SWOT Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

SWOT Analysis - Essay Example The Microsoft mission is â€Å"to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential†. The implied vision is to be the preferred provider of software , devices and services for people as Microsoft fulfills that mission (Microsoft, 2013). One goal that can be addressed with the use of a strategic plan is to continually aim for a diverse and inclusive workplace. On the other hand, the goal to provide tools and services to partners in a particular market, such as Finland, can be addressed with an operational plan (Microsoft, 2013; Brown, 2013). The company has deep financial strengths and a diversifying product and services portfolio, with its traditional cash cows Windows and Office being complemented by healthy growth in areas such as servers and tools, as well as its entertainment assets that include Xbox. It is also starting to flex its muscles in cloud computing, and mobile computing. Its large revenues and large profit margins coupled with aggressive investments in acquisitions and R&D, together with its wide presence in a large number of related technology areas, make Microsoft a bulwark of strength (Microsoft, 2013; CNN, 2012; Google, 2013; Capital Traders Group, 2013). While the company has monopoly control of large swaths of computing in enterprises and in personal computers, it is lagging severely in mobile computing and in many facets of online computing, including search and social media. These translate to poor positioning moving forward in the fastest growing areas of computing, with Google and Apple leaving Microsoft behind. These are areas of weakness that Microsoft have been slow to act on, and catch up with the big players in those spaces (Vousvounis, 2013). There are many opportunities for Microsoft moving forward, among them opportunities to get cloud computing right, as well as