Was a Microsoft Monopoly Good or Bad?

Introduction

This WebQuest has students research and discuss/debate whether or not Microsoft is a monopoly, and if it is a monopoly, whether or not it has been beneficial or harmful to the world.

Introduction

You just sat down at your computer and turned it on. As you wait for the computer to start up, you see the familiar Microsoft Windows splash screen appear. When you go to start your internet browser, you use your Microsoft mouse to double-click the icon.

As your Microsoft Internet Explorer window opens, and you type in the website address using your Microsoft keyboard, you begin to wonder to yourself....where does it end? Where did it begin? Are we happy or sad about all of this Microsoft presence?

Let's look into it and decide for ourselves!

Task

Task

This WebQuest will have you choose a role and conduct research on the topic of whether or not Microsoft was a monopoly. In addition, you should decide on whether or not Microsoft had a beneficial or detrimental influence on the computer industry.

You will:

Investigate the history of the monopoly in the United States and the resulting effect on industry caused by a monopoly
Investigate the history of Microsoft and its place in the world of computers
Collaborate with your team to reach a decision regarding whether or not Microsoft was a monopoly and whether it had had a beneficial or detrimental effect on the industry
As a team, draft a formal business letter to your instructor that covers your group decision.

Process

Process

To complete this task, you will be a member of a four person group exploring the dual issue of whether Microsoft was truly a monopoly, as well as deciding as a group whether or not Microsoft's presence in the computer industry was harmful or beneficial.

These are the recommended steps to completing this task:

Collaborate as a group and decide which group members will be assigned which roles in this WebQuest. Read the specific sections below to gain an understanding of what you will be expected to do for each role.
Conduct your research, according to your role, as outlined in the role-specific section(s) below.
Reconvene as a group and share/discuss your findings with your peers in your group.
Working as a group, you will combine your relevant research and decide on a conclusion to the questions posed in the task statement. You will need to consider what evidence or research you will need to provide to substantiate the conclusion your team reaches.
You will draft a formal business letter to your teacher presenting your conclusions and explaining your reasoning. Your letter may be read to the class and you may be asked questions by other students or the instructor, so be prepared to defend your conclusion!

Roles

1. Historian

You are currently a graduate student at a major university. Your professor has given you a thesis project to work on: Discuss the history of the monopoly in the United States, and discuss Microsoft's position in the computer marketplace.

Your thesis, however, is not to make any judgements about Microsoft; rather, your role is to merely report on the relevant histories.

You should begin your work by looking into the history of the monopoly in the United States. Beyond knowing what a monopoly is, you should look into some famous examples throughout history of monopolies and how they formed and what eventually happened to them.

Then you should look into the history of Microsoft as a corporation. You should look into not only the company as a whole, but also investigate and research the chief founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates. You should realize that it isn't possible to understand a company unless you know its history, motivations, strengths, and weaknesses.

As you conduct your research, you will want to consider a number of questions. Among these you may want to consider are:

What is a monopoly, and what view do historians have of monopolies?
What are some [in]famous monopolies in history?
How did Microsoft first get started?
How did Windows first get created?
What is MS-DOS, and why is it important to computers?
How many copies of Windows 98 and Windows XP did Microsoft sell?

2. Information Technology Specialist

Fresh with your bachelor's degree in Computer Science, you have worked your way up the "food chain" in a major corporation and now serve as the Chief Information Technology Specialist, or an ITS. An ITS typically works for a company and helps to manage not only the computers, networks, and devices a company uses - but also the software run on those computers.

Your company is getting ready to purchase a new, replacement line of computers for the entire company. As the chief ITS of the company, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) has come to you and stated that the company is trying to "tighten their belt" and save money. To do so, they would like to use something other than Microsoft Windows on their computers.

Your research task is to look into alternatives for Windows in the marketplace. As you do this, you may need to consider some of the following questions:

What other operating systems are available that can be used?
Is there software (such as word processors, spreadsheets, and databases) that will work with these operating systems?
How difficult will it be to teach/train the employees to use the new systems?
Is there something that these operating systems do better than Microsoft Windows?
Is there something that Microsoft Windows does better than other operating systems?

3. Microsoft Supporter

You've been hired at Microsoft as an intern out of college. Your college major was Journalism, and so Microsoft would like you to work in their Advertising and Promotions department.

The timing is perfect: Microsoft is just about to release their next major operating system, Windows 12. With almost 100 million lines of code and five (5) years of work, the software is ready for the world to see.

However, a small but vocal group of antagonists has continued to launch a campaign of FUD - fear, uncertainty, and doubt - to confuse loyal Microsoft customers.

Your research task is to put together a series of points that you could make demonstrating the good that Microsoft has done as a company. As you consider this role, you may want to think of the following questions:

Would computers have evolved to the point they have today if Microsoft wasn't able to provide Windows?
Would people be able to accomplish as much on a computer as they do today if Microsoft hadn't standardized things and made them familiar?
How does Microsoft help school systems with technology in the classroom?
Would the internet have become as widespread and accessible as it has today if Internet Explorer wasn't the most common web browser?
How many people does Microsoft currently employ?

4. Anti-Monopoly Advocate

As a new hire with the United States Justice Department, you have been handed an impressive (and difficult) first case: You must prove that Microsoft was a corporate monopoly and deserving of being sanctioned by the U.S. government.

In order to put together a strong enough case, you should begin by looking into Microsoft's past business practices and activities. You may want to consider Microsoft's founding, and some of their early business partners.

As you do this work, you may want to consider some of the following questions: