Preview

Microsoft - Unethical Practices Essay Example

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2286 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Microsoft - Unethical Practices Essay Example
Table of Contents

1 Introduction 2

1.1 Origins of Microsoft 2

1.2 Historical Background 2

2 What are the unethical practices by Microsoft? 2

2.1 Software bundling by Microsoft 2

2.2 Predatory Practices 4

2.3 Evangelism Practice 5

2.4 Unethical Labor practices 6

6 Conclusion 8

7 REFERENCE LIST 9

Introduction

Microsoft is huge in its industry; most people say that it is actually a monopoly. Bill Gate is the chairman of Microsoft with his long time college friend Paul Allen as the companies’ vice president. In the beginning, Bill and Paul started Microsoft Inc. from their dorm room writing computer program code for local companies. A new microcomputer was created in 1975 by MITS computer and Bill and Allen wrote a computer program language for the microcomputer (Altair). Bill and Paul moved to New Mexico to be close to MITS computer and they named their new partnership Microsoft.

In 1980 IBM contracted Microsoft to write the language for its new personal computers. In 1981 the company was incorporated into Microsoft Inc., and ended its first year with 128 employee and 16 million dollars in revenue (Microsoft Company History, 2008).

As at 2010 Microsoft profit was 6.7 billion dollars with 93 thousand employees.

Software bundling by Microsoft

May 1988 the united state department of justice took Microsoft to court over the abuse of its monopoly power on operation systems for personal computers. Microsoft was bundling its flagship Internet explorer software with its Microsoft windows operating system. This gave Microsoft the advantage in browsers because all Microsoft windows user had a copy of Microsoft explorer. The other web browsers (Firefox, Netscape navigator or opera) if free were slow to download or had to be purchased in a store.

Bundling is forced on any Microsoft windows user and Microsoft made sure we did not have a choice in whether or not we want to user Internet explorer. Removing Internet

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Best Essays

    Microsoft is a leading software company started by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. The company's headquarters is located in Redmond, Washington where like Oracle it develops, licenses, manufactures and support a wide range of computing sources, as documented in Wikipedia. Yahoo finance reports that in addition to licensing and manufacturing software over the globe it also designs hardware and has recently entered into the hardware industry with it's new tablet. It also has a entertainment division which is responsible for the manufacturing of Xbox360 gaming and consoles, Kinect for Xbox and video games among other products. It has a total of 94,000 full time employees and can be credited for creating 3 billionaires and 12 millionaires from the company's operations. Microsoft currently has a cash flow of 73.79B with revenues of 76.01B for 2013.…

    • 1504 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    when it came to web browsing. It provided Internet Explore free of charge in all of their…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    . These facts suggests that Microsoft was trying to gain computer software industry since bundling of internet explorer web browser with its operating system might have provided a monopoly power to Microsoft over these product.…

    • 572 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Microsoft licensed its operating system more cheaply to computer makers such as Dell and Compaq, if they exclusively installed its software.…

    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When Gates was in College Gates and Paul Hillen Cofounded Microsoft in 1975, Gates hold the position of chairman CEO and chief of the software.…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Microsoft believed that their services went hand in hand. Microsoft was also very cooperative, during the trial. Many videos were handed over to court, showing Microsoft’s product perform poorly without Internet Explorer bundled with Windows. Throughout the case, the Judge asked for many more specifics actions for Microsoft to follow. One was to show the service without the bundled software.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    • . On May 18, 1998, shortly before issuance of the Microsoft II decision, the United States and a group of State plaintiffs filed separate (and soon thereafter consolidated) complaints, asserting antitrust violations by Microsoft and seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions against the company 's allegedly unlawful conduct. . . . Relying almost exclusively on Microsoft 's varied efforts to unseat Netscape Navigator as the preeminent internet browser, plaintiffs charged four distinct violations of the Sherman Act: (1) unlawful exclusive dealing arrangements in violation of § 1; (2) unlawful tying of IE to Windows 95 and Windows 98 in violation of § 1; (3) unlawful maintenance of a monopoly in the PC operating system market in violation of § 2; and (4)unlawful attempted monopolization of the internet browser market in violation of § 2.…

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Microsoft is a large diversified computer software manufacturer that produces the Windows family of operating systems for personal computers and servers. Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded the company on April 4, 1975. Microsoft is now the world’s largest software maker based on yearly revenue. On May 18, 1978, the United States and the District of Columbia sued Microsoft for illegally monopolizing the market for operating systems for personal computers under the Sherman Antitrust Act.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In 1994, Microsoft Corporation was sued by the Department of Justice on behalf of the United States for violating §2 of the Sherman Act “…by engaging in monopolization through a series of exclusionary and anticompetitive acts designed to maintain its monopoly power” (Mallor, Barnes, Bowers, & Langvardt, 2010, p. 1275, para 3). More specifically, the company was charged with, among other things, violating the Act by 1) attempting to monopolize the Web browser market, 2) tying its Internet Explorer (IE) browser application to its Windows operating system (OS), and 3) “unlawfully maintaining a monopoly in the operating system market through anticompetitive terms in its licensing and software developer agreements” (United States v Microsoft, 2001). Although some of the Supreme Court’s decision was reversed by the Court of Appeals, the prior decisions regarding these three primary claims were affirmed – and rightly so.…

    • 1182 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Microsoft has spent 21 years fighting antitrust battles with the US government. These battles began with claims of Microsoft monopolizing the software market, specifically regarding internet browsers. Although the cases were settled in 2002, there is still discussion as to whether or not the claims against Microsoft were truly valid.…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Microsoft is the software giant responsible for bringing Windows to the PC. Microsoft is also a known and respected company in a global market. The tech giant has dominated the computer industry since its start in 1981. Due to the nature of such a huge company, Microsoft has its hands in multiple markets. Microsoft currently competes in file hosting, software, operating systems, and gaming consoles. Unfortunately, each one of the…

    • 1448 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Apple vs Microsoft

    • 1309 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In 1975, a man named William “Bill” Gates started the company know as Microsoft through his interest of business and managing people. Ever since his early education, he became very competitive and driven to be on top with his company which led him to his rise to fame and unimaginable wealth. When Microsoft started, they were specializing in programming and software. Whereas when Apple started in 1976 by two men named Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, they designed circuit boards for the next generation of computers. This led to the invention of the first ever home computer with a GUI (Graphical User Interface) the Apple Lisa.…

    • 1309 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Microsoft Corporation (Public, NASDAQ:MSFT) was founded in 1975 by William H. Gates III. The company’s mission is to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential. They have worked to achieve this mission by creating technology that transforms the way people work, play, and communicate. They develop and market software, services, hardware, and solutions that deliver new opportunities, greater convenience, and enhanced value to people’s lives. They do business throughout the world and have offices in more than 100 countries.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Famous Thinkers

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In 1955 a young entrepreneur and a multi-billionaire contributor named, Bill Gates was born. Many should be aware of the name Bill Gates; it is hard not to be familiar with the richest self-made man in America. The influences to the world prepared by Bill are countless, but most important and certainly his best influence is his company Microsoft. American computer entrepreneur, in 1975 he co-founded Microsoft, a private company for the manufacture and sale of computer software (Oxford University Press 2004).…

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    References: 1. Festa, Paul: Rivalries set aside in defense of Internet Explorer ,Staff Writer, in CNET News.com September 25, 2003…

    • 4343 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Best Essays