ABSTRACT
Since the conception of Microsoft in the garage of owner Bill Gates, the company has been growing at an exponential rate. The company's popularity began with the introduction of the MS-DOS program that provided computer companies with a more user friendly operating system. Microsoft's profit margin increased with the release of Microsoft Windows, a program that facilitated operating systems use by novice personal computer users. With strong financial backing, the company has branched throughout the PC operating systems market. It is now concentrating on the sectors that it does not already dominate, that is, the Internet and corporate computing. Microsoft's strategies at all levels are fused with computer innovation that has enabled it to become the world's dominant supplier of software products. Microsoft monitors principal competitive factors like product features and functions, ease of use, reputation, and price. Microsoft is now venturing into China, the world's fastest emerging market.
