Larry Page: From X to Y

Theory X and Theory Y represent assumptions on manager’s attitude towards human nature and behavior. Theory X assumes a negative manager attitude, while Theory Y assumes the opposite. Accordingly, Douglas McGregor, founder of this theory, believed X-type leaders should convert to Y-types if they are to motivate and perform successfully. This work aims to provide real-life support of McGregor’s assumption through a case study on the leadership profile of Larry Page, co-founder and twice CEO of Google and current CEO of Alphabet. Page’s leadership profile drawn from this analysis acts in favor of Theory Y’s assumptions, howev-er, transfer from X appears to have taken place beforehand. The conversion appears to be associated with the benefits anticipated by McGregor

Moonshots

In the last half-century, technological progress has stagnated. Rapid advances in information technology disguise the slow pace of productivity growth in other fields. Reigniting technological progress may require firms to invest in moonshots—long-term projects to commercialize innovations. Yet all but a few giant tech firms shy away from moonshots, even when the expected returns would justify the investment. The root of the problem is corporate structure. The process of developing a novel technology does not generate the kind of interim feedback that shareholders need to monitor managers and managers need to motivate employees. Managers who anticipate these agency problems invest in incremental innovations instead. In the last few years, a new structure designed to commercialize long-term innovations has emerged—the venture carveout. A venture carveout is a private company with one or two public company parents, outside private investors, and employee ownership. The parents provide intellectual property and a long-term strategic commitment. The private investors supply patient capital that insulates the project from short-term shareholder pressure. The employees’ equity motivates them to bring a product to market. The first venture carveouts are attempting to commercialize autonomous vehicles. If they succeed, they will validate a new model for innovation. This Article argues that venture carveouts could enable more companies to invest in moonshots, compete with the tech giants that dominate our economy, and accelerate technological progress

Google Ads: A Strategic Audit

Google began as an internet search product, allowing users to find relevant sites based on a search query. Over the past several decades, Google has become an extremely large and profitable business though online digital advertisements. While Google has a diverse product mix, the overwhelming majority of its revenue is generated through ads. This strategic audit first looks at the current external environment, looking at the political, economic, social, and technological changes and opportunities relevant to the industry. Then, it looks at the current competitive environment and shows the profitability of the business because of the large barrier to entry. It analyzes Google’s own strengths and weaknesses, identifies opportunities and threats, and explains Google’s competitive advantage. After considering all of that, it identifies several of Google’s current ventures as being potentially the most profitable moving forward. Google is and has been an innovative company, utilizing the latest technologies and being a powerhouse of a company. As long as Google continues to take risks and move fast, Google will continue being a leader in its industry

The Legal Fate of Internet Ad-Blocking

Ad-blocking services allow individual users to avoid the obtrusive advertising that both clutters and finances most Internet publishing. Ad-blocking\u27s immense - and growing - popularity suggests the depth of Internet users\u27 frustration with Internet advertising. But its potential to disrupt publishers\u27 traditional Internet revenue model makes ad-blocking one of the most significant recent Internet phenomena. Unsurprisingly, publishers are not inclined to accept ad-blocking without a legal fight. While publishers are threatening suits in the United States, the issues presented by ad-blocking have been extensively litigated in German courts where ad-blocking consistently has triumphed over claims that it represents a form of unfair competition. In this article, I survey the recent German ad-blocking cases and consider the claims publishers are likely to raise against ad-blocking in the imminent American litigation. I conclude that, when the American ad-blocking cases come, they are bound to meet with the fate they suffered in Germany. I argue that the relevant German and American legal frameworks reinforce a similar set of values, including respect for individual autonomy, recognition of the broad social benefits ad-blocking can generate, and an insistence that publishers accept ad-blocking as part of the free market in which they must evolve and innovate in order to compete

An Analysis of Cases Demonstrating Financial Accounting Fundamentals

The purpose of this paper is to analyze key financial accounting fundamentals through the completion of case studies administered during the 2020-2021 academic school year. These case studies have included in-depth analysis designed to provide insight into accounting topics that transcends what was learned through prior academic instruction. Over the last year, these cases have provided more practical applications of topics including taxation, financial reporting, investment decisions, and thorough analysis of a company through a mock case study presented in front of industry professionals. Ultimately, these case studies have afforded me the opportunity to develop my knowledge of financial accounting that deeply surpasses what was learned through exams and lectures

Innovation Agents

The standard narrative of entrepreneurship is one of self-employed creative individuals working out of their garage or independently owned start-up companies. Intrapreneurship--where employees are responsible for being alert to new opportunities inside firms--is another model for developing innovations. Relatively little is known, however, about the latter process through which large, complex firms engage in groundbreaking corporate entrepreneurship. This Article\u27s focus is on these types of innovation agents. It provides a thorough account of the positive and negative spillovers of intrapreneurial firms while making the following key points: First, intrapreneurial companies utilize their economies of scale, scope, and age to deliver innovations to the masses. They transform ideas, labor, and raw materials into tangible assets that can be traded in the market. Second, in doing so they offer individual entrepreneurs opportunities to capitalize their knowledge. Sustaining entrepreneurs\u27 prospects for supra-competitive profits is the main engine that motivates the latter to invest in discoveries in the first place. Lastly, intrapreneurial firms also serve as greenhouses for entrepreneurship through the migration of their own talented labor in the market. While these spillovers have tremendous societal benefits, they can also introduce harms. First, the race for the next breakthrough might result in anticompetitive behavior by rivals who conspire with employees-intrapreneurs to leave their firms and take with them confidential information. Second, intrapreneurs often aspire to undertake their own independent journey. In so doing, they leave secure positions and high salaries while carrying valuable knowledge and expertise. This, in return, often prompts intrapreneurial firms to act opportunistically and lock-in or lock-out intrapreneurs in restrictive and wasteful arrangements. As a solution, this Article proposes ways law can balance the positive and negative spillovers of intrapreneurship and ways the tax system can help achieve such result

A Study of Accounting and Economic Concepts with Reflection on Various Speakers

This thesis contains a series of twelve cases covering various accounting and economic concepts, including five cases providing a deeper analysis of Alphabet Inc. in relation to audit, tax, and advisory strategies formed based on public information and the company’s annual financial statements. The case topics were directed by Victoria Dickinson in accordance with the standards set by the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi. A few of the more technical issues covered in this thesis include a discussion on asset measurement practice, the completion of an excel certification course, and the effects of the Financial Crisis of 2008. Personal research topics are also incorporated, such as a comparison of the cost of living in two different cities, the results of an in-depth interview with an experienced accounting professional, and notes on speaker groups from eight major accounting firms

Capitalism as Readymade: 5.5 Case Studies

Rayman makes an argument to repurpose capitalist systems as readymade artworks to shift the existing flow of capital from speculator to art producer

Comparative analysis of two tech giants under the financial perspective: Microsoft versus Alphabet

Treballs Finals del Màster en Oficial en Empresa Internacional / International Business, Facultat d'Economia i Empresa, Universitat de Barcelona. Curs: 2020-2022. Tutor: Martí Sagarra GarciaThis paper provides a comparison of two key players in the IT industry, Microsoft and Alphabet, from a financial point of view. After analysing the IT industry and introducing the main theoretical concepts of the paper, the study gives a general overview of the two tech giants and compares their business models focusing on how they create and capture value. Furthermore, the case study includes a calculation of financial ratios using secondary data and explains the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic on the companies’ financial performance. Finally, their capital structure and their alleged anti-competitive actions are discussed, outlining two court cases of great importance and their consequences on stock prices