Question

Developa case study summary on the company Microsoft, including a general overview of the company, its external environment, and a list of its current strategies and objectives. Cite references

Answer 1

Overview

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services, devices and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft is ranked #31 in the Fortune 500 and is one of the Top 20 World’s Most Admired Companies.

Microsoft is a large diversified computer software manufacturer with one of thehighest valuations in the world. Microsoft produces the Windows family of operatingsystems for personal computers and servers. It also produces applications software thatrun on the Windows family of operating systems, most notably the very successful MS-Office Suite consisting of Word (word processor), Excel(spreadsheet), PowerPoint(presentations), Outlook (e-mail and news), and Access (database).

External environment

As the high tech market grows ever more competitive, and the Mac vs PC battle continues to rage on, customer experiences that drive loyalty are all the more critical. The Microsoft store (both physical retail locations and online) is a key channel for the brand to engage more directly with customers, foster loyalty, and create fans. Microsoft has some threats regarding intenese competition, changing consumer behaviour, open source projects and potential lawsuits.

Current strategies and objectives

Microsoft has a divisional organization structure. Microsoft also has customer service staff, research, development and sales :

• Windows and live windows group
• Service software
• Online services
• Microsoft business
• Entertainment and devices

Investments and global expansion throughout the world.

Microsoft opened its first physical store in 2009, and has since opened more than 110 retail locations. The stores aim to improve the PC and Microsoft purchase experience for consumers worldwide and let them truly experience the Microsoft brand while making technology shopping easier, more enjoyable and exciting. It’s designed to showcase new products and provide a physical environment for consumers to connect with the company, putting a face on the brand. The stores are staffed with experts who can answer questions, make recommendations, help with setups and provide tech support in order to deliver outstanding choice, value and service to their customers. Every aspect of the Microsoft Store is designed to facilitate interaction among customers, the technology and the knowledgeable, highly trained employees. The stores help Microsoft transition from a transactional business model to one focused on building and nurturing relationships with their customer base.

Microsoftstore.com was launched in 2008 and is consistently ranked a Top 100 retailer by Internet Retailer. The store has a tremendous reach, serving more than 1 billion customers in 228 markets worldwide. The online store carries Microsoft’s full product line and offers 24/7 support, but it’s quite difficult to digitally deliver the same type of complete brand experience as the physical locations. Over the next few years, Microsoft focused on improving the customer experience on the online store, trying to get closer and closer to matching that in-person familiarity to drive increased online sales, customer satisfaction and service levels. Site enhancements included an answer desk, community, personalization, live chat, rich product data and ratings and reviews. Yet the digital experience still lacked that human factor that was so impactful in stores.

References: Wikipedia.com , investopedia.com, the-content-strategist-13.docs