...Competitive Strategies Student Name Professor Name BUS 508 Contemporary Business Date Differences of Apple and Microsoft corporate culture Scully (2011) gave a bird's eye view of Apple and Microsoft corporate culture. He said "In Steve's world, 'No compromises'.' In Bill's world, 'Hey, compromise is alright. We'll get it right the third time. We just want to have a land grab'." According to Scully, the two have entirely different approaches, both very, very successful. But in the era of consumer electronics, the Steve Jobs approach is a hands-down winner. Williams (2011) said that if there is one key difference between Microsoft and Apple, it is secrecy. Apple rarely shows its hand before a product is ready to ship. Microsoft usually offers sneak previews of products months, sometimes years, in advance. Sethi (2012) revealed the two corporate values that Apple implements - value and cost culture: When it comes to customers, Apple applies the notion of value. For example, Apple’s pricing strategy that is driven by its focus on the value. The customer is willing to pay a price that is equal to the product's perceived value to the customer. However, as long as the customers are satisfied, Apple is under no obligation to reduce its prices. When it comes to workers' wages and working conditions, Apple uses its dominant market position or buying power to acquire these services at the lowest possible price, thus keeping the largest share of the profit for itself and...
Words: 1239 - Pages: 5
...Collaboration vs. Competition: The Effect of Culture on Innovation Kenneth Davis August 8, 2014 MBA 622 Creativity and Innovation in Business Professor Cindy Atchley Collaboration vs. Competition: The Effect of Culture on Innovation Microsoft, the most dominate software company of the 1990’s, has slowly been eclipsed by companies like Apple and Google. How? What is it that Apple and Google do as businesses that have made them more valuable to both investors and global markets? “Until recently, Microsoft has always been able to attract some of the world’s greatest software minds for most of its history.” (Govindarajan, 2010). The answer lies not with a lack of talent. A significant cause can be found in the differences between their corporate cultures. For every product category that Microsoft once dominated: music, operating systems, and social media, they have now been surpassed by their rivals. Microsoft Corporation, though still hugely profitable, showing revenues in 2013, of $21.5 billion, is no longer seen as a technology innovator (Microsoft Corporation, 2013). It is rapidly losing relevancy as people look to more innovative companies. Dick Brass, former vice president at Microsoft from 1997 to 2004, in his article “Microsoft’s Creative Destruction,” describes Microsoft’s corporate issues this way, “Unlike other companies, Microsoft never developed a true system for innovation. Some of my former colleagues argue that it actually developed a system to...
Words: 1305 - Pages: 6
...Competitive Strategies: Apple Vs. Microsoft Paul Brouse BUS 508 February 4, 2013 Competitive Strategies: Apple Vs. Microsoft Since the mid-80s Apple and Microsoft have been locked in a heavy weight battle to become king in the technology industry. While Apple released its first Macintosh computer in 1984, Microsoft followed shortly after with the release of Windows 1.0 just a year later. The two struggled to gain a foothold on the market, and have been trying to outdo one another ever since. Corporate Culture Apple has long been known to have a very uncompromising corporate culture. For years Steve Jobs ran the company as a perfectionist who, while very successful, was not typically willing to alter his vision in any way. Where some corporations are a collaboration between the ideas of many individuals with some give and take, Apple products were almost one hundred percent Steve Jobs uncompromising vision. With Microsoft Windows maintaining a huge market share in the personal computing business, Apple never swayed from the concept of putting their Mac OS only on Apple hardware, instead of licensing it to various hardware manufacturers so that it may be on a wide variety of systems. Apple has always been about the vision of Steve Jobs, and the man was almost more of a designer than a technology guru, which is an indication of why the Apple iPhone with its superior design has been so successful. Another noticeable concept of Apple’s corporate culture is its secrecy with new...
Words: 1517 - Pages: 7
...Question 1: Determine how each corporate culture differs from the other. When computing, software tools, and consumer electronics are mentioned, two companies immediately come to mind: Apple and Microsoft. While the two are alike, with the innovation of computer products, their corporate cultures show where the two differ and how it affects the success of the business. Apple was started by three men but one continued work for Apple on and off up until his demise, Steve Jobs, Apple's most important corporate culture. Jobs knew how to “leave something to the [consumers] imagination” creating utter excitement and the patience for the item to release. What led Apple to success was by running Apple as a startup corporate culture and the fact that “no other business is tougher on its partners by enforcing strict codes of secrecy” (Colvin et al., 2013). The strategies Job put into place seem to make Apple “a brutal and unforgiving place, where accountability is strictly enforced, decisions are swift, and communication is articulated clearly from the top to ensure no misunderstandings” (Lashinsky & Burke, 2011). Jobs held every person in place of power more and more accountable by “eliminating passive aggression and encouraging debate as new ideas are formulating” (Merchant 2010). This teaches leadership and ensures that Apple can and will continue its “computing and software duties” long after his tenure is up. It’s hard to argue this may be an undesirable strategy with the continued...
Words: 957 - Pages: 4
...DOS, OS/2, Windows, AIX, and Linux. The two main operating systems are Windows and Linux/Unix. “And they have a competitive history and future” (Haas). Before we get into the technicalities of either operating system, let’s examine the environment that these two systems evolved from, or the culture from whence they came, if you will. “Corporate culture pertains to the identity and personality of the company we work with, either in the private or public sectors. All companies have a culture; a way they behave and operate. They may be organized and disciplined or chaotic and unstructured. Either way, this is the culture the company has elected to adopt” Brice, (2012). “Microsoft may appear to some people as a company without culture, but that impression changes upon entering the Sigma Building, which houses Microsoft Research Asia. Chatting with the great minds at Microsoft Research Asia, one is reminded of an open university that knows no boundaries. “Mentors” here are erudite but never short on passion; “pupils" are diligent and willing to take risks. This is where “Microsoft culture” resides” (Wu, 2009). On the other hand, “Linux is not driven by a corporate culture of in-house programmers. Profit and dividends are not its end goal. Its open-source mindset is a welcome challenge to...
Words: 1073 - Pages: 5
...Kettering University Department of Business MGMT 659 - Strategy Summer 2013 Prof. Irish BUS Project – Microsoft Rakan Mogaddam Contents 1 Current Situation Analysis 3 1.1 Past Performance Indexes 3 1.1.1 Ratios 3 1.1.2 Industry Competitor Comparison 4 1.2 Strategic Posture 4 1.2.1 Mission Statement 5 1.2.2 Vision Statement 5 1.2.3 Strategies and Policies 5 2 Corporate Governance 6 2.1 Board of Directors 6 2.2 Top Management 7 2.3 Stakeholders 8 3 External Environment 9 4 Internal Environment 10 5 Analysis of Strategic Factors 14 6 Alternatives & Recommendations 15 7 Implementation and Control 17 8 Evaluation Scorecard (Kaplan) 18 References: 20 Current Situation Analysis 1 Past Performance Indexes 1 Ratios The ratios of Microsoft can be used to analyze how well the company is performing according to its investments and recent profits. The following are a few ratios for the year ended June 30, 2013: 1 Credit Ratios 1. Current Ratio: 271% This ratio tells us the relation between the current assets and liabilities of the company. 2. Quick Ratio 266% This ratio tells us how liquid our assets are. This means how quickly we can change our assets into cash. 2 Profitability Ratios 1. Return on Assets 12.69% It tells about...
Words: 2833 - Pages: 12
...organizational learning, management practices and modern technology can enhance individual and organizational creativity. Sales at Best Snack have been slipping and the issue has been identified as a complacent corporate culture that has managed business in one way for too long. The organization needs a shakeup, a change of culture that embraces change, innovates and is continuously looking for the next big idea. Describe the Situation Issue and Opportunity Identification (At least four issues and opportunities must be identified) During the last check the snack food industry has changed. Consumers now buy product based on price rather than banned loyalty, Best Snack has historically been the number 1 or 2 snack vendor in the industry. Sales have slipped and stock prices have fallen over the last 2 years. Several smaller companies are pushing Best Snack and the company is in danger of losing even more market share. Best Snack due to the companies long standing success has been slow to change or alter any research, development or marketing activities. The organization has become complacent. Best Snack did not anticipate or see the changing nature of the snack food market. The company became comfortable in the way the organization has always done business and as a result the culture lacks creativity and innovation. Creativity and innovation is the lifeblood for a company and can create a competitive advantage. It is human nature to resist change. Resistance to change can take...
Words: 2845 - Pages: 12
...humanitarian disaster. Microsoft is going to fulfill its corporate social responsibility, it organizes a group of professional technicians to provide technology software and hardware with which a refugees' registration system could be created and through collaboration with NGOs, with UNHCR and organizations that were taking care of the many displaced victims. Microsoft employees initiated a project that would become wide cross-sector collaboration. Loyal to its field of competence, Microsoft donated cash, software, technology assistance, and volunteers' working hours. As things stabilized, Microsoft began to partner with other companies assisted UNHCR in the overall project management pro-bono and provided pro bono time from employees to help roll out the technology in various refugee camps. In the same period, the counter-examples of CSR also alert public to pay attention to the fact that time and space were shrinking rapidly for international business and citizens: globalization had started to leave its marks, financial and business had globalized as well as risks. At the same time, the progressive development of partnerships, ISO and Social Accountability norms and the Triple Bottom Line concept had started to influence a generation of business leaders. It became increasingly clear that good citizenship would need to be closely connected to the corporate mission and not be an "add-on." At the very same time, Microsoft went through a revision of its own corporate mission: “to enable...
Words: 2502 - Pages: 11
...Describe the Culture at Devils Den? The Culture at Devils Den is that of a laissez-faire attitude where things are done in an uncontrolled manner. There are rules and regulations but these rules are not applied by managers. Employees demonstrate and practice unethical behaviors and go unpunished. Employees who are students steal food and give to their friends. Some even take home food which is a practice that is against the rules. The managers at the Den either do not care or are afraid to enforce rules and regulations. Identify and discuss the drivers of unethical behavior at the Devil’s Den. The drivers of unethical behavior at the Devil’s Den are the lack of proper control by the management of College Food Services (CFS) which is a contract company that runs the restaurant business at the school. Because of laxity in management, employees get away with unethical behaviors and this only go to embolden them to keep on doing things they know is not allowed such as accessing the unlocked storage door to retrieve food for their own personal gains and self-interests. The managers do not want to take action because they feel this would deter the student employees from working for CFS. The contract company only pays a little over the minimum wage level. The pressure to entice employees to CFS makes management to look the other way when employees practice unethical behaviors. This is evidenced when an employee was caught pocketing money from the register and...
Words: 998 - Pages: 4
...Instructor's Name Course Title 2 February 2016 Microsoft Microsoft Corporation Introduction Microsoft Corporation is a multipurpose and multinational company based in America. The corporation is headquartered in the Redmond, Washington. It mainly focuses on the development, licensing, supporting and selling of the computer electronics, computer software, personal computers and the affiliate services. The corporation is mainly recognized for its software products including the operating systems, the Microsoft office suite among others. It has a high profile reputation of quality services and products that are consumed by both large-scale and small-scale consumers. The paper intends to analyze and deduce the factors of operation of the corporation. That includes the mission statement, the vision statement, culture, SWOT analysis amongst other attributes that determine the extent in which the corporation is an outstanding performer. Mission, Vision, Goals, and culture Mission At Microsoft, the central mission is to enable the people, as well as, the businesses across the international borders to realize their absolute potential. Particularly, the corporation considers it a mission to focus on the commitment to the customers. As such, the corporate attempts to articulate the full measure of the mission by striving to ensure that it creates outstanding technology. The technology is also developed...
Words: 2909 - Pages: 12
...Organizational Analysis Microsoft is a technology leader focused on helping people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential. Microsoft Vision According to the Microsoft web page global diversity and inclusion are integral parts of Microsoft’s vision, strategy and business success. In essence is the recognition of the fact that leadership in the global market place requires a corporate culture and business environment where the best and brightest diverse minds with varied perspectives, skills and experience work together to meet the consumers demand. This culture attracts, develop and retain the best talents out there. It also aids Microsoft to be more innovative in developing their products and services and lastly but not the least serve the needs of an increasing global and diverse customer and partner base.[1] According to Steve Ballmer CEO Microsoft has its vision as “to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential.” The animating vision for the company is not to build a brand new world; it is simply, to build Microsoft. Microsoft Mission Microsoft has its mission as to provide full commitment to its customer. They deliver this by striving to create technology that is accessible to everyone of all ages and abilities. Microsoft is one of the industry leaders in accessibility innovation and in building products that are safer and easier to use. Values/Philosophy Microsoft as a company, and individual, value integrity...
Words: 1906 - Pages: 8
...Microsoft and Google are two popular, world renowned and widely recognized corporations. They have been competing most recently in the technology sectors with their competing search engines, Bing, and Google. The primary purpose of this report is to identify and analyze the two companies, their origins and corporate cultures, and determine which one would make the better investment opportunity. Microsoft Corporation is a public, multinational business that is headquartered in Washington State, that develops, creates licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services primarily related to computing through its various product divisions. Microsoft is best known for dominating the world’s computer operating system with their Microsoft Windows line however has many other successful ventures in the industry. Established on April 4, 1975 by two friends Paul Allen and Bill Gates, Microsoft has become the world’s standard when it comes to computing software. Some of their more popular products include the Office Microsoft Suite, popularly used as the standard in offices all over the world, Bing the internet search engine, and Xbox 360 entertainment platform, including Kinect, which is designed to provide a unique variety of entertainment choices for individuals and families through the use its devices and online services. While Microsoft’s corporate culture is hard to pinpoint they have been described as a company who fosters innovation and creative thinking. Individuals who...
Words: 2892 - Pages: 12
...CORPORATE CULTURE SECRETS OF FIVE COMPANIES EMPLOYEES LOVE How innovative companies are creating ways to build company culture while seeing tangible benefits. INTRODUCTION Creating the right culture for your company could be the best investment you ever make – and often, it doesn’t cost a dime. The world’s most innovative companies find hidden value by operating outside of established business culture. Time and time again, competitors are left asking, “How did they do that?” CORPORATE CULTURE SECRETS OF FIVE COMPANIES EMPLOYEES LOVE The answer is simple: Culture. The right culture fosters innovation, finds talent in unexpected places, and empowers employees at all levels. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but the following examples from leaders of innovative company culture will help you adopt a mindset that inspires greatness. /02 CORPORATE CULTURE SECRETS OF FIVE COMPANIES EMPLOYEES LOVE FOSTERING INNOVATION WHILE DEVELOPING EMPLOYEES If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff will just take care of itself. Tony Hsieh, Founder and CEO, Zappos.com /03 FOSTERING INNOVATION WHILE DEVELOPING EMPLOYEES Ideas From Everywhere (IFE) is a program for CareerBuilder employees, launched nearly 8 years ago as part of a company decision to adopt a strategy centered on innovation. In essence, employees are encouraged to submit their ideas for new businesses within the company. Their fellow employees are then asked to vote for the best idea...
Words: 1590 - Pages: 7
...behind companies, corporate culture and corporate identity are always two important topics people will refer to. Some worldwide well-known brands, such as Apple, Samsung, Nokia or Enron, corporate culture and corporate identity have an enormous impact on their way to big names or final bankruptcy. This essay attempts to explain the background to organisational culture, the definition of corporate identity, and then to explore how does corporate identity affect and how is it affected by corporate culture in more detail via using Apple as an example. A summary and conclusion will be drawn at the end of this essay. Background to organisational culture Organisational culture is a complex and multi-facet conception. The notion of organisational culture has been explored by social scientists over the past decades. Andrew Brown stated the definition of organizational culture in his book Organizational Culture as follows: “Organizational culture refers to the pattern of beliefs, values and learned ways of coping with experience that have developed during the course of an organization’s history, and which tend to be manifested in its material arrangements and in the behaviours of its members.”1 According to Ravasi and Schultz, organizational culture is a set of shared mental assumptions that guide interpretation and action in organizations by defining appropriate behaviour for various situations.2 Martins and Martins thought organisational culture as “a system of shared...
Words: 1805 - Pages: 8
...Leadership | The Leader as a Strategist Report | LASA 1: Assignment 2 | | Crystal Watkins | 5/26/2012 | This Paper will consist of an analysis of the strategic cascade of Microsoft. It will also include a SWOT analysis that will answer some primer questions. And a synthesis of the information evaluating the ability of the organization to implement the strategy using Kouzes and Posner’s Five Practices as a framework. | Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, United States that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions. Established on April 4, 1975 to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800, Microsoft rose to dominate the home computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. Microsoft is one of the largest software corporations in the world that has diversified in recent years into the video game industry with the Xbox and its successor, the Xbox 360 as well as into the consumer electronics and digital services market with Zune, MSN and the Windows Phone OS. [ (Microsoft, 2012) ] Primarily in the 1990s, critics contend Microsoft used monopolistic business practices and anti-competitive strategies including refusal to deal and tying, put unreasonable restrictions in the use of its software, and used misrepresentative...
Words: 2875 - Pages: 12
