Case studies are an essential learning strategy in business classes as they provide an opportunity for you to critically analyze events that have taken place in real-life businesses. This develops your critical thinking and research skills as you research the competition and industry in which your business resides in order to formulate a recommendation for the challenges faced by the company.
Evaluate this case and respond to each of the following questions using both theory and practical managerial thinking.
Evaluate Microsoft’s product and marketing evolution over the years. What has the company done well, and where did it falter?
Evaluate Microsoft’s recent expansion into areas such as search engines and smartphones. Do you think these are good areas of growth for Microsoft? Why, or why not?
Review the potential ethical implications of Microsoft’s situation. How might they revise their strategies to align with good ethical practices?