For a business entity to achieve its goals and objective, it needs strategic planning. Strategic planning is a like blue print, which guides an entity into realizing its goals (Grünig et al., 2005). With an organization like Microsoft, it is vital to have strategic plan that will make the firm competitive in the market place.
After assessing Microsoft’s financial reports, it is clear the company has developed strategic plan initiatives that will ensure the firm grow and expand. The main focus of Microsoft Strategic plan initiatives is mobility. Since the company business operations are mainly centered on wireless software, the plan seeks to expand the mobility strategy significantly in the future. In order to achieve this, Microsoft plans to increase its market share by using Microsoft 8 operating system for smart phones.
The Smartphone industry is an area which the company plans to focus in the future. Currently there are five Smart phones which are in the market and some of them run on the windows 8 operating system. Statistics show that, Microsoft holds 10% of the smartphone market share while its major competitor holds 36% (Aaker et al., 2007) . Microsoft hopes to narrow the gap and if possible be the leader in the Smartphone industry thorough introduction of new operating systems.
According to Microsoft management, Strategic partnerships have played a vital role for the company’s’ strategy for expansion and technology leadership (Marshall, 2009).The company’s hopes the recent partnership with Nokia Corporation will ensure the company’s business operation expand. Fortunately, the partnership has seen Nokia introduce a new Smartphone in the market, that is the Nokia Lumia. The Nokia Lumia uses a Microsoft designed operating system.
Since the launch of this device, Microsoft and Nokia Corporation have conducted extensive marketing which they hope will ensure increased sales. Although the implementation of the Microsoft initiatives will result in the company incurring costs the firm believes implementation of these initiatives will boost the company’s sales. Increased sales will lead to the firm growing.
References
Aaker, D. A., & McLoughlin, D. (2007). Strategic market management. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Grünig, R., Kühn, R., & Kühn, R. (2005). Process-based strategic planning. Berlin: Springer.
Marshall, H. A. (2009). Corporations and partnerships in Virginia. Charlottesville, Va.: Virginia CLE Publications.
