Top 5 Most Successful International Businesses
Apple
Apple Inc. is the creation of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. It is the manufacturer of computers, computer software, digital media products, and other consumer electronic items. The most recognized and successful products include the Macintosh line of computers, and the Apple iPad, iPod, and iPhone. The company has been in business for over thirty years. The brand began with the creation of its first computer the Apple I, which was a "hobby computer." Apple Computer was not actually founded until 1976 and its first full computer, the Apple II, was not released to the public until one year later in 1977. Since its inception, the company has flourished. In recent years, under the leadership of the late Steve Jobs, Apple moved to the top of the technology chain. Following the passing of Jobs, Apple continues to thrive under the leadership of the new CEO Tim Cook, with annual sales on the rise.
Apple is a company that rarely follows the innovations of its competitors. This is at the core of why it such a phenomenal success and why it is different from other computer companies. In fact, it is often ahead of other companies in its innovations, such as the iPad, iPod and iPhone. The creation of the Macintosh was what originally put Apple on the path of success. This line of computers stood out from personal computers in several ways, including appearance and functionality. Apple prides itself in creating items that engineers and executives want and need. In this way they create items that people need and want, as opposed to creating items that consumers must be convinced that they need. The company also appeals to people who are not tech-savvy. Its products are kept simple, usually with one version of an item released at a time as opposed to multiple versions of a single product. Products made by Apple are also kept as simple as the level of technology will allow, which is appealing for many of its consumers.
Google
Google is a company that provides numerous services for consumers and businesses. It is most often recognized as a search engine. It incorporates a number of online technologies, such as Gmail, which is a free email service provider, and Google Chrome which is its browser. Other products that fall under Google include YouTube and Blogger, a common blogging platform. Google owes much of its success to ads. The company was the first to auction ads. These ads appear alongside the results of searches. In fact, ninety-nine percent of the company's revenue comes from advertising. The success of Google's advertising auctions have been adopted by competing search engines, such as Yahoo! and MSN. The speed and relevancy of the Google search engine and its results are both additional reasons for its overwhelming success.
Google has been in business since 1998. It was founded by two Stanford graduate students who originally named the search engine BackRub. They started the company in Menlo Park, CA out of a garage. In its first year it was labeled as one of the "Top 100 Web sites and Search Engines for 1998" by PC Magazine.
The company differs from its competition in search results, tools and features, and design. Unlike other search engine companies, Google also engages heavily in technological research beyond the Internet. One prominent example is the Google driver-less car, an artificial intelligence system designed to drive cars without the help of a person. Another ongoing project is known as Google fiber, a system of fiber optic networks which now exist in limited locations. Google is also unique in that it has a variety of popular products on the market. This includes the browser-based Google operating system, also known as the Chrome OS, which powers Chromebooks, their new Chrome laptops. Another famous Google product, which also contributes to the company's success, is the Android operating system. Android powers a large percentage of the tablet computers on the market, and more cell phones around the world than Apple's iPhone. Google has also acquired several businesses such as Zagat and Motorola Mobility.
Amazon.com
In 1994 Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos. Amazon is an online retail company that sells products such as books, e-books, electronics, Kindle e-book readers and tablets. It is considered the largest online retailer in the world. Amazon owes most of its success to its immense selection of products at competitive prices. Their success is also due in part to the success of the Amazon Kindle, which is the leading e-book reader. In addition to the United States, Amazon also has retail websites specifically for the UK, Canada, Japan, China, France, and several other countries. Since 1998 Amazon has also acquired a number of other Internet-based companies including ShopBop, Zappos, BookSurge, Audible, Box Office Mojo, and AbeBooks, to name a few.
Amazon is unlike any other retail site. It differs from its competitors in that customers have numerous options when shopping on the Amazon website. When compared to other book sellers for example, Amazon offers features that other book sellers do not. The Amazon Prime program offers numerous perks, such as allowing members to "rent" e-books for a short period. Amazon customers may also shop from a huge assortment of items, and even download and watch television programs or movies. In terms of the Amazon's Kindle/Kindle Fire and Apple's iPad, the difference is in the way that the company makes money. Amazon strives to make money more from sales after the sale of the Kindle device than the actual selling of the reader itself. For example, people who purchase the Kindle will continue to purchase e-books through Amazon. Their Kindle e-book software runs on a wide variety of platforms, including the PC, Apple's Macintosh and iPad, and Google Android-based tablet PCs.
Coca-Cola
The original Coca Cola was invented in 1886 by a pharmacist named John Pemberton. The company was not incorporated, however, until 1892 by another pharmacist named Asa Candler. Candler purchased the Coca-Cola brand and formula in 1889. In recent years the soda industry has been the source of much negative focus. For many companies this has had a significant backlash. The Coca-Cola brand, however, has managed to maintain its standing at the top of the industry. Although Coca-Cola manufactures sodas, it also manufactures other beverages and non-alcoholic drinks. In fact, in addition to Coca-Cola, there are also 500 additional brands, including Sprite, Tab, Nestea, Minute Maid, Dasani water, and Powerade, that fall beneath the umbrella of the Coca-Cola brand.
The company's success is largely due to branding and smart marketing. It has, nearly from the beginning, marketed itself as an All-American company and a major part of Americana. Today Coca-Cola is considered an American icon. It's unique taste and secret formula are a part of what makes it different from its competitors; however, the highly successful marketing of the Coca-Cola brand is the main factor which makes it stand apart from other beverage companies.
IBM
IBM is a technology corporation that manufactures hardware and software for computers. It has been in business for over one hundred years. It was founded in 1911 as Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (C-T-R), a name which was later changed to International Business Machines, or IBM. It's one hundredth anniversary has come and gone during which time the company's annual profits were at record highs. IBM was one of the first companies involved in the computing industry. It was the first company to produce computers for governments, and then educational facilities and large businesses. IBM entered the personal computer market in 1981 with the IBM PC, which helped start the personal computer revolution. A part of the original reason for IBM's success is the fact that other companies began making computers that were compatible with IBM, which made IBM PCs the industry standard. IBM has invested heavily in artificial intelligence, having developed supercomputers that play chess, as well as self-healing computer technology.
IBM's more recent success is due to its ability to adjust and adapt during changes in the computer and technology industry. This is also one of the ways in which it differs from its competitors, many of which are struggling financially. IBM integrated a social business and social computing structure that allow it to build relationships and networks as well as expand on the company's credibility. It has deployed process improvements, business analytics, and cloud computing which has resulted in improvements in productivity. In adjusting to the changing times, IBM also recognized what needed to be eliminated, and divested products and markets that they had developed for years and in some cases had even invented. IBM is heavily focused on innovation, achieving more patents per year than any other company. Other factors that contribute to the company's continuing success and help it to stand apart from its competitors include continuing efforts to create solutions for world problems, such as the management of water, Smarter Planet, and positive growth in Brazil, India, China, and Russia.
Mark Brown