Developing and Managing Sales for Google - Research Proposal Example

Developing and managing sales for "Google" Introduction The Google Story is about the democrat-oriented media company, Google, that is powered by the most advanced technology available on planet earth, that has revolutionized access to information about everything for everybody everywhere, in a matter of a few short years. "In 1998, Sergey Brin and Midwest-born Larry Page dropped out of graduate school at Stanford University to, in their own words, change the world through a search engine that would organize every bit of information on the Web for free. The Google search engine is the most popular search engine on the worldwide web. It is used the world over by millions of people on a daily basis. Its mission is to make available the world's segregated information accessible to all and sundry. Google's founders developed a new method through which online searches across the globe could be made easy and accessible. It is indeed one of the things that happened to the Internet and the information technology world in general. Also, Google has been expanding in business, as word of mouth has played a huge role in its success and the advertising. This goes to show the affection and praise that the people, no matter their age or where they come from, have for the Google Company. Google has its headquarters in Mountain View, California, United States, and the company's Chief Executive Officer is Dr. Eric Schmidt, who is also the Chairman of the Board. SWOT analysis The following is a SWOT analysis of Google. Strengths Google is a global technological leader which has devised different ways and means to interact with the users. It imparts information and finds out ways in which to satisfy the end users. Strong expansion revenue base Google is a very profitable company Weaknesses Inability to target users who are spread in different nook and corners of the world Some clients are unable to shop from the different sub-domains of Google. Opportunities Immense since it has the capacity to explore new avenues and break new grounds in the field of information technology and computer-user interaction regimes. Threats Google's competitors are increasing on a daily basis and beginning to threaten the company's very existence. Google's market share and market growth strategies Google has devised different platforms, so as to be constantly in touch with its investors, has an 'Investor relations' program that is constantly encouraging investors to invest in the various realms of Google's business and growth. Google builds on its market share and strives to grow in an exponential manner by focusing more than anything else on a 'Build' strategy. It is perceivable that this particular strategy is serving the cause well for Google than a Hold, Divest or Harvest strategy would. Google's generic business strategy The business strategy that is adopted by Google is of a niche nature, since it targets different audiences differently. The company blends its logo and themes according to the situation and people residing within a particular reachout region. Also Google focuses significantly on changes in season and era, utilizing different strategies to target different market areas. This ensures the building of long term relationships, and an understanding of Google's attachment with specific audiences. Google's success Google is famous for 'searching' all over the world. Such is the fame of this company all over the world that it has become a generic word of English and other languages, and is meant to stand for running a search for information about a particular topic on the Internet. This speaks volumes of the rise of Google as a brand and as a service in the lives of the people. Google is here to stay, as the company has been providing valuable services its users. Thus without a shadow of a doubt, Google is indeed a successful business and is renowned for being one of the first and the best in the industry. Google is considered as a success also because it is competing with the different web directories, search engines, E-mail programs and the like in a head on manner - and meeting/defeating the competitors on a consistent basis. The advertising and marketing programs/budgets of different brands have a huge share for Google and its different sub-domains which suggest that financially the business is sound and does not require huge investments within its own quarters. What are needed now are investments that must be done on the different platforms which make Google such a huge success in the first place. The founders of google adopted an unorthodox approach to business that has enabled the company to challenge the dominance of the Microsoft Corporation, and shake up Wall Street. Even as Google rides high, the organization has wrestled with plenty of difficult choices that could enable it to continue in its track of expansion, while sustaining and upholding the vision of its founders' mantra, which states: "DON'T BE EVIL". This shows a degree of flexibility which is good for every business organization. There must also be continuous expansion, for a business to be successful. David Vise observed that Google is in talks with AOL's parent, Time Warner, about a variety of possibilities that range from buying a minority stake in America Online to expanding the partnership that already exists. The goal would be to create more revenue by working more closely together, in one form or another. Microsoft wants to replace Google as the search engine of choice on AOL with its MSN Search. Those talks are less likely, I'm told, to lead to a deal because of a variety of complexities. David Vise, (2005). Google in the press The press has been encouraging of Google's efforts ever since it was established. This is due to a symbiotic relationship that Google has with the press. The news of the press are transmitted across the different feeds and domains of Google which helps the press to grow and prosper while the usage of Google for the press people is a valuable resource for finding information, news and past archives based on worldly issues, no matter which corner of the world an event might have taken place say 100 years back. Google thus knows how to tackle the press and thus the bad press is kept away from its doors as much as possible. On the part of Google itself, this is manifested through the Public Relations department at Google which builds on positive relationships with the media people and gives them the incentives which could make the relevant folks write positively for Google and thus help and facilitate in bolstering the business from all sides and angles. Speaking from a true business standpoint, Google is playing its cards well and knows how to manipulate the right people by giving them the much needed incentives which simply closes the doors of any negative press that could derail the journey of Google once and for all. Nearly 99% of the press is on Google's side which is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. Sales revenue, profit and loss last year Google's sales revenue, profits and losses for the year 2006 stand as a division for four different quarters - January to March, April to June, July to September and October till December. The income statement for the year 2006 suggests that the revenues for the first quarter were 2,253,755,000. Within this quarter, the Google websites had Y/Y growth rate at 97% while the Q/Q growth rate stood at 18%. The second quarter in 2006 showed revenues of 2,455,991,000 which had Google websites share of Y/Y growth rate at 94% and Q/Q growth rate stood at 10%. Within the third quarter of 2006, the revenues increased to 2,689,673,000 out of which Google websites had a Y/Y growth rate of 84% while the Q/Q growth rate stood at 14%. The last quarter of 2006 showed 3,205,498,000 out of which Google websites accredited for Y/Y growth rate at 80% while the Q/Q growth rate was at 22%. The total advertising revenues for the four quarters stood at 2,225,693,000; 2,429,028,000; 2,662,999,000 and 3,174,909,000. The costs of revenues were 904,119,000; 989,032,000; 1,048,728,000 and 1,283,148,000 for the four quarters of 2006. These costs include the traffic acquisition cost as well as miscellaneous costs of revenues. There were different costs related with research and development, sales and marketing, general and administrative costs, settlement of dispute with Yahoo, contribution to the Google Foundation and others. The profits for the four quarters stood in terms of income from operations as 742,699,000; 815,372,000; 931,331,000 and 1,060,594,000. The net income for these quarters was 592,291,000; 721,077,000; 733,361,000 and 1,030,716,000. All these figures are in US Dollars. Google's public share percentage Google is a private entity. It has different shares of its own which are floating within the public domains. The related companies alongside Google are Yahoo, Microsoft, Baidu, Time Warner, LookSmart, Verizon Communications, eBay, Answers Corporation, CNET Networks, etc. All of these come under the Services sector and the industry is of Communications Services. Google does not operate as a public entity hence it could easily form alliances and partnerships with different companies, have investor relationships, could carry out joint activities and so on and so forth. Thus the aspect of percent of its share within a public entity does not hold weight to be considered feasible. Stock Exchange Google has a public listing on NASDAQ. Its symbol is GOOG. Since NASDAQ is one of the biggest stock exchanges of the world, the shares of Google on it make for an interesting read. It is easily accessible for buying and selling through this stock exchange which makes it easy on the part of Google authorities to get buyers and sellers across the world through a single financial platform. Countries of operation Google primarily operates from the United States of America. However its offices are situated in different countries of the world and thus its operations are carried out from different regions and locations of the world on a consistent basis. Thus Google is truly global and it connects with the different offices through the basic use of Internet. Google's different networks, software platforms and usenet services make for an interesting discussion since all of these connect with the different networks and servers located in various parts of the globe. Google is mainly operational in United Kingdom, France, Spain, Australia, India, Japan, China, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Brazil, Russia and a number of other countries as well. Google ads I am absolutely thrilled to see Google's advertisements which come across a number of media platforms. Usually they are on the Internet itself which is truly amazing to see. People could decipher different meanings from the ads that come from the folds of Google and the themes and occasions on which Google advertises demands a huge viewership/readership for its ads nonetheless. I appreciate the creativity in their ads and usually my feedback is positive which I keep giving on the Google homepage time and again. Their ads appeal to me on a consistent basis and I would surely rate them as the very best within their league. These ads could easily compare alongside the ones that are given out by top brands and/or organizations around the world. Conclusion The founders of Google displayed a supreme confidence about their achievements and vision. Brin and Page had been on a roll ever since they started working together. "They wanted no one-neither competitors nor outside investors-to come between them or interfere in any way. That combination of dependence on each other, and independence from everyone else, had contributed immeasurably to their astounding success." Vise, D. A., and Malseed, M.(2006). Getting to the top is never easy, more so, when you are at the top, there are a lot of difficulties to face, and success requires patience and perseverance. In the click of a mouse, Google replaced Microsoft as the place for the world's top technologists to work, but "they knew that maintaining the pace of innovation and the mantle of leadership would be no easy feat, since they faced a deeper-pocketed competitor in Microsoft, and a ruthless combatant in its chief, the billionaire Bill Gates." Vise, D. A., and Malseed, M. (2006). Bibliography As Google Grows, How Much Does It Know about You Manila Bulletin, July 31, 2005 Google Tracks Down New Wave of Investor Support. The Evening Standard (London, England), April 21, 2006 Go-Go Google Wins Back Friends as Profits Rocket; CITY BRIEFING. The Evening Standard (London, England), April 21, 2006 Gozzi, Raymond. A Review of General Semantics. 2006 Horn, Royal V. Web Applications and Google. Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 88, 2007 Kounalakis, Markos. Search Lite: You May Think Google Is Powerful Today, but It's Still Only Using 5% of Its Brain. Washington Monthly, Vol. 37, 2005 Miller, John J. Corporate-Welfare Queens (and Kings): Google, American Express, Dollar Tree. National Review, Vol. 59, 2007 Vise, David A. Google Foreign Policy, 2006. Vise, David A, and Mark Malseed. (2006). The Google Story: Inside the Hottest Business, Media and Technology Success of Our Time. Paperback ed. Dell Pub. Vise D. (2005) Transcript of the Google Story, Washington Post Staff Write Tuesday, November 15, 2005 Read More