Strategic Position Of The Google Corporation Commerce Essay

Strategic Position Of The Google Corporation Commerce Essay This individual case study analyzes the strategic position of the Google corporation in its market and references some of the competitive forces as described by Michael Porter (1980). The analyses will also include some of the axioms from Sun Tzu and the art of business by Mark McNeilly (1996). Bernard Girards book on The Google Way (2009) was used primarily for this case study. Investor relation websites along with internet articles supplemented the review of Google and to present financial numbers for market comparison. Google is arguably one of the most innovative and interesting companies today in their industry. Their beginning can be seen as the classic Silicon Valley company formation. Two friends from Stanford University, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, had a vision to make an impact on the information technology industry. To be more specific their mission was to organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful  [1]  (Girard, 2009). But Google is anything but the typical company in reference to their strategies for going public and how the organization operates. The mid to late 1990s the computing technology world was racing towards advancements and the founders of Google took advantage of this. Prior to this date, computer technology was more expensive for less in relation to storage, components, processing, and performance. Computers and the internet were still limited to a narrow group of people which included universities, government and researchers, along with only a small population fortunate enough to afford this technology. The mid 1990s experienced more rapid advancement in information technology including the World Wide Web, faster processors, upgraded memory, accelerated graphics cards, more storage, and user friendly operating systems (Windows). That affect made personal computing a household name. A large factor in this was price per technology. As Bernard Girard (2009) points out, Asia was emerging as technology manufacturers at the same time advancements in computer components were maturing, yielding lower prices for computing technology. The phenomenon allowed the Google founders to capitalize on the market conditions which were favorable to them as it applied to building the computing power they needed to accomplish what they set out to achieve. Not only were they becoming the new entrant  [2]  into the information technology industry, but the competitive force principle that Michael Porter (1980) describes that gave Google favor in the market from their start was the bargaining power of suppliers  [3]  (Porter, 1980). To create their massive database and sophisticated algorithms based on artificial intelligence (AI), they would need talented programming people as well as the highest technological computer components which there were plenty of, limiting the bargaining power of the suppliers. There was also no shortage of venture capitalists at that time willing to invest in the next Silicon Valley start up. According to Entreprenuer.com in a 2007 study of the top one hundred venture capital firms in the United States, found that approximately half of them were located in California (Girard, 2009). This made it easier for Google to obtain the capital necessary for their ideas from the financial perspective. Public Offering When it came time to open Google up to Wall Street in 2004, founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin along with new their new partner Eric Schmidt made a tactical move to improve their companys position  [4]  at its initial public offering (IPO). Analyzing the methods of an IPO, they decided to use the OpenIPO in lieu of the standard public offering. As Girard (2009) explains, the OpenIPO resembles the Dutch auction where the seller sets a bid price and the number of shares, and allows the investors to bid what they think is the fair price. In the end, all winning bids will pay the exact same price regardless if some of the bids were higher, which is in contrast of the typical Wall Street IPO which allows investment bankers to manipulate the system in their favor. The OpenIPO strategy gave Google the credibility, confidence, and favorable public opinion from the start. Market and Financial Position Google was not formed yet when the World Wide Web took off in the mid 1990s. The internet search market was shared by Magellan, InfoSeek, AltaVista, Yahoo, Inktomi and Northern Light (Web Search Engine, n.d.). Although Google formed in 1998, its search engine (and main component) started to gain market share in the year 2000  [5]  through its unique technology and basic home page design. In 2002 Google was ahead of both Yahoo and MSN by a half of a percent to a percent in the market (29.2%6). By May 2003, Google had fifty-five percent (55.2%  [6]  ) of the global search engine market share with Yahoo at a distance second (21.7%6). As recent as March 2011, Googles claim on the search engine market is nearly two-thirds even though Microsoft has been gaining as of lately mostly due to its Bing search engine and Yahoo which is included in the Microsoft statistics from their partnering (Parr, 2011). Googles financial position is very strong. In terms of revenue, the company grew from eighty-six million in 2001 to over twenty-nine billion dollars reported (unaudited) in 2010  [7]  (Google investor relations, n.d.). Google has managed to increase their revenues every year within that time and the majority of that comes through advertising. For example in 2010, twenty-eight of the twenty-nine billion dollars were logged in under total advertising revenues7. Many dot com (.com) companies did not last in the market and faded after the early 2000s, and if they did, struggled thereafter. Google however has proven to be a profitable company. In 2001 their net income was just under seven million dollars while earning four cents per share outstanding  [8]  (Google investor relations, n.d.). They have since grown to a net income of eight and a half billion dollars and impressive earnings per share of twenty-six dollars8 (Google investor relations, n.d.). Though competition in the technology world is fierce, Googles financial figures still far outweigh its two closest competitors in the information technology web services industry, Yahoo and Chinas Baidu. To date Googles total revenues are greater than Yahoo and Baidu by twenty-three and twenty-eight billion dollars respectively  [9]  . Research and Development A large factor in the success of Google comes from its commitment to research and development. Google spent over three billion dollars ($3.7 bil) towards research and development8 (Google investor relations, n.d.) . Compare that to Yahoo, according to their investor relations site, who report just over a billion dollars in 2010 for product development (up from only two hundred million in 2009), and Baidu who only allocated just over seven hundred million towards research and development9. One of Googles policies in human resource management is not only to acquire who they think is of great innovative talent, but to allow them some space to be creative. This is what is known as the twenty percent rule (Girard, 2009). Google is so committed to research that they allow their people to have twenty percent of their time to work on research and not be devoted full time on specific projects. This is not a typical policy in most organizations. The Sun Tzu and the art of business axiom that applies to Googles theory towards innovation is Deception and Foreknowledge, Maximizing the Power of Market Information.  [10]  (McNeilly, 1996). The principle refers to staying connected to what your competition is involved in to be able to better respond to what your market is dictating at the time. If ignorant of the conditions of mountains, forests, dangerous defiles, swamps and marshes he cannot conduct the march of an army.  [11]  (McNeilly, 1996) This is especially important in information technology because it is more dynamic than most other industries. As Bernard Girard (2009) points out what sets Google apart from the typical company when it comes to the attitude towards development, is that it stays connected to the world around them for ideas that can be placed into motion. One of the policies pertaining to this is the building of networks in their Silicon Valley area to listen to what other companies are doing and what may be the next start up new entrant on the horizon (Girard, 2009). They also encourage their employees to stay connected to their alma maters and other university students to stay in touch on new ideas in the market. Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Google is a large corporation whose strength relies on its current technology and innovation. They have dynamic leadership in founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who have the vision and the means to put it forward as they have demonstrated from its inception in 1998. An obvious strength is their current financial position. They are in good position monetarily to invest in new technologies and combat legalities and new services. As stated in the previous section, most of their revenues are generated through advertising. What set Google apart from the competition when it launched its search engine was the model they incorporated. It is known as the cost-per-click strategy which was a system that allowed advertisers to pay what they thought their ads were worth which mathematically was translated in search rankings (Girard, 2009). Google gave advertisers a visual way of tracking the effectiveness of their marketing dollars. This was a breakthrough because before Googles method, it was difficult for companies to track their marketing efforts whether it was on the web, or even in other media outlets such as print and television. In an indirect way, Google became a substitute product or service  [12]  , referring to Porters force driving industry competition, in relation to advertising venues besides the internet. Google offered companies a more fair way to judge what they thought they should price their advertisements as well as the ability to view their effectiveness. For marketers, this information can be priceless and a better opportunity than blind ads. Another one of Googles strength is its algorithm that runs its page ranking search engine. It is different from the typical methods of other engines because its objective is to rank pages not only by its word content but also uses artificial intelligence for relevance. Their search engine algorithm approach can be viewed as avoiding strength and attacking weakness  [13]  . Instead of following methods and theories of the status quo web engines, they developed a unique system that has revolutionized internet searching today. Weakness It is hard to fathom weakness in a company of this magnitude, but no organization is without them. The obvious is the possible loss of key members which can include anyone from the executive management team to its software engineers. The information technology market is very competitive because it relies heavily on scientific and mathematical talent that is not easy to come by if you measure it against all disciplines overall. Key production employees may opt to leave to other organizations for better offers or start up their own technology company. Googles enormous growth could possibly be a weakness. With that in mind other companies that are competing to regain a part of that large share that Google currently owns. An example is Microsofts Bing Maps feature birdseye view which is direct competition with Google Earth for usage as it refers to the threat of new products and services from competitors. They will also have to combat new companies that will enter the information technology arena looking to capitalize on the rewards Google has discovered. One such company that has developed a new computational knowledge search based on natural language and new algorithms is Wolfram|Alpha, the very company that produced the software Mathematica (About Wolfram|Alpha, 2011). Such a company could prove to be the direct competition for Googles search engine market because of its ability to match the sophistication of the algorithms that drive both organizations search engines. Technological Position Google puts stock in innovation. As mentioned, they encourage collaboration and creativity. This is evident from the technology they are able to house. According to author Bernard Girard (2009), Googles data house, which is built on a very powerful software platform, may consist of approximately four hundred and fifty thousand (450,000) microcomputers. There in house intranet known as Moma, is extremely powerful and acts as their enterprise wide application which reveals numerous statistics about their operations as well as an open view of all of their research and development. Googles technological arsenal is stocked well enough to compete against rival companies. Advancements and Emerging Markets Some of Googles advancements in the market include their web browser Chrome, which is one of the fastest, the popular Android mobile operating system, and their Gmail service. The Gmail service has emerged as of the more popular email systems today that offer an extraordinary amount of free space. They accomplished this through by leveraging their cloud technology which is also emerging today. They also plan to offer almost all personal and workstation computing applications through the cloud technology which would directly compete against Microsoft. One example is the current research and development of the Google Chrome OS (operating system) which is intended to run exclusively on computers specifically manufactured from Googles partners (Google Chrome OS, n.d.). Google has even partnered with the company GeoEye to launch a satellite for higher quality imagery for their Google Earth service in 2008 (Google. n.d.). They have also entered the renewable-energy market with their subsidiary, Google Energy, and invested in a wind project in the state of North Dakota (Google. n.d.). Another market that Google is experimenting with advantageously is the broadband service. They have an agreement to install the Google fiber optic system which will offer broadband at ultra high speeds upward towards one hundred times faster than normal broadband according to Google. They are also beta testing a free home wireless service under the name Google TiSP. International Policy One of the negatives that always need to be dealt with in reference to large corporations is its position in the international community. Antitrust laws can be used to limit the power one company may have. Googles already has had a negative experience abroad in relation to China. According to contributor Steven Levy (2011), Google had a rough relationship with China due to the countrys censorship policies which were contrary to Googles views and style. Googles service was also different over there because it had to adapt to the possibility of turning over data to the Chinese government, something they wanted to avoid. As Levy (2011) explains it got so bad that even Googles policy for their employees to take twenty percent of their time towards independent ventures was not well received in Chinas culture. This is an example of not only are there different and possible unique laws a corporation may have to abide by, but also a different lifestyle and culture may hinder how a company ma y run its operations. Evaluation Answering the question about how Google can improve market share is a difficult one. Google is basically competing against itself in its own industry. This is why they expand in all directions to gain share and enter other markets. Their market share can improve greatly with the success of their ultra high speed broadband service experiment. Ultra high speed connection for everyone, even in outlying rural areas is the future. Google has the technology, resources and ability to deliver this. Another possible market Google would have the capability to enter is the smart appliance industry. This emerging technology uses programmable features in appliances that would allow control for household energy usage. The industry is still new, but a company such as Google could make an impact because of its software programming talent, internet dominance, and its new broadband technology. Googles management is very progressive. According to Girard (2009) they took liberties to install a collaborative environment to be able to connect its employees to each other as well as to the outside world (universities, other companies) to better react to the changes in demand from customers and emerging technologies. For example users were becoming more frustrated with internet explorer in the late 1990 and early 2000s. Google responded with the Chrome web browser to take market share. When email services were cheap on storage, they answered with Gmail. Now the public has been demanding more speed for the rich applications across the internet and Google is responding with an ultra high speed service. A couple of laws that Google needs to stay on top of are privacy laws and antitrust laws. One law in particular, The Patriot Act, may impact Google in a negative way because there are laws that all companies have to abide by, which may mean handing over of information when requested. This could have effect on usage and market share due to how the public may perceive the giant corporation. Antitrust laws can affect Google because of its growth and size. Google has a history of buying companies to acquire different technologies which included KeyHole, DoubleClick, Aardvark, and YouTube to name a few (Google. n.d.). Laws that prohibit monopolies may impede Googles quest to grow further in certain markets. Conclusion One would have to ask the question, will Google be able to sustain its own growth? Information technology is a broad field that covers many aspects of the industry. Googles corporate strategy judging by the amount of services it offers and the ones it is trying to breakthrough makes it an aggressive company that likes to stay on top of innovation and market share. Growing too fast can be an achilles heel at some point, because a company can end up spreading itself too far while ignoring advancements and changes it might need for its main services.

Technology and Education Essay -- Teaching Education Essays

Technology and Education The use of technology in schools has a great effect on not only students, but teachers as well. Today, we mostly think of technology as computers, but it is much more than that. In fact, one of the first technologies used in the classroom was the chalkboard. Most students today use technology throughout their school day. Uses for technology can be found for every subject matter a student has. Some of the most widely used tools are found in the English and Language Arts classes. Writing on word processors allows students to cut-and-paste, save their work, and use spell checkers and thesauruses. With technology students are also given advantages in learning how to read. Reading programs use drill-and-practice techniques to help with reinforcing young students’ reading skills. Technology is also used in science education. Scientific hardware such as handheld computers, thermometers, and sensors allow for out of class experimentation. Students are now able to telecollaborate with other students, and scientists, from places all around the world. This communication with others allows for the understanding of experiments. Social studies education also includes the use of technology. Databases are used to organize information, which if done by hand could take hours longer to accomplish. Online archives and simulations [1] are also used. One of my favorite technologies used in the social studies field is the ability for students to go on virtual fieldtrips. According to Ryan and Cooper (2004), these â€Å"provide a wealth of opportunities to extend learning† (p. 192). Mathematics education also uses technology to aid students. Tutorial software can provide instruction to stude... ...in the classroom. (p. 1) This five-phase study [2] concluded with the results supporting Grimes’ and Smith’s (2004) â€Å"supposition that dollars spent on technology professional development increased a teacher’s integration of technology into the classroom† (p. 5). There are so many aspects of technology that positively affect students, teachers, and the educational system. I can’t imagine my life without my own personal uses of technology. I check my email regularly, use my graphing calculator in math class, search the World Wide Web for information, and I’m using a word processor right now. I am going to school to become an elementary school teacher and I am excited to be able to use these sources of technology to help teach my students. I’m sure by the time that I am a teacher, my students will be teaching me a thing or two about computers and technology. Technology and Education Essay -- Teaching Education Essays Technology and Education The use of technology in schools has a great effect on not only students, but teachers as well. Today, we mostly think of technology as computers, but it is much more than that. In fact, one of the first technologies used in the classroom was the chalkboard. Most students today use technology throughout their school day. Uses for technology can be found for every subject matter a student has. Some of the most widely used tools are found in the English and Language Arts classes. Writing on word processors allows students to cut-and-paste, save their work, and use spell checkers and thesauruses. With technology students are also given advantages in learning how to read. Reading programs use drill-and-practice techniques to help with reinforcing young students’ reading skills. Technology is also used in science education. Scientific hardware such as handheld computers, thermometers, and sensors allow for out of class experimentation. Students are now able to telecollaborate with other students, and scientists, from places all around the world. This communication with others allows for the understanding of experiments. Social studies education also includes the use of technology. Databases are used to organize information, which if done by hand could take hours longer to accomplish. Online archives and simulations [1] are also used. One of my favorite technologies used in the social studies field is the ability for students to go on virtual fieldtrips. According to Ryan and Cooper (2004), these â€Å"provide a wealth of opportunities to extend learning† (p. 192). Mathematics education also uses technology to aid students. Tutorial software can provide instruction to stude... ...in the classroom. (p. 1) This five-phase study [2] concluded with the results supporting Grimes’ and Smith’s (2004) â€Å"supposition that dollars spent on technology professional development increased a teacher’s integration of technology into the classroom† (p. 5). There are so many aspects of technology that positively affect students, teachers, and the educational system. I can’t imagine my life without my own personal uses of technology. I check my email regularly, use my graphing calculator in math class, search the World Wide Web for information, and I’m using a word processor right now. I am going to school to become an elementary school teacher and I am excited to be able to use these sources of technology to help teach my students. I’m sure by the time that I am a teacher, my students will be teaching me a thing or two about computers and technology.

Animal Research as an Integral Part of Society

As Doctor Zola-Morgan stated in a speech to animal right activists, â€Å"I†ve seen the impact of the animal rights movement. I believe this is an attack on science of the worst kind. If we allow it to prevail it will take us back to the dark ages.† Too much of the public has come to think of medical researchers as â€Å"tormenters rather than healers.† The good is overlooked and the bad is exploited. Although many people think that animal research is morally wrong, animal research should continue because it is critical to continued progress in human health and alternatives to research animals are not available. Animal rights activists feel that animal research is immoral. They do not see where we as human beings see or feel that we are the dominant species. They often assert that research with animals causes severe pain and that many research animals are abused. The activists do not feel the need to put the animals through such pain. Many of the experiments are replicated also which causes an unneeded demand for animals to perform experiments. Experiments which have already been proven are still being experimented with. However, animal research is an integral part of today†s society when thinking of how much progress we have gained in human health with the use of animal experimentation. To date some forty-one Nobel prizes have been awarded to scientists whose achievements depended on laboratory animals. Vaccines against polio, diphtheria, mumps, measles, rubella, and smallpox would not have been possible without such experiments. There also would not be such important techniques such as open heart surgery, brain surgery, coronary bypass, microsurgery to re-attached limbs, organ transplants, and correction of congenital heart defects. The list goes on about the medical advances that required animal research. Insulin to control diabetes and medications important in the management of asthma, epilepsy, arthritis, ulcers, and hypertensions are a few more to add to the list. To take animal research away would also be to halt our society†s advancement of more procedures and more medicines to enhanc he better living of humans. In addition, there are no alternatives to animal experimentation that can give the same results that it can. In certain research investigations, cell, tissue, organ cultures, and computer models can be used at least in the preliminary phases of the investigation. However, in many experimental situations, culture techniques and computer models do not capture the â€Å"physiological complexity† of the whole animal. Some examples of where animals are necessary in research include the development of a vaccine against HIV and improvement of methods to relieve mental stress and anxiety. These challenges can only be addressed by research with animals. Computer models and cultures cannot get the whole body effect of an experiment. Humans are the only alternatives to animals for this and when faced with this alternative, most people prefer the use on animals as the research model. Animal research is necessary to maintain our society†s well being. Many people think it is morally wrong but when the advantages are considered with the disadvantages, the good outweighs the bad. Animal Research is necessary to continued progress in human health. If other methods were available they would be given a fair chance but for now only animal experimentation works best. If all of the advances in human health were taken away our society would still be in a primitive age. Animal research has taken us out of that age.

Prostitution Should Be Decriminalized and Legalized

Prostitution is typically described as the particular behavior of trading sexual relations for financial profit. People who perform such activities are called prostitutes. Prostitution is one of the most controversial subjects in the United States. In addition, it has caused controversy cross-culturally and historically, which has many individuals reexamining the logistics of it. As a matter of fact, prostitution is normally seen as the wrong way to earn a living, dishonorable and disgrace for a person who has lead to many health problems, and social issues being faced by women. Prostitutes may be of either sex, but throughout history the majority has been women, who have usually entered prostitution through force or under economic stress. Prostitution is the worlds oldest profession and it has been deemed socially immoral and unacceptable due to predispose or religiously beliefs and cultural reasons. In the 21st century many countries have adopted changes to either curb or legalize prostitution. Whilst it is deemed morally or religiously wrong to support the trade, it is also impossible to eliminate it completely. Many may argue it is a violation of human rights and degradation of women. This is true to some extent but the argument is by criminalizing it, will it eradicate the underlying manifested problems that can never be eliminated? Probably not. Therefore many developed countries have adopted measures to decriminalized prostitution. The approach taken is to provideShow MoreRelatedThree Reasons Why Prostituiton Should Not Be Leagalized in China1758 Words   |  7 Pages　　 As one of the oldest jobs, prostitution has a long history to be repeatedly decriminalized and internalized by different countri es. In Sumerian Records, the earliest record established in 2400 BC, prostitution had been legalized and supported by government. 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