Research

Yahoo

Description:

Internet users around the world are cheering for this company. Yahoo! is the leading online information portal, drawing more than 400 million people to its network of Web sites with a mix of news, entertainment, and online shopping, as well as its search engine and Internet directory. It also offers registered users personalized Web pages, e-mail, and message boards. Yahoo! publishes content in about 20 languages. It generates most of its revenue through ad sales, but it also charges subscriptions for premium services. In addition, Yahoo! provides online marketing and other commercial services, and it offers Internet access through partnerships with telecommunications firms.

Microsoft

Description:

Microsoft's ambitions are anything but small. The world's #1 software company provides a variety of products and services, including its Windows operating systems and Office software suite. The company has expanded into markets such as video game consoles, servers and storage software, and digital music players. Microsoft has reached settlements to end a slew of antitrust investigations and lawsuits, including agreeing to uniformly license its operating systems and allowing manufacturers to include competing software with Windows. In early 2008 the company made an unsolicited bid to acquire Yahoo! for about $44.6 billion; Yahoo!'s board rejected the bid as "inadequate".