In pursuing your MBA, some of the most important lessons you’ll learn come from looking at the example set by big businesses gone before you. From the good to the mediocre to the downright ugly, there are plenty of businesses to base your own decisions on, whether you’re trying to determine what to do or what not to do in a business situation.

Today’s infographic examines a prime instance of a company that has seen great success, and yet doesn’t seem to be going anywhere in the modern industry: This company is the well-known titan Microsoft. Under the watchful, savvy eye of Bill Gates, Microsoft grew and flourished quickly, enjoying a great deal of success in its early years. But since its boom in the first wave of the tech era, Microsoft has slowly but surely stagnated and fallen into the shadow of successful innovators, specifically, Apple, for example.

So why did a once powerful giant of business creak to a stand-still in recent years? An inability to innovate coupled with a lack of product diversity seem to have rendered Microsoft one of the great dinosaurs of the modern tech world. The biggest lesson you can learn from them? An MBA means next to nothing if you’re not using it to exact change and creativity within your company. In this case, Microsoft’s own business practices might be driving it, slowly but surely, to an early grave.

Created by: MBAOnline.com