The Google Guys: Inside the Brilliant Minds of Google Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin by Richard L. Brandt is a guidebook to the inner workings of Google’s founders. Brandt examines the key characteristics that has led Google co-founders, Lawrence Page and Sergey Brin through their progression and subsequent success. The Google Guys explores the beginning of their venture while they were graduate students at Stanford University and through the obstacles that they encountered as they built their empire. Page is scientifically and academically oriented with an undergraduate degree in engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master of Science in computer science. During his doctoral studies at Stanford, he developed BackRub which was the antecedent of PageRank, a complex algorithm that analyses and ranks websites based on quantity and quality of backlinks or website links to another website. PageRank is analogous to citations used in research where a reference source that Continue reading
Business Analysis
In today’s complex business environment, an organization’s adaptability, agility, and ability to manage constant change through innovation can be keys to success. Traditional methods may no longer lead to reaching objectives when economic conditions are unfavorable. That’s where business analysis comes in. The basic idea of business analysis is quite simple. It is the practice of identifying and clarifying a problem or issue within a company, then working with the various stakeholders to define and implement an acceptable solution.
Case Study: Analyzing Kodak’s Business Failure
Eastman Kodak is in most certainty the story of an organization that has failed to correctly manage and implement change. The company which was enjoying sales of around US$10 billion in 1981 has a net income of only US$139 million in 2005. Kodak’s brand value also slipped down dramatically. An estimated US$2.6 billion was lost owing to the decrease in organization’s brand value. A number of factors played an important role in Eastman Kodak’s tragic decline. The most important factor that contributed to Kodak’s demise was the rigid thinking on part of its management that stopped them from taking timely initiative towards adoption of digital technology in digital communications segment of the company. Another important letdown related to change implementation occurred when Kodak’s management failed to realize that it needs to continuously monitor the changes occurring in the environment and then take small continuous steps towards complete adoption of a Continue reading
Case Study: Analysis of IBM’s Strategic Acquisition of Red Hat
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is an American multinational corporation that operates in 170 countries globally and significantly impacts the market of technologies. Its central office is located in Armonk, New York; however, there are many departments in other strategically important regions. The corporation manufactures, designs, and sells hardware, middleware, software and provides diverse consulting services in the area of innovation and nanotechnologies. At the moment, it is one of the leaders in this market segment with annual revenue of about $62.753 B. The company is managed by the Board of Directors who accept all critical strategic decisions and are responsible for substantial growth. At the moment, Arvind Krishna is the chair and president of IBM who correctly realizes the peculiarities of the company and contributes to its further evolution. IBM’s strategic acquisition of Red Hat company with a total value of about $34 billion is taken as the background for Continue reading
Case Study: Analysis of Walt Disney’s Acquisition of Lucasfilm
Walt Disney Company is one of the leading mass-media and entertainment corporations with the central office in the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. At the moment, it is considered the world’s largest media conglomerate that is focused on the production of movies, cartoons, and entertaining products such as theme parks that are popular among the population globally. It is an American company headed by its president, Robert Iger who is considered a successful CEO because of a number of effective solutions contributing to the development of the company and it’s becoming a leader in the selected market segment. The company also owns other famous franchises and studios such as 21st Century Fox which contributes to the generation of the competitive advantage and significant empowerment of the corporation. Decision The decision that is discussed in terms of this case is the purchase of Lucasfilm for $4 billion by Disney. The Continue reading
Case Study of Apple Inc: How Innovation Strategy Contributes to Business Success
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) published its ranking of the most innovative companies of 2021. The first line was taken by Apple, with Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Tesla also in the top five. The 6th position goes to Samsung; IBM Corporation takes the 7th place, and Chinese ICT giant Huawei occupies the 8th. In tenth place is Pfizer, which invented one of the vaccines for the coronavirus. Beyond that, Pfizer is one of the world’s largest drug manufacturers. Innovation is not just about making a new device; it is also about writing software code. That is done in companies that run a search engine, an operating system, or companies that make smartphones. That is why Apple has been the most technologically advanced company globally for years, and others like it are growing in that ranking year after year. In addition, Fast Company magazine ranked the innovative companies of the world Continue reading
Case Study: Critical Success Factors of Tesco
Tesco PLC is a British merchandise retailer that was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen. It has operations in 12 countries around the world. It is the largest retailer in the U.K. with more than 530,000 employees. Currently, Tesco serves more than 75 million customers every week. Tesco is present in Malaysia, India, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, and China. The retailer is the third largest in the world in terms of revenues and a market capitalization of more than £20.5 billion in 2013. After its founding, Tesco operated for many years selling grocery only in the U.K. Today, the multinational retailer has diversified its operations into other areas that include electronics, furniture, software, clothing, books, internet services, and financial services. The company has good online presence and makes great sales through its website. The success of Tesco has been studied for a very long time because of its size and Continue reading