google inc stage 1 anaylsis
Case: Google Inc.
Only Stage I analysis And following questions to be submitted:
GOOGLE INC.
1. What explains (key factors behind) Google’s early success?
2. Is search a winner take-all category?
3. Could Google outbid Microsoft for AOL’s traffic?
4. What should Google do next? Hint: Critically evaluate (pros & cons) all possible lines of businesses Google may enter and provide your opinion based on the analysis.
5. Is Google’s unique organization a strength or liability?
In Stage I (Discussion questions), your analysis will be geared toward responding to several questions related to the assigned case. This will require you to go beyond the rational analysis and provide you with more flexibility and freedom in formulating your answers, where you are not strictly bound by rational choices, as is the case with the SWOT matrix. This is to recognize that an organization is not an entirely rational entity but a dynamic one (e.g., actions are taken based on rational as well as other considerations), that a SWOT is not likely to capture all the nuances of an organization, and that considerations beyond what the data/facts indicate (e.g., organizational politics, wisdom of the strategic manager, factors that are not apparently visible, etc.,), all of which may play an important role in the formulation of a strategy. For example, a SWOT matrix may not touch on or provide a satisfactory answer to the type of questions, such as: How would you describe Steve Job’s leadership philosophy? Or what was the impact of the founder’s philosophy on the corporate culture, and does it help or hurt the corporation?
