The Nokia-Microsoft Alliance In The Global Smartphone Industry On February 2011 Nokia, Inc., and Microsoft Corp. have announced plans for a “broad strategic partnership” under which Nokia will use Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform as a new operation system in it’s new smartphones. “Today, developers, operators and consumers want compelling mobile products, which include not only the device, but the software, services, applications and customer support that make a great experience,” Stephen Elop, Nokia President and CEO, said at a joint news conference in London. “Nokia and Microsoft will combine our strengths to deliver an ecosystem with unrivalled global reach and scale. It’s now a three-horse race.” Stephen Elop, Nokia CEO and a former Microsoft executive, said the company was at a “critical juncture” and needed to make significant changes, having seen its market share and sales drop and its Symbian operating systems lag behind Apple’s iPhone and the Android operating system launched by Google and used by a range of handset makers. A SWOT analysis of this alliance shows the following. Starting with the Strengths, both companies are the largest in their industries, Nokia has been the largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world with revenues of $55 billion and a market share capitalization of $19 billion. Microsoft, on the other hand, was the largest software maker and generated revenues of $69 billion. By linking their powers in this alliance their products are expected to gain a large market share. Both companies are trusted brands, Nokia is one of the most respected and well-known companies in the mobile phone market, it has been around since the beginning of mobile phones. And according to Interbrand, Microsoft’s br... ... middle of paper ... ...O'Reilly, L. (2011). Is Nokia right to pin its survival on the Microsoft deal?. Marketing Week (01419285), 34(7), 8. • Vakulenko, Michael . "Microsoft-Nokia: A Tale of Two Broken Business Models." VisionMobile. 15 Feb. 2012. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. . • "Nokia and Microsoft Announce Plans for a Broad Strategic Partnership to Build a New Global Mobile Ecosystem." Microsoft News Center. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. . • Nokia Corporation SWOT Analysis. (2012). Nokia Corporation SWOT Analysis, 1-10. • "SWOT analysis of Microsoft." Strategic Management Insight. N.p., 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. .
The objective of this paper is to analyze and discuss some of the Boeing Company's business decisions using their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, also known as S.W.O.T. analysis, which is defined as, "a planning tool used to analyze an organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats." (Nickels, McHugh, McHugh, page 216)". This is a very powerful tool usable by any business that is just starting out, going through a change in direction, or in the process of a major merger. SWOT analysis consists of a few simple steps which can provide valuable insight for direction and decision making. This paper will use The Boeing Company as an example of a SWOT analysis application.
A SWOT analysis is used to assess a company’s strengths and weaknesses found within the company, as well as opportunities and threats that emerge from the external environment. In this analysis, the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing the Ford Motor Company will be discussed to provide a powerful analysis tool that supports the planning process for marketers.
The SWOT analysis (abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) is an essential tool in marketing for understanding and supporting decision-making in all kinds of situations in business and organisations. In brief, it provides an accurate context for studying strategies, positions and directions of a company proposition. It is used mainly for business planning, competitor evaluation, marketing, business and product development and research reports. SWOT analysis is also a widely recognised method for gathering, structuring, presenting and reviewing extensive planning data within a larger business or project planning process. (Chapman, 2014)
A SWOT analysis is simple exercise that could be implemented on multiple subjects including an individual or a whole corporation. The SWOT analysis is an operational tool for managing change, defining strategic direction and setting realistic goals and objectives according to Simoneaux and Stroud (2011). Discovering new opportunities and manage and eliminate threats that are present in the company and the surrounding market. SWOT is a valuable technique that leads to a better understanding of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and treats both internally and externally. The strengths and weakness are to be considered internal factors and opportunities and threats to be e...
While the Microsoft Empire maintains its status as a vast company of large-scale production, readily contributing to the national GDP, and yielding high interest and profits to its associates, criticism and controversial accusations keep mounting. The thought of a monopoly as the economic device for good business seems almost mind-boggling to Microsoft’s competing corporations, as well as the entire economic community, legal and commercial.
In this paper, team B will discuss the internal and external factors of the Microsoft Corporation. We will explain how these factors affect the four functions of management, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Also, we will explain how globalization, technology, innovation, diversity and ethics will be delegated to manage the different factors. Microsoft Corporation was established in 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico producing software for developing, manufacturing, licensing, and support for range of software products and service for different type of computing devices. Microsoft grew from six employees to the largest personal computer software company in the world. By 1978, Microsoft earned $500,000 in the first quarter, and by the end of the year they earned revenue of $1,000,000. In the early 1980s Microsoft, in collaboration with IBM they released MS-DOS as their first 16-bit operating system. However after the late 1980s, Microsoft started to build its reputation by creating the Microsoft windows operating system and Microsoft office product, which includes internet explorer, excel, PowerPoint, and word programs. Then in the late 1990s, Microsoft teamed with Sega to incorporated their windows software package into the game developer’s Dreamcast hardware. Also they developed their own gaming system called the Xbox and that eventually was replaced by the xbox360. Microsoft has come a long way and is no longer just a worldwide leader in computer programming but also a major part of the technology world. Microsoft windows have been the flagship and accounts for most of its revenue for Microsoft: but the company has also branched ...
In today’s current economic state, the likelihood of a company entering into a global market is inevitable. Multinational corporations (MNCs) such as Vodafone are required to standardise their Research & Development activities throughout the world in order to penetrate the market. This is achieved by obtaining new technological opportunities, such as the most up-to-date phones, thus maintaining a competitive driver in the market.
While profits from semiconductor sales are keeping stakeholders happy, Samsung is pursuing a differentiation strategy in the smartphone market. The managers are committing more resources to researching something they think will revolutionize phones. author name writes, “All smartphone makers face the issue of stagnancy in hardware innovation. Samsung is currently working on developing a smartphone with foldable displays…” (Tanner). There has not been a ground-breaking development in smart phones in the last few years, so the managers believe
Microsoft’s mission of placing a “PC running Microsoft software on every desk and in every home” drove their overall strategy early on. Depending on the business segment within Microsoft, one would see in place very different business models as the strategy for each line of business could vary. In the operating system (OS) segment, Microsoft initially brought in an existing product and modified this (MS-DOS) to work with the Intel microprocessor, which were the “brains” of the IBM PC. Microsoft partnered with IBM to provide the operating system for the IBM PC. In addition to developing Windows, Microsoft during this period was working to write applications for the Apple OS.
Microsoft, currently one of the world’s biggest and most influential software companies, was found in 1975 by William Gates and Paul Allen.[1] It quickly positioned itself as a leader in the software community and due to the strength growth of its user base for the Windows operating system and numerous other products, it became both widely popular and widely hated. Many consumers love the suite of products that Microsoft offers because they are easy to use, are widely supported, and have many applications written specifically to for them. On the other hand, there are many who dislike Microsoft, claiming that their policies lead to an uncompetitive market and that their practices are unethical. In recent years many court cases, including a major anti-trust suit have been brought against Microsoft. This paper aims to focus on the issue of Microsoft’s product pricing structure and to discuss the issues that have arisen because of it.
The SWOT analysis is used to gauge a company’s strengths and weaknesses. It also outlines opportunities for tapping and presents possible threats that could affect a company’s operations.
Platforms consist of operating systems. A mobile operating system is the software that controls all basic operations. It allows for the installation and execution of apps. Operating systems often have toolkits that allow for the applications to communicate with each other. Android OS is the largest operating system. Android OS uses an open source operating system under Google. While the core operating system is open, other parts are licensed. An Android trademark cannot be used unless it is certified by Google against the Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) (Healey, 2014, Chapter 6, p. 33). Updates to the Android OS are named after desserts (Cupcake, Ice-cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, etc.). Android provides developer tools for creating apps that take advantage of the hardware capabilities available on each device (“Android,” n.d.). The operating system that was developed and distributed by Apple is the iOS. The iOS is derived from Apple’s Mac OS X and is available only on Apple devices (Healey, 2014, Chapter 6, p. 33). It was originally developed for iPhone devices, but is now available on other Apple devices. Windows Phone is a proprietary operating system developed by Microsoft as a replacement to their Windows Mobile Platform (Healey, 2014, Chapter 6, p. 35). Dynamic tiles appear on their home screen as active links to their applications. In 2011, Nokia partnered with Microsoft, announcing that it would make Windows Phone the operating system for their smartphones (Nokia, 2014). Nokia would be replacing their operating system Symbian for the Windows Phone. BlackBerry OS was developed by Research in Motion. It is a proprietary operating system used on the Blackberry handheld devices (“Mobile Operating Systems,...
In this report, we adopt SWOT analysis to determine the strategic fit between the company’s internal, distinctive capabilities and external threats in the current market. Recommendations were provided in the later part of the report on the possible approach to tap on external market opportunity and our suggestion to resolve current issues faced by the company.
Over the past five years, RIM has changed its corporate name to BlackBerry, been purchased by private equity firm Fairfax Financial, written down over $1 billion in assets and unsold inventory, and laid off more than 40% of its workforce (Connors). BlackBerry’s fall from market leadership and financial success is the result of a corporate structure that failed to foster individual employee creativity and company-wide innovation. Financial distress, upper-management turnover, and loss of strategic direction are symptoms of BlackBerry’s problem: a failure to innovate and remain competitive in the smartphone market. Recent attempts to regain foothold in the smartphone market include the unsuccessful launches of the PlayBook tablet in 2011 and Z10 and Q10 phones in 2013. These attempts to dismantle the iPhone and Android market power have resulted in BlackBerry trying to mimic its competitors rather than producing cutting-edge products that create value for its customers.
Microsoft, from its inception, has been known for its software, especially its Windows platform. It has changed the way we operate computers and through its software, has made the computer user-friendly and very efficient. Microsoft, however, does not want to only specialize in the software department. They have thus expanded their excellence in other departments such as gaming, music and hardware.