Category: Microsoft

MasterIT is a leading performance company in IT solutions that provides businesses with proactive security and protection against critical data loss, threats and malicious software damage.

The hardware based capabilities allow secure and remote access to the PC for repairs, upgrades and diagnostics and can be applied to both small and medium-sized businesses, offering lower cost and better business support that gives businesses a competitive advantage. It offers interactive online program for Accelerated Learning System that teaches learners how to access their own preferred learning style.

Owing to the fact that online education is constantly gaining recognition among students, our company has decided to create a specialized department that will work on IT software for improving the work with Microsoft Office Publisher at home and offering a framework that will benefit any size IT department (MasterIT 2009).

MasterIT (2009) design Inc. promises to offer its customers a state-of-art network operations centre keeping your systems functioning optimally and efficiently (p.1). The company also promises greater reliability and minimise business interruptions helping eliminate major interruptions like fire, tornado, earthquake and other natural disasters and ensures recovery of lost data more effectively and easily.

Back up and offsite storage that provides clients with storage solutions & allowing users extending the set of the operations. Master IT design Inc. offers a wide range of software, IT training courses throughout the United Arabian Emirates. Master IT Design specializes in bespoke software production, information systems, web applications. Conducting the business for over a decade, the company has acquired a respectable segment at the market both at home and abroad.

Master IT Design is located in Dubai, one of the biggest cities in UEA, and, therefore, it has a great success in installation of target customers whose demand is mostly oriented on specialized software production.

The customers have chosen this company due to high-quality production and services. To effectively discuss how entrepreneurship contribute to social cohesion and sustainability development, the essay will candidly discuss how their initiatives address market failures, transform innovations and financial their sustainability.

To arrive at this conclusive analysis, the essay was based on literature review, interviews with top entrepreneurs, consultations as well as popular and academic resources from both profit and non profit organizations, public polices and scholarships from reputable entrepreneurs- MasterIT for this case.

History of Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs are characterized by their ethical skills that help them identify market failures and commit their resources to affect to the neediest in the society. These sectors come into play when the government is unable to generate enough profits to respond to these problems, these sectors bridge the gap by finding market opportunities and maximizing their potential. Their innovations provide viable options for addressing market failures by seeking opportunities to create valuable solutions.

Entrepreneurs are also known to provide transformational benefit that targets sensitive activities as well as the marginalized areas that would have never been considered by the government. They exhibit characteristics of innovation, risk taking and large-scale transformation and provided fertile ground for young and upcoming entrepreneurship growth by identifying present change in social economic environment (Ashoka 2010).

Entrepreneurs have been identified to present change in social economic environment by engaging businesses in their activities. They introduce new ideas and persuading others to adopt, changing social patterns that create social problems through breaking patterns.

Transformative ideas can be seen through the invention of new technologies, methods of production, supply sources and distribution outlets and social entrepreneurs have for this case taken these innovative approaches further by devising strategies that have benefited the whole society. They combine their own innovative skills, research obtained from public sources and political influence in attaining their goals.

Their ability to involve major players in the entrepreneurship activities character sets them apart from the traditional charitable organizations. They help in testing and developing promising solutions and compliment governments role in addressing market failures that benefit citizens (Ashoka 2010).

We can guarantee that MasterIT will deliver a high-quality product, as it has been at bespoke production market for more than 10 years. The main purpose of this essay is to provide a solution to the company is to meet the needs of constant and new customers and to provide them with best quality services.

MasterIT CEO lamented that You can be sure that our training packages will take a competitive advantage in future, as they will be made according to the latest researches in the technological field (p.1). Its been evidenced that for any business to operate in the UAE, an emirate sponsor must be obtained. This therefore provides as an opportunity to obtain sponsor money and to be part of the business.

Management team

The members of our team work on tracking the supply & demand in the market, study the development of the Master IT Design competitors, develop the sales & marketing strategies for the company & thus allow it to achieve its marketing & strategic objectives.

IT department members reporting to Chief Executive Officer have taken the most of responsibilities for the training program project. However, the project team is also supported by the R&D department that informs the IT department about the latest innovation in this sphere.

They consult forums and official online sites that may contain some useful data on the development of distant training programs. As a whole, the team project consists of computer administrator and coordinator, software programmer, computer engineer, system programmer, web developers, and R&D manager. All project members report to CEO who monitoring the decision making process and scheduling.

David Hussein, computer administrator and coordinator will coordinate and inform other members about the best services and equipment that could be provided for training package design. He is also in charge of the design of the latest communication devices required for a well-coordinated work.

Software programmer will immediately deal with the training program design for Microsoft Publishers, as he knows all the nuances of work and program operation. He will also keep pace with recent modifications of the considered program in order to make correspondent amendments to it. Additionally, our programmer will take care of the security issues and provide the software package with protection programs.

More importantly, he will prepare a detailed description of the training package with help screens and adapt the program to particular users, which are IT department students. Computer engineer will be working on the program design and implementation, which is not of minor importance. He will also develop integrating software options and the hardware that will upload the applications. Finally, our highly qualified computer engineer will be responsible for the functionality of the established applications.

Out systems analyst use computer will be liable for incorporation and fulfillment of the project plan and operations involved. He will be also obliged to stay current in the computer field development for the training program to meet the students needs. He is the first person who should report to CEO, as his task also involves consulting the project team members, modifying hardware and software and searching for resources conforming to companys strategies.

Finally, out systems analyst will define the costs-efficiency of each stage of the training program project and can prepare a financial plan. Once the program will be ready for implementation, our R&D manager will evaluate the results and develop the method of software package evaluation. He will be responsible for checking this program effectiveness for Microsoft Office Publisher and conduct a comparative analysis of other similar educational programs for students to define the advantages and drawbacks.

The CEO will be in charge of project budgeting and scheduling. He will coordinate with the project advisor (sponsor) who should track the effectiveness of the work process, if necessary. Web developers will create the different sites for students to acquire additional information about different options and functionality of Microsoft Office Publisher. The hyper-links will be mentioned in each step of practical part serving as hints for a successful adaptation of Microsoft Office Publisher.

Organization strategy & objectives

Marketing plan

Marketing plan will include the creation of the specific educational Microsoft Publisher software is going to be the information analysis. Being the company that is specialized in the multimedia, it will be easy to create a multimedia approach to learning. Still, as the main purpose of the software is the college curriculum direction, our marketing plan should be integrated in the college programs.

It is significant to create educational Microsoft Publisher software that will not just reflect the topics of the program, but also will be structured according to the curriculum. This will help students follow the educational process and not get frustrated by the program when they see it for the first time.

Furthermore, it is significant to know the main steps of the work with Microsoft Publisher software. The thorough research of the main opportunities of the Microsoft Publisher software should be conducted. We should know the simplest functions the software can do and the most complicated. This information is extremely important as to design educational software for Microsoft Publisher we should organize the project according to induction rules.

The basic educational methods should be considered. We are going to conduct a literature review on the information of how new material should be presented to students and what steps should be followed. This research is crucial as creating educational Microsoft Publisher software, we should not just insert the information. Students should be taught and the basic educational rules should be followed while Microsoft Publisher software for learning creation for your college.

Promotion and brand development

First of all, we shall take the Microsoft Office Publisher as it is the focus of our design. It is crucial to accomplish students with the images they will have to work with while educational processes. The Microsoft Office Publisher 2007 is the latest version that is used in most colleges, so we are sure to use it as well.

Furthermore, on the assumption of the educational stages that are going to be presented in the educational package, the Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 is going to be discussed. Working with the multimedia products, we are free to use some additional equipment and templates that can be helpful. Furthermore, the sound and voice along with video are going to be the main technologies for educational package design.

The format of the package is the most important part of this proposal. We are going to represent you with some specific information that we plan to insert in the package. First of all, let us consider the steps for the program with your specific curriculum implementation and the multimedia elements we are going to use. Morley and Parker separate out the following multimedia elements, text, sound, graphics, video, and animation (Morley and Parker 456). Designing the best educational package, all these elements will be used.

The first lesson students will consider is the general information about Microsoft Office and the opportunities it offers. This information is important as while working with Microsoft Office Publisher, students are sure to use the other options offered by Microsoft Office. The presentation will be supported with visual pictures, animation, text, and voice messages. We suppose that it is crucial to duplicate the text with voice messages. It helps work different kinds of students memory.

When the general information is considered, students will be given an opportunity to choose the topic they want to review. Each topic comprises a number of sections that refer students to the lesson they want to train.

Such structural decision is extremely convenient as students are given an opportunity to choose the task they want to complete without coming through the whole training program from the very beginning. The topics and sections will be located according to the curriculum structure. The introductory lesson is going to start the training. Students will be shown the main opportunities of the Microsoft Office Publisher via pictures, text and voice messages.

Operational Plan

It is impossible to turn to practice without theory. The second part is the knowledge test that allows considering the level of your understanding of the material via practice. Students will be given a task and will have to follow the steps they remember from the previous section.

The check and analysis of the results is the last part of any lesson. With the help of different multimedia elements such as graphs, visualization, and animation, students will be able to see the mistakes they made. Except for the lessons, students will be offered an examination section. Choosing this option, students will have an opportunity to check their knowledge and skills in Microsoft Publisher and get a mark for their work.

Organizational learning plan

The Microsoft Publisher is the software that is studied on the Information Technologies classes. Representing the educational Microsoft Publisher software in the class (while checking the pilot for the first time), we are going to use the lessons of the information and technology. On the basis of the college curriculum and the use of the pilot package, the following outcomes are going to be achieved.

First of all, students will get general knowledge of the Microsoft Office structure. Second, the structure of the Microsoft Publisher 2007 will be considered, the pilot package will show students the main opportunities of the program. Furthermore, students will get to know where they can implement their theoretical knowledge and practical skills of the Microsoft Publisher. Still, the main purpose of the pilot package we are going to design is to teach students to use it in practice.

On the basis of the main functions of the software, the educational program we shall design will help students in creating documents of all publication types, such as brochures, business cards or calendars. Furthermore, students will be able to format these documents and change according to personal desires and needs. Students will be taught to assist, combine and edit targeted mailing lists within the program form different sources, such as Excel, Assess, and Outlook.

The individual lessons will help students pay more attention to the options they like. Turning to the more complicated functions of the Microsoft Publisher, the pilot package will be aimed to teach students manage marketing campaigns by means of Microsoft Publisher 2007 use. Also, the distribution of marketing materials will be an important skill obtained via pilot educational Microsoft Publisher package.

Financial Sustainability

Market analysts urge private organizations and business to should try and find a model that responds to their unique characters of their organizational problems. Wolk (2004) statements stressed organization to obtain their own financial sustainability that will cushion them through the hard economic times and engage in social reality projects that prefer productivity and efficient management of their resources.

He argues that businesses that adopt this approach often report good report results on organizational performance and cost benefit returns on investment. These organizations are also required to integrated financial and programmatic initiatives into business activities to effectively capture organization problems and maximize their profits (Wolk 170).

Taking into consideration the existed problems, the company will provide pilot software package in a DVD format, as it is the most widely spread multimedia platform that can store MPEG-2 audio and video information (Kipphan 1993). Therefore, ADWC students should be provided with computer with DVD drives.

DVD players cannot applied in this case, as it enables student to look through the training package for using Microsoft Publisher rather then working on different assignment designed within the program frames. However, it is possible to use some DVD carrier for the software packages in order to be able to use it at any place. In case the students are going to work at home that should also be provided with software security programs in order to roll them in random-assess memory.

Apart from hardware carriers, ADWC students should be familiar with all common Microsoft Office programs (Excel, Access, and Word) and other known formats of data storage. They should also be able to transform the information from one format to another.

As student of IT department will work at home, they should have online connection to be able to consult their professors and other web applications for fostering the learning process. Besides, they can also exchange information with each other online to share the experience and difficulties occurring during the training program implementation.

Testing and Evaluation

First of all, the pilot package will be tested in class in order to check the students learn the basics of the program. For the testing, students will be invited to the computer classes where a teacher will explain the theoretical material and will track the way student accept the information from the pilot training program.

Then, the students will be proposed to fulfill the assignment established by the program creators to check how they understand the theoretical material. Once the practical assignment is completed, students will be offered to look through other options of the program. Finally, a teacher will provide with other helpful hyper-links that might be helpful for students when working at home. The evaluation of the results will be based on the validity and reliability verification.

Project Location And Duration

The pilot implementation will be conducted with the help of ICT facilities for the project managers to accurately test and evaluate the effectiveness of the Microsoft Publisher training package. More importantly, as Master IT Design deals with exclusive production, it has the correct training software that can work out a consistent plan of publishing program implementation.

The project results are planned to be delivered in three weeks, as the training software should be properly tested and evaluated. The operation will be defied into three stages. First, the department should study the main difficulties in handling Microsoft Publishers that may appear among the students dealing with this program.

Second, the project team should conduct a research in the field and define what software platforms and technologies will fit best. This stage will take the most of the time allocated for the scheme. Finally, it is necessary to conduct pilot implementation in order to eliminate all possible drawbacks of the training program.

SWOT Analysis

I will formulate company strategies based on this analysis.

The SWOT Analysis of the Master IT Design position in the market is necessary for the development of the marketing plan presented below

In the marketing mix, product is the strongest point of Master IT Design as far as the variety of products is rather wide, constantly updated, & accessible to the customers all over the world. Prices need to become more flexible which would allow larger numbers of people to afford translation or text-processing solutions by Master IT Design Place is also at the proper level of development, meaning that distribution facilities of the company are situated all around the globe.

At the same time, promotion is another component that needs improvements, especially in respect of customer involvement & better company-customer communication. The following marketing plan is set up to make those improvements.

Cash flow

INCOME STATEMENT FORM MasterIT Design FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS
(Amounts are in $000)

Its Income statement displays a negative cash flow in the first years of business. This business was in the habit of short term planning, with simple budgets that projected only into the immediate future. This could not enable them develop new markets and extend credit facilities to their clients due to the cash flow crunches they faced as result of overtrading as the case of Master IT Design.

Master IT Design experienced overtrading within its first two years of trading since it had incurred large capital expenditure in purchasing production facility that made it difficult to meet orders it had already taken due to lack of funds.

Also, the business was not in a position to extend credit facilities to the customers and did not have enough buffers in case of such emergencies. However, Master IT Design credit availability improved over the years as the Company was able to build up on its profit base as owed to effective management of production and selling cycles.

Risk analysis

All the information presented in this analysis, other than the factual matters, are future plans projected in accordance with Master IT present plans, outlooks and strategies based on the information currently available. Risks and uncertainties experienced by the company and likely to cause changes in the application of the software include events such as;

1. Difficulties in the adaptation of the software due to the current economic downturn as well as instability in the capital markets
2. Fluctuations in exchange rates between its countrys currency and the adopting countrys
3. Numerous trade restrictions in adopting countries markets and;
4. The companys ability to provide new technologies amidst rapid technological innovations increases competition in the markets.

Conclusion

To conclude, it should be stated that the activities of every business company should be customer-oriented, & Master IT Design is not an exception. Having the product-led structure, the company currently demands a marketing plan that would facilitate its relations with the customers, make its production more available & promotion policies more customer-oriented. The offered marketing plan should be a consideration by the management of the sales & marketing department proved.

Organizations on the other hand should integrated financial and programmatic initiatives into business activities to effectively capture organization problems and maximize their profits. Incorporating new ideas from experts in the field of social entrepreneurship provides a fertile ground for young and upcoming entrepreneurship growth by identifying present change in a social economic environment.

Works Cited

Ashoka. What is a social entrepreneur? Available at; https://www.ashoka.org/en/focus/social-entrepreneurship.

Kipphan, Helmut. Handbook of print media: technologies and production methods. New York: Springer, 2001.

MasterIT. Technology working for business, 2009. Web.

Morley, Deborah and Charles, Parker. Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, Comprehensive. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print

Wolk, Andrew. Social entrepreneurship and government: A new breed of entrepreneurs developing solutions to social problems Social Entrepreneurship and Government 59 (2004): 151-221.

Microsoft Corporation has been a monopoly in computer operating systems and software market for a long period of time. It has been accused of violating anti-trust laws and using noncompetitive practices to dominate the market. The current market share of Microsoft is large, thus, enabling it to remain a monopoly in the operating systems market for decades.

Research has revealed that Microsoft has a 93% market share despite a stiff competition from other technological firms. Competitors, such as Macintosh and Linux have competed with Microsoft for a long period. However, Microsoft has managed to control the largest portion of the market. The declining innovativeness and creativity of Microsoft might have adverse effects on its market share.

Microsoft behaves like a monopoly because there are a few innovative competitors in the market. It has used several strategies that other technology firms have failed to execute in order to control and maintain the large portion of its market share. First, it has developed strong relationships with other technological companies to maintain its dominance.

For example, it has collaborated with several video and audio streaming companies to extend its monopoly in providing multimedia content to its consumers. Secondly, Microsoft has invested in emerging technology companies to eradicate competition that these companies introduce in the market. This has ensured that technological innovations are in line with Microsofts plan for dominance.

Thirdly, Microsoft has collaborated with several learning institutions, which have helped retain its dominance in the desktop market. Monopolies usually result from perpetuation of uncompetitive practices by companies or firms that prevent other companies from penetrating the market.

It is difficult for other companies to acquire a sizeable market share under prevailing conditions because of entry barriers created by Microsoft. From a legal and economic perspective, Microsofts market share is large enough for it to behave like a monopoly.

Dead weight loss refers to loss of economic efficiency by a firm, company or organization that is caused by monopoly pricing, taxes or external factors. As such, Microsoft is a dead weight loss to its economy because of several reasons. First, monopolies usually incur great expenses because they spend a lot of money in order to maintain their monopoly in a specific market.

This increases the average total cost of producing a product or service. For example, Microsoft has spent a lot of money in legal battles to maintain their monopoly. Secondly, monopolies attract high taxes from the government. The more costly a product or service is, the higher the tax a firm or corporation pays for the product or service.

If Microsoft was not a monopoly, taxes would be lower because competition from other firms would result in cheaper products that would attract lower taxes. The prices of Microsofts products could be compared to a private tax that has the same dead weight loss that most government-imposed taxes bear.

With current advancements in technology, Microsoft is gradually losing its monopoly. Despite the fact that it earns high profits from its products, Microsoft has been stagnant over the last decade. It is unable to compete effectively in emerging markets, such as development of software for mobile devices due to lack of innovation.

Judge Thomas Penfields statement that Microsoft enjoys a monopoly is true and valid. Microsoft has a large market share of operating systems that are compatible with most personal computers. In addition, it has established barriers that hinder entry of other companies and has forced consumers to depend on its operating systems due to lack of alternatives.

The judges ruling validated the claim that Microsoft is a monopoly and controls a large market share. The judge was correct because Microsoft has used anticompetitive strategies in the past to maintain its monopoly. Microsoft integrated its web browser into its operating system in an effort to eliminate competition from other software companies, such as Netscape.

Today, it collaborates with other software companies, thus, leading to anti-competitive agreements that eliminate competition from those companies. The ruling of the judge is consistent with the findings of recent studies on the dominance of Microsoft. Microsofts monopoly has elicited debates because it has eliminated competition from other companies by using anticompetitive strategies.

In addition, its monopoly has harmed consumers because they have no option but to use Microsofts browser and other software integrated in their operating system. In addition, the monopoly has resulted in high prices that have also harmed consumers adversely. The conduct of Microsoft of using anticompetitive strategies was intended to suppress competition from companies that produced products that were a threat to its monopoly.

Defenders of Microsoft have always reiterated that current technological advancements have reduced Microsofts monopoly. However, they ignore the fact that the judge put such considerations in his ruling. For example, Linux introduced an operating system that failed to quell Microsofts dominance in the market. However, with the current trend in the software market, Microsofts monopoly may soon be eradicated.

Microsoft is no longer innovative as it was in the past decades. The emergence of modern computing necessitates innovation and creativity in order to meet its demands, which Microsoft has failed to do. New entrants into the software market, such as Google are gradually eliminating Microsofts dominance.

In addition, Microsoft has failed to keep up with the demands of modern age computing, such as the need for software for mobile devices. The development of the Android operating system has presented a blow to Microsoft. Android is open-source software that gives software developers permission in order to adapt it to their needs.

Operating systems that are developed by Linux and the Apple are gradually becoming more acceptable for users. Most companies have developed operating systems that perform better than Microsofts Internet Explorer does. For example, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are some of the best web browsers. They have included features that have improved security and speed when surfing the internet.

Microsoft has not improved its browser for a long time, and that is one of the causes of its waning popularity among users. Microsofts waning dominance of the software and operating systems market is evident from its current struggles to develop applications that guarantee its monopoly in the market. In addition, the ruling by Judge Jackson was a great blow to Microsofts dominance.

Even though Microsoft currently controls a great portion of the market, its dominance is waning, and in a few years, it will not be a monopoly any longer. The creativity and innovation that are exhibited by emerging technology companies is enough proof that Microsoft will soon lose its dominance and consumers will have more options. Diversity is an important aspect of the operating systems market.

Introduction

Diversity entails the application of different ideas and perspectives in running an organization. It is based on the management of people from different races and cultural backgrounds. Diversity management is the acknowledgment of individual differences. As a concept, it is traced back to the mid-1980s. A diverse organization is identified by the profile of its employees and the just treatment of the labor force (Tchibozo & UNESCO, 2013).

There are many diverse companies in the world today. However, the author of this paper will focus on Microsoft Corporation and AT&T as examples of firms that have adopted diversity in terms of knowledge and perspective to shape their operations and strategies. The author will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of diversity policies in these entities. Diversity initiatives and outcomes, leadership commitment to the policy, as well as the incorporation of the framework into the main operations of the firms, will also be reviewed. In section two of this paper, a comparison will be made between Microsoft and AT&T, on the one hand, and Sinclair Group on the other as far as diversity is concerned.

Diversity Policies at Microsoft

The management at Microsoft acknowledges that diversity occurs in different forms. It is not limited to gender, age, or ethnicity. A diverse business organization is aware of the benefits of this policy. Such benefits include, among others, improved financial performance.

According to Syed and Ozbilgin state (2010), in Microsoft, a number of principles reinforce the firms tactical approach to diversity. For example, barriers that may impede the implementation of these policies have been removed. A number of development programs have also been established. The programs ensure that the appropriate level of diversity is achieved. In addition, the company recruits develops and retains talent to sustain a motivated workforce.

The board establishes the diversity principles after laying out the objectives. It also reviews the different mechanisms used in assessing the effectiveness of the policies. Development and implementation of diversity plans and participation of female employees in leadership positions are some of the duties carried out by this organ. In addition, the board reviews recruitment procedures to ensure diversity is upheld (Syed & Ozbilgin, 2010).

Diversity Policies at AT&T

AT&T has a history of innovation brought about by people from different walks of life. A major policy governing the firm entails the provision of equal opportunities. The management intends to create an environment that will encourage everyone to make use of their skills. Job applicants have equal chances of being employed regardless of their ethnicity or gender (Martin, 2005).

The company has put in place programs to ensure diversity is achieved at all levels. One is the training and career development program. AT&T invests in employee training to improve their careers and maximize outputs. Another approach entails talent development programs. Workers are encouraged to develop their talents and use their skills to achieve success. The organization believes that the people are the company (Martin, 2005).

Diversity Recruitment, Initiatives, Outcomes, and Leadership Commitment at Microsoft

The success of Microsoft is dependent on the skills and experience that employees bring to the company. A diverse workforce is based on the nature of enrolment procedures. At Microsoft, recruitment of talent is conducted from a variety of backgrounds (Syed & Ozbilgin, 2010). The multicultural workforce is made up of highly qualified employees serving a wide range of customers. A number of programs help the firm to retain talent. Minorities are able to raise their opinions through such channels as DAC (Diversity Advisory Council). The group mentors employees and creates cultural awareness in the firm.

Gender equality is observed too. The company intends to recruit more women in the future through its recruitment and selection policy. Workers can choose their preferred workplace based on their life patterns. They are free to work either from home or from the office. The outcomes of these policies are evident in the success of Microsoft. Leaders are committed to making sure that diversity is attained at all levels. To this end, diversity and inclusion are viewed as long term business strategies that will retain Microsofts leadership position in the industry (Syed & Ozbilgin, 2010). The objective is made clear in the companys vision and mission statements.

Through diversity management, Microsoft has enhanced its success. A number of programs and effective leadership have played major roles in this effect. Not all firms that employ diversity management prosper in business. What this means is that Microsofts approach is unique and clear (Martin, 2005).

Diversity Recruitment, Initiatives, Outcomes, and Leadership Commitment at AT&T

Just like Microsoft, AT&T believes in the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce. For example, the company provides career opportunities for students with disabilities (Martin, 2005). In addition, people from different backgrounds have equal chances of being employed based on their qualifications. In terms of workforce inclusion, the firm is fully committed to its employees. By acknowledging that a diverse labor force is crucial to its success, AT&T does its best to give everyone a chance to grow.

Diversity initiatives determine the actions taken by managers to create a positive working environment. Workers are provided with the necessary tools and resources to enhance their success. The success of the company proves that the outcomes of the initiative are positive. AT&Ts communication policy respects and protects the customers freedom of expression (Martin, 2005). In addition, underage users are protected from inappropriate content.

Effective leadership translates to working relationships with workers. The management is committed to improving diversity at AT&T. A development program has been designed to improve leadership. In a recent recruitment program, 56% of successful graduates were colored, while 53% were women (Syed & Ozbilgin, 2010). To this end, it is apparent that diversity management should be implemented correctly to enhance success.

An Organizational Diversity Plan for Sinclair Broadcast Group (Television Station)

Sinclair Broadcasting Groups Current Diversity Plan: A Critique

Sinclair Broadcasting Group (SBG) is one of the most successful companies in the telecommunications industry. A critical analysis of this film reveals that it has adopted a number of diversity policies. The company may not rank at the top with regards to diversity when compared with other similar firms. However, it is obvious that these programs are observed and promoted in the organization (Sinclair, 1997). In Sinclair, diversity is defined as the social differences existing among the various individuals working for the firm. The concept is based on inclusiveness and mutual respect for everyone in the firm (Tchibozo & UNESCO, 2013).

Any functional plan is based on a set of clear goals and objectives. Diversity policies are no different. Diversity at the workplace acknowledges the fact that people have different skills and qualifications, experience, and attitudes. For these plans to flourish, a number of principles must be put in place. One of the most important policies entails treating each other with respect and dignity. Providing a safe and healthy working environment is another principle (Myrtle, 2012). Decision making should be based on equity and justice (Harvey & Allard, 2014). Finally, actions to eliminate discrimination should be put in place. The diverse nature of the workforce must be valued for the firm to succeed.

Sinclair Broadcasting Group plans to be one of the best telecommunication networks in the world. Diversification of the company is one of the plans formulated to achieve this growth objective. The wide range of employees provides the company with a variety of ideas. Together, the diverse opinions of the workforce improve the production and delivery of services in the firm (Tchibozo & UNESCO, 2013).

A number of organizations have tried to implement diversity management policies. However, in most cases, these frameworks lead to confusion and chaos. It takes time and energy to succeed in diversity. The experience of Microsoft and AT&T attests to this. The management team at SBG is still exploring strategies that can be used to make sure that diversity increases the success of the firm (Harvey & Allard, 2014). More needs to be done to realize the full potential of this policy at SBG.

One of the benefits of diversity can be realized by increasing the number of women. According to Dobbin (2009), increasing the number of female employees has the potential of improving the financial performance of a firm. By exploiting the unique attributes of its employees, Sinclair has been able to produce a diverse range of services for the customers.

Expanding, Implementing, Training, and Auditing Diversity within Sinclair Group

Overview

Based on the companys mission and vision statements, it is possible to establish the goals and objectives of diversity. Such a move will help to develop a solid plan for the firm. To start with, the management should ensure that everyone is given a fair chance during recruitment. The process should go beyond age and experience. After this is done, training opportunities should be provided to all employees. Once nurtured, the talent should be retained in the company. A good way to retain employees is to treat them fairly, which SBG already does. In addition, their opinions should be sought and taken into consideration when making decisions. Leaders should take part in development programs to enhance their capabilities in promoting diversity. With a talented and diverse workforce, SBG will be able to achieve its goals (Dobbin, 2009). A diversity website is also a good idea. It will help in educating and promoting diversity among the entire community.

Auditing Sinclairs diversity program

The management should develop reasonable diversity goals. A varied board of administration means the availability of different perspectives and ideas during policy development. To enhance diversity, SBG should balance its existing panel of governors in terms of gender and ethnicity (Syed & Ozbilgin, 2010). The leaders should set an example for the employees. They have to be committed to knowing what is best for the organization.

At Sinclair, leadership has yielded results with regard to diversity. However, with improved plans, the company can achieve more. Defining a target market is crucial before laying out a plan. To this end, SBG has been able to offer high-quality services to clients. Around 40% of American homes subscribe to services from this company. Diversity in service delivery has played a major role in this. The chief executive officer makes the overall decisions. However, it is the work of the board to advise them accordingly. All the different approaches used in achieving a diverse community have been successful. Creating a multicultural center has played a significant role in this end (Dobbin, 2009). The creation of a task force specializing in the definition of mission and vision statements will promote diversity.

Other strategies can be employed to achieve these objectives at Sinclair. One of them includes hiring a Chief Diversity Officer. The work of this officer will be to oversee the formulation and implementation of all initiatives aimed at enhancing diversity. In addition, they will be responsible for the attainment of the firms various objectives.

A major limitation of SBGs existing diversity plan is gender balance (Syed & Ozbilgin, 2010). A plan to increase the number of women in the workforce is necessary. The plan will entail special recruitment programs for female candidates. Retaining them will also be made a priority. In addition, efforts should be made to treat them like other members of the workforce.

The Benefits of the Proposed Diversity Program for Sinclair Group

The proposed plan offers a stronger diversity policy compared to the existing framework. For example, under the new arrangement, any work associated with diversity is overseen by one chief officer. Work will be simplified into smaller tasks handled by specialized personnel. In addition, increasing the number of women will improve the performance of the organization. The issue of sex will be adequately addressed using the proposed diversity website. Regardless of whether one is gay or transsexual, all employees will be treated equally since everyone has their strong areas (Dobbin, 2009)

Specific Courses of Action

Embarking on the plans outlined above and improving on the current policies will improve organizational diversity at Sinclair. One specific course of action will entail reviewing the companys recruitment and retention strategies on an annual basis. According to Myrtle (2012), such a move helps in making sure that the diversity plan in a given entity is up to date. Another approach involves setting up a diverse management board. The board will be responsible for decision making. According to Harvey and Allard (2014), diverse ideas provide a wide range of options as far as operating a firm is concerned. As such, the plans outlined in this paper are appropriate.

Conclusion

Diversity management entails the acknowledgment of individual skills and uniqueness in a workforce. Based on the experience evidenced in Microsoft and AT&T, it is apparent that diversity is a necessity in every business organization. However, the implementation of these policies should be carried out in an informed manner. The reason is that diversity strategies may lead to chaos and disorganization in a firm. According to Martin (2005), a competent management team is needed to implement these plans. First, the team determines the goals and objectives of the undertaking and then comes up with policies that can benefit the entire firm. The developed rules may touch on recruitment and communication policies. Sinclair Broadcasting Group is a diverse entity. However, gender is one of the limiting factors with regard to diversity at Sinclair. By employing the plans recommended in this paper, the company will establish a multicultural workforce that will help it to achieve its objectives.

References

Dobbin, F. (2009). Inventing equal opportunity. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press.

Harvey, C., & Allard, J. (2014). Understanding and managing diversity (6th ed.). Hoboken: Prentice Hall.

Martin, D. (2005). Tough calls: AT&T and the hard lessons learned from the telecom wars. New York: AMACOM.

Myrtle, P. (2012). Diversity in organizations (2nd ed.). New York: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Sinclair, J. (1997). The business of international broadcasting: Cultural bridges and barriers. Asian Journal of Communication, 7(1), 137-155.

Syed, J., & Ozbilgin, M. (2010). Managing cultural diversity in Asia: A research companion. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Tchibozo, G., & UNESCO. (2013). Cultural and social diversity and the transition from education to work. Dordrecht: Springer.

Introduction

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation program developed in 1984from a soft aware that used bullet lists and overhead projectors. It allows the user to create slides, handouts and notes. The slide shows can incorporate text, graphics, videos and animations fully agree with Edward Tufte. In that PowerPoint is an antisocial setup where the speaker dominates the audience by highlighting the main points to followers in bullets form. The slides should be used by the speaker to outline their talks but not merely to summarize their content. PowerPoint promotes format over content that brings about commercialization rather than an educative presentation.

The time used for presenting Edward Tufte (2000) in his assessment of the NASA reports the report was classified into 3 reports totaling up to twenty-eight slides. According to the psychology of presentation skills the first fifteen minutes are the most crucial minutes of the presentation as after that people become boring and tiring and therefore their level of concentration lowered.

Summative Headings

The captivating headings diminish the existence of subtitles and rest of the text. The presenters captivate on impressing the general audience with titles by using different font sizes, color underlined and bolded and therefore pull the reader away from the most important features in the slides and therefore the engineers overlooked the reports by Boeing Corporation engineers.

The styles of writing Genevieve Liang (2000) mostly affect the students in the elementary school whereby they do exercises and then post them through the internet. It mostly consisting of ten to twenty summative words. This inhibits flawlessness in essays and therefore should be discouraged and students encouraged to use better software like Microsoft windows which allows the use of full sentences and the teachers can be able to know whether a certain concept was understood.

A statistical way of analyzing data

Visual reasoning is more effective when important information is put together for comparison purposes. The more the information is detailed the more the understanding and clarity. This is important in fundamental analyses of statistical data. After the completion of my undergraduate studies I went for my internship in one of the research companies. I was sent to one of the provinces for a three months research on the factors contributing to the widespread of a certain disease so I prepared well and did my research in good time and prepared my slide show well but in presentation I was confused in my interpretation of my graphs and charts as there not clear there was a mix up between the vertical and the horizontal axis and couldnt elaborate on my conclusions and findings.

Conclusion

Powerpoint is a good slide manager and a projector, but has been misused in that PowerPoint should be used to supplement a presentation rather than take over the whole presentation. Compliment PowerPoint presentation with excel for statistical representation of data, therefore I would recommend the use of printed reports as they provide all the information required rather than bullet presented points. In schools PowerPoint presentations should be discouraged completely. Students should be encouraged to write in continuous prose to improve their writing skills.

References

1. Tufte, E (2003) lousy PowerPoint presentationsthe fault of pp users. Web.
2. Liang, G (2000) five experts Dispute Edward Tufte on PowerPoint.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Development of software products which have wide recognition among the users with user-friendly features.
• Multinational presence in more than countries minimize cultural difference to sustain the growth (Fill, 2002).
• Loyal and committed workforce motivated by good compensation and stock options enables the company to retain highly skilled individuals (Davenport, 1997)
• Relatively rapid technologically advanced new products and software applications.
• Wide global brand reputation and customer loyalty. Highly innovative nature and customer-focused (King, 2004)

Weaknesses

• During the development stage, the company failed to anticipate growth opportunity in Internet and lost major share to Google.
• Dependency on hardware manufacturers to pre-install Microsoft products in their personal computers and other hardware products
• Perceived by many as an unethical corporation involved in destroying the competitors market position by unethical means
• Lost reputation because of legal entanglements in anti-trust cases.

Opportunities

• Development in global information and communication technology has opened new avenues for product development
• Mobile phone applications and personal digital assistants represent possible growth opportunity
• Increase in use and demand for personal computers in American and other global markets provide continuously enlarging market for the company.
• Synergies from the core competencies of the firms acquired by the company following an aggressive acquisition strategy.
• Partnerships and alliances with PC manufacturers would enhance the growth potential

Threats

• Stiff competition from other market players like Apple Linux poses a real challenge to the growth.
• Hardware manufacturers like Sun Microsystems, Oracle, and IBM have found new collaborators for platform technologies reducing the importance of Microsoft products and applications.
• Issue of their own pre-bundled programs on their hardware by manufacturers like Oracle, IBM and Apple has affected the importance of Microsoft products significantly
• Absence of strong presence on mobile phones, hand-held computers and other wireless products for internet access is a serious threat to the growth of the business.
• Unauthorized or illegal trading in unlicensed products undermines the scope of expanding the business.

Changes in External Environment and Impact on Opportunities and Threats

The external factors that can have an impact on the growth potential of an industry are the changes in macroeconomic situations, technological changes, changes in legislative frameworks, socio-cultural changes and changes in the competitive position (Business Wire, 2007). The recent change in the global economic situation has in general affected the purchasing power of people. This has resulted in a decline in the market demand for the PCs and consequently has hit the sales potential of Microsoft products. Fiscal year 2009 has witnessed a 3.2% decline in sales which is caused by legal charges and severance claims from employees who have been laid off in addition to drop in overall PC and server sales (Miller, 2009). Technological changes in the area of operating system developed by Linux and Sun Microsystems has largely affected the potential of Microsoft to expand its sales in its core products (Miles, 2000). The greatest threat for the company is its dependence on Windows and a suite of desktop applications produced 14 years ago for 80% of its sales and 140% of profits despite the rapid development in the technology (Murphy, 2005). Changes in legal environment prompting European and US Justice Departments to file antitrust lawsuits have been one other threat to the company to sustain its growth. However the positive changes in the socio-cultural environment with more number of people using personal computers at homes and offices has enlarged the opportunity for the company to grow. Despite the criticisms and negative publicity the company could ensure its sales growth till fiscal 2008 and the global economic downturn caused a slight dip in sales during fiscal 2009. Stiffer competition from Linux in corporate environments has been acknowledged by Microsoft, even though Microsoft could withstand the competition from Linux in Desktop segment (Millard, 2004). IBM another serious competitor planned to invest $1 billion during 2004 to meet the competition from Microsoft (Linux online, 2004).

Conclusion

With its large volume of sales and massive employee strength, the company has developed bureaucracy at all levels. This has made the company miss several opportunities in Web-server platforms and search engine segments. While Google and Yahoo! get 70% of the search engine queries, Microsofts MSN gets only 13%. It is for Microsoft to analyze the underlying reasons for the backwardness and introduce new concepts and selling points so that the company can build up its strength in this large segment. The company has to come out of its mid-life crisis with focused research and development in Web-server software and other Internet based applications rather than concentrating on refining and developing more of desk-top applications. Corporate network is another major area where the company can enter in to new inroads. With its huge cash reserves and talented employee pool the company can involve itself in more innovative products through continuous research and developments in the identified areas to increase its competitive strength.

Reference List

BusinessWire, 2007. Research and Markets: Microsoft Corporations Strengths and Weaknesses Examined Using SWOT. Web.

Davenport, T.H., 1997. Knowledge Management at Microsoft. Web.

Fill, C., 2002. Marketing Communications: Contexts, Strategies and Applications (3rd Ed). UK: FT Prentice Hall.

King, D.R.K., 2004. Enhancing SWOT Analysis using TRIZ and BIPOLAR Conflict Graph: A

Case Study on the MICROSOFT Corporation. Web.

Linuxonline, 2004. IBM Will spend $ 1 Billion to challenge Microsoft.

Miles, S., 2000. Linux Closing in on Microsoft Market Share Study says.

Millard, E., 2004. Microsoft Battles Linux Threat. Web.

Miller, R., 2009. Microsoft sees First Annual Sales Decline in its history for fiscal 2009.

Murphy, V., 2005. Microsofts Midlife Crisis. Web.

Key Points of the Article

Significance of organization culture imbued in mission and vision statements

Microsoft has been in existence for almost half a century and its mission is one that inspires workers to change the world. Organizational culture is an aspect imbued in the perpetual character of a company and it determines the originality of an organization, which sets it apart from similar players in the market.

Diversity as a profits regulator

Maintaining originality and all the ethical and other principles that form an organization is not easy. However, despite the need to change to adapt to market forces of the tie, it is necessary to retain some originality that consumers can associate with the company.

Analysis of the Article

Speaking in an interview with WSJ, Ballmer, the CEO for Microsoft, opined that whereas the initial mission that Bill Gates-co founders mission was to have a computer on every desk in every home, the new Microsoft is now more concerned with giving all its users the ability to achieve their full potential. A case in point here would be in reference to the power outages mentioned in the first systemic review and the ability of those CEOs to continue working as long as they had a smartphone with a running battery.

Microsoft has launched a new Smartphone-Windows Phone 8, which was created with the idea of a touch screen, yet incorporating a windows operating system therein including the office. This practically makes the phone a small computer, which justifies the discussion of the Microsoft tab that is not too far removed from that of Apple and Android. What sets Microsoft apart despite the almost obsolete state of PCs, which are still dominated by Microsoft throughout the world, is that Microsoft maintains its organizational culture in its never-changing, but constantly updated operating system. Additionally, although Mr. Ballmer posits that the mission statement has changed, it has not done so in an overly dramatic fashion but has instead matured into its present form.

Secondly, the unique or original nature of Microsoft has ensured that the company still derives profits from old projects, manages to keep clients loyal and confident in the brand, and impress them with innovations that serve to build upon the older ones. The reasoning behind Windows Smartphones was that the user was already accustomed to using the OS in a PC and so s/he could easily convert skills and apply them in the phone. However, the company has been faring poorly in view of competition within the mobile technology department. In a bid to prevent a recurrence of this scenario, the windows phones are different from other iPhones and thus uniquely Microsoft. Secondly, the retail stores are stocked with educated salespersons that move the products and thirdly, the company has just undertaken to revitalize its advertisements for the phones produced

Conclusion

Microsoft is a major player in the technological industry. If anything, it was the founding father for PCs all over the world. However, technology has since evolved, and apparently, Microsoft has remained behind. However, the communication giant is back on its feet with the launching of a Smartphone and a tablet fully rigged with the windows operating system. This trend is promising and if Microsoft stays on track by maintaining the uniqueness and fully-fledged advertisement, it might yet again raise above all its rivals in the technology industry.

Works Cited

Ovide, Shira. Ballmers New Mission for Microsoft.The Wall Street Journal, 2012, Web.

Productivity is what managers demand from their employees no matter what. However, it is necessary to understand that any work team needs to be carefully motivated especially during an economical recession. People are likely to have their working abilities adjusted to their fears and overall situation in society. Although it is hard to keep every single employee in a good work shape separately, well-performed motivational techniques may enhance a groups working abilities greatly.

There are various Organizational Behaviors that contribute to how successful a company is. More important is how successful one within a company is. There are the two most essential components that have to be taken into consideration: the motivational behavior and stress factor. The latter two are used to denote how successful a person can be dealing with stress and being motivated, of course, with the help of the company that is likely to provide good conditions to its employees in order to overcome stress. However, there is another side of the stress present within the working process. An interesting fact is that a good manager will be able to use stress positively. Namely, the eustress used wisely may cause enhanced focus on a work goal and arousal of extra energy, which also results in a good work performance eventually. Of course, the number of stress factors is enormous nowadays in the globalized society of the Unites States. For example, 75% of Americans consider their job stressful because of the downsizing throughout many companies of the country. Another reason for stress is a position taken by a person that does not fit his/her type of personality.

Providing the example of how Microsoft Company treats the employees will explain one of the best motivational techniques used to make the employees achieve successful results within the recession period. One of the motivational techniques used by Microsoft is employee empowerment. Microsoft is one of those famous companies known for innovations in technology and staff treatment. Having over 4,000 millionaire employees, Microsoft does not pay much attention to the pay rises as motivational techniques. However, what matters is conveying the importance of every person within a company. For that Microsoft gives an opportunity of recruiting new members of the team by experienced employees. The statement made by Microsoft executive The mantra Spread the Love, which speaks to employees spreading the word about Microsoft, as well as the recruiting organization giving back to our employees to enable and recognize their ambassadorship speaks for the utmost of trust of chiefs towards their employees (McLeish, J. 2008). What is more important is that Microsoft realizes that employees make the company, without people company cannot exist, that is why the power is given in order to exercise it by employees for the prosperity of the company. It is essential to note here that this kind of motivational technique brings fruitful results in terms of an overall fear of downsizing. People get more motivated knowing that they are not only out of the downsizing process, but also control the process of hiring others because they are trusted. It is one of those techniques that enable people to be responsible for the companys image and reputation, whereas money would not make the same effect.

Motivation represents those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal-directed (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2008, p. 210). For example, Merck & Co. exercise motivational monetary incentives. This causes much persistence of the employees as one answers for oneself and is trying to earn more contributing to the overall success of the company. Here such motivational theory as Affect Perseverance is applicable. The concept of this theory lies in the nature of human feelings that tend to exist independently of facts and evidences. Namely, when a person is strongly motivated with money for a long time, the feeling of emotional preference continues even when the funding is reduced. A good example of such motivational theory is the love of woman to a thoughtful man; the love does not disappear even when a man becomes aggressive or abusive. The same happens with diligent employees, performing their work responsibilities well before the recession they will continue do it during the recession and downsizing. However, critically analyzing the concept of monetary incentives in has to be noticed that this kind of motivations effect is not as prolonged as Microsofts one, for example. The stress caused by the fear to lose ones job can be reduced only with the help of psychological impacts, such as entrusting the important responsibilities to the employees. This way a happy workplace is more likely to be created when employees seek more than simply earning money.

Nevertheless, Rosenbluth in his book The Customer Comes Second argues that Profits are a natural extension of happiness in the workplace. And If we put our people first, theyll put our clients first. Therefore, the opinions about the means of creating a happy workplace differ. Rosenbluth, an owner of a family-run Travel Management Company, speculates that in order to create a happy workplace, the foremost thing is to build friendly relations among employees. The second element is to hire only nice people. Having friendly relations may save you from complete downfall during the economic recession. Since a double-dip recession is now a more serious threat than inflation, it is important to encourage people to do better in their duties, though they are already good at performing those (Hopckins, 2011).The microclimate is vitally essential for creating a nice workplace during the recession. This kind of climate, of course, is created by managers. The latter should monitor to what extent employees understand what their company is doing, and what is even more important the employees should know that the chiefs care for them. People have to know that their work is important and valued. The reason for that is the following: economic recession causes downsizing, once people know their work is meaningful and they are valued, the stress of being fired is reduced, hence employees become more relaxed, and a happy workplace is created.

In conclusion it is important to mention that a happy workplace makes a successful company. There are many motivational techniques that make one successful within the entire company. People are feared to face the boot nowadays. In order to reduce stress companies seek the most effective ways to motivate employees and thus enhance companies position at the world and American market. This will entail the overall prosperity of an organization and a nice microclimate at the workplace because people will not be afraid for their work place. As seen from companies examples above, the best motivational techniques are monetary incentives and getting involved with the success and image of the company.

References

Hopckins, K. 2011. Times MPC Calls for Rates to Remain on Hold as Growth Slows. The Times. Web.

Kinicki, A. and Kreitner, R. 2008. Organizational Behavior: Key Concepts, Skills & Best Practices. 4^th ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

McLeish B., J. 2008. Successful Marketing Strategies for Nonprofit Organizations: Winning in the Age of the Elusive Donor. Hoboken: Wiley.

Competing on Talent

To successfully compete for talent, Microsoft offers many options to potential employees. First, the company provides a relatively high salary in the labor market. In addition, employees receive options on the companys shares, making them equity participants (Chebolu & Nair, 2021). Moreover, employees may spend most of their time outside of work, as management encourages work-life balance. In addition, Microsoft offers a quality development program that attracts people with high potential.

Recruitment Practices

In recent years, the number of stages of interviews at Microsoft has decreased markedly. Now the candidate is going through four or five interviews, including a meeting with an employee of the HR department, a direct supervisor, and a manager from an adjacent department. Communication with the manager helps better assess the prospects for a persons career growth (McShane et al., 2021). The company does not use tests. The candidates competencies are assessed during the interview and immediately conclude the work experience of a potential employee. For top managers and interns, there are business cases that help determine how a person will behave in business.

Training and development of employees

The company tries to develop the abilities of its employees. At the same time, they understand that people have different inclinations and talents: some want to grow and become bosses, others want to improve in their current work (Schwind et al., 2019). HR specialists talk to each employee to understand how he sees his career at Microsoft. Based on these data, a personal development plan is drawn up. The company adheres to the concept of 70-20-10 (Chebolu & Nair, 2021). Here they believe that 70% of the success of an employees development depends on how far he goes out of his comfort zone at work, 20% on whether he can learn from others, 10% on theoretical training (Chebolu & Nair, 2021). Projects, mentors, and activities are selected for each employee following his development plan.

Microsofts internal learning is based on two dimensions  more accessible access to content and motivation. A simple but effective motivator is a badge with information about completing a business school course, posted on social networks and included in a resume. The worlds leading business schools partnered with Microsoft to create concise online MBA courses that allow employees to complete a theoretical approach in two months (Chebolu & Nair, 2021). Thus, employees can complete practical tasks, discuss issues with colleagues, get feedback from professors and immediately apply new skills in working with the customer.

References

Chebolu, R. M., & Nair, J. (2021). Microsoft: Building a Collaborative Work Culture to Foster Innovation. IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20(4).

McShane, S., Tasa, K., & Steen, S. (2021). Canadian Organizational Behaviour (11th Ed). New York: McGraw Hill.

Schwind, H., Uggerslev, K., Wagar, T., & Fassina. N. (2019). Canadian Human Resource Management (12th Ed). New York: McGraw Hill.

Issues

Microsoft depends on the sale of computer hardware by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for the sale of its software products. However, the dominance of PCs in the market is waning slowly. Mobile electronic devices are the technological devices of the future.

These mobile devices include smartphones, tablet computers, and entertainment devices. Microsoft has been unable to capture this market. Google and Apple are some of the companies that are dominant in this market. Microsoft attempted to launch a smartphone to capture this market. However, the launch was unsuccessful.

Development of various technological products threatens to lead to the obsolescence of Microsofts products. Cloud computing is one of the technological developments.

Developments in cloud computing would pose a serious threat to the company since it sells its software products in a box. This necessitates the company to undertake huge investments in cloud computing. This would enable the company to exert its influence in this technology at its early stage of development.

The huge size of Microsoft makes it difficult for the company to make decisions quickly. This reduces its competitiveness. The ability to make quick decisions enables companies in the industry to launch new products quickly.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Microsoft has a strong brand name.
• The company has good financial performance.
• Microsoft software applications dominate the market.

Weaknesses

• The large size of the company increases its bureaucracy.
• The company is unable to attract talented employees.

Opportunities

• Venturing into emerging markets would increase profitability of the company.
• Acquisitions would increase the competitiveness of the company.
• Collaborations with companies that manufacture smartphones would increase the competitiveness of the company.

Threats

• There is stiff competition in the smartphone market.
• There is a significant reduction in the sale of PCs.

EFE Matrix

Microsoft has a rating of 3.7 from the EFE matrix. This value is significantly lower than industry average. In ability to attract talented employees is one of the major problems that the company faces. In addition, stiff competition in the smartphone market poses a serious threat to Microsoft.

Alternative Courses of Action

The technology industry is poised for a new revolution. The revolution favors the development of mobile devices. The internet would be one of the major means that companies would use to offer various products. It is a fact that Microsoft lags behind in the development of various products that respond to the current needs of the market. Therefore, the company should use its financial muscle to force its way into the market.

Vertical integration is one of the methods that the company may use to force its way into the market. The company should acquire smaller companies that offer cloud computing and online security services. During the early stages of the development of the PC, Microsoft used this strategy to dominate the market. Using a similar strategy would enable the company to conquer the market.

The company may also form strategic collaborations with various companies that manufacture smartphones. The company should provide software that would help in running the smartphones of these companies. This strategy would enable the company to increase the sale of various software devices. It would help in countering revenue losses due to the reduction in the sales of PCs that use the companys operating system.

Microsoft may also strive to develop various products that respond to the market trends in-house. It is a fact that the company has vast experience in developing various successful products. The company should tap into this knowledge to develop products that would be successful in the market.

Prioritization of the Course of Action

Vertical integration is the most efficient strategy that the company should use to force its way into the market. Vertical integration would enable the company to acquire the capabilities of other companies (Thompson & Martin, 2010). This would enable Microsoft to improve its competitiveness. However, it is vital for the company to ensure that it reorganizes its management structure.

This would ensure that vertical integration does not increase the bureaucracy of the company (Hill & Jones, 2009). The bureaucracy of the company may limit the efficiency of vertical integration. Forming strategic collaborations would also enable the company to force its way into the market.

However, this strategy may not enable the company to conquer the market. The development new products in-house may not improve the competitiveness of the company. Microsoft does not possess the capabilities that would enable it to develop products that would conquer the market.

Implementation Plan

It is vital for Microsoft to ensure that launches successful products as soon as possible. Failure to launch successful may make the company lose its competitive edge. This would make it difficult for the company to launch successful products in the future. Vertical integration would enable the company to acquire the capabilities of other companies. In addition, it would acquire the products of the company.

This would help in improving the image of Microsoft. Microsoft should use the acquisitions as a launching pad to introduce other products. Microsoft should acquire companies that manufacture various mobile devices.

In addition, the company should acquire companies that provide cloud computing and online security services. Microsoft should ensure that it incorporates the services of these companies into its new product offerings. This would enable the company to improve the competitiveness of its products.

References

Hill, C. & Jones, G.R. (2009). Strategic management: An integrated approach: Theory. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

Thompson, J.L. & Martin, F. (2010). Strategic management: Awareness & change. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

Microsoft has been a leader in the operating systems market for many years. From the companys foundation, the presentation of Microsoft Office programs, and their first operating system named, Windows 95, Microsoft was the trendsetter in its field, and even today, they continue to grow. However, it is impossible to achieve something without mistakes and failed periods. In 2005 Microsoft acquired strong competitors, such as Play Station in terms of entertainment, Apple for phones, and Google for web services. That is the reason why they needed to restructure to stay competitive hereafter. Even though the 2005 restructuring did not achieve its goals, the 2013 Microsoft reorganization was crucial for the companys future perspectives and a vital step toward its growth.

Overall, 2013 was a year of ups and downs for Microsoft. Last years Windows 8 failed, and the company continued to recover from its crisis. People started to prefer tablets over computers, and that directly affected the sales of their new operating system. However, in 2013 Microsoft strongly developed its cloud services and began to compete in the market. Satya Nadella was the head of the Cloud and Enterprise Engineering Group at the moment and became new Microsofts CEO after Ballmer because of his success.

The company was in a bad state primarily because of Ballmer. He was contradictory in his impact on Microsoft, which is why investors raised the companys shares when he announced his retirement next year. Many people blamed the company during Ballmers management for a belated movement to the mobile market and untimely decisions in general. Microsoft needed a fresh impulse and a new leader that shareholders would trust, understand how to use the strengths of the company, and make the weaknesses stronger.

The main reason for the 2005 failure was that Microsofts divisions were competing with each other for resources and did not cooperate enough. The company did not take the lead in the search engine or mobile phone markets. The companys then-CEO Steven Ballmer created a plan called One Microsoft that was meant to help the company develop and get out of the crisis. It can be seen today that this reorganization was a significant and needed decision. Nadella replaced Ballmer as CEO in 2014 and made the system more collaborative, as well as made an accent on cloud services. That way, Microsoft became one of the leaders in cloud computing with Azure, which challenged Amazon in this field. In 2019s April, Microsoft became one of the three US public companies worth over a trillion dollars, along with Amazon and Apple (Danh, 2020, para. 11).

Microsofts shares constant growth is only one of the reasons why this company is moving correctly and competently. Even though the 2013 reorganization needed many changes to work right, it can be seen that One Microsoft was the impulse that the company needed to rehabilitate.

To conclude, One Microsoft was a good idea that saved the company and helped Microsoft to stay competitive. The company founded decades ago needed a change to grow, develop and remain relevant for modern people. The 2013 reorganization was significant for the companys future and its outlook. This restructuring caused many challenges but was the beginning of something promising. As a result, Microsoft became one of the leaders in the global market of cloud computing and came to unprecedented heights.

References

Danh, V. (2020). One Microsoft vision in 2020 hindsight. Medium. Web.