Case Study: Comprehensive Product Portfolio For Microsoft

I decided to do my research on Sony due to the advancement in technology and the competition between companies such as Microsoft, Apple, and Sony. I have been around long enough to know about Sony’s products but the real reason that attracted me to them for this essay is because I actually believe that they are having a negative trend. I am starting to see less Sony items in stores and I haven’t really heard much about them. Whereas companies such as Apple are constantly being talked about and you often see people walking around with some type of apple product in their hands. Today we are going to research Sony through a horizontal analysis and through different ratio analyses. Let’s see what we find!

Sony can also differentiate themselves in the market by employing a consumer-focused positioning strategy. A consumer-focused positioning strategy revolves around consumers. This strategy can be tailor made to the audience by using social media, apps, and other online platforms to engage, access, and directly communicate with consumers (Positioning(marketing), n.d.). Being consumer focused is in line with Sony’s new planning

When we study the tangible resources of Microsoft, we discover that it has a very large cash reserve (approximately $66 billion) and a low leverage ratio of 0,79 in 2014. These matters indicate the company has the reserve to invest and that they can finance growth by debts (if necessary). It is important to underline this point as it impacts directly the key strategic points Nadella has stated. Capability wise, Microsoft is very effective when it comes to continuous improvements, engineering and technical know-how, and research capability.

Over the past few years the economy in the United States has taken a downturn. It has been so bad, that some businesses were not able to survive. However, Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft) was not one of those companies. The fiscal strength of Microsoft played a large part in providing the company with the ability and resources to survive the difficult financial markets (Microsoft Corporation, 2009). As a

Therefore, marketing is all about identify as well as being committed to consumers needs. I have the pleasure of stating that this organization have successfully built a market that is loyal to their customers. Sony has alway created dissimilar products that allows them to build capital and become a leader within their respective industry. By working internally dealing with each divisional labor department to ensure correct research training as well as planning their marketing mix to serve the global community.

Guided by a belief that the computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers. Gates' foresight and his vision for personal computing have been central to the success of Microsoft and the software industry. Under Gates' leadership, Microsoft's mission has been to continually advance and improve software technology, and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable for people to use computers. The company is committed to a long-term view, reflected in its industry-leading investment in research and development each year (Microsoft, 2011).

One company that appears to have a gap between its mission and its capabilities is Microsoft. The software giant has long had a problem with respect to innovation, and continues to rely on aging franchises for the bulk of its revenue. It was left out of the mobile operating systems boom and has failed to be a leader in either software or consumer electronics as a result (Clarke, 2010).

Microsoft operates in many geographic locations around the world and are behind the world’s most popular desktop operating system in the world. Microsoft is primarily a software company but have flexed their arms into internet services and are behind certain products in consumer market which is directly against Google. Microsoft’s market includes end-customers, enterprises and institutions just like Google. Some of the key Microsoft products are Bing which is a search engine just like Google.com and Microsoft ad center which is a direct

In the history of Sony, they tend to have many failures in creating a technology or gadgets. They fail to make the consumers accept the thought of their gadget. One example is the Betamax. But on the other hand Sony continuously innovate their products and they also in tend to create new ones. Sony is also the one

Microsoft Corporation is one of the largest and most influential companies in the personal computer industry. It has won several awards for innovation, for their commitment to diversity, and for their flexible work arrangements. It has always been a leader in the market with regard to its compensation. With 80,0004 employees across the world, having more than $15 billion revenue, it is one of the biggest and best‐known technology companies in the world.

Microsoft Corporation is one of the largest and most influential companies in the personal computer industry. It has won several awards for innovation, for their commitment to diversity, and for their flexible work arrangements. It has always been a leader in the market with regard to its compensation. With 80,0004 employees across the world, having more than $15 billion revenue, it is one of the biggest and best‐known technology companies in the world.

Microsoft's core competency is software development, which has led to the creation of massive sales of software applications. Microsoft has a competitive edge because of the control it exerts in the operating systems segment of the industry. When the company established the intent to make Windows, the standard operating system of the future, it sets its resources into motion. In a way, Microsoft forces other software manufacturers to use Windows as a platform for its software application. The result was major competitive advantage for Microsoft as other software manufacturers were preoccupied converting to Windows platform. Microsoft's dramatic growth and profitability has enabled to invest a large amount of cash flow into its core products as well as core competencies, which has led to economies of scale and scope. Microsoft has been able to develop core competencies resulting from collective learning in the organization, which can come from coordination of diverse production skills or the integration of multiple streams of technologies.

Product innovation is the task of creating new products that customers will love with keeping in mind the necessity of taking a different path that consumers will want to follow. Through product innovation it’s possible to identify consumers respond which shows what works and what doesn’t. Such customer’s response is responsible for the competitive advantage of any company. Walkman is a Sony brand name which is used to identify its own portable audio cassette players. Walkman brand is used to market Sony 's portable audio and video players with different model, colour and functionality. The Walkman is basically introduced by Sony in 1979 to bring a change in the music listening habits by allowing people to carry music with them. It also enables them to listen music through lightweight headphones. As the brand is currently operating its business globally, it certainly goes through huge change in its design, operation and feature from its inception. This the reason of choosing Walkman brand as topic of the report.

Microsoft became the global leader of software services and internet technologies for the computing industry in the early 90’s. It provides wide range of products & services and is involved in developing manufacturing, licensing and supporting software support. Microsoft’s software product includes operating system, business solution aps, computer and server applications as well as software development tools. Microsoft offers different range of services from its five

Sony has a strong reputation on the domain of digital and audio technology. However, Sony was a marginal player in the handset industry with 2% of market share. Previous attempts to enter the US and European markets both failed due to poor knowledge on mobile technology. Sony was too slow to move away from its traditional businesses such as music stereos, televisions, VCR and DVD, hence a partner who could provide expertise knowledge was needed.