Presented to: Tariq Rafique Sahib MBA-B,B5

Table of Contents
STAGE – I (1975–1985: THE FOUNDING OF MICROSOFT)....................................................................................................2
STAGE – II (1985–1995: OS/2 AND THE RISE OF WINDOWS)..............................................................................................3
STAGE – III (1995–2005: THE INTERNET & XP).............................................................................................................4
STAGE – IV (2005–2007: VISTA AND MORE TRANSITIONS).................................................................................................4
COMPETITORS........................................................................................................................................................11
CRITICISM..................................................................................................................................................................12
ANTI-COMPETITIVE.........................................................................................................................................................12
FREEDOM AND PRIVACY..................................................................................................................................................12
MISREPRESENTATION...........................................................................................................................................13
INDEX..............................................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................................................16

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Presented to: Tariq Rafique Sahib MBA-B,B5

Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Corporation is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual
revenue of US$44.28 billion and 76,000 employees in 102 countries. It develops, manufactures,
licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices. Headquartered in
Redmond, Washington, USA, its best selling products are the Microsoft Windows operating
system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software. These have all achieved near-
ubiquity in the desktop computer market, approaching fulfillment of Microsoft's original goal, "A
computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software.” Microsoft possesses
footholds in other markets; with assets such as the MSNBC cable television network, the MSN
Internet portal, and the Microsoft Encarta multimedia encyclopedia. The company also markets
both computer hardware products such as the Microsoft mouse as well as home entertainment
products such as the Xbox, Xbox 360, Zune and MSN TV.

History & Achievements

The History & Achievements of Microsoft Corporation can be defined in four stages of
development

Stage – I (1975–1985: The founding of Microsoft)

Bill Gates known as the creator of the new microcomputer, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry
Systems, offering to demonstrate an implementation of the BASIC programming language for the
system. Gates left Harvard University, moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where MITS was
located and founded Microsoft there. The company's first international office was founded on
November 1, 1978, in Japan, entitled "ASCII Microsoft" (now called "Microsoft Japan"). On
January 1, 1979, the company moved from Albuquerque to a new home in Bellevue, Washington.

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A DOS (Disk Operating System) was the operating system that brought the company its real
success. On August 12, 1981, after negotiations with Digital Research failed, IBM awarded a
contract to Microsoft to provide a version of the CP/M operating system, which was set to be
used in the upcoming IBM Personal Computer (PC). For this deal, Microsoft purchased a CP/M
clone called QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) from Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer
Products, which IBM renamed to PC-DOS. Later, the market saw a flood of IBM PC clones after
Columbia Data Products successfully cloned the IBM BIOS, and through aggressive marketing of
their own QDOS derivative, MS-DOS, to manufacturers of IBM-PC clones Microsoft rose from a
small player to one of the major software vendors in the home computer industry. The company
expanded into new markets with the release of the Microsoft Mouse in 1983, as a well as a
publishing division named Microsoft Press.

Stage – II (1985–1995: OS/2 and the rise of Windows)

On November 20, 1985, Microsoft released its first retail version of Microsoft Windows.
Originally, Graphical extension for its MS-DOS operating system. In August, Microsoft and IBM
partnered in the development of a different operating system called OS/2. Around one month
later, on March 13, the company went public with an IPO, priced at US$28.00. In 1987,
Microsoft eventually released their first version of OS/2 to OEMs. In 1989, Microsoft introduced
its office product named Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office is a bundle of separate office
productivity applications, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and so forth. On May 22,
1990 Microsoft launched Windows 3.0.The new version of Microsoft's operating system boasted
such new features as streamlined user interface graphics and improved protected mode capability
for the Intel 386 processor; it sold over 100,000 copies in two weeks. Windows at the time
generated more revenue for Microsoft than OS/2, and the company decided to move more
resources from OS/2 to Windows. In the ensuing years, the popularity of OS/2 declined, and
Windows quickly became the favored PC platform.
In 1993 Microsoft released Windows NT 3.1, a server-based operating system with a similar user

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interface to consumer versions of the operating system, but with an entirely different kernel. In
1995, Microsoft released Windows 95, a new version of the company's flagship operating system
which featured a completely new user interface, including a novel start button; more than a
million copies of Microsoft Windows 95 were sold in the first four days after its release. The
company later released its web browser named Internet Explorer.

Stage – III (1995–2005: The Internet & XP)

In the mid-90s, Microsoft began to expand its product line into computer networking and the
World Wide Web. On August 24, 1995, it launched a major online service, MSN (Microsoft
Network), as a direct competitor to AOL. MSN became an umbrella service for Microsoft's
online services. The company continued to branch out into new markets in 1996, starting with a
joint venture with NBC to create a new 24/7 cable news station, MSNBC. Microsoft entered the
personal digital assistant (PDA) market in November with Windows CE 1.0, a new built-from-
scratch version of their flagship operating system, specifically designed to run on low-memory,
low-performance machines, such as handhelds and other small computers. Later in 1997, Internet
Explorer 4.0 was released for both Mac OS and Windows, marking the beginning of the takeover
of the browser market from rival Netscape. The year 1998 was significant in Microsoft's history,
with Bill Gates appointing Steve Ballmer as president of Microsoft but remaining as Chair and
CEO himself. The company released Windows 98, an update to Windows 95 that incorporated a
number of Internet-focused features and support for new types of devices. In 2001, Microsoft
released Windows XP, the first version that encompassed the features of both its business and
home product lines. XP introduced a new graphical user interface, the first such change since
Windows 95.Later, Microsoft would enter the multi-billion-dollar game console market
dominated by Sony and Nintendo, with the release of the Xbox.

Stage – IV (2005–2007: Vista and more transitions)

In 2006 Bill Gates announced a two year transition period from his role as Chief Software
Architect, which would be taken by Ray Ozzie, and planned to remain the company's chairman,

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head of the Board of Directors and act as an adviser on key projects. Windows Vista is
Microsoft's latest operating system, released in January 2007. Microsoft Office 2007 was released
at the same time; its "Ribbon" user interface is a significant departure from its predecessors.

Products
In order to get the best output Microsoft has been divided into three divisions.

Microsoft Platform Products and Services

Divisions

Operating System’s Utilities Software Development

Windows 3.1. MSN Hotmail. Microsoft Visual Studio. NET.

Windows 95. MSN SQL Server.
Windows 98. Messenger. Exchange Server.
Windows 2000. Microsoft online
Windows 2000 server. magazine.
Windows Me. Windows Live
Windows Server 2003. Messenger.
Windows XP. The online
Windows Vista. service MSN.
The cable
television
station MSNBC.

The following products are produced under this division; this is the most important division of
Microsoft.

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Microsoft Business Division

The Microsoft Business Division produces Microsoft Office, which is the company's line of
office software.

No. Microsoft Office Function

1. Microsoft Word A Word Processor.

2. Microsoft Access A Personal Relational Database Application.

3. Microsoft Excel A Spreadsheet Program.

4. Microsoft Outlook. Exchange Server (Organizer).

5. Microsoft Power Point Presentation Software.

6. Microsoft Front Page A HTML Editor.
7. Microsoft Publisher Desktop Publishing Software
8. Microsoft Visio Visual Representation Software.
9. Microsoft Project Project Related Software
10. Microsoft InfoPath -
11. Microsoft OneNote -

Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division

The Entertainment and Devices Division of Microsoft includes following things

No. Entertainment Hardware Entertainment Software

1. Microsoft Xbox 360 Age of Empires

2. Windows CE Halo
3. Windows Mobile Microsoft Flight Simulator

4. MSN TV Microsoft Zone

5. Digital Video Recorder (DVR) -

Information

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The Head office of Microsoft is in USA, there are 71,172 employees working, with offices all
over the world including Pakistan. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the
worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential. More information is given below.

Board of Directors
No. Name Information

1. Steven A. Ballmer Chief Executive Officer, Microsoft Corporation

2. James I. Cash Jr. Ph.D. Professor, Harvard Business School

3. Dina Dublon Former Chief Financial Officer, JPMorgan

Chase
4. William H. Gates III Chairman, Microsoft Corporation

5. Raymond V. Gilmartin Former Chairman, President and CEO, Merck

.Inc

6. David F. Marquardt General Partner, August Capital

7. Charles H. Noski Former Vice Chairman, AT&T Corporation

8. Dr. Helmut Panke Former Chairman, BMW AG

9. Jon A. Shirley Former President and Chief Operating Officer,

Microsoft Corporation
Location & Operation Centers
The Information about the Location & Operation centers is given below

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Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-7329
Head Office USA
Tel: (425) 882-8080
Fax: (425) 706-7329
Web site: http://www.microsoft.com

Role Location

Licensing, Dublin, Ireland

Manufacturing,
Operation Centers
Operations and
Logistics.

Manufacturing Humacao, Puerto Rico,

USA

Licensing and Reno, Nevada, USA

Operations

Operations and Singapore

Logistics

Looking Ahead
Microsoft’s progressive shift toward Software-plus-Services is reshaping and transforming our
existing offerings—and informing our roadmap for the future. Take a look ahead at what a
future of connected software and services could bring to the world. Applications and services
that once stood apart become far more valuable when taken together. Business moves faster,
ideas flow more freely and people grow more deeply connected

Media Resources

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At Microsoft Research, we have an insatiable curiosity and the desire

to create new technology that will help define the computing experience. Whether inspired by a
suggestion from a customer or simply the search for a better way, we’re driven to innovate and
push the state of the art in computer science as far as our imaginations can reach. To that end, we
collaborate with universities; submit papers for peer review, and partner with product groups to
bring our research to you.

Life at Microsoft Research

Find out what it’s like working in one of the six Microsoft Research labs or centers around the
globe.

India (Bangalore, India)

Established in January 2005, the India lab conducts long-term basic and
applied research in several areas.

Asia (Beijing, China)

Since its founding in November 1998, the Asia lab has been Microsoft’s basic
research arm in the Asia-Pacific region.

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New England (Cambridge, MA, U.S.)

Opened in July 2008, Microsoft Research New England continues to build on
Microsoft’s commitment to advance the state of the art.

Cambridge (Cambridge, U.K.)

Founded in 1997, the Cambridge lab conducts basic computer science
research on a wide variety of topics.

Redmond (Redmond, WA, U.S.)

Founded on the Microsoft Redmond campus in 1991, the Redmond lab has
most of the computer scientists working at this location.

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Silicon Valley (Mountain View, CA, U.S.)

Founded in August 2001, the Silicon Valley lab focuses on distributed
computing research. In January 2006, the Silicon Valley lab merged with
Microsoft’s Bay Area Research Center in San Francisco.

Extreme Computing Group (Redmond, WA, U.S.)

Formed in June 2009, the extreme Computing Group (XCG) develops radical
new approaches to ultra scale and high-performance computing hardware
and software.

Functional Breakout (Worldwide)

Role Employees
Business Group 34,557

Sales & Marketing Support Group 33,637

Operations Group 2,978

Competitors
Symbol Company Name Last Change % Change Volume

MSFT MICROSOFT CORP 30.48 -0.48 -1.55 31.92 M

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AAPL APPLE INC 210.732 -0.908 -0.43 12.58 M

GOOG GOOGLE INC 619.98 -2.75 -0.44 1.22 M

ORCL ORACLE CORP 24.53 -0.40 -1.60 17.71 M

Criticism
Anti-competitive
Since the 1980s, Microsoft has been the focus of much controversy in the computer industry. The
majority of criticism has been for its business tactics, often described with the motto "embrace,
extend and extinguish." Microsoft initially embraces a competing standard or product, then
extends it to produce their own version which is then incompatible with the standard, which in
time extinguishes competition that does not or cannot use Microsoft's new version. These and
other tactics have resulted in lawsuits brought by companies and governments, and billions of
dollars in rulings against Microsoft. In January 2009, Opera Software ASA filed a complaint to
the European Commission stating that Microsoft's inclusion of Internet Explorer with Windows-
based personal computers is a violation of European competition laws.

Freedom and privacy

Free software proponents point to the company's joining of the Trusted Computing Platform
Alliance (TCPA) as a cause of concern. A group of companies that seek to implement an
initiative called Trusted Computing (computing in which a computer is not only secured for its
owner, but also secured against its owner as well), TCPA is decried by critics as it allows
software developers and platform controllers to enforce indiscriminate restrictions over how
consumers use software, and over how computers behave. “Large media corporations (including the
movie companies and record companies), together with computer companies such as Microsoft and Intel,
are planning to make your computer obey them instead of you.” Advocates of free software also take
issue with Microsoft's promotion of Digital Rights Management (DRM) and total cost of

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ownership (TCO) comparisons with its "Get the facts" campaign. Digital Rights Management is a
technology that allows content providers to impose restrictions on the methods by which digital
media is used on consumer hardware; and subsequently, detractors contend that such technology
may infringe on fair use and other rights, especially given that it restricts legal activities such as
re-mixing or reproduction of material for use in slide shows or the resale of the goods by the
customer.

Misrepresentation
The "Get the facts" campaign argues that Windows Server has a lower TCO than Linux and lists
a variety of studies in order to prove its case. Proponents of Linux unveiled their own study
arguing that, contrary to one of Microsoft's claims, Linux has lower management costs than
Windows Server. Another study by the Yankee Group claims that upgrading from one version of
Windows Server to another costs a significant fraction (a quarter to a third) of the switching costs
from Windows Server to Linux, even for large enterprises, and that the other major reasons for a
switch away from Windows servers were the increased security and reliability of Linux servers
and a chance to escape the Microsoft "lock-in." In 2004, the Advertising Standards Authority
(ASA) of the UK warned Microsoft that an ad from the campaign which claimed that "Linux was
... 10 times more expensive than Windows Server 2003", was "misleading", as the hardware
chosen for the Linux server was needlessly expensive. The ASA's complaint was that "the
measurements for Linux were performed on an IBM zSeries [mainframe], which was more
expensive and did not perform as well as other IBM series." The comparison was to Windows
Server 2003 running on two 900 MHz Intel Xeon CPUs. David Meyer writing on Zdnet.com
pointed out that, "Microsoft has a long history of applying for, and being granted patents for,
inventions that many argue—and can sometimes demonstrate—were based on earlier work
carried out by others, or based on a common, self-evident idea." This was in response to its 2008
patent application for the ability to progress in page-up or page-down increments with a single
keystroke — a method that has been pervasive for decades.

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Index

A M
AAPL................................................................................12 Mac OS...............................................................................4
Albuquerque........................................................................2 Mexico................................................................................2
AOL....................................................................................4 Microsoft Redmond...........................................................10
applied research...................................................................9 Microsoft Research...........................................................10
Asia lab...............................................................................9 MITS...................................................................................2
B MSNBC..............................................................................2
N
Board of Directors...............................................................5
C NASDAQ............................................................................7
Netscape..............................................................................4
computing experience.........................................................9 NT 3.1.................................................................................3
connected software..............................................................8 O
CP/M...................................................................................3
D OEMs..................................................................................3
OS/2....................................................................................3
derivative............................................................................3 Q
Digital Research..................................................................3
E QDOS.................................................................................3
R
Encarta multimedia.............................................................2
encyclopedia.......................................................................2 Ray Ozzie............................................................................4
G Ribbon.................................................................................5
T
GOOG...............................................................................12
Graphical extension.............................................................3 than a million......................................................................4
graphics...............................................................................3 W
H
wide range...........................................................................2
Harvard University,.............................................................2 (
Headquartered.....................................................................2
J (PDA)..................................................................................4
(XCG)...............................................................................11
Japan, entitled......................................................................2

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References
1. www.google.com/wikipedia

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