43 million tons of it by 2050, according to one estimate."

In particular, it is the blades of the wind turbine that are so challenging:

"Up to 90% of a wind turbine's mass can be easily recycled, but not the blades. They contain layers of fiberglass or carbon fiber wrapped around a core of balsa wood or plastic foam. Liquid resin is drawn through the fibers and cured, hardening the structure. Separating these materials for recycling is complex and costly. Transportation adds to the expense, since moving the blades often requires specialist trucks and permits."

Take care

David

David Chandler

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)

© Sage Publications, 2023

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  

Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/

The library of CSR Newsletters is archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/

Blown opportunity

By Saabira Chaudhuri

March 31, 2026

Bloomberg Green Daily

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-31/texas-wind-turbine-recycling-operation-faces-ken-paxton-lawsuit

Strategic CSR - CEOs

The article in the url below highlights the increasing replacement rate of CEOs throughout the S&P 1500, over the past year. For me, three quotes stood out -- first, the rate of change:

"About one CEO in nine was replaced last year across 1,500 of the biggest publicly traded companies, a new analysis finds. That is the highest rate since at least 2010, when the U.S. was emerging from the financial crisis."

Second, given the emerging challenges, the idea that younger and less experienced (i.e., less constrained by history/convention) CEOs will be better positioned to tackle them:

"Meanwhile, incoming chiefs are younger and less experienced than previous crops of new leaders, Spencer Stuart found. Incoming CEOs averaged 54 years old, compared with nearly 56 for last year's appointees. More than 80% of last year's 168 incoming CEOs were first-timers, with no prior experience running public companies or other major stand-alone enterprises. Two thirds of them have never served on a corporate board before."

And third, the degree of discrimination that remains:

"New female CEOs grew scarcer last year. Just 9% of new appointments went to women, down from 15% a year earlier. Overall, about 9% of CEOs in the S&P 1500 are women, including 46 in the S&P 500."

Take care

David

David Chandler

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)

© Sage Publications, 2023

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  

Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/

The library of CSR Newsletters is archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/

Turnover In CEOs Is Most In Over A Decade

By Theo Francis

February 17, 2026

The Wall Street Journal

Late Edition – Final

A1, A5

https://www.wsj.com/business/c-suite/new-ceo-replacements-age-young-5c503b88

Strategic CSR - Politics + business

The article in the url below focuses on the role of politics in business -- in particular, right of center U.S. politics, advanced by what the article refers to as "the MAGA movement," and the relative success (or failure) of the businesses that model themselves on that ideology: 

 

"Founded in 2021, PublicSquare began life as an online platform selling sunglasses emblazoned with scripture and 'the only pro-life diaper brand.' It has not had an easy ride. Since its shares began trading in July 2023, they have lost more than 90% of their value. Last year the business announced it would pivot away from conservative e-commerce towards financial technology."

The article makes the argument that right-wing political advocacy has been more effective at destroying brand value (in companies and products deemed to be ideologically inconsistent) than it has at building successful companies:

Over the past few years MAGA types, aggrieved at the supposed hostility of mainstream businesses towards conservative values, have set about building a 'parallel economy.' ... Yet building right-wing brands into thriving businesses has proved difficult. Most remain tiny. Many are unprofitable, It seems conservative consumers would rather press mainstream brands to hew to their views than buy politically charged coffee beens or SIM cards."

The article argues that business basics are still the most salient predictor of stakeholder loyalties:

"The trouble for MAGA brands is that, altogether there are plenty of conservative consumers, 'a much smaller share want politics embedded in everyday purchases.' ... Price, quality and convenience still shape most buying decisions. And although political positioning may help attract attention, it can spook the suppliers and distributors on which businesses rely."

To support its argument around value destruction, the article presents the recent Cracker Barrel branding controversy, as well as the 2023 Bud Light "transgender influencer" incident, both of which are deemed to have inflicted significant financial harm on their respective organizations:

"Cracker Barrel, a Southern-themed restaurant chain, suffered a slump in traffic last summer after it removed a bucolic old man from its logo, drawing MAGA ire. It swiftly rolled back the change. ... Its share price is yet to recover. ... [For Bud Light] In the three months after the transgender influencer's post, 15% of regular buyers switched brands. A year later Bud Light's owner, AB InBev, said the controversy had cost it an estimated $1.4bn in sales. The beer ceded its spot as America's best-selling and has contributed to lose share over the past year."

The conclusion is that politics (and, therefore, values) are better left out of business:

"For most brands, then, the safest path may be to stay out of politics. ... 'The biggest consumer segment in the world is the one in the middle.'"

But, I wonder if that is the correct conclusion. For me, what I took away from the Cracker Barrel controversy was the company's attempt to impose 'modern' values on a customer base that is fundamentally resistant to change ('conservative' in the true sense of the word). And for Bud Light, the company's error seemed to be folding as soon as its 'values' were exposed, rather than carefully thinking through a campaign based around values the company and its stakeholders truly believed in (and then sticking to those values when criticized). The impression I got is that Bud Light tried to find a bandwagon to jump on, and then jumped off as quickly as it could when pressured -- revealing that it never truly believed in the values in the first place, and managing to annoy everyone in the process. Given this, perhaps the more confident conclusion could be that companies that stick to their values, and know those values are shared by key stakeholders, are the ones that become more successful. Of course, this conclusion would apply whatever the values in question -- the sort of approach to business that has been pursued so successfully by companies like Chick-fil-A (see Strategic CSR - Chick-fil-A and Strategic CSR - Chick-fil-A).

Take care

David

 

David Chandler

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)

© Sage Publications, 2023

 

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  

Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/

The library of CSR Newsletters is archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/

Right off the money

February 21, 2026

The Economist

Late Edition – Final

65

https://www.economist.com/business/2026/02/15/why-maga-brands-have-been-a-flop

Strategic CSR - Bernie vs. Claude

This video offers a fascinating snapshot of the ability of A.I. (Claude, in particular) to conduct a coherent conversation (posted last Friday):

https://youtu.be/h3AtWdeu_G0

It is insightful specifically in terms of the issue of privacy -- the impact of A.I. on us individually (how data is being collected on all of us, all of the time) and its impact on the democratic process.

Take care

David

David Chandler

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)

© Sage Publications, 2023

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  

Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/

The library of CSR Newsletters is archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/

Strategic CSR - Earnings guidance

Well, this isn't exactly the rationale I was hoping for, but the article in the url below notes that more companies are refusing to issue quarterly earnings guidance -- a blow to the short-term thinking (and misguided focus on shareholder value) that dominates our economic system: 

"Et tu, Walmart. Analysts covering the world's largest retailer will have to sharpen their pencils now that it has joined several other companies in scrapping quarterly earnings guidance (it kept it for the full year)."

It seems that the uncertainty injected into the economy, in recent months, is the 'excuse' CEOs are drawing on to avoid the glare of quarterly expectations:

"'Uncertainty' is practically a dirty word on Wall Street. After competitors scrapped their public forecasts, United Airlines instead took the unusual step last month of publishing two scenarios—one for a recession and another for an expansion."

As the author notes, however, the better approach might have been to scrap earnings guidance (i.e., not earnings reports) altogether:

"Unfortunately, that is a luxury mainly available to elite CEOs who are extremely secure in their jobs: Apple's Tim Cook, JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon and, of course, Warren Buffett, who recently announced his impending retirement after six decades running Berkshire Hathaway."

Such a narrow focus on shareholder value, of course, is a relatively recent phenomenon, driven by neoliberal economic theory in the twentieth century (which resulted in most CEOs today being paid using stock options). But there is a strong argument to say that, not only is shareholder value a theory (rather than a legal fact), but that a singular (or even primary) focus on delivering it can be counterproductive to the long-term interests of the organization:

"Henry Singleton might be the greatest example of an executive who delivered with minimum regard for what Wall Street thought. Teledyne, the conglomerate he founded and ran for almost three decades, was a hot stock in the 1960s. … He was 'the smartest businessman I ever knew,' said the late Charlie Munger, who was vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway."

 

Broad stakeholder support for not issuing guidance, particularly from the board and other key stakeholders, is what is required for CEOs to have the confidence to make decisions for the medium to long term, which is how the optimal level of value is created. While somewhat regular earnings reports are essential to allow for adequate oversight and governance mechanisms, quarterly earnings guidance is an unnecessary legacy of a disproportionate focus on shareholder value, which can be unhealthy, as noted in the article in the second url below:

 

"What would not be painful: a voluntary reduction in 'quarterly guidance,' or forecasts, by executives about how they expect their companies to fare. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway and Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase recommended this change in a Wall Street Journal essay in 2018. Companies routinely use these forecasts to manipulate the expectations of financial analysts so that when earnings reports ultimately arrive, they constitute 'positive surprises' that set off rallies in the companies' shares."

 

While the article in the third url below suggests this development is gaining momentum and possibly being extended to earnings reports:

"The Securities and Exchange Commission is preparing a proposal to eliminate the requirement to report earnings quarterly and instead give companies the option to share results twice a year, according to people familiar with the matter. The regulator could publish the proposal as soon as next month."

 

Take care

David

 

David Chandler

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)

© Sage Publications, 2023

 

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  

Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/

The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/

 

Elite CEOs Don't Need Earnings Guidance

By Spencer Jakab

May 16, 2025

The Wall Street Journal

Late Edition – Final

B12

https://www.wsj.com/business/elite-ceos-dont-need-earnings-guidance-a0e5de93

 

Is The the Time to End Quarterly Earnings Reports?

By Jeff Sommer

October 5, 2025

The New York Times

Late Edition – Final

BU4

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/business/trump-earnings-reports-investing-stocks.html

 

SEC Prepares Proposal to Eliminate Quarterly Reporting Requirement

By Corrie Driebusch

March 16, 2025

The Wall Street Journal

https://www.wsj.com/finance/regulation/sec-prepares-proposal-to-eliminate-quarterly-reporting-requirement-1d700bbb

Strategic CSR - Scale

Scale matters. Sure, it's nice that Patagonia cares about the environment, but time has taught us that the collective actions of smaller companies are only substantive when they alter the behavior of much larger companies. Among that subset of companies, there are none much larger and more influential than Walmart and, as the article in the url below reminds us, when Walmart acts, the whole country is affected:

 

"Walmart is taking the biggest step yet to overhaul ingredients used in America's food supply. The country's largest grocer said Wednesday that it was working to remove synthetic dyes from all its store-brand foods, including Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed and Bettergoods. Walmart also plans to eliminate 30 other ingredients, ranging from certain artificial sweeteners to preservatives."

Whatever the motivating factor and stakeholder influence, and clearly politics is influencing this decision, when Walmart decides to do something there is a ripple effect far beyond the firm and throughout its supply chain:

"Walmart's heft makes its plans likely to trigger further changes throughout the nation's food-supply chain, from ingredient suppliers to other food makers and retailers. Great Value alone is one of the largest consumer brands in the country, with billions of dollars in sales each year."

This influence has grown larger in recent years, as consumers shift to buying more store brands to save money:

"Retailers are boosting investment in their in-house brands, with Walmart last year launching Bettergoods, a food line with trendy flavors and more natural ingredients."

The article also reveals how long it can take shifting stakeholder values to influence corporate decisions:

"For years, Walmart's customer data has shown that more shoppers want simple, natural ingredients, said Scott Morris, senior vice president for food and consumable private brands at Walmart U.S. More than 50% of Walmart shoppers now flip over a food package to look at ingredients, he said."

But, when that decision is made, especially in a company Walmart's size, we have the opportunity to make meaningful progress:

"Walmart plans to tweak more than 1,000 products across its stores gradually, in part to give ingredient suppliers time to meet its volume and cost needs, Morris said. Supplies of natural ingredients are still constrained, but growing."

Have a good weekend

David

 

David Chandler

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)

© Sage Publications, 2023

 

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  

Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/

The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/

 

In Nod to MAHA, Walmart Ditches Dyes, Other Artificial Ingredients in Its Food Brands

By Jesse Newman and Sarah Nassauer

October 2, 2025

The Wall Street Journal

https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/walmart-ditching-dyes-other-artificial-ingredients-in-its-food-brands-d475076d