Boston, MA 01/13/2013 (wallstreetpr) – Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is desperately searching for some good news. It appears to be within its reach but then slips away. Let us look at the two recent instances, both of them equally important.
The CEO Search
Microsoft’s search for a new CEO to replace Steve Ballmer has been on since late August 2013, when Steve Ballmer announced that he would be stepping down. Everybody expected that the search would be over by 2013 end. Given the status of Microsoft, everybody expected the process would take time as several candidates would need to be interviewed. However, it now appears that the search will yield results only in early 2014. Several candidates appear to have been shortlisted and a very popular choice of the netizens was that of Ford Motor Company’s CEO Alan Mulally. Even Ford appeared to be worried for some time as reams and reams of ink was spent on this issue, sometimes sidelining the excellent results posted by the company. Alan finally had to take a hard decision and put the rumor mongers at rest. He announced that he was staying back at Ford at least till 2014 end.
The transition may be taking a heavy toll on Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). It has already completed the take over of Nokia Corp (ADR)(NYSE:NOK)’s handset division. This is expected to propel it back into the reckoning in the very lucrative smartphone handset business as well as do wonders for its operating system, Windows. A stable top level management could have done wonders.
Gaming Console Worries
In all this pall of gloom, Xbox One was expected to lift Microsoft’s spirits big time. After all Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) had scripted the launch very finely. The launch date was one week after the launch of its closest competitor Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE)’s new offering PS4, but still in time to catch the festive holiday shopping. Microsoft had been beating Sony for the last some quarters and was also expected to do so in future. But, figures out last week cast a pall of gloom, While Sony has sold 4.2 million units by December end, Microsoft could manage only 3 million units. The war is far from over, but Microsoft appears to have lost one more battle.
Both cases appear to be unconnected but deep down they are closely connected. Had there been a stable CEO at the top, could things have been different?
