r 1 in the Software production industry, and is Number 2 in the distribution of Internet browsing software.
The growth prospects for Microsoft in the software industry, and in the computer industry in general are limitless, since the company has experienced an average annual growth of 28 percent, and Microsoft software controls 9 out of 10 computers in the world (Bank & Wilke, 1998).
The business philosophy of Microsoft can best be described as aggressive creativity. Although the company is facing charges of unfair competition, its founder, Bill Gates, is flexible in approach and willing to change (DeLong, 1998). The overall philosophy of Microsoft is quality and service.
Until recently, Microsoft could be said to "own" the computer PC Software market, but the advent of UNIX and other operating systems that can compete with Windows technology does pose a threat that the company is not ignoring (Postrel, 1997, 5).
The reason behind this is that businesses all over the world want to maximize their Internet connectivity and want more powerful servers. However, Microsoft's current Windows NT just isn't up to the biggest jobs.
Even Microsoft's own 30-million-member HotMail E-mail service still runs on a version of Unix more than a year after Microsoft bought the startup. Microsoft software is world class and the company has a policy
I. C. Industry Structure or Market Share
According to the testimony presented at the recent Microsoft antitrust hearings, the company's Windows operating system operates more than 90 percent of the home computers in existence, which would imply that it also has a predominant position in non-Microsoft software, since it is to the distinct advantage of a software developer to make sure that the software is compatible with the Windows system.
Microsoft is the largest software company in the world. Microsoft is in an industry that reinvents itself every 12 or 14 months, and so ...