SWOT analysis of google (Research Paper) - 1650 Words

SWOT analysis of google (Research Paper Sample) Content: SWOT analysis: A case Study on Google Inc. 2010(Name)(Institution Affiliation)IntroductionThe continuous advancement in technology has made it easy for humans to access to information, communicate, and locate things in a timely manner. Here, one needs to just type the key words of the information being searched and click the search button on search engines. The commonly used search engines are Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia, eBay, Amazon, and Bing (Adam, 2008). Google Inc. was founded in 1998 by two PhD students; Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Though founded in 1998, the two friends had decided to register the company as Google Incorporated after 10 years of service. As studies postulate, Google is one of the most powerful search engines, and the most visited website in the world (Adam, 2008).The website attracts approximately 61.9% of all internet searches. Currently, Google offers a variety of products, which include but not limited to Chrome, Earth, Gmail, iGoogle, Google M aps, Google Gadgets, Google Mobilizer, Google calender and Stetch up (Kumar, 2011). Financial analysis of Google Inc. reveals that the companys revenue, income and equity had been increasing over the past years. This implies that the company is capable of doing better than the past despite the many challenges it faces. The paper critically presents SWOT analysis applicable to Google strategy 2010. SWOT Analysis The section details the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for Google Inc (Fine, 2009). A SWOT analysis tool will help Google Inc. make influential strategic decisions, which may make it attain a stable and sustainable long-term growth. StrengthsOne of the key strengths of Google is the ability to attract and reach huge markets. The company is highly innovative and entrepreneurial with unique marketing strategies. Through its culture of creativity, the company continues to offer to the market highly innovative products such as directory and images. In addition, Google has a varied customer base, which ranges from young to old people. Ideally, anyone using the internet is a potential market for the company. Moreover, the company is not biased towards advertisers, and it separates advertisement from actual results. Google search engine uses a highly sophisticated technology. A perfect example is the art search technology. The company has a perfect search engine, which is capable of displaying the exact content of the search within seconds. Its software conducts a series of instantaneous calculated fast than traditional search engines. The used technology offers localized search known as search by location, which displays information on vendors of the products and services. Also, the technology uses a simple interface, which provides comprehensive and non confusing results. The company has hired hard working PhDs who, continuously, enhance the search algorithms making the engine faster, relevant and efficient. To enhance its search ability fo r users in different countries, the engine consists of 88 languages. The company has a profile of highly qualified and competent men and women. Its staff has excellent academic qualifications, achievements and experiences in the field of Information Technology (IT) and knowledge management. Actually, most of its top executives have a minimum of a MBA in various disciplines applicable to Google. To enhance their level of competence, the companys staff are enriched their networks by being members of highly reputable councils and associations. The company has strong revenue and capital base streams. Over the last 10 years, the company has accumulated a total capital of  £105 billion. It is estimated that Google earns approximately 30% revenue per advertisement impression more than Yahoo. The increasing revenue is attributed to low operation cost, especially using low cost UNIX. This makes it have a competitive advantage over its competitors. WeaknessesThe issue of over application is a key challenge to the organization. Per year, on average, the company review over 0.5 million job applicants. This implies that top corporate executives need to stretch their efforts in order shortlist, select and choose the best applicants to occupy various positions on offer. Another weakness of the company is the failure of the top executives to properly support, motivate and retain subordinate staff. Studies show that employee retention is a key strategy towards achieving a steady organizational growth. Also, some of Googles staff feels underutilized, which makes them to leave the organization. This is evidenced from the development of an algorithm, which aids managers to indentify and converse those users likely to depart from the website. Ideally, the top executives of Google have failed to adopt proper mechanisms relevant in addressing employees grievances. It this problem is not addressed, there is a high risk of employees revealing the companys trade secrets to its arch r ivals like Yahoo and Amazon. The departure of these high-profile personalities, also, costs the company in terms of both money and time. A recent study reveals that Google hires excessive number of contractors, some of which does nothing significant to the company. This has substantially wasted the companys resources. The reputation (public image) of the company had been destroyed by its action of incorporating a lot of pornography in the data bases of its search engine. Again, Google has a confusing charging and ranking policy regarding the Cost Per Click advertisement. This makes it difficult for marketers to foretell where to position their ads and determine to cost of each ad. The companys technology is weak to the extent of easily manipulated by spammers, who often create dummy sites. Due to automated indexing, the companys localized search algorithms, sometimes, displays erroneous results. OpportunitiesIn general, there are many business opportunities in the external environm ent for the company to exploit. Thus, the company has an ability to grasp and implement the new opportunities and be head of its competitors in the industry. Also, by launching the new operating system, which is an upgrade of Google Chrome, the company has a vast to expand and affirm itself in the market. If the company, successfully, launch the new operating system, it will pose a challenge to Microsoft Corporation, which has enjoyed the monopoly power over the last 20 decades (Kumar, 2011). With the increasing demand for online books, (e-books) the company has an opportunity to enter into agreements with companies such as On Demand Books, and benefit from every book downloaded and printed via Googles search engine. With the existing level of technology employed by Google, it is possible for the company to develop an easy expert search and integrate it using open-url. A critical review of the company, also, indicates that it has a capacity to offer more services to hand-held devic es and increase its market share, become a mass market portal, and lock-in-users by increasing their switching costs (Adam, 2008). Finally, on Googles localized search, the company can place localized vendor (paid) advertisements, and overall internet ads. Threats Google Inc. is subject to a number of threats like Yahoo, Bing etc., which may adversely affect its operations. For example, Google in some measure relies on portals like AOL (Kumar, 2011). If those contracts are terminated, the companys revenue will adversely be affected. Another threat results from the nature of the industry. Generally, there are no restrictions to entry of new players into the market. Thus, its a huge threat that, in the future, new entrant with the same or better interface may enter the industry. This will dilute the companys market share and revenue. As earlier noted, Googles Cost Per Click ranking and Charging policies are somehow confusing. If this problem is not resolved quickly, there is a possi bility of the company losing most of its users. Also, there is a strong completion from the company key rivals. For example, a portal such as Yahoo provides extr...

A Star-Crossed Adaptation Romeo + Juliet - A Critical Response - Literature Essay Samples

Ludicrous car chases, intense hot pink hair and a world where Prince songs are sung as hymns; is this what Shakespeare wanted when he wrote Romeo and Juliet over 400 years ago? Baz Luhrmann’s film adaption of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, is a kaleidoscopic, punk version of the story of ‘star-crossed lovers’ that buries Shakespeare’s work amongst the flamboyant scenes. In one catastrophe, Luhrmann has mixed Shakespeare with gang wars, luring both to audiences to this production, yet disappointing all. Despite the ‘huge success’ this film has made in the box office, we can only ask; what was Luhrmann thinking to betray Shakespeare like this? The tragedy begins with a TV news report on the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. The report is titled ‘Star Crossed Lovers’. We are then shown a quick montage, introducing the main characters before a panoramic shot displays the setting; Verona Beach, dominated by two skyscrapers displaying large lights which read Montague and Capulet. We are then immersed into this ‘future world’ where a standoff occurs between the Montague boys and the Capulet boys. We are shown an extreme close-up shot of the guns, each branded a ‘sword’ and labelled with the family crest. If the rest of the movie stuck to this fast-paced, full-on, furious style, then it would definitely not be Shakespeare, but maybe it would not be a disaster; however, it is not bold enough to abandon its Shakespearean roots, creating great confusion through the remainder of the film. The biggest inconsistency to Luhrmann’s adaption, is the language of the play, which is kept original while everything else reflects radical modernisation and excessive modification. In such a different context, much of the dialogue is lost and misinterpreted. Often the poetic lines are screamed and shouted so incomprehensibly, that the actors might as well be speaking in tongues. Fortunately, the talented and appealing Claire Danes (Juliet) and Leonardo DiCaprio (Romeo) managed to revive parts of the film, with their vital passion and the way they speak their lines with the grace and melody that was intent by Shakespeare. Undoubtedly, ruining Shakespeare’s masterpieces is not a method debuts in Luhrmann’s film. From ballets, to songs, to several Oscar winning movies, not all Shakespeare remakes are let-downs. Several films have taken a similar line of action as Luhrmann, including the West Side Story made in 1961 to 10 Things I Hate About You in 1999, none have been such a disappointment as this infamous Luhrmann film. Italian director, Franco Zeffirelli, in his 1968 classic hit Romeo and Juliet manages to pinpoint the essence of beauty that was intent by Shakespeare when writing this play, during the 16th century. This British-Italian romance film, manages to capture the exquisiteness of young love, with 15 year-old Olivia Hussey playing Juliet and 17 year-old Leonard Whiting playing Romeo, manage to create the perfect emotional balance between tension, love and excitement, in the way a great film should position its viewers. Furthermore, Zeffirelli plays his part well in adhering to the renowned script, only occasionally modernising the film. With his setting, costumes and music, Luhrmann has not been faithful to Shakespeare, modernising the majority of this production, but is this all for the bad? The film’s setting actually has a cunning twist to the original; instead of being set in Verona, Italy, it is set in Verona Beach a bustling modern beachside metropolis, which was filmed in parts in Mexico. The city has a strong resemblance with the modern Miami, possessing skyscrapers, modern cars and other modern infrastructure, all of which has been overwhelm by the city-wide feud between the houses; Montague and Capulet. The costumes have been drastically changed from the original Elizabethan dress to highly modernised Hawaiian shirts, leather boots and hot pink hair. Additionally, the music is a modern hip-hop style, utilising effects such as the electric guitar and the choir can be heard singing Prince songs as hymns. One of Luhrmann’s greatest decisions, was to choose the two perfect actors to play the main roles. In the final scene, Luhrmann goes over the top in creating a flower-strewn altar that is lit by 2000 candles, yet the grand passion that this tragedy requires, is delivered with ease by DiCaprio and Danes. This, however, is one of Luhrmann’s only good decisions, with the rest of the production being a major disappointment. Baz Luhrmann is well known for pushing the boundaries with his unconventional methods, but in Romeo and Juliet he has not only crossed the line, but has vandalised the great Bards lifelong legacy.