Analysis Article
Micro and Macro environments
Google response in Japan is aimed at making an impact locally and nationally to address the micro and macro environments in which it functions. Micro environment can be seen in the immediate environment (Luck 46). In the micro environment, Google faced a challenge of helping the local people of Kesennuma find information which they desperately needed about missing persons after the tsunami hit their town. Google needed to come up with a way to specifically address the unique need these people had for information that would otherwise be found on search engines.
In the macro environment, the wider environment is considered (Luck 43). In this environment Google faces stiff competition from other Internet companies which offer search engines. This placed pressure on them to make a tool which would showcase their technological advancement in assisting the Japanese people meet their need at a critical time and beyond that. This would make Google a preferred search option for millions of Internet users. In addition, Google has made a few cultural blunders that it needed to show it could overcome (Tabuchi, 27). Overcoming the cultural huddle would make Japanese more open to what Google has to offer.
Marketing
Since Google does very well in other regions there is no reason why it can not achieve the same in Japan and capitalize on the large market there (Saira 3). Through its initiatives, Google was marketing itself by making necessary information available. In addition, they have other services like maps and their services like Picasa photo services all linked to the search (Tabuchi, 17). Through the sites set up, Google is also able to carry out its advertising services. By its quick action Google as opened up an opportunity to market itself to the Japanese people showing how what it offers can be important to their lives.
Financial
Financially, the experience has not been draining on the company. This is because people were able to put up information themselves and there were volunteers (Tabuchi, 18). The financial burden will be larger for the mapping done using the car which will visit the damaged cities. However, the cost would be recuperated by Google’s success as a more used search engine in japan.
Integration and interaction of the points
The key points integrated in the paper are on the effects of Google’s actions during the tsunami and how these affect the future of the company in japan. In addition, the history of the company in japan and how this can change while facing competition from other Internet based companies. These points are interrelated in that the actions Google has taken have been driven by a need to positively impact its image. The points interact mostly by leading into each other. Due to its earlier cultural blunder and failure to penetrate the market, Google needed to place itself in the middle of the people’s lives. Their quick thinking solution did just that.
The future of the company will be impacted by the positive effects the services have on the Japanese people. For example, the People Finder and the city reconstruction images captured by Google’s car. Google’s past experience also sensitized it to the people’s preferences. For this reason, they tailored their services to what was acceptable in Japan’s culture. For example, getting information from the police and other departments conscious of the privacy preferences of the culture. This will ensure that Google has greater chances of success in Japan in its future.
Works Cited
Luck, Diana. CIM Course Book: Assessing the marketing Environment. 2 nd ed.
Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinman, 2010. Print.
Syed, Saira. Google Takes on Asia’s Internet Might. 2011. Web. 4th November, 2011.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13740893
Tabuchi, Hiroko. “Quick Action Helps Google Win friends in Japan.” New York Times.
July 10th 2011: B1. Print.
