Analysis of Microsoft

3443 Words7 Pages

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 2

Company Background 2

Company Research 3

Value Chain Analysis 3

Customer Profile 4

Competitors 4

External Analysis 5

Internal Analysis 7

Financials 8

Situation Analysis 8

Alternatives 9

Recommendation 11

Implementation 11

Contingency 12

Bibliography 14

Appendix 15

Executive Summary

Microsoft has been a leader in the software industry for many years. As the technology industry has changed, so has the type of devices. This change has created a market with a focus on mobile devices and access to data through the cloud. Microsoft has made headway into this mobile driven market, however, they face competition from Apple, Google, and other tech giants. Microsoft must find a way to stay relevant in the technology world. Various different strategies will be analyzed to determine which one best fits Microsoft and will help to position Microsoft in this changing marketplace.

Company Background

Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Microsoft has always focused on software but the types of devices have changed over time. Initially Microsoft’s software was developed primarily for desktop computers and this continued until the mid-2000s when computers shifted from desktop computing to mobile devices (mainly laptops). In 2011 Microsoft started rebranding the company to fit en even more mobile market. They previewed their Windows 8 operating system with a focus on touch screen devices with different touch screen form factors. Microsoft also entered into the hardware business with the creation of its Surface tablet in 2012. Microsoft has always had a big impact in the commercial market providing many different software packages including: Windows, Windows Server pr...

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...aily/2013/11/25/microsoft-xboxs-1b-plus-loss-makes-it-a-sale-candidate-says-nomura/

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Sparks, D. (2013, June 21). Microsoft Stock Has a 29% Margin of Safety. Retrieved from The Motley Fool: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/06/21/microsoft-stock-has-a-29-margin-of-safety.aspx

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The Wall Street Journal. (2014). MSFT Annual Income Statement. Retrieved from Market Watch: http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/msft/financials

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