Microsoft Office: Gaining Insight into the Life of a College Student (A) Case Solution And Analysis, HBR Case Study Solution & Analysis of Harvard Case Studies

Microsoft Office is faced with a difficult task to attract students of the student community. Engaging the audience the most tech-savvy generation is constantly critical to the future franchise Microsoft Office. Microsoft past advertising efforts to reach this audience was lackluster, and its major competitors have been gradually established themselves among this demographic. Microsoft task is to determine the best tactics that can successfully communicate with this audience. (A) case describes the dilemma of Microsoft and briefly describes what students care about most: managing homework, create a great-looking school, on the job training, and cooperation with friends and classmates. It also provides information on competitors, primarily by increased presence of Google in universities and its focus on the higher education market and the growing influence of Facebook among students and its evolution in productivity tool. (B) case describes qualitative research tools that Microsoft used to get a better understanding of the students: the day diaries using Twitter, blogs technology with the Internet and smart phones, focus groups and one-on-one interviews with students. The case helps students understand the value of ethnographic and qualitative research methods, to draw conclusions from the data, and then make recommendations. This shows how ethnographic research and observation enrich research, creating a deeper understanding of the consumer, compared to traditional methods. "Hide
Mohanbir by Sony, Ashuma Ahluwalia, Julia Gab, Kevin Gardiner, Alan Huang, Amit Patel, Pallavi Goodman Source: Kellogg School Management 7 pages. Publication Date: June 20, 2012. Prod. #: KEL654-PDF-ENG