Paper Topic:

company project--Microsoft

A STRATEGIC ANALYSIS O F THE MICROSOFT CORPORATION

Introduction

For the purpose of this case study we , have chosen to analyse the strategies employed by the Microsoft Corporation in its 31 years of doing business . The rationale for this is that Microsoft is a very large and very successful global corporation , which time and again , have proven its formula to success . Through the strategies it employed , it has become the No .1 software firm , not only in its Redmond , Washington USA headquarters , but also in the rest of the globe (Microsoft .com

br 2006a . Thus , we believe that analysing the strategy of this kind of company will cover much of the models , concepts , and theories of strategy that have been discussed in class

Products and Services

The products and services that Microsoft offers are wide and varied . In the general sense , its product and services extend and specialises in the industries of computer software , computer hardware , video games cable television network , research and development , and publishing (BBC News 2006a

It would not be an exaggeration if we say that the geographic scope of its business ventures almost extends to the whole globe . In terms of operation alone , notwithstanding the fact that it sells in countries where it has no establishment , Microsoft has a scope of 102 countries as of July of this year (Microsoft .com 2006a , 2006d . Wherever in the world , Microsoft has an established name , and therefore , a considerable geographic scope . It 's being oftenly termed as a monopolist in the industries it engages in , and its widely recognised market power , could therefore speak of the vastness of its geographic scope

It is the leading software firm , and in general terms , software has become its prime value driver probably due to its monopolistic nature in that industry . More specifically , Microsoft 's best selling products were identified to be the Microsoft Windows (MS ) operating system and the Microsoft Office productivity software suite . Both products are almost ubiquitous in the market of desktop computers (Microsoft .com 2006a 2006d . In other words , its value drivers have a nearly limitless geographical scope

Aside from the aforementioned , Microsoft is also established in other markets such as the computer hardware market , where the Microsoft mouse has become its value driver . In the home entertainment market , the Xbox Xbox 360 , and MSN TV are its top products . Microsoft has topped in other markets through its assets namely : the MSN Internet portal , the MSNBC t .v . network , and Microsoft Encarta , among others (Microsoft .com 2005 In the Internet , Microsoft .com has been named as among the most frequently visited sites (Alexa .com 2006

Strategic Position and the Business Model

In 1975 , Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft as a company initially positioned as a developer and seller of BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800 (BBC News 2006a . Those were the times when Altair 8800 has just been introduced as the newest technology , being the newest microcomputer in the block . Therefore , it needed an interpreter , and Bill Gates...

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