Innovation from Google’s Free Food Strategy
Essay by Le'Adria Robinson • July 2, 2017 • Research Paper • 1,232 Words (5 Pages) • 1,189 Views
Assignment #: Innovation from Google’s Free Food Strategy
Le'Adria Robinson
BUS 302 – Management Concepts
Professor Haroon Baqai
November 2, 2015
What is Google? Ask the man or woman on the street, and you will probably get an answer along the lines of “a search engine”. Ask an investor, and they will see it more as a marketing company. Google processes more than l on its search engine. Some of the world’s searches through computers and an even higher percentage on smartphones. The definition, however, is becoming less fitting by the week. Google may have started out as a search engine project when it was founded at Stanford University in 1996, but it is now an extensive, all-inclusive internet giant. For Google is also a mapping service, email provider, video site and smartphone operating system. I myself use Google every day. Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally available and useful. Our company has packed a lot into a relatively young life. Since Google was founded in 1998, they have grown to serve millions of people around the world. Google’s business model is all about advertising. There are a lot of key areas like key partners, key activities, and key resources. Key partners for Google include suppliers, distributors, the Open Handset Alliance and original equipment manufacturers. Key activities include research and development for both the development of new technologies and features and the improvement of existing ones, and key resources for Google would include datacenters, servers and other IT organization, IPs as well as the human resource. Other resources include patents, licenses and branded material.
It’s really the people that make Google the kind of company it is. We hire people who are smart and determined, and we favor ability over experience. Although Googlers share common goals and visions for the company, the company hail from all walks of life and speak dozens of languages, reflecting the worldwide audience that we serve. For most of Google’s history, and especially in the early years, it took a carefree policy toward leadership. The company hired smart engineers, promoted the most ideal into leadership positions and then pretty much left them alone. The theory was that they were smart and would figure it out or ask questions if they needed help. Also, Google went against its own cultural favoritism toward the importance of technology expertise and followed the data when it ranked this trait least among the rest they have. Yes, it is important, but other qualities matter even more. I imagine this came as a shock to more than a few leaders at Google.
Some of the examples of services or amenities that Google provides to its employees, interns, partners, and visitors are very cool and beyond any other job I ever seen. Google makes sure that its employees are well-fed, which is evident by the 25 different cafes that are sprawled across their Mountain View office. Google believes in ‘commuting sustainably’ which means, that they not only save the environment by providing their employees with biodiesel shuttles as a means of transportation from their house to the office, but they also cut down costs. By keeping thousands of Google Employees out of their car’s driver seats, Google has managed to keep 71 million vehicles off the road annually, resulting in 20,000 metric ton less of CO2 produced. As an employee at Google, you get to test all the products and services that Google plans to launch, before they actually hit the market. Yes, this also means, if you were working at Google right now, you would’ve touched, used or probably owned the fancy Google Glass by now. Or the smart contact lenses that monitors blood-sugar levels. Or Google Sky which when installed on your phone and pointed to the sky, gives you a detailed information about all the constellations and celestial body locations in that area. The lists can go on forever. Google even has a death policy which means if you meet an early death while working at Google, your spouse continues to get half of your salary for the next 10 years, along with life insurance payout. Not only this, any stocks that you owned will be vested immediately to your spouse, who also gets an additional $1000 if you have any children, till they turn 19 or 23, in case they are pursuing full-time studies. Google has so many different services and amenities that they provide that are so fun. I know if I worked there I would be a massage every day. Google even has swimming pools, open end offices, and game rooms. I guess you can probably call this your home away from home. Google is broadly known for its workplace creativity and innovation within the technology field. Its search engine is the most widely used search tool in the world, its data analytics are revolutionary, and it continues to raise the bar for innovation and design with Google Glass, smart watches, and mobile phones. Google has been featured in dozens of technology and business magazines. Additionally, Fortune Magazine’s list of the “Best Companies to Work For 2014” has ranked Google number one. . Just think about all the services that is giving to employees and the benefits such as free meals, dry cleaning services, video games, massage therapy, in-door gyms, shuttle services, and affordable daycare services for employees. I would love to work for this company.
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