Google Analysis

Competitive Characteristics of External Environment

After dominating the web search industry since its search engine introduction in 1998, Google Inc. has drawn many competitors who try to provide millions of user worldwide with similar services. Many experts still believe that there is lots of room for others and as the result, Yahoo! Inc., LookSmart, Alltheweb, and Microsoft Corporation are all aiming to topple the industryÐŽ¦s leader. Each of these competitors has its unique strategic plan against Google Inc. For example, Teoma (Gaelic for "expert") offers input from specialized sites created by experts. According to the article ÐŽ§Thrill of hunt lures Google competitorsЎЁ in USAToday by Jefferson Graham, ÐŽ§Wisenut (owned by Look Smart which also supplies search technology to MSN) helps users with multiple ways to reword their searches to come up with better resultsЎЁ (USAToday). Alltheweb.com counters Google by providing ÐŽ§specific search engines for MP3s, video and photographs on its little-advertised technology showcase siteЎЁ (USAToday).

One of the key external competitive characteristics of Google is its entirely new algorithm for determining keyword relevance - PageRank. PageRank is an advance way of finding a web pageÐŽ¦s hypertext rather than just the text. According to an article written by web design expert, ÐŽ§by analyzing these links Google effectively harnesses every web publisher not just to provide the content for the encyclopedia, but to rank every site and page on the Web for its indexЎЁ (Designer-Info). The PageRank technology first finds the web pages with userÐŽ¦s keyword then ÐŽ§ranks the results according to "votes" that have built up over the time the page has existed on the Internet.ЎЁ Furthermore, ÐŽ§Google ranks the importance of the pages that cast the votes, and those ranked as most important are given more weight. Rankings are also influenced by the prominence of keywords on pages found, based on factors like typeface and positioning,ЎЁ according to David C. Croson, professor of operations and information (CNET News).

Majority of search engines earn profits by selling their display space to Web pages and the first results displayed in the usersÐŽ¦ search are sponsored sites rather than ones the search engine has deemed most relevant. Google, on the other hand, ÐŽ§sells sponsored links that are sorted and displayed according to the userÐŽ¦s search terms and they are displayed separately from the search resultsЎЁ (CNET News). According to Wharton marketing professor David C. Schmittlein, GoogleÐŽ¦s sponsored links have attracted millions of user who find the unlabeled sponsorship annoying to use its search engine.

GoogleÐŽ¦s Internal Environment

As dominant as Google is, many people think of it as a large corporation with thousands of employees. In fact, Google is operated and maintained by a small group of people. It is easy to associate GoogleÐŽ¦s success solely with its external competitive characteristic ÐŽV PageRank, as discussed earlier. However, what really makes Google thrive in the search engine industry is its internal structure which has drawn many great engineers in computer science to work for the company.

In particular, it is the working environment that attracts talented employees. Because of the fact that employees work in small teams, a family-like atmosphere is created which promotes successful elements such as group spirit, diversity, creativity and idealism.

Recently, Google tops this years "100 Best Companies to Work For" list with its special and unique benefits. Some of the Google perks and benefits include up to $8,000/year in tuition reimbursement, unlimited sick leave, 27 days of paid time off after one year of employment, and free shuttles equipped with Wi-Fi from locations around the Bay Area to headquarter offices (Great Place to Work For). By combining all these parts that Google offers to its employee, an incredible working environment is created that becomes a huge part of the companyÐŽ¦s growth.

According to GoogleÐŽ¦s website, there are ten reasons to work at Google and they are as following:

1. Lend a helping hand. With millions of visitors every month, Google has become an essential part of everyday lifeÐŽXlike a good friendÐŽXconnecting people with the information they need to live great lives.

2. Life is beautiful. Being a part of something that matters and working on products in which you can believe is remarkably fulfilling.

3. Appreciation is the best motivation, so we've created a fun and inspiring workspace you'll be glad to be a part of, including on-site doctor and dentist; massage and yoga; professional development opportunities; on-site day care; shoreline running trails; and plenty of snacks to get you through the day.

4. Work and play are not mutually exclusive. It is possible to code and pass the puck at the same time.

5. We love our employees, and we want them to know it. Google offers a variety of benefits, including a choice of medical programs, company-matched 401(k), stock options, maternity and paternity leave, and much more.

6. Innovation is our bloodline. Even the best technology can be improved. We see endless opportunity to create even more relevant, more useful, and faster products for our users. Google is the technology leader in organizing the worldÐŽ¦s information.

7. Good company everywhere you look. Googlers range from former neurosurgeons, CEOs, and U.S. puzzle champions to alligator wrestlers and former-Marines. No matter what their backgrounds Googlers make for interesting cube mates.

8. Uniting the world, one user at a time. People in every country and every language use our products. As such we think, act, and work globallyÐŽXjust our little contribution to making the world a better place.

9. Boldly go where no one has gone before. There are hundreds of challenges yet to solve. Your creative ideas matter here and are worth exploring. You'll have the opportunity to develop innovative new products that millions of people will find useful.

10. There is such a thing as a free lunch after all. In fact we have them every day: healthy, yummy, and made with love

(Google.com)

Vision, Mission, and Objectives

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