Microsoft Corporation: mission, values, and competitive analysis

¶ … Organization: Microsoft Corporation.

Since the bygone thirty years, technology has revolutionized the manner in which we work, play and communicate. From the setting up during the year 1975, the company- Microsoft has enjoyed leadership in this revolution. As a manifestation of that role and to aid in concentrating on the opportunities that lie at the forefront Microsoft's mission has been: to facilitate people and businesses across the world to realize their full potential. (Mission and Values)

The central values of the company are (i) Broad Customer Connection-linking with customers, realizing their requirement and the manner in which they use technology, and providing value through information and support to assist them attain their potential. (ii) A Global, Inclusive Approach -- Thinking and acting in a global scale (iii) Achieving excellence- in everything (iv) Trustworthy Computing- Intensifying customer faith by the quality of products and services, sensitivity and accountability, and predictability in everything. (v) Great people with great values (vi) Pioneering and Responsible Platform Leadership- enlarging the platform innovation, advantages and scope for customers and partners; frankness in discussing future directions; receiving feedbacks and collaborating with others to guarantee that their products the platform of Microsoft work well together and (vii) Facilitating people to perform new things- expanding preferences for choices for customers through identifying new spheres of business and nurturing novel products. (Mission and Values)

Redmond-based Microsoft Corporation was established in 1975 as a supplier of then popular Disk Operation System -DOS and developer of programming languages for the first IBM personal computer. Twenty-six years later, it is a dominant and the most powerful force in the software industry, making its Chairman Bill Gates a living legend and becoming the richest person on this planet besides being a dominant player in technology history. His net worth is in excess of $35 billion. Today the company is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal, business and enterprise computing. (Microsoft SWOT Analysis)

SWOT analysis:

Strengths

(i) The largest software company in the world with global name recognition and strong reputation for innovative products. (ii) Multinational corporation carrying out business through regional subsidiaries to minimize cultural disparities in excess of 60 countries (iii) Received highest rating from Fortune for most admired company and best company to work with. (iv) Its software products are widely popular which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, possess a lot of powerful features used globally promoting standardization and competitive edge through easy integration and methods of cost-effectiveness. (v) Its newest .Net platform will allow organizations and individuals to communicate and share data without in-depth knowledge of each other's IT systems and platforms. (SWOT Analysis: Microsoft Corporation)

Opportunities

(i) Low cost global telecommunication prices open new markets while people connect to the Internet. (ii) The demand for PCs in the U.S.A. And international markets remains strong in spite of the growth and increasing popularity of personal handheld devices. (iii) Mobile phone applications and exploitation of personal digital assistants represent a growth industry so that strategic alliances could provide Microsoft with opportunity in a market where it currently has little or no significant presence. (SWOT Analysis: Microsoft Corporation)

Threats

(i) The biggest challenge to Microsoft in the recent years has come from Linux. (ii) In the years 1993-95, Sun Microsystems, Netscape, Oracle, IBM, AOL, and other companies became dominant in the Internet space and defined it whereas Microsoft was unsuccessful in anticipating its growth or popularity. (ii) Windows OS is not required in mobile-phones, personal digit assistants, hand-held computers, providing entertainment and other wireless products for Internet access which is growing steadily. (iii) Speedy development of mobile devices will slowly replace PCs. (SWOT Analysis: Microsoft Corporation)

New trends:

Microsoft is consistently reinventing itself witnessing the necessity to support long-term Computer Science research which is free from product cycles for which there will be new basis and breakthroughs in technology for the coming generations to build upon. At present there are in excess of 700 professionals in the Microsoft Research establishment researching in more than 50 spheres including speech recognition, user interface research, programming instruments and methodologies, operating systems, natural language processing. (Facts about Microsoft Research)

Emphasizing new projects like graphical programming language for robotics which is simple to make, people learn and permits people to control robots with the help of a Smartphone and a mobile hotspot technology that assists to give better high speed technology at any time from any place through the means of dynamically uniting the power from multiple wireless devices. Innovating new products at Microsoft is a worldwide effort, assembling the most brilliant minds throughout the globe and allowing them to work to build the technology of the future regardless it is going to be used the following year or ten years from now onwards. Microsoft has put in funds to the tune of $6.1 billion in fundamental research, incubation, transfer of technology and product development. The Microsoft Research Cambridge lab has since made a lot of innovative products like the Tablet PC and the Xbox Gaming system. (Glimpse of the Future with Microsoft)