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MNG91002 – Entrepreneurship and Marketing
Session 1, 2015
Assignment 2: Case Analysis – Google
Core Information:
Due: Before 11:00 pm, Friday 8th May 2015
Weighting: 40%
Individual/Group Individual Assignment
Word limit: 2000 words in total (plus or minus 10%)
Aim
The purpose of this assignment is to provide you with an opportunity to apply knowledge, theory,
frameworks and tools from the early part of the unit to an analysis of the marketing practices of a
real organisation. You will work in analysing the strategies pursued by Google since its creation. You
will evaluate the strategies and their effectiveness and relate those real-life experiences to relevant
research and theory. The aim is to provide experience of marketing analysis and practice and to
determine your ability to relate real marketing strategy to theory and research.
The Overall Task
It was mid 1998. The dot com bubble had started to burst, and with it the demise of some of the
Web’s earliest search tools and browser platforms. Yet despite such chaos, two Stanford University
PhD students set about ‘organising the world's information and mak[ing] it universally accessible and
useful’ (Google Mission Statement). From those initial plans grew a multinational firm, now with
53,000 employees, and a market capitalisation of $USD360 billion.
A great documentary on Google can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnabJegAtMY
Your task in this case analysis is to answer three questions by critically analysing Google’s history,
resources and market situation. Please do not just describe events, although you should read
Google’s history to understand the background to your analysis. You should use the principles and
concepts that you have learned in marketing-related modules to answer the following two
questions:
1. What marketing strategy or strategies has Google adopted since it was created? Answer this
question by applying one or more of the theoretical marketing approaches and/or models
discussed in the literature.
2. What strategic marketing options can you describe for Google if it wishes to remain a
successful organisation throughout the next decade? Answer this question based on a SWOT
analysis of the circumstances that exist in 2014/15 and your best forecasts of relevant future
industry factors.
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These are wide-ranging questions and you should undertake extensive independent research into
Google and its industry – we might define it as the search industry. You should explore different
aspects of these issues and incorporate them into your paper. This is a practical assessment of a real
company, but you need to show an understanding of theory and research in your evaluation and
suggestions.
Process
1. Begin to gather information about Google and its strategies. There are a range of sources you
can make use including the companies own corporate website and related publications,
academic journals, business press and media, blogs and so on. The quality business press such
as Forbes or Business Week or the Economist are in some ways good places to start.
2. However, you need to begin to study relevant course materials as the task requires you to
analyse and evaluate Google’s marketing strategy in relation to theory, frameworks and
research.
3. Consider each of the two questions carefully and begin to relate practice to theory in an
attempt to answer each of them.
4. The first question asks to you identify the marketing strategy and/or strategies pursued by
Google. For example, you might consider this in relation to the 4Ps model, or even an
extended Ps model which are often found within the marketing literature. Or you might try
and determine if Google pursued a clear plan, with respect to their marketing function, or
whether you can discern emergent aspects of their marketing strategy. There is latitude here
for you to explore things and provide an analysis that you think makes sense. Your analysis
should include an assessment of why you think Google developed the strategies that they did
5. The second question is difficult since it asks you to look forward and to suggest the type of
marketing strategy and strategising that Google might fruitfully pursue going forward through
the rest of this decade. One explicit suggestion is that you use the well known SWOT tool to
analyse the situation confronting the company now and as part of the input into determining
strategy going forward. However, that does not preclude you using other tools and
frameworks to do an analysis and suggest a strategic marketing path for Google.
6. It should be clear that there is no definitive right answer here. This also mirrors reality,
companies are not able to find a single solution or pathway; they have to make difficult
choices from alternatives. In the light of that try to explore different aspects of the three
questions – there are no ‘correct’ answers and lots of valid arguments for and against all kinds
of alternatives. The merits of your argument will depend to a large extent on how much
evidence you can cite to support your point of view; that is why this is called a research
project.
7. Write up your analysis. This should be in a report format. Here is a suggested structure:
a. Executive Summary
b. Introduction
c. Background to the Company
d. Marketing Analysis
i. The Nature of Google’s Marketing Strategy or Strategies since it began.
ii. Strategic Marketing Options for Google moving forward
e. Conclusion
f. References
g. Appendix
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Ensure that you have related the real conditions of the company to theory and research and that
you have read, cited and referenced appropriate academic material as well as more popular sources
(which also need to be properly referenced.)
8. Submit the report via the Turnitin Submission Link (under Assessment Details on the
Blackboard site)…be fully aware of the plagiarism rules in the School; plagiarism will not be
tolerated.
The marking criteria for the assignment can be found on the following page. They are published to
give you detailed guidelines about the way in which your mark will be calculated. Please read them
carefully. Note that they are a guide, not a definitive formula for allocating marks, and no set of
criteria can accurately describe every possible assignment. Your final mark will reflect the application
of academic judgement by your marker to your whole assignment.

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MNG91002 – Entrepreneurship & Marketing (Session 1, 2015)
Assignment 2: Case Analysis Marking Criteria
Ratings and Comments According to Criteria Mark
Executive Summary Provides a properly constructed and correct length executive summary:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
The executive summary provides a brief overview of the purpose of the report and an effective summary of
its content:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Further Comments as necessary:
/5
Introduction. Properly describes the task and sets up the report content that follows:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor NA
Places the assignment in context in terms of discussing the nature and importance of marketing strategy
and its relation to the success (or otherwise) of companies such as Google:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Further Comments as necessary:
/5
Background to the
Company
Provides a clear, sufficiently detailed and properly referenced account of Google’s emergence and
development as a company:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Provides a clear, sufficiently detailed and properly referenced account of Google as a company, for
example, type of company, size, industry, basic performance data etc:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Further Comments as necessary:
/10
Strategic Analysis
The Nature of
Google’s Strategy or
Strategies since it
began.
Identifies and discusses the marketing strategy or strategies pursued by Google:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Relates the strategy/strategies pursued by Google to theories, models and research:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Further Comments as necessary:
/30
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Strategic Options for
Google moving
forward
Provides an analysis of Google’s current situation from a strategic marketing standpoint:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Demonstrates capability in applying analytical tools such as SWOT:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Provides plausible recommendations for a market strategy that promises to move it forward successfully:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Further Comments as necessary:
/30
Conclusions: Draws sensible conclusions based on the analysis and discussion:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Conclusions reveal key learning to be taken from the analysis:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Further Comments as necessary:
/10
Technical and
Professionalism
Aspects of the Report
In-text citations and proper referencing (note: an absence of in-text citations and referencing may lead to
penalties beyond the marks allocated for this criteria point):
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Appropriate sources used and referenced:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Presented in well-thought out, consistent, readable form/appropriate length:
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Style, spelling, grammar and syntax
Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Needs Development Poor
Further Comments as necessary:
/10
Summary Comments as Necessary:
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School extension policy
Students wanting an extension must make a request at least 24 hours before the assessment item is
due and the request must be received in writing by the unit assessor or designated academic.
Extensions within 24 hours of submission or following the submission deadline will not be granted
(unless supported by a doctor’s certificate or where there are exceptional circumstances – this will
be at unit assessor’s discretion and will be considered on a case by case basis). Extensions will be for
a maximum of 48 hours (longer extensions supported by a doctor’s certificate or exceptional
circumstances to be considered on a case by case basis).
A penalty of 10% of the total available grade will accrue for each 24 hour period that an assessment
item is submitted late. Therefore an assessment item worth 20 marks will have 2 marks deducted for
every 24 hour period and at the end of 10 days will receive 0 marks.
Extensions will NOT be approved because of problems with personal computers or storage
devices. Back up your work every day to a secure location.