Microsoft seeks to dominate its market, and has done so since its earliest days. Its association with its first hardware manufacturer-MITS-ended in arbitration when the hardware manufacturer "bundled" BASIC with the hardware and effectively shut Microsoft out of what the software company saw as its future market. Microsoft entered into arbitration, and eventually prevailed, in what was a foreshadowing of how Microsoft would later be accused of trying to shut out competitors and potential rivals. Today, Microsoft Windows operating system, the Internet Explorer browser, and its suite of office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) dominate their markets, but came to that position only after lawsuits, accusations of unfair trade practices, and an aggressive marketing strategy that permeates the internal culture, as well ("Microsoft's Impending," 2007).

Microsoft's business. (2009, December 4). Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 16 Dec 2009: .

Microsoft is not necessarily associated with in-house innovation, yet it has products that dominate their market. It has also had numerous failures, including its Vista update to the Windows operating system and the Zune MP3 player. From its earliest days, Microsoft has done well when it has purchased innovation rather than tried to create it in-house, and that is likely to be the company's best strategy moving forward. The culture at Microsoft is not conducive to the type of entrepreneurial innovation that is the hallmark of the high-technology industry, but the company has proved quite able to market innovative ideas of others. Continuing to acquire rather than seeking to invent innovation is a good strategy for the software giant.

Google culture. (2009). Mountain View, C