The case of Google

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The case of Google

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Abstract

Google Inc. is a company created on the 27th of September 1998 in the Silicon Valley by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. About 16,000 employees work for this company. Google's mission is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful ."

Currently, Google Inc. is recognized worldwide as the biggest search business. It presents itself as a free service, very easy to use and provides results in a very short time. The lifespan of a Google search is usually less than half a second. "Google" design is the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. Google chose this term to symbolize its mission: organize the huge information volume available on the Web. According to Larry Page, one of the two co-founders of the company, "the ideal search engine must understand exactly the purpose of each research to provide exactly the information requested." Although Google is recognized as the number 1 in the technology sector research, its aim is to provide a level of service even higher for those who seek information, at any place on earth .

Google Inc
1. Some figures about Google Inc
2. Google's philosophy
The key factors behind Google's early success
Can the search business become more concentrated?
Is 'search' a winner-take-all business?
In renewing its deal with AOL, could Google afford to pay AOL more than 100% of the revenue generated from AOL searches?
Microsoft's maximum affordable bid for AOL's search traffic as compared to Google's
Should Google branch out into new arenas?
Google's distinctive governance structure, corporate culture and organizational processes: Strengths or potential limitations
Conclusion
Bibliography

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[...] In fact, as we saw in the present case study and as we will see in the following questions, Google Inc. will have to make a decision. To stay in the competition and to keep its current position on the search business market, the company will have to diversify itself. It has for example, the possibility to build a full fledged portal like Yahoo's. Thanks to this solution, Google could be able to attract new customers and so gain more market share. [...]

[...] But, in my opinion, Google has financial means to pay AOL more than 100% of the revenues generated by AOL's searches, and the company should renew its deal with AOL because of all the advantages (we saw just above) that bring this partnership to Google. Moreover Google should continue its deal with AOL in order to counter its competitor Microsoft. Question How did Microsoft's maximum affordable bid for AOL's search traffic compare to Google's? In 2005, because Microsoft felt threatened by Google's growth, the company proposed a joint venture to AOL in which the two companies (Microsoft and AOL) could develop together search-related advertising. [...]

[...] has worked this way since the beginning and apparently it is effective: Google is the current leader in the search business. But if the company decides to change or to diversify itself, to build a full-fledged portal or to become an e-commerce intermediary we can ask our self if the current organization of the firm will be adapted to its new activities. In fact the company will grow, will have new things to deal with, new issues; and maybe the current structure may not adapt itself to face new problems. [...]

[...] Google has established a “Google's Statement of Philosophy” (of the case study), explaining in 10 points what the firm's values are. Thanks to this, there was an excellent relationship between the members of the company which permitted it to gain rapid success. Team work has also been established in order to gain efficiency and to encourage rapid execution. This method has certainly encouraged empowerment and so Google has become a learning organization. (“Organizational learning is the capacity or processes within an organization to maintain or improve performance based on experience[3]”) It has also encouraged taking initiatives in the firm. [...]

[...] Google must not forget that novel ideas permit them to communicate and so to stay in the market. It permits to show that the company is relevant and always wants to expand. Diversification would be, for all these reasons, a great opportunity for Google Inc. Question Do you view Google's distinctive governance structure, corporate culture and organizational processes as strengths or potential limitations? Google's distinctive governance structure, corporate culture and organizational processes represent both strength and weaknesses. On the one hand, the main strength of the firm is that Google Inc. [...]

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