Analyzing Apple and Google in company background, cultures, products, competitors, SWOTS

1. Career Research Report
Google and Apple
Prepared for
Mahsa Modirzadeh, Professor
Linguistics and Language Development Department
San Jose State University
Prepared by
Thao Bui
San Jose State University
October 25, 2015

2. 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………… 2
The Ideal Company…………………………..………………………………………………….. 2
Company One: Google…………………………………………………………………………... 3
Background……….……………………………………………………………………… 3
Products and Services……………………………………………………………………. 3
Customers and Competitors …..…………………………………………………………. 3
Company Culture………………………………………………………………………….4
SWOT Analysis………………….………………………………………………………. 4
My Opinion ……………………………………………………………………………… 5
Company Two: Apple…………………………………………………………………………… 5
Background………………………………………………………………………………. 5
Products and Services……………………………………………………………………. 5
Customers and Competitors ….…………….……………………………………………. 5
Company Culture ……......………………………………………………....…………..... 6
SWOT Analysis……………………….…………………………………………………. 6
My Opinion ………………………………………………………………………….…... 7
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………..7
Google……………………………………………………………………………………7
Apple……………………………………………………………………………………..7
Final Decision……………………………………………………………………………8
Next Steps………………………………………………………………………………………..8
References………………………………………………………………………………………. 9

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INTRODUCTION
Choosing a career path is never easy. While people may have a general idea of what general job
description they want to move towards, finding the path they want to take throughout their career
requires much more thought. In order to begin figuring this out, it is important to create a list of
important criteria that tells you what kind of work life you value, what your own values inside of
a company are, and the kind of benefits you would like to earn from future employers. This starts
as a theoretical list of your dream job, but as you begin to look more closely at your personal values
and criteria, the list begins to form an arrow towards the path you want to take.
I narrowed my ideal companies down to two. This allows me to look closer at each company. It
also lets me take my personal ideals, and see how they fit into large corporations. The two
companies that I have chosen are Google and Apple. After analyzing and assessing both companies
in background, products, culture, competitors, and SWOT analysis, I will able to find the criteria
for my ideal company. What I found through my research was that both companies would be
excellent workplaces. However, Google seems to be the better fit for me overall.
THE IDEAL COMPANY
My ideal company is one that values its employees. While personal benefits are nice, ideally a
company that I am employed at will listen to its workers, and take their input and thoughts into
account. A company that has a large amount of room for promotions and personal growth is also
very important to me. I would like my career to progress, and being able to do so inside of one
company that I respect appeals to me.
Even though I work in the finance sector, it is very important that the company I work for reflect
my personal values when it comes to giving back to local communities around the world. A
company that has no problem using cheap factory labor does not appeal to me. A company that
gives back to the world in a positive way, and one that works to improve the lives of people
regardless of their social standing or income level is one that I can believe in.

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Personal perks of working for a company are a nice bonus, but I believe in the work itself that a
company does, more than I believe in individual benefits. I prefer that companies are honest in
their communication with employees and their consumer base.
COMPANY I: GOOGLE
BACKGROUND
The concept for Google was created in 1997, by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and the company
itself was started in 1998. The initial mission for the company was to “organize a seemingly infinite
amount of information on the web.” The goals of the company were to create the perfect search
engine, that would understand exactly what users meant (Google, 2015). The company is currently
ranked as being the number one for Best Employer in America, and ranked third in the world for
Most Valuable Brands (Forbes, 2015).
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Google was originally intended to be a search engine. As the company continued to grow, more
products and services were added. The company offers Google Chrome web browser, as well as
Android phone technology among many other services (Google, 2015). From web searches to
email account hosting, to delivering clearly understood information with speed and accuracy, the
company has expanded into multiple applications since its initial launch.
CUSTOMERS AND COMPETITORS
According to Google executive Eric Schmidt, companies like Bing and Yahoo are not Google’s
main competitors. Instead, Amazon.com is the leading rival in search engine technology and
consumer use. Amazon has started to move into online advertising as well, and also competes with
Google in terms of phones, cloud services and drones. The company’s customers are made up of
businesses and individuals all over the world who choose to use the Google search engine and
other services, such as Android phones, email accounts, and advertisements. Amazon was largest
customer for Google search ads in 2013, spending $157.7 million dollars on ads in the United
States alone (Soper, 2014).

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COMPANY CULTURE
Google promotes employee’s contributions to the Google team, and is focused on internal
transparency (D’Onfro, 2015). With weekly meetings with employees and the owners of the
company, employees are able to ask the owners questions and get answers that day. With locations
set across the world, and headquarters in Mountain View, California, the company promotes global
integration and exchange of information. Dress codes are not enforced, because the company does
not believe that in order to be taken seriously employees need to wear suits (Google, 2015).
SWOT ANALYSIS
Google has four major strengths that contribute to its success. The first one is the global brand
recognition. Patented proprietary products help to contribute to the company’s success and future
growth. The company also has a diverse business and a large organizational size, which show that
the company has the building blocks to continue its future growth in the market (Thompson, 2015).
The company’s weaknesses are built into the company’s market and capabilities within the market.
The dependence that the company has on the internet limits the potential growth in the future. In
countries where the infrastructure is not built to run internet at the level that Google’s services
require, it will be difficult to continue expansion. The lack of physical presence is the company’s
second weakness. This makes the company unable to compete against companies like Apple, who
have a strong physical presence (Thompson, 2015).
As technology continues to develop, Google will have access to more market opportunities. bring
in more mobile users through the Android platform, expand its products and services, specifically
in terms of Google Fiber, and to move into the market of consumer electronics. The expansion of
these products and services, as well as stronger marketing in terms of consumer products will all
lead towards further growth for the company (Thompson, 2015).
There are only two major threats to the company that would prevent growth. The competition in
the current market, and imitation of products by other companies are both serious threats. Large
company competitors are a threat, but so are smaller companies that work on regional/national
scales that offer similar products. As Google continues to expand the consumer electronics, more
companies will be able to make imitations of Google products (Thompson, 2015).

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MY OPPINION
Google meets a large amount of my criteria. Company appreciation of employees, and the fact that
the company is listed with Forbes as being the Best Employer in American also help with my
decision between Apple and Google. Google is also a worldwide organization, with plenty of
personal growth opportunities. The SWOT analysis shows that Google is a strong company, with
a promising future. The focus on innovation and expansion of products and services, as well as the
desire to continue being a free search engine that can be used anywhere in the world, and makes
the company a strong choice for future employment.
COMPANY II: APPLE
BACKGROUND
Apple, Inc. was founded on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The
company’s headquarters are in Cupertino, CA. The company is based on computer hardware, and
as of May 2015, the market capital of the company was $741.8 billion dollars. Apple, Inc. is ranked
as the number one most valuable brand worldwide, and has 92,600 employees on its payroll. The
company is ranked 55th for America’s Best Employers (Forbes, 2015b).
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Apple “designs, manufactures, and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal
computers, portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services,
peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications” (Forbes,
2015b). The company’s main products and services are the iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, and Apple
TV. Apple also has a number of software applications, including “iOS and OS X operating
systems, iCloud, and accessories, service and support offerings” (Forbes, 2015b).
CUSTOMERS AND COMPETITORS
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, says that Google is the company’s top competitor. Popular belief is that
Samsung is Apple’s leading competition, but Cook believes that Google’s Android technology is
a bigger threat since Google supplies the Android technology to Samsung as well as other

7. 6
manufacturers (Zafar, 2014). The high prices of Apple products mean that the company’s
consumer base are made up of the upper and middle class. Consumers in lower class brackets are
unable to afford Apple products (Smithson, 2015).
COMPANY CULTURE
Apple’s company culture is focused on not talking about what goes on inside of Apple
headquarters. Rather than have internal transparency, the company prefers projects and product
improvements to stay within the company. Apple is also very collaborative, and teams are in place
to check individual work every step of the way. Apple’s current focus is on inclusion and diversity
in its employees. Cookwrites that diversity needs to be found not just in the company’s employees,
but in the company’s entire ecosystem (Apple, 2015).
SWOT ANALYSIS
Apple’s has three great strengths. First, they are actually considered to be one of the strongest
brands worldwide, and considered to be one of the most valuable. Because of the company’s brand
recognition, new products already have an existing market available. Second, they have very high
profit margins. Third, the innovation process that the company uses is effective, allowing for
continuous future growth. The company focuses on quick innovation, and releases new products
on a regular basis in order to continue consumer interest. This allows the company to keep an edge
over competition, and stay at the forefront of the market (Smithson, 2015).
Apple has three major weaknesses that impact the future growth of the company. The first is that
the company works with a limited distribution network. Because the company is so exclusive, and
has policies in place to protect the brand name, there are limited amounts of authorized sellers
worldwide. The second weakness is the company’s high prices for products, while the third is the
company’s focus on the high-end market (Smithson, 2015).
Apple has three major opportunities for future growth. They can expand their distribution network,
but in order to do so they will have to make changes to their exclusivity policies regarding seller
distribution. The second opportunity is the consumer market and rising demand for smartphones
and tablets. The third opportunity is creating new product lines (Smithson, 2015).

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The three major threats to the company are the aggressive competition in the marketplace,
imitation of Apple products by other companies, and the rise in labor costs in the countries where
Apple manufactures its products. Apple products and services are also easily imitated, making the
high price for products less appealing to lower class consumers. Rising wage prices in countries
where Apple has its factories located will hurt the company financially, and result in a rise of
product prices that the market may not be able to support (Smithson, 2015).
MY OPPINION
I believe that it would be a very strong option for employment, and it would allow a number of
possible growth opportunities within a strong company. The fact that Apple is moving towards
diversity is also something that appeals to me. The company’s focus on hiring women and
underrepresented minorities is something that appeals to my personal ideals. However, while I
admire Apple for its marketing and business strategies, I still find Google to meet more of my ideal
company requirements.
CONCLUSION
GOOGLE
Google’s main goal of “do no evil” is one that I believe every company should adopt. The
company’s focus on the consumer/user of the products, and on bringing technology and a strong
search engine to individuals on a worldwide level is a mission that I support wholeheartedly. The
company is stable, and shows future growth that will continue for years. The expansions that the
company is making into other markets, and the internal transparency that Google promotes are
both strong indicators of a solid employer for years to come. It helps that the personal benefits of
working for the company are great, as well as the fact that Google is ranked as #1 as America’s
Best Employer.
APPLE
Apple focuses on a high-end market, and its main products and services are consumer electronics.
While the devices are useful for users, the high price of Apple products turns lower income levels
away from buying into the Apple brand. Apple is a strong company, especially since it is the most
recognized brand worldwide. As an employer, however, it is ranked much lower than Google.

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While there would be personal perks for working for Apple, I do not see them as being better than
the ones Google offers its employees.
FINAL DECISION
Of the two, Google is the much stronger choice. Google’s interest in expanding to help
others in countries with less infrastructure and internet access is also very appealing. Apple’s focus
on the high end market, and their consumer base are financially sound, but on a personal level, it
is not the kind of company I see myself truly being at home in. I believe that Google will be a
better fit for me, and allow me more opportunities to give back to the world through my work.
Rather than help to create waste and profit for a company focused on stronger and faster physical
technology, I would rather work for a company that focuses on giving knowledge and opportunities
to people across the world, regardless of their income level.
NEXT STEPS
After completing the research on both Google and Apple, I believe that both companies would
offer beyond satisfactory employment opportunities. For the moment, my main goal is to continue
to uphold my GPA, and complete my graduation next year with a degree in finance.
Applying for internships at both companies will be beneficial. If I am not selected for internships
at either company, it is still important that I find a suitable internship/work experience in a tech
company in the area. I can also use my networking skills to meet and follow up with employees at
both companies. My goals leading to graduation are to make my resume as appealing as possible
for both companies, and gaining strong references and work experience along the way.
The hiring processes at both Google and Apple are intimidating, as are the numbers of applicants
that apply to both companies each year. However, if I continue to uphold my GPA, get selected
for internships and gain work experience over the next year, I believe that I may have a good
chance of getting hired at either company after graduation.

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REFERENCES
Apple (2015). Diversity. Retrieved October 23, 2015 from
http://www.apple.com/diversity/
D’Onfro, J. (2015). How Google’s Culture of Transparency Helps It Prevent ‘Backstabbing’.
Business Insider. Retrieved October 24, 2015 from
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-culture-of-transparency-2015-4
Forbes (2015a). #3 Google. Retrieved October 14, 2015 from
http://www.forbes.com/companies/google/
Forbes (2015b). #1 Apple. Retrieved October 24, 2015 from
http://www.forbes.com/companies/apple/
Google (2015). About the Company. Retrieved October 14, 2015 from
https://www.google.com/about/company/facts/culture/
Smithson, N. (2015). Apple Inc. SWOT Analysis & Recommendations. Panmore Institute.
Retrieved October 9, 2015 from
http://panmore.com/apple-inc-swot-analysis-recommendations
Soper, T. (2014). Google’s Eric Schmidt: Our biggest search competitor is Amazon—not
Microsoft or Yahoo. Geek Wire. Retrieved October 23, 2014 from
http://www.geekwire.com/2014/google-amazon/
Thompson, A. (2015). Google SWOT Analysis & Recommendations. Panmore Institute.
Retrieved October 9, 2015 from
http://panmore.com/google-swot-analysis-recommendations
Zafar, R. (2014). Google is Apple’s Biggest Rival—Not Samsung Says Tim Cook. WCCF Tech.
Retrieved October 24, 2015 from
http://wccftech.com/google-is-apple-rival-tim-cook/