The Ethics of Microsoft’s Product Pricing Structure Essay -- Microsoft

The Ethics of Microsofts Product Pricing Structure IntroductionMicrosoft, currently one of the worlds biggest and most influential softw are companies, was found in 1975 by William Gates and Paul Allen.1 It quickly positioned itself as a leader in the software community and due to the potency growth of its user base for the Windows operating system and numerous other products, it became both widely popular and widely hated. Many consumers love the suite of products that Microsoft offers because they are easy to use, are widely supported, and have many applications written specifically to for them. On the other hand, there are many who dislike Microsoft, claiming that their policies lead to an noncompetitive market and that their practices are unethical. In recent years many court cases, including a major anti-trust suit have been brought against Microsoft. This paper aims to focus on the electrical outlet of Microsofts product pricing structure and to discuss the subject fie lds that have arisen because of it. There are two different yet similar ethical issues surrounding Microsofts product pricing. Within the United States there has been growing concern that because Microsoft controls such a large portion of the market that they are using this to their advantage and to moil prices up. A number of cases have been brought to court and found Microsoft guilty of price fixing, causing them to refund money to consumers in states like California and Iowa. The ethical issue clearly surrounds Microsofts motives. Are they driving up prices and simply trying to make more money with no thought to the impact on the community, or are they trying to run a legitimate profit-based business that strives to keep make everyone happier and ... ...p//webspeedreader.com/Articles/Microsoft.htm?Default-04-20-200110 AFP, Microsoft Still in Talks with EU for Possible Compromise, 15 butt against 2004, 11 InfoTech, Erwin Lemuel G. Oliva, Software Makers Pricing Standard Wo rldwide, 2003, 15 March 2004, 14 Santa Clara Universitys Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 2003?, 10 February 2004, 12 University of Central Florida, Barbara Moores Slides, Antitrust and Industrial Policy, 2003?, 15 March 2004, 13 Russel Verney, Price Fixing in Plain Sight, 2001, 15 March 2004,