Lesson 2: Management Theories

“Microsoft, ePLDT to make PWDs more hireable”

Arjay L. Balinbin

MICROSOFT CORP. said Tuesday it has partnered with 14 technology firms in the Asia
Pacific, including ePLDT, Inc., for a program aimed at increasing the employability of people
with disabilities.

The technology organizations will be trained to become “inclusive employers,” Microsoft said
in a statement.

They will provide job shadowing, internships, mentoring and job opportunities for persons with
disabilities (PWDs), it added.

Microsoft said it will train PWDs in data engineering and programming, cloud computing, and
application development.

The employer partners will be trained in “inclusive design and assistive technologies enabled
through artificial intelligence.” They will also receive training from six non-profit organizations:
Be. Lab (New Zealand), JA Korea, KODAF (Korea Differently Abled Federation), SG Enable
(Singapore), The Redemptorist Foundation for People with Disabilities (Thailand), and
Virtualahan (Philippines).

The employer partners of Microsoft are: Cloocus (South Korea), Cognizant Technology,
Solutions (Singapore, Philippines), Crayon (Singapore, Philippines, Thailand), Datacom (New
Zealand), DXC Technology (New Zealand), ePLDT (Philippines), HCL Technologies
(Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, New Zealand), Ingram Micro Asia (Singapore), Metanet
Tplatform (South Korea), Nexus Tech (Philippines), NTT Asia Pacific (Singapore, Philippines,
Thailand), NTT Data (Singapore, Philippines), Tech Data (Singapore), and Wipro (Singapore,
Philippines, Thailand).

Microsoft said the technology firms are expected to complete the accessibility fundamentals
course, which “provides guidance on inclusive design principles and leveraging assistive
technology.”

Vivek Puthucode, chief partner officer at Microsoft Asia Pacific, said: “In today’s workplace, it is
imperative that we include everyone, and accessibility is the vehicle to inclusion. It is a
responsibility and an opportunity. There are no limits to what people can achieve when
technology reflects the diversity of everyone who uses it.”

“Inclusive organizations outperform their peers and attract and keep top talent, and we have
seen how inclusion drives innovation,” he noted.

Microsoft said the program also includes a job fair for PWDs, which will be held in the second
quarter of 2021.
References:

Charm, N. (2020, September 11). Microsoft, ePLDT to make PWDs more hireable.
BusinessWorld | The most trusted source of Philippine business news and analysis.
https://www.bworldonline.com/microsoft-epldt-to-make-pwds-more-hireable/

Peek, S. (2011, September 27). Basics of human relations management theory.

business.com. https://www.business.com/articles/human-relations-management-theory-
basics/

Mulder, P. (2020, July 16). What is Elton Mayo's human relations theory? Explanation.
toolshero. https://www.toolshero.com/management/human-relations-theory-elton-mayo/