All Google Options Essay Example
All Google Options Essay Example

All Google Options Essay Example

Available Only on StudyHippo
Topics:
  • Pages: 4 (956 words)
  • Published: August 14, 2021
View Entire Sample
Text preview

Opening Statement

Despite its billion-dollar revenues, Google should not be broken up or regulated as it is not a monopoly.

Arguments

According to the definition, a monopoly is an enterprise that has exclusive control over the sale of a product or service. Monopolies can set prices without considering consumer demands and impede innovation in their industries. A true monopoly arises when there is no competition presently or in the future.

Competition arises when monopolies dominate secure and uncontested markets. Now let's explore the various domains where Google operates:

  • Search - Google Search
  • Social Network - YouTube, Google+, Blogger
  • Email - Gmail
  • Advertising - AdWords, AdMod, AdSense
  • Operating Systems - Android, ChromeOS

    ...

    Google faces competition in each of these domains:

    • Search competitors: Microsoft, Yahoo, Baidu, Bing
    • Social Network competitors: Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, Tumblr, etc.
    • Email competitors: Yahoo , Hotmail
    • Advertising competitors: Microsoft , Yahoo , Facebook , Twitter
    • OS competitors : Apple , Microsoft

      The existence of rivals in these sectors demonstrates that customers have alternatives and Google is not the sole company operating within them; therefore it is not a monopoly. Despite facing competition from tech giants like Amazon and numerous start-ups,
      Google continues to invest billions of dollars annually in research and development (R).

      Google is a staunch supporter of innovation and dedicates billions of dollars every year to research and development. They financially support ove

    View entire sample
    Join StudyHippo to see entire essay

250 research projects each year, nurturing innovation throughout the company. Google X acts as a hub for small teams to work together on ambitious moonshot projects, enhancing efficiency and collaboration. These efforts have paid off, with Google currently dominating around 86% of the worldwide search market and approximately 32% of the global advertising market.

Google refrains from acquiring companies that compete with it in search or advertising, including email and advertising services. Instead, the company focuses on expanding into various sectors through substantial investments in research and development. To comprehensively evaluate the idea of a monopoly, market definition and competitive advantages must be considered, particularly when a company sets prices above marginal cost without regard for its customers. However, Google deviates from this norm by offering its search platform to users at no charge. Moreover, a significant portion of Google's revenue comes from advertising, specifically through AdWords.

Google promotes competition in the Adwords auction, where advertisers who place the highest bid win ad space. As a result, the cost of advertising is determined by participants and market forces, not Google.

Both Bing and Google compete on price, but if Google increases prices, it could lose market share to Bing. This lack of pricing flexibility prevents Google from being considered a monopoly.

Defense Arguments

A company can only be classified as a harmful monopoly if its actions have an 'anticompetitive effect.' This means that not only should it harm the competitive nature of the industry, but also negatively impact consumers. To demonstrate this, we can analyze the cases of Facebook and Snapchat.

Facebook consistently imitates the new app features of Snapchat, leaving no room for differentiation. Monopolies are often criticized for hindering

innovation, but our evidence suggests that innovation can actually be expedited in these cases. Critics might bring up Google's alleged anticompetitive behavior in manipulating search results to favor its own content. However, a recent study found that Google rarely gives priority to its own content over rival search engines. Instead, its algorithm prioritizes popularity by displaying the most popular websites or search results first and then showing less popular ones. Moreover, although the FTC accused Google of monopolistic practices, there is no solid evidence proving its involvement in such behavior.

According to research, Bing displays alleged search bias almost twice as often as Google does. Furthermore, numerous major multinational corporations, including Google, have faced accusations of exerting power or exploiting laws and regulations. For instance, Google is currently under a 20-year consent decree with the FTC due to alleged privacy and anticompetitive violations. Similar situations can be observed with Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and other companies.

Closing Statement

Economist Ronald Coase, who won the Nobel Prize, argued that when economists encounter a business practice they don't understand, they tend to attribute it to monopoly power (Radia, 2012). This perspective provides the correct viewpoint and concludes that although Google's behavior may sometimes be frustrating and its products inconsistent at times, it serves as an exemplary illustration of an American success story determined to have a significant impact on revolutionizing the internet in its unique way.

In the Silicon Valley, innovative ideas thrive and succeed through healthy competition, promoting economic prosperity. Imposing regulations on these minds and concepts would hinder progress, potentially halting the economy.

Questions Addressed to the Opposition

If critics of Google are correct in alleging past or present abuse of its

dominant position, where is the evidence to support such claims? Is there proof that Google's efforts to improve search quality have negatively impacted users and consumers? This inquiry is relevant because opponents may argue that Google has leveraged its dominance in search to hinder competition in certain sectors. If Google wields such immense power that it can render rivals obsolete without resistance, why did highly anticipated products like Wave and Buzz fail? Additionally, why does Google+ only have 100 million users compared to Facebook's astonishing 1 billion users? Moreover, why are venture capitalists and other investors currently investing more in startups than they did during the dot-com bubble peak? These questions hold significance as every monopoly is perceived as an oppressive entity against which no one can contend.

Google, just like any other corporation, faces the risk of losing its market dominance or being acquired by competitors if it fails to exercise caution. This reminder stems from the vulnerabilities and past errors that Google has encountered.

Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New