Throughout this term, you have become very familiar with your focus company through a series of installments. You will now present your findings and answer the following question which was defined in Module 1: Based on everything you have learned, would you invest in this company?

1. Section #1: Discuss how you selected your Capstone company and provide a brief history as to how many years in business, how it got to its current level of operations and describe the type of products sold or services provided. Indicate whether you believe that the company is ethical and socially responsible. Discuss the corporate governance and indicate your confidence in the ability of the company's board of directors to govern the company.
3. Section #2: Indicate your opinion as to whether the company is a good employer based on its labor-management relations, benefits, and opportunities for advancement. Discuss your analysis of the company's strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. What is your perception of management? Are you confident in their technological abilities in terms of staying ahead of new computer threats and being able to take full advantage of the vast opportunity the Internet represents? Support your response.
5. Section #3: Discuss the company's reputation for delivering quality products and/or services and identify the markets they currently serve in demographic terms. Comment on the status of the market (i.e. expanding, shrinking, etc.), the potential for growth through new markets, and how well the company is positioned to compete in the global marketplace. Does the company effectively utilize each of the marketing communication tools: advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, and public relations? Are their pricing strategies effective in generating additional sales? Discuss the effectiveness of their process for developing new products and their level of success in establishing strong brand equity.
7. Section #4: In addition to the above elements, one of the most compelling parts of the decision to invest is the financial performance of the company. This is directly linked to movement in the stock price and the potential for dividends. Draw from your evaluation of the company's income statement and balance sheet for the past three years and discuss trends and areas of concern. Cite numbers or percentages from these statements to support your response. Based on your research, do you believe the company is currently in a strong or weak financial position? Do you see positive or negative financial trends? Finally, provide your answer to the question: Based on everything you have learned, would you invest in this company?

*focus company Microsoft