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Capstone Project
Focus on Google Inc.
Nada Weng
Business 101
Professor Carla Cardellio
April 15, 2014
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Abstract
Google Inc. is one of the most innovative and profitable companies of our time. I have found
them to possess outstanding company ethics as well as an exceptional quality of products and
services. Google has reached almost every corner of the planet in the markets they are presently
contending. They have paved-the-way in online search, proving they are the search Goliath.
They keep the end-user in mind when developing new products and services, and have
continuously maintained a remarkable relationship with its own employees; offering them such
extreme amenities that a five-star hotel could boast. Unions aren’t capable of achieving this for
most if not all of the workers it fights for. Google has jumped into numerous business markets
other than what they are commonly known for, search. Analyzing the company’s financials
displayed a lot of growth in revenue; however it also exhibited a decline in their return on sales.
Google doesn’t seem to be slowing investments or research because of this decline either.
Something tells me that this isn’t something that is going to slow them down.
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Capstone Project
Focus on Google Inc.
I have learned a lot about the company I chose to study. I have decided to examine
Google Inc. I selected this company partly because it is a firm I would like to pursue a career
with, and I also was interested in learning about the industry as it is really in its infancy on a
bigger scale. The internet is evolving regularly, and I would love to be a part of it. It amazes me
how far this industry has come in such a short amount of time, so I can only imagine the leaps
and bounds that will continue in the next 10-20 years.
Google’s Ethics & Social Responsibility
Google has a variety of stakeholders which consist of individuals, groups, and other
companies.1 The company’s stakeholders fall into one of the following categories: Users,
Investors, Employees, & Advertisers. The company strives to keep its users happy by staying on
top of products and services like apps, email, search, smart phones, and a variety of programs.
Investors’ primary interest is the quarterly financial statements. At the beginning of 2013, Google
announced it had $14.2 billion in revenue in its 4th quarter of 2012. In the 3rd quarter of 2013,
Google Inc. reported consolidated revenues of $14.89 billion for the quarter ended September 30,
2013, an increase of 12% compared to the third quarter of 2012. The employees also have a stake
and respect for their job. CareerBliss.com has released a list of 50 employers with most-
improved worker-satisfaction scores, picked from more than 50,000 employee reviews posted on
their site. Google topped the list in 2011, and remained in the top 20 in 2013. Google offers
advertising to businesses; this service is provided by their product called Google AdWords.
Advertisers are also stakeholders of Google because they pay money to Google so their message
can reach billions of people around the world. Google makes this possible by having a very
1 A stakeholder is a person with an interest or concern in something, esp. a business.
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sophisticated algorithm for connecting people to precise products and services. Google
demonstrates its social responsibility on a global scale. It posts its belief and a variety of
contributions made on its website under Company Information – Corporate Responsibility. It
shares that since its inception is it committed to philanthropy, climate changes, education, and
poverty alleviation. It seems many of its efforts are primarily focused in or around China. One
example of its efforts is the unique charitable “Google Grants”, which awards free AdWords
advertising to select organizations. “Room to Read,” which educates children across Asia,
attracted a sponsor who clicked on its AdWords ad donating enough money to educate 25
children for 10 years.
Google Inc. has a very user friendly Code of Conduct. The companies Credo “Don’t be
evil” is pretty well known. From what I read, it addresses the needs of all stakeholders mentioned
above as well as following the law. The Code of Conduct discusses it Users first, making sure
they are priority, by keeping them happy and their information safe. It tackles investor concerns
in areas such as Avoid Conflicts of Interest, Protecting Company Assets, and Preserve Company
Confidentiality. It focuses on employee safety, equal opportunity, and harassment. Google
addresses the advertisers, who make up quite a bit of the company’s revenue, by reinforcing in its
Code of Conduct, things that might harm good business practices jeopardizing advertisers’ best
interest. As much as I enjoy the laid back, less formal approach to the format of their Code of
Conduct, I feel it needs a little more stringency. One concern I would have as an employee from
my own career experiences is Nepotism.2 The company I worked for had a major problem with
that, and when we were bought by another outside company, it was added into the Code of
Conduct because it was such a big problem. I also would like to see some sort of hotline added to
2 Neposm is defined as the pracce among those with power or influence of favoring relaves or friends, esp. by
giving them jobs.
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report problems. It may be sent to the employees; however it is not mentioned on their website
where the Code of Conduct is located. Overall I think the company did a great job of
communicating its expectations from its employees and Board members, keeping
communication easy to understand, and not getting lost in legal jargon.
Google – Global Presence
Google is a worldwide company. Its search engine products as well as its cellular app
services are also worldwide. Google currently holds the highest market share of all competitors
worldwide. Globally, the dominant platform remains Google’s Android, shipping 785 million
smartphones, representing 79% of the market; up from 68% last year. There are countries
however that are more restricted than others, such as China. They have what’s known as internet
